thursday tattles: delicadeza, freedom force, christmas

And just like that it's already December.

And December this time around is going to be special for me and my little family. Anytime between now and the 26th, we can expect the 4th member of our little mob to arrive. A false alarm over the three-day weekend had us packing and getting to rush off to the hospital but good thing the overnight sleep helped stopped Elvie's contractions. Last Friday, she was still in her 37th week when the contractions happened, still a bit early for Baby Isa to step into the world. But this week, Elvie is now in her 38th week and it's much safer now for the baby to be born.

So, my nerves will be a bit jumpy in the next couple of weeks or so anticipating that call from my wife about a water bag getting broken and something about rushing off to the hospital to have the baby delivered.

Let's see, bag is packed -- baby's going-home clothes, receiving blanket, Elvie's and my own clothes, a book or two to bring along, my PSP, deo, cologne, soap, toothbrush, spare blanket (for me), smallish bath towel, small notebook, lots of pens, glucose-meter, charger for the cellphone, digicam ...

Am I ready? I have to be. I'm going to be a father again :)

* * * *

Have had some difficulty sleeping the past three nights.

Last Sunday night, I wasn't able to sleep early despite feeling drowsy as early as 9pm. I ended up sleeping past 3am already. That was still fine because Monday was a holiday so no problem extending the winks in the morning.

Last Monday night however was a real bummer though. With work resuming the next day, I knew I had to really sleep. Unfortunately, I again wasn't able to catch Mr. Sandman early and ended up sleeping around 3am again. I ended up a zombie at work.

Last Tuesday's bout with sleep was better as I managed to get myself knocked off half past twelve.

As of this writing, it's already 12:20am Thursday. No sleep in sight yet. Good luck to me.

* * * *

I've put playing Innocent Life on hold for a bit as it was getting boring.

I've instead fired up my laptop and am now playing an old game from circa 2002 -- Freedom Force.

If you're a fan of old-school comics, hawking back to the days when comic heroes were reciting cornball lines and drawn Jack Kirby-style, you're going to love Freedom Force. While it's a video game, it pays homage to the Golden Age of superhero comics (forget Darna or Captain Barbell or Lastikman, mind you) with those outrageous dialogues that heroes and super-villains alike recite before attacking, and cut-scenes offering the origins of the heroes you control.

Speaking of control, FF is a squad-based, tactical, real-time strategy game where you control a group of up to four super-heroes and direct their actions in fulfillment of a stated mission. You start of with a Captain America knock-off called Minute Man but as you progress through the missions, new heroes join you or you hire available heroes. You also upgrade your heroes to unlock better powers.

Action can become quite frantic and some missions will require you to split up your heroes. This can lead to frequent scrolling all over the map to ensure that you keep your heroes in check. Thank goodness for the space button -- the PAUSE button. While paused, you can issue commands to your hero making the game (and the heroes) easier to manage (and helps you catch your breath).

I first played this game some four or five years ago and back then I had to play it on someone else's PC because my own desktop couldn't handle the graphics (full 3D!). But flash-forward to today, it runs smoothly on my Compaq CQ40 thanks to the ATI Radeon shared video graphics.

* * * *

In the news ...

According to DILG Secretary Puno, PGMA running for Congress is heeding the clamor of her future constituents. He says that call to run as Congresswoman of the 2nd district of Pampanga outweighs the call for delicadeza.

So, delicadeza is no longer a trait to be valued, you say? 'Lang hiya ...

* * * *

Because of the timing of our daughter's birth, we'll be celebrating Christmas in Makati for the first time since Elvie and I got married. It has become a tradition for us to spend the holidays with my parents in Laguna these past years so this year is a break of that tradition.

Well, it might also end up that we might be spending Christmas at the hospital after all. Elvie's due date is around December 26 after all, give or take a week or so.

However, like I mentioned earlier in this post, this Christmas season is quite special not only because of the birth of our new daughter but also because we'll be celebrating Christmas in our little apartment whereby we'll be preparing a Christmas feast -- the first time we'll be doing that.

