Revising Revised Revisions

Yes you read the title right.

It's December 20, 2005. Two weeks since one project went online. And yet here I am in the office still working on revisions for that project.

For those of you who don't know what I mean by online, it means that basically that was the final submission of CG work. That means that everything was approved and that our commitment was over.

Little did our heroes know...

Yes. Little did we know. Foreign clients did not approve our work so they asked for revisions. Something about not being grand/masculine enough. Here's how it went. From a few days before the online.

The agency enjoyed our work. They said that was fine. That was a Monday. No revisions were called in. Until Wednesday. Agency calls for a meeting. Minor revisions. Alrighty then. Nothing our post prod gear can't handle. Meeting commences. Major revisions. Re-animate and stuff. TWO DAYS BEFORE THE ONLINE. Yeesh. Spend Thursday night in the office and leave Friday MIDNIGHT. Just because of this.

Then they call Monday or Tuesday with some revisions. This is AFTER the online. Brilliant. I don't want to ramble anymore so...

How come they come to us without a storyboard asking us to copy this peg they gave? Then after the online that's when they start DROPPING STORYBOARD AFTER F*CKING STORYBOARD ON US AND ASKING THAT WORK BE DONE BY THE NEXT F*CKING DAY?!? Jesus Christ this is a first. They come to us without a plan then when the dust has settled they go, "Oh wait, we want THIS to happen." Right.

This whole thing is weird. But that's how the ball rolls. And I do know who "butters my bread" if you know what I mean.

So, hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go.

Out.

Pepsi Max Radio Advertisement

Have you heard the radio version of the Pepsi Max commercial? Here in the Philippines there's two people who make wisecracks about words. Say, for example, how come pineapples don't have pines or apples? Or, if vegetarians eat vegetables what do humanitarians eat? Then they come out with, "How come Pepsi Max has no sugar yet it tastes good?" (this is said in Tagalog - Bakit ang Pepsi Max walang asukal pero masarap?)

Okay. I'm sure the copywriters had good intentions. But if you're going to start making wiseass commercials might as well make sure your wisecracks stack up. I can get the vegetarian and pineapple part. They were being wiseasses about the composition of the word. But Pepsi Max has no sugar but tastes good?!? So? Did it say Pepsi Sweet? No. It said Pepsi Max. Where's the sugar there? The wisecrack, in my opinion, had no relation to the earlier wisecracks.

Which brings me to my own version of the Pepsi Max radio advertisement:
"Ba't yung creatives na gumawa ng Pepsi Max commercial hindi creative?"
(Translation: How come the creatives who made the Pepsi Max commercial aren't creative?)

Don't get me wrong. I respect copywriters (despite the fact that they sometimes get me pissed off due to some "revisions" on some projects) and what they do. My mom started out as a copywriter. But ads nowadays? Please. Some are insulting to my intelligence.

Not that I'm saying I'm superior to anyone. Its just that if you're going to make an ad might as well make it appealing rather than annoying. Or maybe it's the client's fault. I don't know. All I know is that I really don't like the locally made Pepsi Max commercials.

Out.

Random Stuff (Again)

This is one of the shelves of my room. I had a bad case of LBM yesterday so I was just at home and I decided to try and fix my room up a bit. Make it more pleasing to look at.

So I got rid of a lot of old car magazines and cleared out one whole shelf. Then I put up all my 1:18 scale die-cast cars and added some "guardians" to my shelf. My Metal Gear series toys. All fourteen of them. And once I get to buy some clear plastic (the one they use to wrap books in) I'll be able to remove all my 1:64 scale die-cast cars and place them on top of the boxes of my 1:18 scale cars. Ah yes. Just to look good.

Anyway you may be wondering why parts of this photo look "ghostly". That's because I used the panoramic mode of my new "sidearm" Sony Ericsson k750i to take this shot.

I love my new phone. So useful. So small. So nice. So far I've got no complaints about it. Takes getting used to since I was a Nokia user since 2000. But hey, it was time for a change.

Out.

A Real Early Rant

3:16am. Work. Awake. Rendering. Compositing. Rendering. Again.

I've only had 1 1/2 hours of sleep. From 1am to 2:30am. Just enough to taste the sweet nectar of rest before being shocked back to reality by my officemates (whom I requested to wake me up at said time). Since then I've been working. Burning the midnight oil. Whatever that means.

I don't mind doing this. It's part of my job. I chose this. So why am I bitching? Why not? I know how it goes, about me choosing this so why bitch when I put myself in this situation. It's about the situation that I'm pissed off at right now.

It's about the client. How he saw what we did last Monday (had to work Saturday AND Sunday for that) and only gave revisions on Wednesday. The product is due later today, Friday. Plus Thursday night he sends a few more revisions, just for good measure.

Perfect.

I know that I'm in the "service" industry. Where we are supposed to provide what is needed for clients. In this case, 3D animated whatevers. And that usually means we're at the bottom of the totem pole. So whatever they want we have to deliver. Nevermind the cost. If we have to sleep everyday just to deliver so be it.

Right.

People can be assholes. Specially those people who are higher up in the totem pole but not totally at the top. The people at the top (the client) usually make demands which are somewhat outrageous to the people below them (the ad agency). The latter, in turn, vent their frustration out at the people below them. That would be us. Sad.

But I'm not saying that's what usually happens. Usually the ad agencies have our back. Once they like our work they defend it to the clients.

Unless the client is boneheaded or stupid. Then whatever they approved before becomes a flaw the next time they see it.

They think that just because we use computers it means that it'll be as simple as snapping your fingers to do what they want.

They don't see the time it takes to do 3D. The time, effort, stress and whatnot just to create a simple animation. And they ask us to "revise" it when in reality the revisions they seek require major changes to the model and to the animation.

Perfect.

Enough. Back to work.

Out.

Something to Stroke My Ego

In 2nd year high school my Social Studies teacher mentioned of a Japanese god named "Izanagi". Sounds close enough to one of my first names (Isagani). I enjoyed going by that name once in a while before but I never thought of researching on it.

Now that I've got some free time I decided to do a little research. And here it is. I found this article at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izanagi.

Just a thought.

Out.

Wants vs Needs

Whenever I think of cars, I always think of what I want in a car. Like (in extreme cases) one of the cars in NFSMW. Maybe the Supra. Or the Ford GT. I want those cars. But do I really need them?

No.

Honestly the perfect car for the city streets of Manila are not them big-ass SUVs that drink gas the way I eat at buffets. Sure some of them are fuel efficient (I hope the Hyundai Tucson is - I really do like that "vehicle" right now) but most of them are powered by big V6 engines. And they're pretty expensive too.

What car do I really need for Manila? Something with four wheels, runs properly, has good audio system and a working AC. We can rule the Mazda I drive out. The audio is fine but the tape deck (ooh a relic) is broken and it doesn't have a CD changer. Plus the fact that only Velocity works on the car makes it a costly car to gas up.

So what I'm trying to say is, I won't mind if I get a Hyundai Getz or a Kia Picanto. Better if I get the Honda Jazz 1.5L. Or like what someone I know said, just use the money to buy a good second hand Toyota Echo Verso. Because I've been in that car and I really love that car.

Rambling...

Out.

The Need For Speed

I recently blogged about how much I like NFSMW. Well the bug has bitten me and bitten me bad.

