Rolling Bomber Special!

I know you guys are probably tired of seeing embedded videos on my blog but I can't help it, especially when you've got such kickass content as this!



Thanks to my sister Jamielyn for showing me this!

Jon Stewart on Crossfire

It's a little long so I'd suggest that you guys have a good connection before viewing this.

Needless to say, this is one of the best laughs I've had in a while.

I felt bad about the way they started so blatantly blocking Jon off by the end of the segment, but hey, I think he did whatever damage he set off to do.

Crossfire is now cancelled by the way. Just a bit of trivia, nothing necessarily related to Jon's appearance, but it does give me a nice warm feeling when I think of it.

Dual Celebrations!

Congratulations to Alex and Kate who were blissfully married yesterday morning in Fernwood Gardens. It was a fantastic event, and the venue was by far the finest location I could think of for the couple.

Congratulations and Best Wishes guys. :)

----

Well, it's out!



The Philippine Speculative Fiction Anthology, Vol. 1 was launched yesterday evening in Fully Booked in the Promenade, Greenhills. It was a surprisingly large launch, with more people than I expected showing up to check out this book as well as Project: HERO and Siglo: Passion

For the curious, my profile on the book reads:

Jay Steven Uy Anyong has been a roadie on a Hello Kitty mall tour, sold miniature Space Orks to underaged children, and successfully convinced an American to keep up with house payments while in the middle of an earthquake. His roleplaying game articles have appeared in Seeker magazine. An active member of the Alliance of Eclectic Gamers and Interactive Storytellers (AEGIS), Jay is often found holding pen-and-paper roleplaying games for newbies, or over at his blog.

”The Coward's Quest,” Anyong’s first published work, is about Garret, the Coward of Silver Vale, and a Mysterious Stranger (tm) who tries to convince him to undertake a quest to Save the World (tm).

I do hope you guys take the time to check it out!

Pretty cool anime music video - Photograph by Nickelback

Dear Blog, I shared a salad today ...

With a caterpillar.



Well, technically I was about to dig in with my current wonder of vegetarian interest: Zen salad with Wasabi-Mayo. Ever since that visit to Sonya's Garden, I've found a taste for salads.

So here I am at the office, having just poured the creamy, exotic Wasabi mayo on the lettuce, and started mixing the whole lot to coat every leaf, as is my Obsessive Compulsive habit.

Upon turning over a leaf (literally), I find myself staring at what would be best described as an inch long caterpillar. It wasn't disgusting, per se, but then again it might be because I'm a guy. So there I was, holding a white plastic fork and it's accompanying white plastic knife, staring at what was in all intents and purposes, a being who was heartily enjoying my salad.

I came to this conclusion when I gingerly poked the caterpillar, who responded with a rather irritable twitch. A reaction I fully understood. After all, in retrospect, I was the one who was intruding in his lunch, and had the temerity to toss him about while he was nibbling on a lettuce leaf, and then rudely poke him on the side with the dull end of a plastic knife.

So I sighed and stood up, determined to get a refund for being served someone else's meal, while that certain someone was still eating the said meal. (Am I making sense?) Passing by a co-worker's station to show her the bizzare caterpillar, and made my way back to the place I bought the salad to return it and get a refund.

All said and done, I don't feel really bad about not being able to have my salad today. I figure i'll just swing by Jollibee or something for fried chicken and ice cream. I feel justified.

----

Speaking of me looking at something on my lunch, and it being equally irritated that me intruding on it's lunch, I'm reminded of the little story:

"I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?" - Chuang Tzu

In this case while staring at the caterpillar I actually sympathized with it, as it was having lunch, just as I was about to. Maybe that's the reason that Jain Monks and nuns are sometimes seen with muslin cloths over their mouths to keep out flying insects, and they are enjoined to use small brooms to gently sweep away living creatures from their path, so as to not accidentally crush them.

Groovy Zen moment there.

I guess that Zen Salad delivered something else rather than the promise of physical fulfillment after all...

Interesting...

The Vivomancer


What type of magic do you wield? (8 results + pics)
brought to you by Quizilla

I guess I could say that this is actually true.

I've always prefered harmony over conflict.

Damn it.

I hate writer's block.

I really do.

Geeky Wishlist part 1: Stuff

Ah yes, geekery.

I'm not in the habit of denying the fact that I'm pretty much a geek, as most of my friends will attest to. As such, I am given to various geeky pursuits that might strike people as strange.

To give a glimpse of the kind of person I am, I'm putting up a wishlist of sorts on my blog, especially since December has managed to come around like the sneaky ninja that it is.

So, without further ado:

POINTYMAN2000's (Geeky) Wishlist

Desktop Carnivorous Plant Set



You read that right. I can't help but smile at the thought of having a desktop sized pot of carnivorous flora out to feed themselves upon the succulent flesh of insects that fall in. Of course, given that the office is hardly open to such things, I might have to leave the plants away from direct sunlight, but where bugs can be... like in our garage. I've always wanted to see a venus fly trap at work in the comfort of my own home.

*rubs hands like a mad scientist*

"That's right, feed my pretties!"

Retro LED Digital Watch



Look at that. It's the perfect watch for the would be bond villain. The menacing LED readout brings about images of lasers and dastardly plots.

"No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die."

Big Tiki Drive



Somehow, the idea of watching this big kahuna on my desktop with glowing red eyes as I access the data I stored inside it makes me feel warm and tingly. Feel the Maori Magic.

"Kona Kai!"

----

That's it for the stuff part of my list. I'll probably update with the RPG books section next. :D

Musings on Game Design

I'm feeling in a Game Design-ey mood tonight, so I figured I might as well write a few lines on what makes a good game. Admittedly, I've written only a few games, the most recent of which would be Crack Kung Fu Fighting Bunnies, Go!, and Yakuza Armageddon. I'd like to think that I did a passable effort of them, considering that each one was made in the span of 24 real time hours. I'm sure if I had more time, I could have polished them up to something even greater.

Anyway, enough of plugging my games, I'm joining Alex in putting together a solid effort of a game. Can't discuss too much about the details yes as we're still pretty much in the nebulous planning phase, but having talked about it, we've come up with a list of things to take note of in making a good rpg.

Important considerations for Game Design:

Evocative setting – An evocative setting promotes a sense of wonder in the people reading about it, or playing in the setting. A sufficiently deep (though not necessarily complex) setting encourages players to explore and find out more about it.

Easy and flexible rules – Rules must be complete enough to give GMs a basis for their rulings, yet not too complicated as to drive away those who don't consider looking up a dozen tables for calculating hit locations, shock, bleeding and infection from a single hit to be fun.

Genre emulation – The rules should tie in to the setting mechanics in some way that fulfills the “feel” of the game. This is a little vague, but it's something that is crucial to giving a game it's personality. I suppose the best example of this is the Sanity system of Call of Cthulhu. Investigators can and will lose their sanity no matter what they do, it's just a matter of when, and how much. Contrary to what it might seem like, this actually promotes better play as players watch their characters change with the loss of sanity.

Open for expansion – Primarily from a business standpoint, it would be a good idea to make a game open to further expansion, either from Rules or Setting. While this is not necessary for all games (my two 24 Hour RPGs are self-contained, for example) truly large settings may encourage further development as the designers pay attention to geographic regions, specific character groups, or even the technology or magic of the setting.

Sense of Purpose – RPGs require a sense of direction for the players. While this is partially the job of the GM, the game also holds half of the equation. If the game is unable to give a good reason to strike out and get stuff done, then the game fails to encourage people to play it. A game about being office furniture in a Marketing Firm could be written extremely well, but without any sort of direction, players would just shrug and decide to play something else.

Things are still percolating in my head right now for ideas in the game we're making, and once we've got something on paper, I might post a thing or two here.

Oh, by the way, there's this really good PDF about the patterns fo RPG game design that I'm currently reading. It's a monster of a book... over 200+ pages or so, but it's fascinating. If you want to check it out, you can grab it over at Legendary Quest's downloads section. Just scroll to the bottom and download the only pdf under "Rpg Design"

Well, that's it for now, I'm going back to reading this thing and see if I can learn a thing or two.

Wow... I need to stop dieting.

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Mmmm... Brownie Mix

I'm eating brownie mix right now.

Not baked brownies, but brownie mix.

Sort of.

You see, I was mixing a cup of hot chocolate when I failed to realize that there was no water in the water cooler/heater. Hence, only about a thimbleful of hot water tumbled into my cup, reducing whatever overwhelming about of chocolate powder I put in there into sludge.

Wonderful.

Though, it is actually pretty good. Makes me feel like I was stealing a taste from the mixing bowl as a child.

Chinese Banquets

I attended the wedding reception of one of my college friends today, and it struck me just how... formulaic the food there is. I have nothing against good food, mind you, but I have noticed that in every single Chinese Wedding I have ever attended, there has only been a single menu. And thus I provide:

Pointyman's guide to the modern Chinese Banquet:

Hot and Cold Cuts
- This means seaweed, roasted pork slices, sliced century eggs, sliced soy chicken and whatever else they can slice and put in there to look good.