Expect waistlines to explode this Christmas season and I'm sure my endocrinologist will be admonishing me come January for the weight gain -- and I'll hear her say I'm grossly obese again! But, it's bound to be a happy Christmas so a little pagalit will be fine. I just have to stay a bit conscious not to eat too much, hopefully.

wednesday warbles: rocket kapre, new books in the pile, carlo caparas, philippine spec-fic antho

Noynoy just announced his intent to run for president a few hours ago. At least now we have an option and we won't have to settle for the "lesser evil", so to speak.

* * * *

Erstwhile courtroom hero, Paolo Chikiamco, has given up his suits and barong to don a new custome to become a superhero for the cause of Philippine speculative fiction by launching his new digital imprint Rocket Kapre. Aside from the ultra-cool name, Rocket Kapre intends to bring Filipino speculative fiction to the entire world via its website -- rocketkapre.com -- and books as well through Eight Ray Sun Publishing.

Pretty soon, Filipino spec-fic writers will be able to submit stories and books for possible publication (via traditional means and through ebooks and ezines). For now, RK has several articles up including an interview with spec-fic writer Kate Aton-Osias.

* * * *

Three more books have been added to the erstwhile collection stacked in one corner of the bedroom (along with assorted oddities like old HDDs, documents, DVDs, game CDs, school supplies and make-up kits) and once again reminded me that a bookshelf is needed (anyone care to donate an old one?). On the other hand, two boxes under the staircase are quietly being turned into burrows by the bubwits. I dread the idea of what is happening to the books and magazines (including my precious old issues of Dragon magazine) stored in those two boxes.

After receiving a hardbound copy of Watchmen from my boss and colleagues from the old company, three more books have been added to book pile (and I wasn't even actively looking for new books) including:

• Martial Law Babies - the graphic novel by Arnold Arre


• Extraordinary Engines: The Definitive Steampunk Anthology - edited by Nick Gevers and features steam-driven stories by Stephen Baxter, Jeff VanderMeer, Paul Di Filippo, Michael Moorcock and others


• A Time for Dragons - Filipino spec-fic anthology edited by Vin Simbulan and features draconian-laden stories by Dean and Nikki Alfar, Paolo Chikiamco, Oscar Alvarez, Dominique Cimafranca, Angelo Lacuesta and others

I'm in talks with my sister, Wheng, who is in Dubai so that she can buy books for me not readily available here in the P.I. I'm sending her a list real soon and that means I will have to temporarily stop purchasing books by non-Filipino authors until the balikbayan box gets sent.

* * * *

Watched The Correspondents last night (the first time in so many months) and Adrian Ayalin tackled the mess that is the National Artist Award and the whole dagdag-bawas that has happened whereby our beloved GMA dropped one of the four nominees submitted by the CCP and NCCA and added her own four.

Of the four new nominations by GMA herself, the inclusion of three have raised more than the eyebrows of several sectors including National Artists themselves. But I won't be discussing the issue here as it has been discussed, printed and broadcast by many organizations, media outlets, and individuals.

The point is, even the National Artist Award is being used by GMA to express her political gratitude to those who have supported her. National Artists and relevant sectors have protested the apparent demeaning of this prestigious honor.

However, if you've watched Correspondents last night, you would ask yourself -- what the hell is Carlo J. Caparas talking about?

Is he on drugs or something? His remarks and reactions to the entire debacle are off-key and off-topic? And despite his apparent ignorance or stupidity of the issue on hand, mayabang pa siya.

And I'm not even about to talk about why he wears shades all the time. Kirat ba siya?

He even claimed that even before his work in comics and film, he has been an illustrator. Isn't that baloney? I've seen the so-called "illustrations" he has done in other shows where he was featured including Jessica Soho's and even I can draw better than him.