Right now I wish I owned a Supra. Not because I want to zip in and out of traffice. I just want to own one. A manual Supra (I woulnd't mind driving a manual if it was THAT good) with short-throw shifter. No need for any dress up kits.

I wouldn't drive fast. I'd drive my pace. Maybe once in a while on open stretches I'd go fast but in other times I'll just chill. Why prove how fast a Supra is when its already a given that a Supra is fast. So I don't have to go up against morons driving 1.6L cars who think they're the reincarnation of Juan Miguel Fangio (you cannot be the reincarnation of Michael Schumacher because he AIN'T DEAD YET) or whoever.

Anyway I want to drive a cool car. Some car that is not that common, plus rear-wheel drive. I won't mind using a manual but power steering is a must. And it has to look real cool. Oh well.

I'm rambling again...

Out.

What Goes On In My Head

I shouldn't even be blogging right now. It's 4:16am, for crying out loud. And I'm still in the office. And it's my mother's birthday today.

Happy Birthday, mom. See you tonight, when I finally get out of work.

I should be asleep right now. Take advantage of the render time of your computer. Rest. Recharge. Long day ahead. And I mean LONG DAY AHEAD. Still have to take care of special effects. Still have to composite some scenes. Still have to make sure everything's fine for a presentation later at night.

Don't forget the 1pm presentation. Oh yes, good thing that's over with. All scenes rendered and waiting for pick up.

I should be asleep. But I'm not. I've only had roughly one hour's worth of sleep when I was rendering earlier. 1am to 2am. And that wasn't even sound asleep. More like drifting off to sleep only to revert to full alertness then back.

And yet my mind is fresh. Still on the edge. And that worries me. Because that means I'll probably start getting sleepy when I need to be awake. And that isn't a good thing.

I should be asleep. On my bed. At home. Only my bed right now is a sleeping bag on the floor. Don't want to sleep on the couch. Floor's better. My bed feels almost the same. Only not as hard. Because I've got a slightly thicker mat at home. Besides, I can't sleep in the office. Never have, no matter how many times I've done it.

I should be alseep. Maybe if I keep repeating this I'll eventually get sleepy. You know how if you keep lying about something you'll eventually believe your own lies? Well, I should be asleep.

Just get enough rest. Wake up at 7am. Grab some breakfast. Mickey D's or somewhere. Maybe take the car for a spin just to clear my head.

I wonder where I should have breakfast?

Oh look, rendering complete. So much for sleep. Back to work.

Out.

Work

So this will be my 2nd straight night burning the midnight oil in the office.

I've done this before. There was a time last year for a month I would go to work Tuesday and go home Thursday. So I'm pretty used to this... Or am I?

I don't mind working late if I have to (well, duh, obviously I HAVE TO). The challenge is good for the brain. The experience is good for building character. The teamwork is good for the social skills. It may be tiring but at least when we have off days, we have OFF DAYS. Know what I'm saying?

But lately I've been having a distaste for working late. Maybe because I'm bringing a car to work and I just park it outside the office. I don't know. Maybe its because I know there's a way home that I want to go home instead of staying here.

Whatever the reason, its bugging me. I know I have to finish what I can.

Maybe that's what I'll do tonight. Finish what I can, go home, rest, go to work early to continue what I can. After all, the project doesn't seem that hard. Its just that there are so many things to do for the project. Plus time is an issue. Its due tomorrow night.

Oh did I mention I have ANOTHER project due tomorrow 11am? Sweet.

Out.

Ticking Time Bomb

Tick.

Woke up this morning and it was raining. It was just the right strength for me to decide to sleep again. On a work day.

Finally I got up. Still relatively early but had enough sleep to feel quite fine. Had a nice breakfast of cold rice and boiled, canned vienna sausage. While channel surfing.

Took a nice hot bath. That woke me up even more. Despite the fact that the rain was falling I was feeling calm and happy. Strange. Normally the rains bring me to a sort of quiet angst. Or maybe I was just too damn relaxed to bother worrying about all the useless crap I worry about.

Tick.

Took the car to work today. It's going to be a long work day. I was supposed to go back to working on the game we were doing (which I am advertising right at the bottom of this page) because the project I was doing was almost done. I say almost because it still hasn't received final approval. But its getting there. Don't wanna jinx it. Knock on wood and all that brouhaha.

I encountered typical Filipino drivers. Swerve here, cut there. Defend all lanes so no one overtakes. Right. And yet I didn't get pissed at them (my, my I'm so calm all of a sudden). Just went my merry way to work. No hassles.

Even in the muddy parking lot. I usually park in the "idiot area", which I called that way because most of the people who park there just park anywhere. Our parking lot is an empty lot with security guards. All free, of course. The section of the parking closest to our building has organized lanes where cars park. As it goes further away less clearer lines of cars are seen. Sure it's an empty lot with no painted lanes but c'mon, use your friggin' heads once in a while. If they can do it in the front area why not the back?

Fortunately I park WAY back. So no one can block my car. I'm at the edge nearest the sidewalk. Haha. Who cares if its a long walk? That's why I've got legs with feet. To walk.

Anyway I'm waiting for my officemate to arrive so I can start working on the new project. It's going to be a bit rush-rush so I'll probably be working late here. But I'm ready. I don't know why, but I'm ready.

BOOM.

Down Time at the Office

Today was a relatively calm day at the office. Little to no revisions on my project. Rather than wasting my time surfing the net I decided to try and draw once again. It's been years since I last drew because I wanted to. And even longer since I tried to draw while having a reference material. I have to admit I don't know if my skills got better or worse. I can't even compare my drawing style now with before. But I have to admit, I'm pretty happy with what I drew.

This is the Guyver III. It took me around 30 or so minutes to draw him.



Out.

NFSMW

* Note: I've pretty much been writing negative posts the past few times so I thought I'd liven things up a bit with a video game rant. Besides I'm feeling a lot better already. Fr. Charlie was laid to his final resting place yesterday, the project's almost finished, and I got a three-day weekend. So I'm feeling pretty fine. I can't wait for my next bout of negativeness.

Got Need for Speed Most Wanted. Really wanted to buy it (Third sending me SMS all the way from Australia telling me how great the game was also helped) and so I did. Got me a copy and started playing.

To be honest I've re-started the game three times. The first time was okay but I had no strategy about choosing the Markers of the Black List opponents I'd beaten (I was going to go up against Black List # 10, Baron, at the time) so I tried again but made some stupid moves the second time. So three's a charm. I've beaten Baron, and Earl (Black List # 9). And what a great game it is - though somewhat monotonous.

I started with a Lexus IS300. Got it because it was the best handling car available (what is it with me and handling? I'll always take a slow car that handles well rather than a fast car that can't turn... except for the Ford GT I own in GT4 but that's another story...) and because it was one of the cars I could afford. I beat Sonny (Black List # 15 or "BL" - typing Black List is too long and, as you can see, I've spent way too many words trying to explain what the hell "BL" means) but didn't get his car. I beat the next guy and got his Lexus IS300 (which I promptly sold because his car handles worse than mine). Then BL # 13 was beaten and I got his Toyota Supra which I immediately souped up.