Steamed Prawn in Garlic Sauce
- I can't complain about this. I'm a big fan of tiger prawns swimming in garlic. I'm glad this is a staple of these big multi-course meals.

Hot and Sour Soup
- Technically, it could be any kind of soup, but most of the time it is this favorite of most Filipino Chinese families that gets served, alongside some black vinegar to add to the taste.

Abalone and Mushrooms served on a bed of lettuce in Brown Sauce
- I have never been able to decipher brown sauce. It goes well with the Abalones and Mushrooms though. A word of warning however, there are some Chinese restaurants that serve this with Abalones straight from a can. While that normally shouldn't be too bad (we're all allowed to cheat now and then after all), the bad part is if they're improperly drained and not left to soak. The result is tough abalone meat that tastes like battery acid.

Steamed Fish in Soy Sauce
- It's really difficult to make a mistake with this, so if you're ever in a Chinese restaurant, you can pretty much order this and expect to have a pleasant viand to go with your rice. I personally prefer plain white rice to go with this, but some people can't get enough of their Yang Chow Fried Rice.

Fried Pigeon and Prawn Crackers
- Fried Pigeon is pretty good stuff... if you don't fear heart disease. I stayed away from this one, but I do have enough happy memories of having this before as a child to satisfy me. Don't feel sorry for the birds, eat up, it's good stuff.
- As a side note, the puffy prawn crackers more commonly known here by it's endearing name of kropek is something that kids can't seem to get enough of. Then again, it's deep fried, crunchy, and they provide hours of entertainment to children.

Obligatory Meat Dish
- The name speaks for itself. Normally, there's some sort of meat dish here, usually Braised Beef. Being no longer a beef eater, I am unable to provide additional tips aside from this: floss well.

Crabstick and Mango Rolls
- Japanese synthetic crabsticks and ripe mango cubes in mayonnaise folded into a flour wrapper, coated in bread crumbs and then deep fried. Dying by gastronomy was never this good.

Steamed Crab
- Ah yes, steamed crab. Admittedly the crowning moment for a lot of these events (at least for the eating half). I'm sure the bride and groom were preoccupied by the various songs, games and whatnot to appreciate it last night. Anyway, hardly a complicated dish, large crabs cleaned then steamed red with some ginger inside the top shell to get rid of any leftover smell, helpfully cracked in all the right places to assist in the more dainty of the guests to enjoy their meal.
- The crab also serve as a secondary form of entertainment to the guests, as flying splinters of crab shell from overzealous eaters tend to fly unerringly into the designer gowns. I wore a ready to wear short sleeved button down shirt, and thus was immune to the emotional stress that could have been caused by such an incident.

Noodles
- Well, of course there are the noodles. Swimming in sauce and filled with pork slices, beans, carrots and the occasional orange colored quail eggs, these noodles represent long life. Everyone is familiar with this stuff, and this scores as one of the most kid friendly foods on the menu.

Dessert
- A rather interesting way to cap off the meal, desserts in Chinese Banquets are always fruit based. Anything from intricate Fruit Platters sliced to highlight the creativity of the chef, Mango and Tapioca Shakes to the less than stellar Fruit Cocktail straight from the can.

---

And there you have it. The quick and dirty guide to Chinese Banquets (in the Philippines at least). So the next time you're invited to a Chinese Banquet for any occasion, watch out for the usual suspects. As for me, any Chinese Banquet is like meeting and old friend.

"Hello, Mister Crab!"

Rest in Peace, Keith Parkinson...

Keith Parkinson is admittedly one of the best cover artists I have known in my choice of books, having graced me with vivid images of the heroes of my two favorite fantasy authors: David Eddings and Terry Brooks.

Keith passed away last October 26th, due to Lukemia.

Here are a few words from one of Keith's fellow artists and friend, Larry Elmore:

IN MEMORY OF
KEITH PARKINSON
OCT. 22 1958 – OCT 26 2005

Keith had been battling Leukemia for the past 16 months. Because he had such a spirit for life, and love of his family, he fought it every step of the way. He never gave up, his will to live and fight was so strong that I really believed he would win the battle, and at times it look liked he had. His lovely wife Donna kept his friends and fellow artists aware of his ups and downs with a constant flow of emails. She is a wonderful lady. I knew Keith for over twenty years. I met him when he was only 22 years old. Eventually I became to feel as if he was my younger brother. We were brothers at heart. We worked together at TSR and later shared a studio as freelance illustrators. As we persued our careers, we moved to separate parts of the country but, through the years, we kept in touch and would see each other several times each year at conventions. We would have dinner and talk for hours, we grew even closer as we got older. I always looked forward to our dinners, and conversation. I watched his two sons grow into fine young men. He was a good, honest, man and a great artist. All my memories of Keith are good. His death will be a great loss to all his family, friends, and the art world. He leaves a void in our lives and in the world.

Larry Elmore

It's sad to think that such a masterful painter with a beautiful eye for detail is gone, but at least his work endures. If you guys are interested in seeing more of his work, do drop by his website at www.keithparkinson.com

Silktide says...

Interesting. This blog ranks fairly well in user usability.

I never would have guessed. :p

Conversation Piece

Pool Baby, from Verabee



Fascinating in a cartoony sort of way.

Romanian prisoner sues God

From Here

ATHENS, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - A prisoner in a Romanian jail is suing God, Greek state television reported from Bucharest Tuesday.

"God received different material valuables from me, as well as prayers in exchange for promises of a better life. In reality, this did not happen - I found myself in the devil's hands," the plaintiff said.

The convict is serving 20 years in the west Romanian city of Timisoara. He apparently blames God for the troubles in his life and wants God brought to account for failing to fulfill the commitments He undertook and for taking bribes.

The plaintiff said that when he had been baptized in childhood, he concluded a contract with God that had legal effect - God was supposed to protect him from evil.

The plaintiff said the Romanian Orthodox Church, which, according to him, directly represents God, should compensate him for the alleged God-inflicted damage.

In line with the law, the lawsuit was submitted to court. However, as the defendant is neither an individual nor a company, and is not subject to a civil court of law's jurisdiction, the case is unlikely to be heard regardless of how justified the plaintiff's demands may be, court officials said.

Fantastic.

I used to think this lawsuit craziness was restricted to the United States of America (no offense to Americans, but that aspect of your country baffles me). Apparently it's some sort of pandemic.

I dunno about this guy, but personally, there's no point to filing a lawsuit against God.

I dunno what this guy is in prison for of course, perhaps he was wrongly accused? Maybe he should talk to Job and swap stories.

If I wanted violence, I'd make my own.

Things are iffy as of late. I've got a great running HERO game on at the moment centered on young adult Superheroes struggling to balance responsibility for their powers, peer pressure, school and their personal lives. The characters are slick, personable, and admittedly the most complete I've ever run for.

But not all is well in my little patch of RPG real estate. You see, despite the campaign guidelines for the game, there are still character concepts knocking at my door asking to be let in, but just don't fit

In a land where Spider-Man is the norm, the last thing I need is Spawn beside him, tearing people apart.

It won't work.

Sometimes it makes me wonder why some people are so fascinated with violence. Is it a hidden psychological hunger to see pain and suffering? Maybe.

As I said, if I wanted violence, I'd make my own. I'm a flexible GM and even if I'm running a game where cliche is part of the fun, just wait until I get into the mood to run a game where the main purpose is to stay alive.

Wait until I get to running the new World of Darkness.

Hi, I'm Jay, and I am Recreationally Retarded

It just occured to me that I am actually Recreationally Retarded.

A conversation with a friend of mine who just came back from the beach sorta brought it to mind. For one thing I don't swim.

Okay, I admit it, I can't swim.

I also can't ride a bike, or fly a kite either.

I'm not really bitching about it or anything, but it is something that I've noticed about my childhood. As a kid, I spent most of my time at home either a) reading b) fiddling with the computer (which could have been anything from the Commodore 64 that my Uncle sent me to any number of PCs).

I don't really regret it though, I was never really raised to go out and play and do the stuff that kids usually do, like play in the street with the other kids.

To my benefit, I guess I'm the only kid I know who actually read the entire World Book encyclopedia set from A-Z over the period of 2 years.

La-la-lalalala, Sing a happy song...

la-la-lalalala, Bombing all day long!

There's a new advert from UNICEF showing The Smurfs village being bombed by warplanes to help in their anti-war effort.

Apparently, it was given the green light by the Smurf's creator, "Peyo".

To quote the article:

The short film pulls no punches. It opens with the Smurfs dancing, hand-in-hand, around a campfire and singing the Smurf song. Bluebirds flutter past and rabbits gambol around their familiar village of mushroom- shaped houses until, without warning, bombs begin to rain from the sky.

Tiny Smurfs scatter and run in vain from the whistling bombs, before being felled by blast waves and fiery explosions. The final scene shows a scorched and tattered Baby Smurf sobbing inconsolably, surrounded by prone Smurfs.