And there's also the issue of him being hailed as the Komiks King -- his own colleagues from the Philippine comics industry believe that honor should be bestowed on more note-worthy and praise-worthy stalwarts of Philippine komiks, not to one who caused the industry to further wallow in depths of obscurity and irrelevance.

If you want to find out why CJC is not qualified for the National Artist Award, head on over to Gerry Alanguilan's blog where he has extensively, clearly and validly argued and proven that CJC is no Alagad ng Sining.

* * * *

Barely a month to go before the October 15 deadline for submissions to the next installment of the Philippine Speculative Fiction anthology to be edited by Nikki Alfar and Vin Simbulan and I am still at a crossroad -- a three-pronged crossroad actually -- on what story to submit.

I've got three stories in mind to work on, all in various stages of development, and I'm still self-debating which one to work on and eventually submit.

Last night, I took a look at my fiction-writing folder and saw that I have about a dozen stories in there with just one story completed (though yet to be re-edited). The rest, including the three stories being considered for submission next month, are still works-in-progress :) Lots of writing lay ahead.

why not go for a good president?

Yesterday, erstwhile presidential candidate Sen. Mar Roxas announced he was withdrawing his bid for the Philippines's highest office in order to maintain the Liberal Party's unity and thereby give way to Sen. Noynoy Aquino who will be officially announcing his presidential bid (unofficially, it's a foregone conclusion unless you haven't been watching or reading the news for the last month or so) for the 2010 elections.

As much as I stay away from talking about politics on this blog of mine, a comment made by the business sector represented by Mr. Peter Wallace in Inquirer.net's banner story "Roxas Gives Way to Aquino" today that was "unimpressed" with the recent events. I've excerpted the specific piece of the article:

Business unimpressed

Markets however are likely to be unimpressed by the events.

“The business community has no experience of him at all, we don’t know what he is like and what his policies will be,” said Peter Wallace, head of the Wallace Business Forum consultancy.

“He has not shown in his time in Congress or the Senate to be a very active person, or take a leadership role,” he added.

But Wallace said an Aquino candidacy on a clean government platform could be successful although the momentum would need to be sustained.

“The outpouring of affection and sympathy for Cory and family was in part an expression of disappointment, disgust with the current government’s inability to maintain the morals and honesty that people expect in a government,” he said.

“And so his running would be a popular choice in that regard. But we have to remember that what we are seeing today is a reaction to the death of Cory just a couple of weeks ago, and we are talking about elections nine months away from now,” Wallace said.

Read the entire article here.

I don't know if Mr. Wallace truly represents the entire business sectors as other business leaders, I believe, are just about as fed up as the rest of us. Moving on ...

Now, it might be true that Noynoy doesn't really have the "experience" that so-called experts believe presidents need to have gained prior to their ascendancy to the presidency. And I share the similar observation that Noynoy has not been really that "active" in both Congress and Senate unlike other congressmen and senators who are quite active (many I believe active in enriching themselves, their families and friends and doing just about all the dastardly deeds one abusive of power will do). And yes, Noynoy might just be riding the wave of euphoria sweeping the Philippines right now (the so-called Cory Magic) and yes as well as that Noynoy will be a popular choice given the lack of morality shown by the current government leaders.

But don't you think it's high time we put morality and delicadeza and plain good manners and proper conduct to the highest office in our country?

Noynoy might not be a perfect president (but then again who is), and he may not be an economic standout that the business sector will like or a very charismatic leader who can lead his flock into total righteousness and Godliness. But then we will have a president who will be of good moral character. A president who, like his mother and father before him, will put the interest of the country first (unlike a president who puts her and her family's interest first and foremost) and that bodes well for the business sector as well. A president whose actions will always be subject to the scrutiny of his family (I can just imagine Noynoy being lambasted by Kris in public if he goofs up) and who has a moral obligation to his honored parents to remain guilt-free and stained of immorality.