The story goes on and on. But to make it easier, I won Baron's Porsche Cayman S and all the unique performance upgrade markers I had at the time (5) were immediately dumped into said car. Comparing my Porsche's stats to other cars in the car lot, the handling is way up there with the Lambo Murcielago. Top speed and acceleration aren't quite up there but who cares. I love the Porsche. Nice engine noise and great handling.

Indeed it is a great game. However, it does get tiring. The races are somewhat repetitive and as you progress along the way the opponents become less racers and more demolishers. They keep ramming into you rather than racing. Plus the cops become more aggressive... which is a perfect segue for the next paragraph.

My record for longest police chase in NFSMW (go figure out what NFSMW means) was over 12 minutes using my tried and tested Lexus (if you think I'll intentionally use my Porsche Cayman S for pursuits you're dead wrong) and 50 plus cops chasing me. Amazing. My target bounty that time was 790,000 and after that chase it was up to 840,000. Wow.

Sadly NFSMW does get tiring (didn't I say that a few paragraphs ago?). Last night I played Way of the Samurai 2 for a couple of minutes and my interest level in NFSMW dropped. Horribly. Which is a good thing too so that I won't get too bored with the game.

One thing that scares me about NFSMW is that there's a Ford GT available there too. What's scary about that? How about this: In GT 4 when I found out that you could buy a Ford GT I played the game tirelessly until I acquired the GT. Then I stopped. This could happen in NFSMW too. Because I don't really care about beating the game. I just want the GT.

Oh by the way, the acting in NFSMW is superd. I really did get pissed off at Razor and Sgt. Cross. The actors delivered. Plus Josie Maran's there. 'Nuff said.

Out.

Rage...

It's been a long and tiring week. I am drained. Exhausted. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually. Anything and everything has been drained from me.

Sure I may look and act fine. But I'm not. Deep down inside I can feel it. And I do not know why. I am drained.

I can sleep earlier and sleep in the afternoons. Physical drain is not that hard to recover from. All you have to do is pamper yourself a bit. Sleep, get a massaage, eat. Whatever.

Mental drain? Hmm. Read a book, play games, be dumb. Shut off your mind from thinking. Though I don't think that's the cure for brain drain.

Emotional? After all the shit that happened to me this past week (what with two uncles passing away days apart) I really have no clue how to fix this. Maybe shoot photographs. Maybe hang out at the mall. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

Spiritual? Death does that to you. Saps you of joy, real joyl. I can still laugh and make jokes (and be the butt of jokes) but am I really happy? Now? Not quite.

So I'm drained. Just don't know how to recharge.

Out.

Fr. Charlie Cruz, SVD

Yesterday I went to the wake of my uncle, Fr. Charlie Cruz, SVD. He passed away Monday, Nov. 21, 2005 of pancreatic cancer. This was the man I was talking about in one of my previous posts.

It felt surreal to see him inside a coffin when (here we go again) exactly one month ago yesterday we were in Bataan celebrating his Silver Anniversary of priesthood.

I've felt sadness at what happened but two things helped lift up my mood. The first came from Fr. Jerry Orbos' article in The Inquirer last Sunday about Fr. Charlie. Since they were classmates he left a few kind words about him and I really felt lighter inside when I read them. I don't know why.

The second came from Fr. Dan Isidro, SJ. He was my teacher / thesis advisor / confidant when I was in Naga. He gave me a passage to read from the Bible. Wisdom 3:1-9. After reading it I also felt better. Plus he was the only person to tell me that's its alright and natural to question why things happen that way. Everyone else I spoke to (who incidentally weren't priests) told me that questioning is bad and stuff. So if you're reading this, Fr. Dan, thanks.

Anyway rest in peace, Fr. Charlie. Thanks for everything.

May 24, 1945 - November 21, 2005.

Out.

Shit Happens

Yesterday morning I found out that one of my uncles had stage 4 pancreatic cancer and had but a few days left to live. Shocking since less than a month ago he was celebrating his 25th anniversary as a priest. Full of life, full of cheer.

Now there are two ways to look at this.

The first would be to thank God for the time He allowed His son to be with us here on Earth. After all, my uncle did live a beautiful life. He was a missionary priest in Africa before returning here due to illness. And what better way to thank God than to try to emulate the life of my uncle, his kindness, humility and charity.

The other way is to think that God has a strange sense of humor and that He loves to torment us by doing stuff like this (extreme happiness one moment then extreme sadness the next). I mean, my uncle JUST CELEBRATED 25 YEARS OF PRIESTHOOD LESS THAN A MONTH AGO and now he's dying?!? What the fuck, God? Why?

Me, I choose to do the first. Not because it's the Christian thing to do. Not because it's a sin to think the second one. But because if my uncle were in my shoes he'd do the first. No bitterness, no hate. Just kindness.

My uncle and I were never close. We rarely see each other but the past few times we did see each other I always felt so light inside. Being near him made me feel calm. And I always wanted to have a long chat with him about my beliefs, maybe just so I could get a clearer understanding of God. Guess that won't happen now.

I was even the photographer at his anniversary. And, sounding redundant, its not even one month past and he's on his deathbed? C'mon.

On a darker note, last night I also found out that the father of my mother's cousin (who I think was also her godfather) passed away for as yet undiscovered reasons. They just found him on the floor of his garage in the US.

So... Why is this happening? All I've been hearing about lately is death. Whether its people I'm close to (relatives) or people I see on TV (Eddie Guerrero, Jason Collier, Michael Park) people are dying. Because what? In the span of this year alone I've experienced more deaths than last year. This can't be the law of averages.

If this is part of growing up, then I want...

OUT.

Tired

Once again...

Once again I met a deadline. Passed the work, few revisions.

I know I can handle projects, that I've got enough experience to do what has to be done to finish a task. Whether it be doing it myself or asking others for help. So...

How come I still get so damn paranoid before a presentation? I still feel like everything's going to get f*cked up, that everything I did was wrong, and that I'll crap on my pants?

I don't know. But at least that keeps me on edge to perform well. At least I'm not complacent. At least I know I still give a f*ck about what I'm doing.

I don't know.

Out.

Various Stuff

First off, R.I.P. Eddie Guerrero. What is it with death and athletes lately? If my count is correct first it was WRC co-driver Michael "Beef" Park, then NBA center Jason Collier. Now WWE Superstar Eddie Guerrero has passed away. I still don't know how. And despite the fact that I really wasn't a big fan of his I appreciated the way he worked the crowd. If he was a heel you really hated him and when he was a face you really wanted him to win every match.

* * * * *

Anyway. I was looking at some pics from my Japan trip and I just wanted to reminisce and stuff. So here are some pics with a few comments...

Some pics of me and the Nissan R32 Skyline of my friend, Marco...



... and here are some shots of me, my dad, Marco, his wife Gracinha, and their son Atari...




... I met Marco and his family through flickr.com and they were kind enough to give me a pro account even if we didn't know each other personally. And I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit them in Japan. Dad and I both had a great time with them and we enjoyed seeing things you normally don't get to see in Japan.

And since we're in the topic of cars in Japan, I was able to go to Toyota's Megaweb where you could play Gran Turismo 4 for free!!!




All you could use was a Toyota Esso Supra on Fuji Speedway '05. One lap. It was worth it anyway (since it was for free). I was also at the Tokyo Motor Show 2005 but that's worth another blog.

Anyway that's all for now.

Out.