The final frame bears the message: "Don't let war affect the lives of children."

----

Personally, I like the ad. I don't fancy seeing the smurfs die horribly, but it does drive home the message. Besides, if Smurfs dying sends the message and stops real people from dying in war then you have my blessing to inflict genocide on as many Smurfs as you want.

----

I imagine Gargamel having a heyday after the bombing though.

"Ho-hoo! Dead Smurfs! This is my lucky day! Let's just hope that they work just as well when I make my first ingot of gold!"

Orson Scott Card give his 2 cents on Serenity

Here's the September 30 OSC Reviews Everything article about what the author of Ender's Game thinks about the movie, Serenity.

To summarize, it is a great film.

Personally, I find that statement to be the gorram truth.

When Serenity comes rolling along to Philippine cinemas, do yourselves a favor. Grab a friend (or fifteen), then drag them all the way to see this movie.

:)

Law's Game Style: what kind of gamer are you?

You scored as Storyteller. You're more inclined toward the role playing side of the equation and less interested in numbers or experience points. You're quick to compromise if you can help move the story forward, and get bored when the game slows down for a long planning session. You want to play out a story that moves like it's orchestrated by a skilled novelist or film director. Storyteller 92% Power Gamer 67% Tactician 67% Specialist 67% Method Actor 67% Butt-Kicker 42% Casual Gamer 17% Law's Game Style created with QuizFarm.com

----

Ayep, can't agree more. :p

Sometimes, Chinese is the Only Way to Go.

Much weirdness this week. I know I've been remiss in my blogging duties, so I figure I'd post something again to keep people in the loop.

Just a little anecdote I wanted to share from work this week.

A co-worker and I were off to speak with the IT guy of a certain school with regards to their website. We got there and got down to business.

The IT guy is formally dressed, crisp white shirt and black pants. His demeanor was equally formal and we didn't spend much time exchanging pleasantries.

The work was fairly simple, a slight modification job to invite more foreign nationals to take their masteral courses in the school, primarily Chinese and Korean nationals.

"You see," the guy explained, "the reason we're doing this is because 10% of all the foreign students we have here are Chekwa."

Chekwa. Not something I've heard in a while, but I do know that it's a derrogatory term for those of my racial background. I guess that the closest thing that I can compare the term to is to call African-Americans "Niggers", Latinos as "Wetbacks" and Asians as "Chinks".

Now I'm Chinese, even if I don't look like it to some people. Maybe my eyes are a little larger than the stereotype, I don't know. Anyway, I bristled slightly at the comment and let it pass. I'm professional about work.

Anyway, halfway through the meeting he does a double take and asks me, "Uh... are you Chinese by the way?"

I smile, "Yes. Both my parents were Chinese."

I watch his facade break slightly, realizing his earlier remark and what kind of impression it makes.

I keep smiling.

----

To be fair to the rest of the Philippines, the people here are hardly racist. It's just that there are some undercurrents of it, that don't stop people from working with each other, but do breed some form of stereotyping and skewed expectations.

----

Roach Fu!

To continue recounting the strange adventures of this week, I've also been nearly attacked by a particularly aggresive flying cockroach. I was on my PC when I noted something black fly over to my side of the room and perch on the electric fan. The rest of my family were all on the other side of the room and I called their attention to it.

"Crap! There's a roach!" the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I hate roaches. I get up from my seat, watching it as it positions itself pivoting on it's legs, it's antennae wriggling grossly in my direction.

A heartbeat.

It opens the wing case on it's back and take flight like a dart straight towards me!

"Get the hell away from me you flying freak!" I shout.

It flew low, just under knee level. The rest of my family was watching as it took off. On instinct I raised one leg and stomped down on it, catching it in mid-air and driving it's body to the ground. I lift up my leg and it's there, it's wing case open, wings splayed open like a butterfly on display.

An oily, gross 2 inch long butterfly.

I hate roaches.

----

Right now I'd like to take a moment to thank my Arnis instructor, Sir Ariel, who taught me the value of footwork, and drove home the point that I was getting fat. :)

If I had a Wishlist, this would be on it.

Serenity, the RPG. It just doesn't get any cooler than this. :)

Which Mage: the Awakening Path do you Belong to?

Mage: The Awakening. Paths Less Travled
brought to you by Quizilla

Ah, yes. Mind and Space. I just might make a character on this path for kicks. :)

Street Kid Discipline

I hit a street kid on the face with my umbrella on the way home from work today.

I had just gotten off the Metro Rail Transit on the commute home, and was crossing the street using the overpass to cross the highway. I was halfway through it when I heard a woman behind me talking.

"Huwag! Ayaw ko! Ayaw ko sabi!" No! I don't want to!

I turn around to see that the dirty street kid I just passed had stopped the woman, holding up a hand to beg. She shook her head and he made a grab for the plastic cup of juice she had with her. She pulled it away and he tried another grab for it. Her protests grew more panicked and distressed as the kid pressed on.

I took my umbrella in hand (it was one of those compact folding ones) and walked up to the kid from behind. I swatted it sideways across the side of his face, grabbing his attention before pointing the umbrella at his face.

"Tama na yan!" Quit it. I told him as he stood there, a look of surprise on his face as he held his cheek. The lady walked quickly behind me and towards the elevator.

The kid continued to stare as I took a few steps back, turning around to walk down the stairs.

I have to admit that it was pretty surreal. I don't like violence, but I didn't think that harassing a lady and trying to steal her drink was worth turning a blind eye to. There was also the risk that the rest of the street kids who made the rooftops of the Rail Station their home might come to his aid if he decided to fight and attack me.

So strange.

Geek Joke

A little joke I read on RPG.net that made me laugh... even if it was really really groan worthy.

Courtesy of zedturtle:
----
So the ark has finally settled on dry land, and God has commanded all the animals to go forth and multiply. Everyone goes out and sets about their business, except for a couple of snakes. Noah notices this and asks them what's wrong.

"We're adders," they say, "we can't multiply."

Noah is stumped for a moment, but then rushes into the ark and grabs his tools. In a blur of activity, he saws a part of the ark off and refashions it. When he is down, the adders are looking at a wooden picnic table. Noah says, "Well, since you are adders, I've built you a log table."
----

Sorry, my inner geek is showing. :p

Increasingly political content?

To those wondering about the sudden shift of content in my blog, I just want to say that I'm not happy about politics getting priority over saving lives.

The Philippine government is equally guilty of such things, I'd imagine, but it still sucks no matter where you are.

----

Just felt the need to post that article to vent.

I'll be back to regularly scheduled madness soon.

Republicans: Blame New Orleans for not running away fast enough.

From the New York Times

White House Enacts a Plan to Ease Political Damage
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and ANNE E. KORNBLUT

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 - Under the command of President Bush's two senior political advisers, the White House rolled out a plan this weekend to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina.

It orchestrated visits by cabinet members to the region, leading up to an extraordinary return visit by Mr. Bush planned for Monday, directed administration officials not to respond to attacks from Democrats on the relief efforts, and sought to move the blame for the slow response to Louisiana state officials, according to Republicans familiar with the White House plan.

The effort is being directed by Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, Karl Rove, and his communications director, Dan Bartlett. It began late last week after Congressional Republicans called White House officials to register alarm about what they saw as a feeble response by Mr. Bush to the hurricane, according to Republican Congressional aides.

As a result, Americans watching television coverage of the disaster this weekend began to see, amid the destruction and suffering, some of the most prominent members of the administration - Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Donald H. Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense; and Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state - touring storm-damaged communities.

Mr. Bush is to return to Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday; his first visit, on Friday, left some Republicans cringing, in part because the president had little contact with residents left homeless.

Republicans said the administration's effort to stanch the damage had been helped by the fact that convoys of troops and supplies had begun to arrive by the time the administration officials turned up. All of those developments were covered closely on television.

In many ways, the unfolding public relations campaign reflects the style Mr. Rove has brought to the political campaigns he has run for Mr. Bush. For example, administration officials who went on television on Sunday were instructed to avoid getting drawn into exchanges about the problems of the past week, and to turn the discussion to what the government is doing now.

"We will have time to go back and do an after-action report, but the time right now is to look at what the enormous tasks ahead are," Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Homeland Security, said on "Meet the Press" on NBC.

One Republican with knowledge of the effort said that Mr. Rove had told administration officials not to respond to Democratic attacks on Mr. Bush's handling of the hurricane in the belief that the president was in a weak moment and that the administration should not appear to be seen now as being blatantly political. As with others in the party, this Republican would discuss the deliberations only on condition of anonymity because of keen White House sensitivity about how the administration and its strategy would be perceived.

In a reflection of what has long been a hallmark of Mr. Rove's tough political style, the administration is also working to shift the blame away from the White House and toward officials of New Orleans and Louisiana who, as it happens, are Democrats.

"The way that emergency operations act under the law is the responsibility and the power, the authority, to order an evacuation rests with state and local officials," Mr. Chertoff said in his television interview. "The federal government comes in and supports those officials."

