Good and Evil, Whatever

My father always asks "What are you learning from all your playing of PC games?!" So, as the obedient son as I am, I'll be documenting what I'll learn from games whatever format it comes in. If soldiers and airline pilots are trained in simulators similar to video games, what prevents us learning from Crash Bandicoot or Grand Theft Auto?

Experience Points gained from Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: Sith Lords.

What we immediately pick up from watching the Star Wars movies is that the Light side is good, and Dark side bad. Jedi good, Sith bad. Rebellion good, Empire bad. Then good always wins in the end. The game adds immense depth to the good/evil duality through the fallen Jedi Kreia. She shows you that a simple act of kindness of giving money to a beggar, results in his murder by an envious peer. Threatening him will scare him off, but he will pass on your cruelty and murder the other man instead. In another scene where you help a man from thugs, she explains that by helping him you deprived him the opportunity to make himself stronger, leaving him more vulnerable to another threat. How much are we really helping when we give to the needy?

The Jedi aspire to be empty of all passion and emotion, no love nor hate, distancing themselves from human nature. It is by this they believe the way to control of the Force and understanding everything. It is these teachings that led to their downfall, when the Order was split between those that wanted to help in the war, and those that wanted peace by doing nothing about it. You cannot after all, achieve peace by countering violence with violence; at the same time, millions of innocents are being slaughtered by Mandalorians. Would you side with peace, abandoning those people to death; or would you side with action, responsible for the death of thousands to save millions?

It doesn't really matter how much we do to save the world, something along the way will eventually happen and mess it all up. We just have to do our best, ignore the critics and cynics, be responsible for our every action, and just learn to deal with the sh** when it comes. Sometimes, the good things are what keeps us from being better. Freedom, for example, prevents order and unity; therefore peace is a long way behind. Or maybe us Filipinos can't handle what we have, yet still clamor for more.

Boom Boom Contest

The fireworks competition being held near the under-construction SM Mall of Asia is *rad*. This photo was taken in the parking lot of Teletech Roxas Blvd., using a Nokia 6020 in night-mode. I was so close, I got sunburn.

Mind-droning traffic already starts from España or Edsa-Ayala. Since my destination was pretty close to the event, I had to persuade several traffic organizers along the way that "Yes, I definitely need to be there; and no, not just to get closer to the lights" and one would hear me say more than once "Don't park there, I'm still going that way, idiot"

Christmas Party @ RSCC

We held our PREX Proj.6 Batch 70 Christmas party at the Nursery Ward of Reception & Study Center for Children, Magbantay, QC last Saturday Dec 17.






Don't they look quite happy to see us? We were informed this ward was visited less frequently than the other wards, as people prefer kids that are older than toddlers.






Thanks to Gardenia for providing the kids with a sleighful of bread, and Philmed for infant multivitamin drops.







"Bata, tatay mo yan oh, hahahaha"
"Huhuhu, bakit mo ako iniwan?"

My Brother the Jedi

It's Jase Windoo! Almost bald, almost black.

The Darth Vader lightsaber I originally bought for him was defective, as was the other Darth Vader lightsabers, so we got Mace Windu's (the only other available was Yoda's, which apparently no one wants)

Happy birthday! May the Force be with you, and in your weapon power cells

ROME

The new series from HBO, well, rocks! The cast, especially Caesar (Ciaran Hind), is absolutely amazing! I have yet to ascertain of its historical accuracy, but it is still impressive even if it has none. Another great production from HBO, joining the ranks of Band of Brothers, Six Feet Under, and Carnivale. The pre-Caesar Republic of Rome is unnervingly familiar, though ; filthy streets, chaotic citizens, squabbling politicians, widespread corruption and immorality, a republic failing its people.

"Our beloved Republic is in the hands of madmen! This is a dark day, and I stand at a fork in the road. I can abide the law and surrender my arms to the Senate - and watch the Republic fall to tyranny and chaos. Or, I can go home with my sword in hand and run those maniacs to the Tarpean Rock!"

GMA Resign?

With a voice as adamant as the rallyists I say, shut the f*ck up! You might be rallying behind a noble cause for truth or for a better Philippines, but without a permit you're both a traffic obstruction and a jaywalker. In some countries we look up to, if I run you over you'll be the one fined and jailed. Also, isn't the People's Court a form of rebellion? That is punishable by life imprisonment?

Poverty and hunger has been a problem even before GMA came into office. If you're so damn hungry then don't waste your energy marching 20kms and then pushing against riot shields and 500 trained policemen. If you're so damn poor then avoid situations where you can end up in a hospital, billing you P10,000 a night because you got pneumonia from getting drenched by a water cannon.

Crime, poverty, corruption, inflation, unemployment; these are serious problems. But these can neither make nor break a country, but LEADERSHIP *can*. A Strong Republic requires a strong leader, who has strong hands to whoop the be-hinds of our spoiled-brat public servants and countrymen who can't stop whining about what they can't have or about how things should be.

Power should not be abused but neither should Freedom.

Why do we fall, Bruce?

So that once the pain is experienced there will be nothing more to fear; we fall so that we may fly.

American Idol

I read this email from a friend, and it's truly the most interesting thing I've read for the month

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Blog 2005

Check out my new look! Like it? Aha-aha? Just made some mods from the provided template. The site's over-all look-and-feel should match what I want to become during the year; leaner and meaner!

The header image also has a theme of travelling, which I'm surely going to do a lot of for the next few years! Galera, Boracay, Bohol, Palawan, Thailand, Singapore, New York, Phoenix, Toronto, London, Rome, Vatican, Germany, Venice, bring it on! Who's coming with me? Or just follow the Trail.

No more tech talk...

...at least on this blog! We've created a new blog for all techitalk blogging. Check it out at TKTalk