ERRATA

Read the receipt wrong. Gas is only P39++. The P45++ was the tax. But still. I remember a few weeks ago Velocity was "only" P32++.

Out.

Velocity, Drivers in Manila, Et Cetera, Et Cetera...

Howdy.

Just had the Mazda gassed up for this week. And I think I had to pay P45++ for a frickin' liter of Shell Velocity. For those of you not in the know, the Mazda will only run on said gas. Because it's a lemon. Because of some unknown reason which could not be remedied by mechanics.

HOW THE HELL WILL I BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE GAS PRICES WHILE STILL HAVING ENOUGH CASH ON ME TO SAVE MONEY, BUY MY FOOD, AND GO OUT WITH MY GIRLFRIEND?!? Anyone who can answer that question, e-mail me. Fast. ASAP. Please.

The stupid E-Vat. Sure I understand the purpose of tax, but the real reason why taxes collected are never enough is because a lot of people cheat on their taxes. Or the corrupt government people steal them and report lower tax collections. So how does our brilliant government fix the problem of lack of taxes collected? Do they fix the way it is collected to ensure higher collections? Nope. Do they hunt down all corrupt people who steal our money? Nope (Of course it would be stupid to hunt yourself down). They penalize the people. They tax us more. And they wonder why we look down on the government. Sheesh.

Anyway, I just realized that driving in Manila will improve your reflexes. Why? Because jeepneys and buses here just turn at their pleasure, without looking at the side mirrors, and without signaling. Last Saturday I saw an L300 Truck planted into the grill of an 18-wheeler. I thought the L300 was turning left from a corner but when I saw the crash again the angle of the L300 was too far off from the corner. My theory? The L300 wanted to do a U-turn, banked right and turned left. Instantly. Without checking his side mirrors and/or rear-view mirror. The truck smashes into the L300 because it was either going too fast or it was too late to brake. End of theory. Who's at fault? I don't know. All I know was that if people were less stupid and greedy with driving less accidents would happen.

What else, what else? Hmm. Christmas is almost upon us. For the past two months we've been reminded of that. And for what? To buy, buy, buy. Buy stuff and let stores survive for one more year.

Happy holidays, y'all.

Out.

A Quick Post

Got back to Manila Sunday 1am. The plane trip was fine.

Pretty depressed now that I'm back. Not because I have to go to work or anything like that. I just feel sad that Japan (and Hong Kong) are two amazing Asian countries both really progressive and high tech.

And The Philippines? Sad to say we've got so much potential and nothing to show for it. We're screwed. Effed up. Sad.

Out.

A Blog From Japan

Greetings!

Okay here's the problem. I may be able to write here but I can't understand the interface. The damn page is in Japanese.

Yes, I'm in Japan. Since Sunday. Until Saturday.

People in China and Japan are mostly thin despite all the great food here because of on simple reason:

A really good public transport system.

Subways, trains and other trams. Lots of steps to take, few escalators. Everyone is also in a rush so people still walk while on the escalator. Hence more calories burned. What they eat gets used.

Not like I. I eat, drive to work, take the elevator, sit on a chair for a total of at least 8 hours a day, then take the elevator down, drive home, and sit again. Sad. For me.

But there is still hope. I hope.

Anyway that's all. Just wanted to try blogging from another country.

Out.

That's Not Right

I saw this ad a few weeks ago and I just had to have it scanned. How can you trust an advertisement that looks like this?

Jesus H. Christ.

Out.

Thoughts on Whatever

First off...

RIP Jason Collier. The Atlanta Hawks reserve center who passed away a few days ago due to, supposedly, cardiac arrest.

* * * * *

Anyway I just realized it but there are a number of people I know who celebrate their birthdays on September and October. Not too many on other months, except July, maybe. But oh well.

* * * * *

Haven't blogged anything worth $hit lately. I don't know if its because I've got nothing to blog about or I'm too damn lazy to blog anything of significance. Or maybe I'm not as angsty and depressed as before.

* * * * *

I wish I had cash. Lots of it. That way if I had lots of money I'd be able to buy a couple of condo units and rent them out. Then I can buy a second hand Vitara and have it "pimped". No, wait. Pimped is not a good term. Better yet, fixed.

Nothing wrong with pimped out rides. I used to enjoy watching MTV's Pimp My Ride. But lately interest has waned. Drastic drop in interest. Used to enjoy watching it. Even replays. Now? Can't even finish it even if its the first time I see that episode. Why?

Simply because the pimping West Coast Customs do are getting too extreme for my tastes. I mean, whats the point of owning a pick-up if the back is turned into a) a pool table or b) a huge multimedia container? Where do we put the things normaly placed in the rear of the pick-up?

The best Pimp My Ride episode, for me (and I am declaring this with infinite bias) was the VW Baja Bug eipsode. Nothing too flashy. Just some monitors and lava lamps. They even fixed the engine and added a roll cage. Now if Pimp My Ride were to go back to the simple ways they used to have, still keeping the car practical, then I'd start enjoying it again. But now, where every possible space is used up for trinkets, no thanks.

Which brings me to my next topic. American Chopper. This is the TV show I love to watch. My father and I watch this every Sunday. Its an amazing show and we love watching them build the motorcycles from scratch.

Anyway. I'm bored. Maybe I'll try to blog again some other time.

Out.

Random Thoughts, Baby...

Okay. It's currenty around 1:24am, Wednesday. Gotta finish this animation so I can start rendering and go to sleep.

Yeah that's right. I'm at work. Revising revisions. Learning to animate. Learning to stand on my own two feet. That's right. Two. One. Two. Left. Right.

Got two headphones on right now. That sounds weird, I know. One's from my iPod. Listening to Steppenwolf, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, and War right now. Grooving to the beat. Drowning out the outside world. Focusing. Fighting sleep.

The other's the bigger earphones. Over the other one. Work earphones. Gotta sync dialogue to motion. Gotta create motion. A digital puppeteer in a digital age.

Tired. Sleepy. Been a long Tuesday. Longer Wednesday. Wonder if I can go straight no sleep?

Body breakdown. Sick. Nope. Just tired. Need rest. Who doesn't? Still haven't fully rested from the previous overnight. But that's my job.

Slave to the grind. Bad to the bone. Pedal to the metal. Rambling. On and on and on...

Can't drown the outside world. Too many intrusions. Losing focus. Gaining distractions. Balance the scales. Increase the volume.

More Stones. Louder. Stronger. Full stereo. Classic rock... rocks. For lack of a better word.

Get back to work. Finish it. Sleep. Can't sleep. Work. Play. Get paid.

Life, death, taxes. The three sure things in life. You live, you die. You pay taxes.

Life's a bitch, then you die. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you look like shit.

Wish I could write more but I don't want to tell you anything.

ENOUGH!!!

Gotta work again.

Out.

Jacque Attack, Sato Strikes, and Other Ramblings

If ever you get to watch F! on Star Sports you'll know of the term "Jacque Attack". It was coined by one of the commentators there because of the way Jacque Villeneuve drives. I wouldn't call it wreckless but for lack of a better word, wreckless it is. Well, Jacque is a driver and hje's paid to drive and win. But still. Some of his tactics are somewhat strange. But there's a new threat to F1.

Takuma Sato.