That line of argument was echoed throughout the day, in harsher language, by Republicans reflecting the White House line.

In interviews, these Republicans said that the normally nimble White House political operation had fallen short in part because the president and his aides were scattered outside Washington on vacation, leaving no one obviously in charge at a time of great disruption. Mr. Rove and Mr. Bush were in Texas, while Vice President Dick Cheney was at his Wyoming ranch.

Mr. Bush's communications director, Nicolle Devenish, was married this weekend in Greece, and a number of Mr. Bush's political advisers - including Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman - attended the wedding.

Ms. Rice did not return to Washington until Thursday, after she was spotted at a Broadway show and shopping for shoes, an image that Republicans said buttressed the notion of a White House unconcerned with tragedy.

These officials said that Mr. Bush and his political aides rapidly changed course in what they acknowledged was a belated realization of the situation's political ramifications. As is common when this White House confronts a serious problem, management was quickly taken over by Mr. Rove and a group of associates including Mr. Bartlett. Neither man responded to requests for comment.

White House advisers said that Mr. Bush expressed alarm after his return to Washington from the Gulf Coast.

One senior White House official said that Mr. Bush appeared at a senior staff meeting in the Situation Room on Friday and called the results on the ground "unacceptable." At the encouragement of Mr. Bartlett, officials said, he repeated the comment later in the Rose Garden, the start of this campaign.

-----

To check out the article on the NY Times site (requires registration) check it out H ERE

Sometimes, I think the Philippines needs a little V

Good Players vs. Great Players

I'm taking a little time off to quote a post from Ratboy45 over at RPG.net regarding observations between Good RPG players and Great RPG players.

I'm pretty sure that some of my fellow gamers read this and I'd say that it serves as a great reminder as to why we game in the first place.

----
As quoted from Ratboy45:

A good player will think about what his character would do before he acts.

A great player will think ways to make his character realistically take actions that benefit the game.

A good player will seek out opportunities to get his character involved in things.

A great player will seek out opportunities to have his character help others get involved.

A good player will avoid doing things that makes the GM's job more difficult.

A great player will look for ways to make the GM's job easier.

A good player will make an effort to learn the rules.

A great player will remember that the rules must sometimes be broken for purposes of flavour or story.

A good player will seek out ways to build his character's story.

A great player will know when to let his character’s story end.

A good player understands that winning means having fun.

A great player understands that winning doesn’t mean much unless everybody wins.
----

Give the above list some thought, and try it out in your next game. You might find that you're having more fun than you thought you would.

Story Time with Uncle Jay

Well, now that I've gotten the whole business of Pat Robertson ruining my morning, let's go ahead into some good news for a change. Just recently I've submitted a short story for Dean Alfar's Philippine Speculative Fiction Anthology.

I was really surprised to find that my story was actually chosen to be part of it. Right now, I'm putting a few edits onto it before I send the story back for it's first editorial pass.

To be honest, it feels odd to be published in a book. I'm technically a virgin to being published and it still feels shiny and new to me. ;)

Ah well, I guess I'd better get back to editing the story. If it's going to be out in public, it might as well be good.

I KNEW there was something seriously wrong about that dude in the 700 Club...

I'm technically a non-practicing Roman Catholic guy with a bit of syncretic tendencies towards Buddhism. However, I'd like to think that I happen to be part of the saner side of the human race, adverse to grand acts of violence and capable of decent thought.

Pat Robertson, is apparently on the opposite camp. Our friendly little host of the 700 Club goes on to call for the assassination of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. It's surreal. I've always felt wrong about his show as a kid, and now that I'm supposed to be an adult, I'm seeing why.

It's funny how people can be closed minded sometimes. Here we have a guy from a faith that supposedly espouses understanding and peace in the same way that Jesus Christ did calling for Spec Ops operations to kill off a dictator.

I guess Pat Robertson forgot the part about "Thou Shalt Not Kill" in the bible. I guess he didn't read the part about "Thau Shalt Not Be An Idiot" in my bible either.

Maybe we need Pope Benedict XVI to show up and beat Pat Robertson up with one of those metal incense burners they use in church. The one hanging from a chain?

I'd pay good money and have popcorn watching a one-sided match with Pat strapped to a chair butt naked and Pope Benedict XVI unleashing the wrath of god in full regalia and a really heavy incense burner. Of course, being the Pope, Benedict XVI wouldn't kill the guy, just leave him with a long memory of why God was so feared back then and why it's not a good idea to use God as a platform for spreading hate.

Brazilians and Tunnels

If Mole Man was a real person, he would have to be Brazilian.

I say this because it seems that the Brazilians enjoy digging tunnels, as evidenced by the Greatest Bank Robbery in Brazilian History. These thieves got away with up to $65m! Holy crap! Imagine what you could have done with that much money...

In fact, tunneling seems to have been the national pastime for Brazilian criminals. Apparently, a gang of prison inmates attempted to break out of jail by digging their own little tunnel. Unfortunately for them, it didn't quite reach as far as they would have wanted to.

Not that I know anything about the Brazilian police system, but if I were one of the cops, I would have unslung my truncheon and started playing Whack-a-Mole with the prisoners before sending them to new cells without food or water for a few days.

Top 5 Things I Think You Don't Know About Me.

Okay, after getting away with not updating this blog for so long, it looks like I've been tagged by K8 to do a little trivia list about myself.

To quote her entry:

Most people have a nasty habit of categorizing other people in neat little boxes. I should know, I do it all the time. But strictly speaking from a theoretical point of view, I believe that there are probably things about you that would surprise most people. It could be the ability to twist your tongue in ridiculously impossible positions, or that you can bend knuckles of your fingers at will or something more bizarre even I can't imagine. Whatever it is, I invite everyone to explore, who knows, you may find out something that may surprise you.:)

And so I present my own list of quirky facts...

1) If I roll my eyes upwards far enough, they go from parallel, to suddenly apart from each other. (to demonstrate, imagine these lines in motion from bottom up... normal: || my eyes when they hit the top \ /)

2) I made my first ever RPG at the tender age of 7, with an old ratty typewriter, and reverse engineering the system from the old Commodore 64 computer game: The Bard's Tale. I also made maps for it using graphing paper.

3) I once threatened my brother with a kitchen knife as a kid. Thankfully, my grandmother was there to stop us.

4) I once tried to run away from home with nothing but my He-Man action figures, and a few clothes in a pillowcase. I remember crying and being so determined to leave. Thank god my mom had a rather intricate lock on our gate so my plan of deserting the house stopped even before I got to leave.

5) I chipped a front tooth from getting my face slammed to the glass of a table when I failed to answer a Chinese review test my mom made for me. In her defense, she knocked me upside the head, without the intention of my mouth striking the glass of the table. On behalf of the table, it didn't mean to chip my tooth either.

Even more Geekery... The Guyver series is remade!

Much like the Bio-Booster Armor the series was named for, Guyver is coming back in a new animated series to air in WOWOW this month.

The differences in character design are really obvious as seen in the following two images:

Sho Fukamachi (circa 1980-something)



Sho Fukamachi (kewler looking overall)



The only design that didn't need changing is the Guyver suit itself. Even sticking to the original designs the suit kicks so much ass that it's freaky.



Anyway, to those who are wondering what the hell Guyver is, it's an old anime about Sho (the guy illustrated above) who finds the Guyver suit. It "chooses" him as it's host and is pretty much stuck to him forever until someone manages to extract it somehow. From the older anime it seems to be pretty pointless as the Guyver was once obliterated down to only the silver disc on his forehead (his "Control Metal"). That of course, includes Sho. When the Control Metal is deposited in the headquarters of the enemy for safekeeping and other nefarious plans, the control metal regenerates the entire damned suit and the human inside it.

Yep.

You read that right.

After that point in the series, I was too damned floored to try and figure out if that means that Sho is really dead and this one is a clone made by the Guyver unit? Or if Sho is actually the Guyver unit now, and just regenerated from the Control Metal with all his stuff intact, including his sanity and his soul?

Ah well... it was still pretty cool.

Anyway, I'll be looking out for any copies of the new series to find out what they've done with it.

The Legend... of Voltron

Oh wow...

First it was news of the upcoming new Transformers live action movie.

Now we've got news of a Voltron Movie coming out as well!

Looks like them giant robots are coming back.

Speaking of giant robots, a couple of series still stick to my head. As a child, I was really fascinated by the little known transforming robot cartoon known as : Rock Lords. At the time it seemed so cool. In hindsight,you've got a bunch or robots (or they seemed to be robots) that can use their amazing shapeshifting abilities to transform into... uh... rocks.

Yeah. I'm glad my memories of them aren't holding up. Now I can amuse myself with stupid scripts pulled from my sleepy brain.

"Oh my god! Boulder! They're attacking our headquarters!"

"Quick, Marbles! Transform to rock form!"

*after sitting uselessly for the rest of the episode*

"Phew, good thinking Boulder! Without your leadership, we'd all be crushed!"