Over the past few races Sato's caused the DNFs (Did Not Finish) of a few drivers. Most notably Michael Schumacher (a few GPs ago) and Jarno Trulli last Suzuka. I don't know what's up with Sato but he rear-ended Schumi and ended his race. And at Suzuka he smashed the side pod of Trulli's Toyota. Now I've never been a Sato fan. And I still think he's an idiot. So... Never mind. I've got nothing to say in defense of him. I think he sucks as a driver. I think Ralf is better. Hell, I think Alex Yoong is better than Sato. But they both suck anyway. So there.

Sato has been driving like he's in a demolition derby the past few races. Maybe as an outlet to his rage? He doesn't have a drive anymore next year, after all. So maybe he'll take out a few other drivers. After all when he rear-ended Schumi the latter did slap his helmet. And so, without further ado, I present to you my new nickname for Takuma Sato. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Japan's own answer to the Jacque Attack...

The Sato Strike.

* * * * *

Anyway I've played the new NBA Live 06. GM mode seems nice so far. I just can't win with the Lakers. I've traded for Shaun Livingston. Kwame Brown's becoming a presence and still I get losing seasons. Sigh.

As for the gameplay? It sucks. Guys looking for a very realistic game will be disappointed to find out that scoring is easy here, even with the sliders set low. Sadly. Plus with the superstar gimmick you tend to rely on one player only. I guess even in the NBA that's true. Specially with the Lakers. I still haven't finished a game in NBA Live 06. After the first quarter the score's around 40 each so I just quit. I want a realistic game.

Plus collisions suck. Sometimes when my player gets too close to a teammate he gets dragged by that teammate. Sigh. Simulate it is. No more playing.

So right now I'm not playing anything on my PS2. Gran Turismo's on hold since I'm still sorta addicted to GM mode of NBA Live. I just wish I would win. I've built a great team. Ah well.

* * * * *

Last Saturday I went to work to attend a meeting. In one of those amazing spur-of-the-moment things I decided to pack my Metal Gear series gashopons and take them home. So now my shelf is sorta bare. Well, not really. My Guyvers are still here. And so are the Star Wars I got from Jollibee. Plus the Ford GT is still here.

I might even add a Stingray here or another Ford GT. Or two GTs. Who knows?

* * * * *

Too much rambling already. Can't get a coherent thought in my brain. Oh well. It's almost 9am anyway. Gotta work now.

Out.

Ang 'Di Inaasahan

"Careful what you wish,
you may regret it,
Careful what you wish,
you just might get it."

- "King Nothing", Metallica

Ang mga salita sa sikat na kanta na ito ang patuloy na naririnig ng utak ko habang sinusulat ko ito. Dahil itong mga salita na ito ay angkop na angkop sa nangyayari sa akin ngayon.

Kung maaalala ninyo, matagal na akong gumagawa sa game. Iyon ang pinagkakaabalahan ko ngayon dito sa opisina. Kasi yon ang binigay sa akin na gawain. Ilang buwan na yan. At natural lang na ma-miss ko ang pag-gawa ng commercial. Kasi medyo paulit-ulit lang ang ginagawa ko sa games.

Hindi sa ayoko ko na sa games. Masaya pa rin doon. Ibang skill set ang natututunan at nagagamit ko sa games at iba rin sa commercial. Kaya di rin naman ako talo kahit ano gawin ko. Basta maka-gawa ako sa 3D at mahasa ko pa sarili ko.

Ngayon ako ay matutulog sa opisina. Matagal ko na itong hindi nagagawa. Ayos lang naman. Akala ko matatapos ko ang pinapagawa. Kaso di ako masaya sa gawa ko kaya nilinis ko pa. Ginabi. Sira pa naman ang Mazda. Kaya matutulog na lang ako dito. Magpapadala na lang ako ng damit bukas sa aking ina pagpasok niya sa opisina.

Natapos ko na ang dapat ko gawin ngunit yung para sa game ay itutuloy ko na rin. Matapos ko magsulat dito. Bakit? Ayoko na gabihin mamaya (ang oras ngayon ay 12:52am kaya ibig sabihin Huwebes na ng umaga... madaling araw) at gusto ko rin naman magpahinga at maglaro ng PS2. O kaya'y manood ng DVD.

Marami akong natututunan ngayon. Dahil nga sa commercial. Kailangan magaling ka talaga sa diskarte pagdating sa commercial. Kasi kung hindi malalagot ka dahil sa mga deadline. Parang ngayon. Kaninang mga 4pm may binigay na mga revisions ang direktor ng commercial na ginagawa ko. Tinanong kung puwede ba bukas ng tanghalian matapos. Kaya naman, nagkamali lang ako sa paghula kung anong oras ko matatapos.

Pero ako rin may kagagawan nito. Kasi kanina ang dami kong maling nagagawa. Hindi ko alam kung dahil sa pagmamadali o katangahan o complacency. Kaya minabuti kong bagalan ang trabaho ko. Sinigurado ko na tama ang ginagawa ko.

Kaya ayan, andito ako ngayon sa opisina. Dito matutulog. Pero anong masama doon? Oo, di nga ako makakatulog ng mahimbing. Pero ayos lang. Ako rin naman ang naghanap nito e.

Out.

In the Zone

Whenever I'm working there comes a point everyday when I enter... The Zone.

What is the zone? Why does it exist? How do I enter it of my own will?

Well for me the zone is basically a point in time during office hours when I my focus will peak and my productivity will be really high. It can go on for as fast as 30 minutes to as long as 4 hours. Because there was this one time I had to do this project and was so focused and in to it that I didn't realize that four hours had passed, and that I was freezing my ass off.

Four hours straight work. No jacket. No break. No talk. Just work. When I finally came out of the zone, I had goose bumps from the cold. I was feeling very cold. My bladder was about to burst. But my work was amazing.

Why does the zone exist? I don't know. Maybe because I make it exist. Because I focus so much that I become super-productive.

How do I enter it? I don't know. It just happens. In fact I'm so sure that I can enter the zone everyday if only the factors were right. One factor could be direction. If I know what I have to do and that thing is finalized I can get in the zone. But if its really an unsure thing no zone.

Anyway. Enough of that. Got Live 2006 yesterday and tested it out at the mall. It worked. At home? Nope. So I'll try getting a copy from another store today. If it still doesn't work I'll have the former replaced tomorrow. And if that still won't work? I dunno.

Out.

Back in Business

You all know about getting the monkeys off my back. And you all know that right now I'm mainly working on a game. But yesterday I got assigned this other test for another client. Got supervised by my officemate/mentor/master and he approved of my work.

My word! I'm actually back in advertising. And I can't believe I've missed a lot of things about it. Like the fast deadlines and the pressure to improvise to achieve your goals. Not that I'm dissing the game I'm working on, but its basically repetitive. Model, model, model. Or you just animate what they've rigged (because they have to follow a specific rig for the character). I'm sure there's a lot more to games but right now I miss the fast-paced action of commercials.

Its more pressure but why not? At least I'm having fun. So far. Because there's still no problems with the project. But hey, what better way to improve than this, right?

Anyway this new thing I'm working on is pretty simple, actually. So far its just a test of how we model something and how we animate it. After that if the client likes it we get to do the actual commercial.

What's great about being back in ads is the fact that I'm not so constrained anymore by polygon count. In games we were basically limited to around 1,500 polygons per model for characters and significantly less for props. But for the test I'm doing already the first model I've made has around 10-15k worth of polys. Nice.

Anyway I'm a pretty happy guy again. So far.

Out.

Disclaimer

When reading this blog please remember the following:

1) This blog is written by me and me alone. Most of the thoughts here are mine unless otherwise stated.

2) This blog is meant to be an outlet to my thoughts, frustrations, joys and whatnot.

3) This blog is not meant to be slanderous, treasonous, or any other "onous" or negative thing towards others. Unless otherwise stated.

4) This blog is open to anyone who wants to read it. I am not forcing you to read it, unless I asked/begged you.

5) Re-writing or copying of any of my thoughts here without my permission is wrong. Even if I don't find out that you stole my work I hope your conscience bothers you for the rest of your life and beyond.

6) Any complaints or suggestions can be dropped in the comments section where a response from me may or may not come.

Getting Monkeys Off My Back

Finally. After x number of months, two commercials I worked on have finally aired.

Two monkeys off my back.

You see, even if I never showed it, not airing those two commercials severely affected my confidence at work. My officemate Portia gave me some good advice when I told her how much it bothered me. She said something like, "You gave them what they wanted. You did everything they asked. They haven't complained about what you did, its in their hands now."

And she was right. But still. It bothered me. Usually commercials take us one to two months to create then it airs a few days (to a few weeks) after we make them. But not these two. One of them was from last year. November to December. Got put on hold. February to March I had to work on it again. Finished it in the deadline they wanted. They accepted and all. Never showed. And this was a project which was mine. I wasn't helping out anyone. It was given to me. I handled it and made it.

The other one was a group effort. But it was my scene which had all the revisions. Two months worth actually. It was going around in circles.

Stuff like that can ruin my confidence. Is it something about me? Is it something with what I've created? I did as the director asked. I followed my officemates' suggestions. Everything was great and yet revisions kept coming.

Damn.

And once the online got finished they didn't even air them. Months passed. Sure I've forgotten about them and moved on to the game. But I've been afraid of doing commercials since. What if it gets held again? And that happened. Again. To this test we were supposed to do. I did as asked. I passed it. Its up to them now, I guess. What bothers me is that it seems that every commercial I've recently helped out in gets held. Is it a jinx? Or is it a problem with the ad agency and their client? We're just "suppliers" who give them what they want. They need a 3D plane? Butterflies to pop out of a mug? A dragon tossing a pretzel? You got it.

Now why won't they air it at once? I can understand one of the reasons. The new packaging wasn't done yet and the labels they gave us were the new ones. But the other two? One was supposed to be released during the first weeks of summer and the other was just a test, dammit!

Oh well. I've found solace in games. At least the deadlines are weekly. And the client has always approved the work Kem and I have done. But lately I've been "longing" (for lack of a better word) to work on a commercial again.

And if it gets held again, tough. Another monkey'll just climb on my back.

Out.

Eating Out

Last Saturday my girlfriend and I decided to have dinner in Heaven N' Eggs Glorietta. So after hearing mass and walking around a bit we decided to go there. Bad move. There was a long queue and we had to wait. Fine by me. The place was packed. Maybe because the food was good, maybe because it was the "in" restaurant right now, I don't know. Anyway we waited around 30-40 minutes there. I really didn't mind waiting since the food does look good and because its a new restaurant. But ultimately we decided to leave since I was getting real hungry and because it seemed like it would take 20 minutes just to seat a group, and we were 14th in line. You do the math.

So we moved to Avenetto. At least we got seats. We even ordered already. Maica ordered eggplant parmagiana and I got this calzone. Waitress says calzone takes 35 minutes to cook so fine by me. Just bring the pasta out first, aight? Aight. So we sit. Chat have some jokes. Calzone arrives in fifteen minutes. Huh? Oh well. Eat some, chat some. After thirty minutes the pasta still hasn't arrived. Maica's getting pissed. Says to either cancel it or bring it now. Finally it arrives. So we eat some more. Ask for the bill. Wow talk about pronto! Get the change. Wow, talk about pronto! It seems the only time the service got fast was when we were going to pay already.

Okay so maybe it was bad timing on our part. It WAS Saturday. Everyone was out. But still. Avenetto's food was great. The service could be better. But the food was great and worth it. Would I eat there again? Maybe not. How about Heaven N' Eggs, would I try to eat there again? Maybe when they're not the "in" thing. Or maybe when they're about to close and they're desperate for customers. But in the near future? No. I wouldn't eat in any of those two places anytime soon.

Or maybe it was because they're both relatively new restaurants in the area and their staff aren't veterans yet. But still. Friday's serves better. No, wait. Don't get me started.

Out.

It's Been A While

Haven't blogged anything lately. Anything of relative importance. Mostly minor stuff, news from around the globe and games, games, games.

Well I just found out today that someone I knew died. She was the granddaughter of the cook/household helper of my grandparents in Lucena. She was about 10 years older than me (maybe more, maybe less, I don't know). She basically grew up with my grandparents. She lived in their house, and she was like another grandchild to my grandparents. She got married, moved out, and stuff. Now she's dead of cancer. So my condolences go out to her family and my grandmother and my aunts who live there. She was like family to them.

Anyway I was in the office yesterday when I found out that Direk Third had a copy of the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack. Kem and I thought this was the soundtrack to Advent Children so we went down to Third's car and all sat in there to listen to it. It was the game soundtrack but most of the music there was also used in the CG movie.

I cannot stop raving about the sound quality in Third's ride. He's driving an Echo Verso with really sweet speakers, amps, and a subwoofer. Amazing sound. Lovely, just lovely. Imagine listening to a full orchestra in that car. Hell I'd play full orchestra songs in that car on full volume and they'd sound so much better than the thumping bass blasts of R&B and hip-hop blaring on most cars here with subs.

What else, what else? Oh I'm still deciding on whether I want a Sony Ericsson K750i or not. Most likely I'll want. I'll be splitting the costs with my mom anyway. She's got a couple of free points in her phone which can be used to get that unit. I'll just pay for the balance since the points are not enough.

It shouldn't really bother me but it does. Due to circumstances of the past month or so I've had to become more financially responsible than before. Used to be what I earned was all mine. I could spend it to my heart's content, use it on whatever. But lately I've had to rethink my expenses. Which isn't wrong anyway. Eventually I will have to be totally independent financially.

I was just hoping it wasn't now. I earn enough actually. But if I have to be more financially responsible I'll have to cut back on some of the expenses I normally take. Because first of all my savings are severely depleted (thanks to my buying a new CPU that still can't be used - long story) and I want to bring it back up to a safe level. Second I've got to consider paying for the gas in the car I use all the time. My mom does have a point, since I use it I ought to pay for the gas.

Its just that as I started working my mom first told me she'd help out with my expenses at first so that I could save my money and I got used to that. But now I guess I'll have to face the facts and taste the beef.

Oh well. It was, as Agent Smith said, inevitable. Besides I am 25. I ought to start acting my age. Or at least being more responsible. Whatever.

Out.

Random Postings

I finished Halo 2 in Heroic mode in less than an hour. How? We were waiting at our client's office for our ride back to our office. This is our gamer client. He has a Gamecube, PS2, and XBox in his office. And since we were not doing anything he was kind enough to let us play Halo 2.