"And it's another victory for the Rock Lords!"

----

Anyway, its surprising how many things become popular even with very little brainpower.

Maybe next time, I should write a completely brainless story... that might be my ticket to fame!

Woohoo! Videogames do not increase violence in children.

Score one for the gamers...

The Truth About Violent Youth and Video Games - Game Revolution

This quiz means I'm still alive.

My japanese name is 藤原 Fujiwara (wisteria fields) 聖人 Masato (sacred person).
Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

Some people need to believe in something... anything.

Talk about strange. Apparently Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia seems to be in dire need of spirituality as Malaysian Authorities arrest 58 followers of a cult that worships a giant teapot.

Interestingly, this happened after 30-35 people, armed with machetes and Molotov cocktails attacked the cult's headquarters.

----

This mildly amusing, and somewhat disturbing news brings up the question as to why cults show up. I think there are people out there which are out to capitalize on other people's needs for spirituality, their desire to seek out meaning gets sidetracked by people professing to know the "true" way.

But what drives them to join a cult? Are these people so conceited that they don't think normal religions will do to help their own needs? Let's not even go to certain credit card run religons that employ celebrities to advertise and promote ideals started by an insane Science Fiction Authors.

Sometimes, what people need are a reason to exist. They feel lost and helpless, and we can't really blame them. Whether this is because they can't cope with the problems in their lives, or if they have deep seated psychological issues.

Sometimes I wish I could go ahead and say something, but in the end it's a matter of people fixing their own lives. The best thing we can do is to offer to listen to them if they want to be heard.

Careful Planning

One of the things that I'm just learning to do well in GMing is planning. In my ongoing L5R tabletop campaign, things are going smoothly, and I'm happy to see that most of my players are pretty excited about what's going on.

My only problem now is coming up with situations to keep the excitement high and the pace quick. The setting for Legend of the Five Rings is pretty complicated in terms of social interaction. Samurai characters are pretty much stuck with loyalty to their Daimyo and superiors, Bushido, and their own personal feelings for a situation. Alex likened it to Fading Suns, and Vampire: the Masquerade two games who are also notorious for their rigid social structures.

So I find myself spending my idle time thinking, and plotting and planning. Admittedly, I'm a quick thinker, but I suck at planning. Insufficient attention to detail always comes back to bite me in the ass. Maybe this is my chance to curtail my habit of jumping into games half-prepared and throwing caution to the wind...

Shoutbox Courtesy

I'd like to direct all of you readers to my shoutbox, where the more regular readers may have noticed a certain Perrin Sy, aka "Piggy" (an appropriate name as any) has decided to make a nuisance of himself.

Last week had been a particularly annoying one, due to many misfortunes that befell me in my three day attempt to recover my last paycheck from the Call Center I worked in previously. Rather than be able to de-stress over the week, I find myself having to deal with a nuisance flooding my Shoutbox with immature, and annoying statements directed at me and my girlfriend.

I've attempted to inform him to stop from making such comments by telling him more than once to quit doing so. The current contents of my shoutbox are a testimony to his inability to process these requests, and failure to respect a person's blog.

While I understand that Perrin believes that this is all a "joke", I feel that it wasn't funny the first time, and it is definitely not funny now. I am very tempted to write some unflattering words regarding him right now, but I will not.

Perrin, in whatever news I've heard of you, I've held you in quiet respect. I read your Piaoling e-mails with interest, and never have I stepped out of the line to harass you regarding the contents of such. I expect you to extend me the same respect and courtesy, and leave my shoutbox alone.

I would have asked for a sincere apology, but I do not wish to set my expectations too high for you to meet.

----

With regards to this, I present to everyone the following observation from the webcomic: Penny-Arcade regarding Perrin's behavior.

And no, Perrin, I will no longer recall your name from my posts, even if you ask nicely.

Drug Addicted Kung Fu Bunny Fighters are Go! Film at 11...

I'm proud to say that my 24 Hour RPG effort has been a success!

The 1000 Monkeys, 1000 Typewriters Site has it up alongside the other submissions for the 24 hour RPG Challenge.

For more information on the 24 Hour RPG check out their website:



And now time for some self-congratulating dance, as done by this anime schoolgirl:



I might try this 24 Hour RPG thing again next week, over the weekend. :D

Crack Kung Fu Fighting Bunnies... Go!

For lack of a better excuse than to challenge myself, I tried to make a functioning RPG in the shortest possible time. Because of that, I end up with Crack Kung-Fu Fighting Bunnies... Go! a game of stimulant-fueled martial arts fighting rodents.

Check it out if you're curious. ;)

Go to my RPG Page and scroll down to the very bottom. Click on the link there to download the PDF. I'd give you guys a direct link, but Geocities hates those.

Enjoy!

Cybernetic Fish Geekery!

Take a moment to read this little article brought to my attention by Niccomawf:

"SCIENTISTS CREATE ROBO-FISH CYBORG
USING A LAMPREY'S BRAIN … NO, REALLY"by Tom Henderson

That's so cool. In a creepy sort of way. Once scientists are fully able to apply that kind of technology to humans, imagine the weird and wonderful and downright scary stuff that could make.

Biotech things like these could make it far easier for us to interface with computers, kicking off the whole "Matrix" experience, jacking into interfaces that offer true immersion, not by using screens and speakers by by directly stimulating the brain! Combined with research regarding learning and memory, perhaps it could even be reasoned that such technology can be used to "teach" individuals jacked into it.

Looks like Cyberpunk is the way to go...

Little words of online wisdom...

Sometimes what people need is a little moderation, a little peace and a little introspection. In this time where things go awry, people grow short tempered, and nothing seems to go right, it helps to take a step back and refocus.

As a little offering to those interested in reading something calming for once, here's a link to
Lao Tsu's Tao Te Ching Online.

And since we're on the topic of re-centering oneself, here's a quote from Chapter 16 of the Tao Te Ching:

Empty yourself of everything.
Let the mind rest at peace.
The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return.
They grow and flourish and then return to the source.
Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.
The way of nature is unchanging.
Knowing constancy is insight.
Not knowing constancy leads to disaster.
Knowing constancy, the mind is open.
With an open mind, you will be openhearted.
Being openhearted, you will act royally.
Being royal, you will attain the divine.
Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao.
Being at one with the Tao is eternal.
And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away.

Photoblogging, sorta...

Just giving a few pictures from the camera phone out into the wild for a spin. A couple of these are funny things that I've run into here in the Philippines.

My first pic is a friendly warning over in the Tiangge of Greenbelt 1:



Germs! Germs are Everywhere! Can't you see?!

Well, maybe not, but there are no shops in Greenbelt 1 called Germs, and a quick interview with the security guard merited nothing. Perhaps I should contact the Department of Health.

Either that or it's a ploy by the Healthway Medical Clinic, whose sign is placed so conveniently underneath the offending sign.

---

Next up is a silent cry for the state of the Philippine economy.



A single yellow sign. Standing by itself in the middle of a crowded mall, begging for attention. Apparently our Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) really needs help.

For non Tagalog speakers, "tulungan" means "to assist, to aid, to help". The sign pretty much screams, "HELP the BIR!"

---

As if that wasn't enough, here's a book that Alex and I stumbled onto in one of the higher class bookstores:


(Alex is here, showing the best expression possible upon the discovery of this book)

Apparently the pornography market is getting really crowded nowdays. Hence, we have to start finding niches, just like what these lesiban horse lovers are doing!

---

Finally we have a close shot at a mutant:



What is wrong with that lobster. At first, it seems pretty normal, until you realize that the lobster has it's face on it's back and the face is upside down too... scary.

---

Anyway, that's all I've got from my camera phone at the moment. Once I get a bluetooth enabled data transfer thingy for my home PC, expect to see a lot more pictures here really soon.

Quick Post: Backstroke of the West!

Just because...
Backstroke of the West

RPG nightmares

One of the strangest things that can happen to a GM in pen and paper rpgs is to end up with a group of players which are either a) stupid or b) scary. To demonstrate take a peek at this strip from VG Cats.

In a humor oriented game, I wouldn't mind having a character using a Rat Flail as a weapon for his character, but sometimes, it just goes too far.

----

Speaking of strangeness in RPGs, I've noticed that my saturday afternoon gaming group tends to come up with strange character concepts. I'm usually okay with character concepts that stray from the norm, but it tends to bother me once people start making really, really, whacked out character concepts.

Take the Legend of the Five Rings RPG for example. My evening group is fine, we've got a good mix of characters that each have a goal and a great group dynamic going on. I'm cool with that.

My afternoon group on the other hand... has weirdness.

One character that boggles my mind is one Scorpion samurai girl who is supposed to be Extremely attractive (character illustration not hers, but rather to stress the point of what scorpions are) but after which is made to be the samurai equivalent of Forrest Gump on crack.

Oh well. That's the way it is in RPGs. Us GMs just have to roll with the punches, and make sure that everyone has a good time. :)

Lonely Morning Haze 4

"Go to hell."