Last stage. Hehehe. We started the game at the last stage. After about 15 attempts each for Kem and myself I luckily managed to blow up the final boss. Neat. So I can credit myself with finishing Halo 2.

But enough of that.

Condolences go out to the family of Michael "Beef" Park, WRC co-driver for Team Peugeot. He met a fatal accident during Stage 15 of the Rally of Great Britain.

GT4. My Ford GT is a beast. Can't turn to save his life. Had to put wings on and play with the settings for a good 45 minutes before I could even get a semblance of control. But now I'm getting used to it. Have to brake real early and stuff but at least I win with it. So far.

I'm also currently looking for a FF car. I've got around 460,000 credits to spend. How? I raced Japan championships again. And I got another Nissan special 350Z. Worth 350,000 credits. What am I supposed to do with two (hehehe)? Okay fine, I cheated. I raced that again to get a car that is expensive so I could sell it and use the cash to get better cars. Does anyone remember that race in GT2? You win it you get 50,000 credits AND a Tuscan Speed 12 worth 500,000 credits? Didn't you guys love racing that SINGLE race? At least I race a championship series.

Anyway enough of that. Saw the review for NBA Live 06 GameCube at ign.com. Don't expect a realistic sim. Feh. As expected. Just because EA Sports is dominating the NBA scene they spew out junk AI. Fortunately I'm not after NBA Live 06 for the gameplay. I'm after it for the dynasty mode. I'm gonna get it, and play dynasty mode. Maybe try playing some games but I will get it for the dynasty mode. I'm gonna turn the Lakers into a neo-Bulls team. Yep, the Lakers. Not because of Kobe, but because of Odom. I'm gonna turn Odom into Pippen V2.0 so yes, Kobe'll be MJ V2.0 also.

But I'm doing it for Odom. Hell, I've got me a plan already. I'll try and dump Brian Cook and Slava Medvedenko to the Pistons for Darko. Yeah you heard me. Darko. I'm a Darko fan. I'm a fan of any lefty in the league (hence I'm a big fan of Odom) because I am also a southpaw.

But since I don't know when Live will arrive I'll have to be content with my trusty Live 05. I've already got an idea of how "lousy" the AI will be since NBA Live 05 basically has the same complaints I've read about in Live 05.

This should be fun.

And for all of you out there reading my blog, thanks. Even if you find my writing amusing.

Shyeah right.

Out.

Finally...

I've got a Ford GT now. Silver with black stripes. I wanted a yellow with black stripes but its not in my personality. The black with silver stripes was also nice but I prefer the silver one.

Won the Japanese championship race, A license required. Got 3rd place in Suzuka, but first everywhere else. Just goes to show what happens when you can't get the track layout. Always overshooting turns and driving off into the gravel. But so what? Victory was assured.

I even got this souped up Nissan 350Z that can be sold for 350k++ but knowing how expensive it is, it must be a good car. So I'm keeping it.

I did sell my Nismo 400R. Just to get enough cash to buy the Ford GT. Its still mostly stock, because the only upgrades I could buy were sports brakes and the brake balance controller. I'm a stickler for control and I want my car to handle excellently before I even think of making it faster.

I've only driven the GT twice. Raced the MR Cup. Won both races. But damn! Super fast, excellent handling. If only the first race wasn't so damn short. I wasn't even getting into third gear and I had to brake already. Sigh. But the GT... Oh baby yea. What a car.

When I get to play GT4 again I'm definitely going to try and race the GT again. And maybe take the souped up 350Z for a spin. Maybe I'll race the championship races again and if I win another 350Z then I'm selling one of them so I can fix up my GT and my Skyline.

But aside from that I've read about the dynasty feature of NBA Live 06 in ign.com and I've got to say I want the game. Screw the gameplay, I might just play NBA Live 06 and simulate all games. That's how interesting the new dynasty mode is. Okay so maybe, just maybe, I'll make two saves. One for playing and one for simulating. Or maybe I'll just play once in a while but simulate most of the time. I don't know.

And I also want to get God of War and Ultimate Spiderman. Why? Its been a while since I've played platformers. I sorta miss it. Shinobi's too hard, Tenchu's a drag. But I've seen God of War. Wow.

Out.

The Speed is Back... Big Time

Okay so last night when I got home I wanted to take a bath, but I didn't want to at once to let my feet breathe fresh air first. That was too much information for you, but...

I decided to play around with GT4. Try the license test again but this time play for fun. No pressure. No need to get a prize. Just put in some practice. And off I went in my 70s Alfa Romeo car. IB Test 15. Lap of this Italian town.

I drove fast. Too aggressive for my usual style. The car was flailing around, since it was an old model and had no driver aids. Swerving left and right, late braking, braking while turning. Things I never did before. Lo and behold, I got a bronze prize. The track that once had me stumped was conquered. Hell the best time I had before last night was 2 sec. off the bronze prize time. And now I got the test. Then I finished off the final test and got me an IB License.

After that I decided to try and race. Raced in Turbo Sports Cup. Tried the B-Spec mode only to find that the AI driving my car was worse than Ralf Schumacher (you know, hates taking risks, doesn't push it always, sometimes brilliant, sometimes crap) but instead of reseting the game I decided to finish it.

The reason why I wasn't enjoying GT4 was because I wanted to maintain a perfect record. All wins. So I forced myself to accept the fact that the AI could only do 2nd best. Then I immediately quit to the main menu so that the autosave function would kick in. So my record wasn't perfect anymore. No more pressure. Now the fun begins.

I win the race my AI lost. Drove like a madman. Kept on winning. I finished the Race of Turbo Sports and got me this sweet Mazda RX-7 which drove excellently.

I learned a few things too about my driving style and have now modified my Skyline to befit it. The following were my discoveries:

• I am a heavy braker. So I bumped up the braking values for my Skyline. Almost max for both front and rear tires. Slightly stronger pressure applied on the rear tires.
• I need heavy downforce. My first setting for the downforce was 8/10. When I got the RX-7 the values in downforce were 14/18. So I tried that out on the Skyline. Perfect. Better grip and maneuverability. Sweet.
• I can brake while turning. This I discovered thanks to the aformentioned RX-7. I was turning like a madman, even with an FR car. And I wasn't spinning out. As long as I balanced the accelerator, the turn, and the brake I would make it.
• I can drive fast if there is no pressure. Hence I had to "take one for the team" and lose a race. Just so now I can just have fun.

The Ford GT is now looking more like a reality. However now I'm also not thinking of getting it. Who knows, I might be able to get enough cash tonight to buy it. But if I don't, who cares? All I know is that with these new discoveries of mine I'll be able to push my lap times and performance to new heights.

By the way I just got a Nike One concept car. The prize from getting an IB License. Excellent car. 8 gears. 4WD. Fast acceleration. Great grip. Great handling. Sure my lap times in Midfield Racetrack was at best a 1:19:30-ish, which my mentor, Third, can easily beat. But still. I've never driven that fast in GT4. And since GT4 has slightly different physics than GT2 and GT3 I could say I'm proud of those lap times. I was able to push myself into speeds I never dreamt of achieving while maintaining control of my car.

Tonight I again use the Mazda RX-7. To race that Japanese series of 5 race. The one where aside from the prize money of each track there's a 35K bonus if you are the champ. Then maybe, just maybe, I can get the Ford GT.

Out.


My "Impreza Killer" R33 Skyline.


Mazda RX-7 that drives like a dream.


Should this stay or should this go?

Rekindling The Past

Right now I'm listening to my iTunes while blogging/animating. I'm currently listening to my high school favorites.

And its not grunge.

I may have been a teenager when grunge hit. It may have been the "in" music in high school (besides hip-hop, which I sometimes like and sometimes hate) but I was never that in to it. Sure I liked some of the songs that were famous. Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden. Yeah I liked them. Pearl Jam? Nope. Only started liking their music around 2001 or so. I'm a late bloomer.

Anyway, the music I liked listening to in high school was classic rock. Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and of course my all-time favorite band, Black Sabbath (with Ozzy at vocals, of course).

Yes, I am stuck in a time warp. I always enjoy listening to music that isn't famous today. I'm not really a mainstream type, sure I do like mainstream things. But not as often. I prefer the "classics". The music the current artists listened to to create the music they created today.

Plus I really love those old riffs. In fact, I'm listening to Black Sabbath right now. And the other songs I usually listen to in iTunes (and in my iPod) are Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Steppenwolf, and Led Zep. Yeah, I'm a classic rocker.

I may not know much about the history of the bands and whatnot, and I may not be able to identify their music in one note, but I do love their sound. Raw, edgy, simple. The basic sounds and foundations of heavy metal as we know it today came from bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zep.

And I'm listening to them. Again. And again. And again. Why? Because I love their music. And maybe so I can inspire myself to pick up my rusty stringed acoustic guitar to belt out Iron Man one more time.

Of course I could be in my "classical rock phase" right now. I don't know.

Out.

Another Gran Turismo 4 Rant

Okay. I give up. I admit it.

I suck at GT4. Sure I've gotten both A&B licenses, but they were ALL BRONZE PRIZES. I can't follow racing lines and I brake too early. I am a casual driver.

I have no talent for hardcore GT4 racing. I cannot win and I have no patience to take 2nd place. I want to win all the time, since I'm up against computers.

My driving style is too NFSU2 and not really suited to GT4. I don't carve up corners, I slide past them. That was my fault in GT2, and up to now I still fall prey to it. I try to counter it but old habits die hard. And now I'm pissed.

Add to the fact that I can't buy the Ford GT because I can't win any more races since I keep getting overtaken. And so I come to the realization that I may want to re-do my game.

That's right. Start off from scratch. Still get the 100,000 credits. But I won't buy a Skyline this time. Oh no.

I'll start with my favorite first car. The car I always bought first in GT3. A Mazda Miata.

I've got a plan now. I buy and set-up the Miata, race it in all possible races, including the Japanese 90s Cars Races and get the Nismo 400R. Once I do that I save enough cash and fix the Nismo up.

No more Ford GT. Now its all about winning as many races as possible. Maybe, just maybe, if I do this I'll eventually get the Ford GT.

But those are the least of my problems, since my GT4 is defective. Sunday Cup races won't load. The most basic races. No load. No way. No game. Maybe that's why I'm frustrated. Maybe because I can't start from simple races to the more complex ones I get too frustrated racing in races where cars are extremely fast already.

Or maybe I need more practice. More intensity.

Or maybe I just need to find another game. God of War. Definitely. Ultimate Spiderman. Yes. NBA Live 2006. Without a doubt.

Out.

"Nababato Ako" - The Blog

(Note: I'm extremely bored, and I want to blog. But I can't think of anything to write plus my brain is stuck to Radioactive Sago Project mode so right now my thoughts are really, really f*cked up, y'hear?)

Nababato ako.

Nababato ako. Nababato ako. Nababato ako.

Nababato. Ako. Ako. Ako. Ako. Bato. Nababato. Ako nababato.

Bato bato bato. Bato. Ba. To. B. A. T. O. Nababato ako. Bato ako. Ako bato.

Nababato ako.

Out.

Rants of a Frenzied Mind

Okay, these are all toughts that came in to my head since I last blogged. So bear with me. They may be incoherent, they may be strange, they may be racial. Whatever. Just ranting.

I don't play GT4 as much now. Why? Because I ran a championship race and was doing fine the first two races. Then on the third race I was off to a good lead until the fourth lap when this other car comes flying by me. What the f*ck?!? How did that happen??? That never happened the first two races. Did they change tires all of a sudden? Good grief. So I shut off the PS2. Quit the race.

Actually I was thinking calmy during the race, when I got overtaken. I thought, Okay cut my losses, defend second. Win the Championship and get the car. Then Mr. Temper came in and I was like, I'd better eject the disc, shut down the PS2, and walk away calmy before I either a) Threw my controller HARD at the PS2 or b) broke my GT4 disk in half or c) all of the above.

I hate to lose, specially in PS2 games. I can take defeats easily if I wanted to lose. But I didn't want to. So there. GT4 is for really good drivers, guys who have excellent hand-eye coordination. I don't think I've got great hand-eye coordination. In fact I'm stuck at IB License Test 15, the lap around this Italaian town. And I always end up 2 seconds away from the bronze prize.

Sure I can practice. But really, I've only got so much time to play that I want to progress. I have work, I have a girlfriend, I've got a life. So how can I enjoy the damn game? Good thing I've got NBA Live 2005, and I'm looking forward to NBA Live 2006.

Anyway I figured out something strange last night. Do you want to know who the next dominant race will be in the world? The Arabs. Yep. That's my prediction.

See, the caucasians have had it great the past few centuries, being the dominant race and all. Fine and great. Hoorah for them. But lately almost every country's been pissed off at the USA because of their arrogance. They are not the superpower people used to think they were.

As for the Europeans, they seem better than the Americans. More mature and stuff. But their time's running out too. The age of white is fading, I can feel it. They try to cling to their greatness but the only reason they are the great ones is because they invented the rules to greatness in the first place.

Arabs? They've got all the oil and the cash now. They know how to deal with other nations, friendly at first then ruthless next. They send their offspring to other countries to get the education that helped the whites dominate. Education that other people take for granted, they take seriously.

They've got the resources and the know-how to be the next dominant race. And they're doing it. Right now.

My question is, when will it be the turn of the Asians to be the dominant race? Or better yet, why can't we just all get along and forget about race? We're all human. We've all got the same organs we all function the same way.

I guess it's in our nature to want to dominate everything. Humans have to be the most dominant species in the world that they will go to great lengths to do it. Even dominate fellow humans. Look at animals. We've got predators and prey. They try to dominate each other and yet they maintain a certain balance because of how they were made.

Humans? Who checks us? No one. We check ourselves but do we really? No. We all want a bigger slice of the pie. We want to be so f*cking dominant that we will step on others. We will bring others down. Just. To. Be. The. Man.

Think about it. Reflect on it. Then try to be accountable of your actions. Try to share. Try to be dominant in a different sense. We're all human beings, after all. Right?

Then again, what the hell am I doing, ranting about all these things when even I do nothing? I think but I don't act. I talk but I don't walk. Maybe its time that changed. Maybe I'll stop thinking, stop talking. Just let things be the way they are. Because that's what everyone wants, right?

Or I'll just try to change myself. Change starts from within. Rather than trying to change others maybe we should all just change ourselves first.

We'll see.

Out.