I stood there, stunned at the words. They were feeble ones, admittedly, the sudden outburst of one unaccustomed to swearing. Her voice wavered slightly, her conviction shaky and unsure.

And yet, there I was looking completely, utterly shocked.

Her face, still stuck in a scowl that betrayed no small amount of hate, shifted to uncertainty, and then pain. A tear rolled down her cheek as she held the books to her chest, as she bumped past me.

I watched her run, her movements awkward as she broke into a run...

---

"Mark."

Mark looked up from the computer screen at the cafe, "Hmm?"

Anna stood beside him, bag slung over his shoulder, "Let's get out of here, Mark. It's seven already."

Mark blinked, adjusting his eyes from the glow of the monitor to the darkness of the internet cafe. "Alright, just let me save this."

Anna watched over his shoulder smiling, "Still working on that story, huh?"

"Yeah."

"What's inspiring you to do that?"

"Nothing really." Nothing that I can tell you... yet. Mark opened up a browser, posting it up on his website.

"Did you ever think that you could go pro?"

Mark uploaded the file and closed the browser, standing up to head to the counter. "What do you mean?"

"I meant writing for money. Like a real author." Anna pushed her glasses up her nose, "I mean, you seem to have a real knack for it."

Mark shrugged, "Thanks, but I've never really had the ability to really finish anything. I never have what it takes to follow through."

Anna frowned, "That's no good, it's a waste of your talent!"

Mark chuckled as they stepped outside, and began to walk, taking the shortcut through the park. It was a rather wet evening, where the sky was brighter than it should be, the clouds a dull purple haze, the raindrops dancing in the streetlights.

Mark fished into his bag and took out an umbrella, opening it. "Talent..." he mused, as Anna walked beside him, "There's no money in writing." he explained, "Even if I had the talent, there's nowhere for it to go."

Anna frowned, "That's not true! Look at all the people who write novels! There's got to be something there."

"Maybe there is, maybe there isn't," What is she trying to do? Mark shrugged, "In either case, I don't think I'll be a great writer. I'll just be a regular joe schmoe, stuck in a pencil pusher's job, watching the clock and chatting with co-workers by the water dispenser." he smiled at her.

Anna raised an eyebrow, "Wow... that's some ambition you've got there. I can think of like... zero people who consider that the ideal lifestyle."

"You haven't spoken to enough office workers who are too engrossed with keeping their jobs and paying their bills."

"And you have?" Anna huffed, "Come on, you and I both know that's a load of bull." she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Maybe it is." Mark said, "But the point is, writing isn't a stable job, besides, it's underappreciated, underpaid, emotionally draining and requires a measure of commitment reserved for the desperate, the delusional or the religious."

"Then all you need to do is to write about something you like." she said, "Sounds easy enough."

"Easy?" Mark laughed, "It only looks easy."

"Are you saying I can't do it?" Anna had a dangerous tone in her voice.

"Well... no." Mark said, "I'm just saying that writing is harder than it looks."

"I challenge you." she said, pointing at him, her index finger poking the tip of his nose.

"Whuh?"

"We'll both write something, but it has to be a novel." Anna explained, "You write about something that you like, and I'll do the same. And we have to be done with it by the end of the semester."

Mark grinned, "Hah! Challenge me, will you? I know I can do it... but can you?"

Anna winked, "Never underestimate the power of a motivated woman."

---

More slice of life stories. This one isn't something I can say I'm really proud of, but ah well. Might as well put it up anyway. As usual, I'm open to any comments or suggestions on what to do next with this story.

Frustrated Artist.

I could never really draw. I've practiced at times, only to grow frustrated at my efforts, seeing how little I've improved. Surfing around, I've found the perfect picture of how difficult it is for me to follow instructions on "how to draw..." books, or my frustration after listening to friends who draw very well:



(source: Liberty Meadows, courtesy of Frank Cho)

Dammit. :p

Simple games for busy bodies

For those who are holding down a job, and have barely enough time to take a break, I introduce: jay is - jay bibby's rants and raves of flash games and gameplay, a website that I've stumbled upon that provides maximum entertainment for a minimum of time.

I think its time videogame designers remembered why games are games again, instead of obsessing over system specs and "story" that reads like crap. I like story, but I like my game storylines without crappiness.

Piggy Wiggy*, this is for you.

For some reason, this strip reminds me a lot of the discussion we had over Yahoo Messenger.

You know, the one that inspired the Lonely Morning Haze part 2 story?

Well, I'm sure you'll grow out of it. (I get to say that since I'm older than you.)

*name changed at the said person's behest.

Parental Expectations

It's funny how snippets of wisdom end up in comic strips. In my case, here's a strip about Parental Expectations and how parents tend to treat children who fail them. I'm sure a lot of us have encountered this kind of treatment before.

Sometimes, it's good to have a laugh at the tough things in life. :p

Historic Tale Construction Kit...

Hast thou ever had the stirrings of the bard in thine bossom? Hast thou ever felt that thine imaginations doth put ancient legends to shayme?

Hereth is thine opportunity!

Simply clicke upon yonder Linke, and marvel at thine genius!

Onward!

[Weekly Challenge] Purple

Peter was dead way before his time. Thankfully, nobody had gone and told him about it. He was six at the time, a rather impressionable child with trusting blue eyes and dreams of making it big in the world someday, like a fireman. There was no tragic accident that led to his demise, just a child in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Lightning strikes were not very common ways to die, but any person ever caught outdoors in a thunderstorm has experienced the creeping fear of it. Peter was no exception. It was a particularly vicious storm, and little Peter was running as fast as his short little legs could take him, headed for the only place he could think of that was safe... home.

His hair was wet and his clothes were wet. He wiped the hair away from his eyes as he ran, his breathing ragged and his side hurting. It was then that he felt odd, like little spiders crawling over his body. That rather disconcerting feeling ended rather quickly though. The CRACK! of lighting breaking the bones of his body, hurling him a good fifteen or so meters away with the smell of burning flesh had a way of getting rid of it.

It was a week later when his parents decided that their child wasn't coming back, having spent the entire week out in a beachside vacation, carefuly making sure that there was a weeks worth of milk and cereal by the table. And so they decided to make a new baby. New babies were fun to make anyway.

Little peter was dead for a week. It was the smell that woke him up, no longer the strangely delicious pork chop like smell after the lightning hit, but rather the stinky smell of his pet mouse, when it decided to go to sleep for a long, long time.

Peter figured that going to sleep for a long, long time was rather un-fun. So he stood up. It felt strange to be all soft, and crispy on one part of his back, but it was okay.

----

Peter was now officially 30, his corpse-like body had matured into a rather handsome zombie, and his near religious applications of formaldehyde solutions helped keep him from falling apart. He was a smart lad, learning that one could earn money from doing work that nobody liked. He never needed to eat anymore, nor did he need to sleep, or even go potty.

Imagine if you will, the world's perfect worker! Peter was like that, an endless fountain of productivity. His work ethic was fantastic, and his ability to maintain output levels 24/7 drove him higher and higher to the company ladder, until he became... a partner.

Being a partner was interesting, Peter concluded, one had things that people called benefits. He had life insurance, which he really didn't need, discounts at restaurants, which he never really dined in, and "special" considerations in little strip clubs which never really quite interested him... due to a certain lack of bodily functions. As such, Peter became rather bored.

It was times like these that Peter spoke to himself.

"Well, that's it." he said, as he sat down on his big swivel chair, "I've managed to reach high above the others in the corporate ladder. I've managed to somehow keep on living when by all means I should be dead." his eyes narrowed. "I have nothing to exist for."

He sat there, brooding, no breath to breakt he silence, as his eyes roamed falling on a newspaper. NEW CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENCY COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK, it blared.

Something stirred within the deep recesses of Peter's mind.

"That's it!" he stood holding a finger up in the air in a cliched pose of sudden genius, "I'll become president!"

"This is exactly what this country needs!" he paced back and forth, musing, "A president who will WORK for the country, a leader who has no mundane needs. I will not sleep, nor eat, nor waste my money on booze, fatty foods and movie star whores!" he grinned a dead man's grin.

And in the coming months, the country was taken by storm! Little Peter, the dead boy who worked his way up to the top of the corporate world, was running for president!

And yet, all was not well. Peter's ratings sank, nobody knew how to identify with a dead man.

"What I need is something... anything..." he pondered, his deceased fingers clicking on his mouse, "I need a symbol... something that they will instantly remind them of me."

It was then that he stumbled upon the colors of politcs. From firey reds of hard work and idealism, to the yellows of unity and peace, to the blues of freedom... but nothing struck his fancy.

"These are not the colors for me." Peter said, looking over the colors in his mind. Black for protest and White for mourning... "I need a new color, one that the world remembers but has never used..."

Purple. The color of emperors and mourning priests. It was perfect. Peter had his name changed immediately, and campaign materials flowed from the printing presses in the color he had chosen...

"I am Purple!" he yelled into the mike, to the cheers of thousands upon thousands of fans, "I am a dead man, yes, but a dead man who will make your lives better! I died, but do not let the stop you from living a second, better life! I need no sleep! I need no food! I need no sex! Let me bury your fears! Vote me! Vote me!"

His campaign worked, Purple, had won the hearts and the minds of the common man, his administration was demanding, but fair. He could not be bribed, he had no vices, he did not sleep. He was, by all means, the perfect president.

But it was not to be. Purple sat atop a float in a parade, purple streamers flapping in the breeze. The economy was in an upswing, and people were happy. The sun shone brightly down on the leader of the country, his pale face in a dead man's grin even as he waved to his constituents.

----

"And that is how this came to be," Purple said, looking down at the child beside him, "How we became the only country to be successfully ruled by a zombie president."

The boy watched him in reverence in awe. This was Purple, the grand Last President, looking a tad more mummified than the pictures, but still there, talking to him.

"And this was five thousand years ago?" the boy said, adjusting his hoverchair.

Purple nodded, even as he leaned back in his preservation chamber, "And it all seemed like it just happened yesterday."

---

Madness borne out of desperation lead me to writing this story. Yes it is strange, and yes I'm aware that its probably a far cry in terms of quality compared to the prior stories I've written. I'm trying to shake of the fact that my imagination falls to bits whenever I write under pressure... well, I hope this makes sense to those who read it.

[Fiction] Lonely Morning Haze part 3

"Mark?"

"Hmm...?" Mark looked up from his Principles of Financial Management book, "What is it Anna?" They sat on the bench, whittling away some time before class, a wrinkly, brown paper bag of donut holes in between them.

Anna looked at him with narrowed eyes behind her glasses, "Do you think I'm fat?"

"Huh?" What the hell!?

"Am... I... Fat?" Anna spaced out the words, as if to try and help him understand.

"Uh..." how the hell do I get into these situations? Mark looked down at his book, "Why do you ask?"

"Are you avoiding my question?"

"No..." Mark said, rather defensively, "You're not fat."

"You don't mean it." She accused, pouting. "You're just saying that to make me feel better! Look!" She stood then, squeezing her belly, "Fat! Jiggle-jiggle!" she tried to make her rather non-existent belly fat jiggle.

Mark let out a long sigh. It's going to be one of those days. He closed the book. "Look, Anna, you are not fat! You look great! Besides, that's not fat you're jiggling, that's intestine! Keep that up and you'll suffer indigestion."

"I don't believe you." She remained resolute as she sat down, "You're just saying that to have this discussion over and done with."

"Hey! Don't put thoughts in my head!" Mark replied, "Listen to yourself! 'Am I fat?' is a loaded question! It's the relationship equivalent of holding a gun to my head and asking me to pull the trigger or you will!"

Anna raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"Simple." Mark said, putting the book away into his backpack, "Think about it... you ask me if you're fat, right?"

"Okay..."

"Now I've got three possible answers. Yes, no or a cop out."

"And is this a cop out?" Anna gave a feral smile.

"No!" Mark waved her off, "Let me finish... so you've got those three choices, right?"

"Mm-hmm..."

"If I say 'yes', then you'd be depressed and you'd get angry at me. Not that I'm saying that you're fat or anything, mind you. Anyway, if I say 'no' you'd accuse me of lying, the same way that you're doing now."

Anna shrugged, "Well, how can I be sure that you're saying I'm not fat just to make me feel better?"

Mark smiled, "Now there's the rub, see? You have to trust me, like friends do." Aha! Appeal to her sense of friendship and trust! It's your only chance!

Anna thought about that, "But what if you are lying? And that you're using this argument as a clever ruse to throw me off?" She pushed up her glasses.

"Well, there's no guarantee that I'm not doing that." Mark smiled. "Like I said, it's all a matter of trust."

"Mark?"

"Yeah?" he smiled smugly.

"I hate it when you do that."

Pointyman2000 is an Uncultured Brute

Yes, I have finally come out to admit it. Despite the fact that I enjoy roleplaying games, music, anime, talking about random philosophy and writing stories, I have one weakness.

I am unable to process anything that is related to "Art". Perhaps it's due to my inherent dependence on Left-Brained thinking, or the fact that I lived a childhood deprived of basic things like learning how to swim, or learning how to ride a bike.

Anyway, This is what comes to mind when I watch plays. I stand there, trying to comprehend it, always teetering on the brink of enlightenment... and then it ends. The crowd approves with the play, thundering applause and bobbing heads while I wonder, "What am I missing?"

[short fiction] Lonely Morning Haze pt. 2

"You're gay, aren't you?"

Mark choked on his soda, quickly grabbing a wad of table napkins as he coughed, the pain of carbonated liquids assaulting his nasal passages. "What the hell are you talking about?" he rasped, wiping his nose and mouth.

"Dude, you've got to be." Mark's tormentor, Sean, insisted, "There you were, a hot chick in need of some lovin' and all you did was crack a stupid joke to cheer her up? If it were me, man, I'd be all over her, showing her what real men are like."

Mark glared at his classmate. "She wasn't interested in sex. She was depressed."

"Depressed my ass, she was probably horny," Sean smiled, "Then again, that might not have been your thing." he winked.

Mark fought back the urge to punch the bastard. "Look, Sean, I don't know where the hell you draw your conclusions but stop it."

Sean sneered, "Stop it." he mocked, "Dude, you sound like a wimp. You wanna prove that you're not gay? Then shag her. She's ripe for the picking, Mark. She's young, impressionable, depressed and most likely a virgin."

"I don't need to prove anything." Mark's tone was dead serious. No wonder men keep getting a bad rap for being insensitive. This guy's a prick!

"Yes, you do." Sean said smugly, "Or are you admitting that you're a fag?"

Mark emptied his soda in one swig and crushed the can in his hand as he stood up. "Look, Sean." his voice barely containing his anger, "I don't know about you, but all your talk just makes me think that you're trying to cover up for your own fears." Just walk away, Mark... he forced himself to turn around and leave, There's no point in getting into a fight

Sean watched as Mark stood and left, his laughter taking on a nervous tone at Mark's words. "What? What the hell are you talking about?" he called out as Mark walked away, "Hey!"

Another student in an adjoining table put down the book he was reading. He turned to Sean then with a deadpan face, "Dude, that guy was saying you were gay."

----

It was dark already, and Mark found himself on the park bench again with nothing to keep him company save for the lamp post that illuminated the bench with a circle of light.

"Asshole." he swore, "What the hell was that about? What a prick."

"Who's a prick?" a familiar voice called out from the path.

Mark looked up, "Anna," he relaxed then, "Nah, nobody important."

Anna sat beside him then. "Keeping secrets now?" she smiled, pushing up her glasses, "That's not very like you."

Mark sighed as he looked at her. "It's not important." he said, "I almost got into a fight earlier today."

"A fight?" she raised her eyebrow, "Over what?"

oh crap. "Nothing important," Mark assured her, "really!" he forced himself to smile.

"You're a terrible liar, Mark."

Mark gave her a sheepish look.

"Come on, 'fess up." Anna said, "I promise I won't laugh!"

Mark sighed, "Okay, fine... this'll be a little awkward, okay?"

Anna nodded, "Do you have a Non-Discolsure Agreement I have to sign?"

Mark gave her a withering glare.

"We're friends, Mark. Trust me on this."

Mark nodded, "I was having lunch when Sean, and I... uh, I told him about what happened between you and Kerwin."

Anna nodded, "I can't believe you actually went and told other people about that, but I'll reserve your eventual punishment for another time." she grinned, "Continue..."

Mark raised an eyebrow at that statement, "Okay... so anyway, I told him about it, then he goes off on how I must be gay or something."

Anna laughed, "How did he ever come up with that conclusion?"

"Because I didn't... uh, take advantage of the situation."

Anna's laughing stopped, "Excuse me?"

"Sean was insisting I was gay because I didn't take you home and well... have sex with you." Mark said, "Look, it was a bad idea to tell you, he's a chauvanist pig and an insult to my gender."

"I'll kill him!" Anna fumed, "What an insensitive prick! Tell me you kicked his ass, Mark. Because if you didn't I sure as hell will!"

Not again. Mark sighed, "Look, it's fine. I walked away from the whole thing. He's being an ass, and that's below me." he said, stifling a chuckle as he saw Anna's reaction, her brow furrowed, and her lips forming a rather cute pout.

"So that's it? You let him get away with it?" Anna asked, "You've been reading into too much of that buddhism stuff, Mark. Not even Ghandi would stand for that kind of insult!"

Mark laughed at that last line, "Look, Anna. I know that my sexual orientationis still aligned with my physiology." he grinned, "And as for Sean, he's probably projecting his insecurities or something."

"Since when did you shift courses to Psychology?" Anna asked, skeptical.

"I read a lot." Mark replied. "There's nothing to be gained from that argument. I'm more than a little miffed about what he said, but I consider myself the winner." he smiled, "There's more to dignity than name calling and social pressure."

"Wow... That's awful mature of you."

"It is?"

"Yeah." Anna smiled, "It makes sense, in a good way." she checked her watch, "Well, I'd better get going. It's late, and I've got a test to study for tomorrow." she stood.

"Hey..." Mark stood up as well, "Let me walk you there, at least. I don't feel comfortable having you walking home alone at this hour."

"This isn't a ploy to get into my panties is it?"

"Anna!"

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

----

Obligatory note: Just in case there are those who are affected negatively by the story. The Author does not intent to offend any party with this work, and hopes that this will be taken from an objective point of view.

Fiction Press

Hey guys!

Just sorta stumbled on to my old Fiction Press Account, so I figured I might as well populate the site with my stories. It's not much right now, but at least I've got a place to archive my written work.

Why don't you guys drop by and open an account there too? I know Kate and Alex would have more than a few short stories that they could grace the ignorant masses with.

For the curious, I've got a link to my Fictionpress Profile here!

Do drop by and give it a whirl!

[Fiction] Lonely Morning Haze

It was a lonely park bench, one where the paint was chipping from the wooden parts, and a small layer of rust covered the screw heads. The seats were not really wet, but not quite really dry either, but rather in a state of indecisive moistness that would bother people who would sit on it, but wouldn't stain clothing. Maybe it was because it was morning, and dewdrops still glittered on the grass that grew around the bench in haggard clumps, looking more tired than they ought to be.

And it was on this nondescript, lonely and inoffensive bench that they sat. A boy and a girl, each one holding a paper cup of expensive coffee, wrapped in Earth-Friendly cardboard sleeves and with the oddly shapped sippy covers.

"So..." the girl spoke, pushing up her glasses further up her nose, her breath coming in small puffs of mist in the cold morning wind. She wore thick clothes to ward of the chill, a beret on her head tilted just so as to appear stylish, "why do you think they have these things, Mark?" she pointed at the oddly shapped sippy cover.

Mark looked at her and shrugged, "Who knows?" he said, looking at his own cup "Maybe it's supposed to stop the stuff from fogging up your glasses." Why are we here, Anna?

Anna's eyes never left her sippy cover, staring at the bead of coffee, light brown and kinda gray in a weird sort of way, dangling near the lip. "Good point." she replied then, bringing the cup to her lips, sipping the coffee, bitter, sweet and rough in some parts. "It really sucks to have your glasses fog up when you drink something hot."

"Yeah," Mark smiled, "I remember being annoyed at that when I still wore glasses. You should really consider getting contact lenses." We're all alone here. What is this all about? Why am I so nervous?

"Maybe." Anna said, drumming her fingertips on the cup, turning to look at him, her voice wavering, "Kerwin dumped me last night."

"What?!"

"He said we weren't going anywhere," Anna, "That we didn't have a future..."

Mark felt his throat go dry, "but wasn't it just your anniversary last week?"

Anna nodded, "He said he had thought about it."

"Thought about what?"

"Our future... and lack thereof." Anna said, taking off her glasses in a hurry as she felt the tears come, "Fuck."

"But you guys had plans!" Mark insisted, What was he thinking? "You and Kerwin were supposed to go into that business, right? After we all graduated."

"I know." Anna fumbled for a hankerchief, her glasses dangling from her hand as she sniffled, "I know we did..." she dabbed her eyes then, "I don't understand it either."

What do I say? Mark looked at her then, "Anna... I don't know if anything that I can say will make you feel any better, but at least you know that I'll be here."

Anna looked up at him, her eyes a little red. A tear rolling down her cheek.

"We'll have coffee together on this ratty bench in the mornings..." Mark trailed on, what am I babbling on about!? "At least you've still go that right?"

Anna smiled a little, "Was that supposed to make me feel better? Knowing that I've lost the man I wanted to spend my life with and all I have to show for it is lousy coffee, a rusty bench, and a guy without a single romantic bone in his body to keep me company?"

Ouch "Umm... yeah?"

Anna sighed, her breath still coming in little suddering gasps, as she took a sip of her coffee. "Yeah." she said, still sad, and yet grateful for his company. "I've still got this."

Quarter of a Century!

Ah yes, one of the milestones of life is that you get to exist for a quarter of a century. As such, I'm pretty lucky.

I guess this is a good time as any to remind those around me that I am grateful to have them in my life. I've got fantastic friends, a devoted and loving Kitty, and plenty of blessings. Right now, I'd like to put up a great big thank you to everyone for being so supportive of my existence.

Normally, this would be the part where most people would wax philosophical and write something about their hopes and dreams of the future, and their anxieties. I'm sure everyone has read their share of such things, and I don't feel the need to repeat it.

Let it suffice to say that I am grateful for friends, for God, and for the opportunities that I've been granted. If things go wrong, they'll go wrong for a reason, and I'm sure that no matter what, I'll find a way around it.

I am the pointyman, after all... ;)

Dance Dance Immolation!

This is Fantastic!

Given the popularity of the game here, we should install one of these in the arcade, in a flame-proof booth where bystanders can watch and enjoy. Make sure that the players have no protective suits for double the fun!

Writing Challenge: Manga / Wolves / Cosmic

"Remember this: The wolves are your friends, your companions, your family. They will not abandon you, and neither should you abandon them." The Instructor eyed all the new graduates of the academy, boys and girls no older than 13, decked in their dress uniforms, their wolves sitting beside them. "There are worse things out there than the simulations can ever produce, and when you face them, your wolf if your only ally. Remember this, and we can all hope to see you when you attain your citizenship at your sixteenth year of life."

The Instructor saluted the recruits before walking out of the room.

Shiro breathed a sigh of relief. The Instructor had always make him nervous. Sascha, his wolf, looked at him and cocked her head sideways, a question in itself.

"Ne," Shiro chuckled, crouching down to rub Sacha's silver-gray fur, "Don't worry about me, I'm just a little nervous." The bionic headband he wore twitched it's two side mounted "wolf ears" to make up for the human lack of non-verbal communication, properly conveying the internal undertones even as Sascha's psycho conditioning processed the human speech. The wolf, nuzzled Shiro's hand in reassurance, even as the other graduates and their wolves began to file out of the room.

----

The sound of the transdimensional disruptors hurt Shiro's ears, but between physical discomfort and being torn apart like his companion, Shiro preferred the former. He and Sascha advanced, followed by several other of their packmates towards the hill. It was a starless night, and only their night vision lenses allowed them to progress and keep up with their wolf companions.

On top of the hill stood a figure drenched in blood, a knife in his hand, and a bloody mangled corpse beneath him. He cackled even as strange things shifted into this reality. Sascha growled as she pounced on one of the things, biting down into it's flesh with her fangs. Shiro didn't exactly know the explanation to how it was possible, but wolves were the only creatures on earth that could fight and hurt transdimensional creatures. In this case, Shiro was more than thankful that Sascha was with him. Shifting his own transdimensional disruptor in his hands, Shiro advanced even further.

Their packmates has cleared out most of the other monsters and the bloodied figure fell to his knees. Sascha ran beside Shiro then, her muzzle splattered with green ichor. "Good girl, Sascha!" he said looking up to see that the clouds above began to swirl into a massive circle, the sky above red and alien, with several moons and stranger colors that his human mind could not contain...

Shiro stopped, watching in a mixture as he heard something barely out of earshot. A chanting that grew larger even as massive tentacles reached out from the portal above...

"Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!"
"Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!"

----

Okay, so it wasn't my best work. :p But I was hitting my head on so many barriers like how to incorporate anime/manga influences into the story without the visuals. Anyway, enough with the excuses... check out Andrew's Brass Buddha Machine to see what he did with my challenge to him: "The autoiography of the color Purple as it pertains to politics" Dunno if it's up now, but I'll be waiting for his entry.

It's Fast and it's Free: Aki, A Cute Little Roleplaying Game

It would seem that my free rpg radar has been active lately, and I've dug up a link to a design award winning mini rpg. Aki, is a small (literally, it's only 3 pages including the character sheet!) RPG about normal Japanes high school kids, in the suburbs of a perfectly ordinary Japanese city.

It's certainly not a game for kicking ass and taking names, but it does provide some interesting roleplaying avenues. Actually, thinking about it, it's a great game to use for "Dating Sim"-esque campaigns. Heck, it's a Shoujo Manga inspired RPG after all.

If you're interested, you can check it out Here, to get the links to the 2 versions of it. Or for a direct link to the pdf, click here

It's Fast and it's Free: Chalk Outlines Waiting to Happen, a caper-flick roleplaying game

Hey guys,

Been taking a look around the net when I stumbled upon this rules-lite RPG for caper-flicks like The Big Hit, Snatch, Reservior Dogs and Ocean's Eleven. I know some of my gaming group have been itching to play something like this ever since watching Ocean's Twelve.

Interestingly enough, it's got a simple mechanic, and seems to be very intuitive, considering that the character creation is essentially a job interview for crooks.

It's pretty cool, and I'm actually tempted to give it a test drive. check it out
Here