Don't you think it's time we get a good president again?

wang-wang

I am not one for politics in this personal blog of mine but Bahay Talinhaga's Youngblood article published on the Inquirer (thanks to PGENRESTORIES talking about it, of course) is quite familiar. Just a couple of hours ago while crossing Ayala Avenue towards RCBC Plaza, I had to stop (even if it was already "walk" for our side of the sidewalk) because a convoy of government vehicles suddenly came out of nowhere and with their wang-wang demanded ... no, usurped without any respect the intersection of Ayala corner Buendia.

Here's an excerpt:

They Don't Fear Us
Paolo Chikiamco

I am not, generally speaking, a very tolerant man. But of all the things that rouse my ire, I reserve a special, searing hatred for the wang-wang.

My favorite wang-wang anecdote concerns the mad-cap journey of one particular convoy of official vehicles that a friend had the bad luck to witness. All the vehicles had their windows done up in the always trendy opaque tint which reflect dully the red flashes of their sirens. While most of us would automatically assume that the beneficiary of such royal treatment was a high-ranking politician, it turned out that this particular convoy was bearing a famous hairdresser who had presumably been summoned to deal with a fashion emergency of great national significance.

I know that I am not alone in feeling this way; the Inquirer ran an editorial last April denouncing the wang-wang culture of our government officials. In an age when grainy videos of consensual coitus can ensnare the attention of media and government for days, I am fairly certain the matter could do with a bit more exposure (pun unintended) and a lot more indignation.

Read the rest of the article here.

Confront government officials and they will say either of two reasons why there's a need for wang-wang:

a) they need to go to their next destination right away because of their sworn duty to serve the public, if they can get to point B from point A right away, they'll be able to serve their public more, being stuck in traffic is not an excuse

and

b) they, because of the very nature of their job, need to protected from those who wish to deter them from dispensing their sworn duty to serve the public, so the wang-wang system adds security; by being able to move faster, they'll be able to evade those deterrents

But then again, why don't you try and get stuck in traffic and experience the hell the rest of us routinely get exposed to. Maybe, if you understand how your public feels you'll finally be able to come up with solutions to our worsening traffic problems. And while you're at it, pull down the windows of your gas-guzzling vehicles and feel the fresh, smoggy air of the metro. You'll be able to empathize with us more.

And concerning safety, if you were only doing your jobs like you are supposed to then there won't be a problem of security. You won't ever need the wang-wang or those millions of escorts you routinely convoy with. Those escorts of yours are better off protecting your public.

And Paolo is right that they, our beloved politicians who we vote (or not vote but still get voted into office somehow), do not fear us. Hey, we're paying for your wang-wang and you don't respect us. The next time I step in front of your convoy, I the lowly worker who pays for your salary, will you stop and allow me to cross? Or will your gazillion escorts whip out their high-powered firearms and empty their magazines on me?

In David Eddings' series, The Tamuli, the protagonist Sparhawk (on one of his epic quests to acquire so and so item to save the world) was being briefed by the Tegan Queen on the economics and politics of the island nation of Tega. Sparhawk was astonished when he learned that in Tega, individuals avoided being elected into any government office at all costs and he asked the Tegan Queen why it was so.

The Tegan Queen explained that once an individual was elected into office, his belongings were confiscated and became property of the nation (inventoried, of course). This was done so that the elected official would have no other loyalty than to serve the nation. If during the elected official's tenure the nation prospered, he can look forward to a prosperous return of his properties after his days at the office are over (assumption: with interest). However, if the economy of Tega worsened while he was in the office, he would be penniless when his time to step down comes.

It would be great to be able to do that here and firmly enforced by an oversight group specially hand-picked to do this job (an unbiased Ombudsman would be ideal). Once one of our beloved politicos gets voted into office, all his property and money will go into a special treasury bonded with government income. If he does well and gets the Philippines on the right track to development, a chain reaction will follow -- peace and stability, profitability, sound economy -- at the end of his tenure, he gets his property back with interest. If, however, he doesn't do good in office, well, the government and the public get his property as insurance.

Fat chance that will happen anytime soon, right? But heck, maybe it's time for another revolution, it's been 20+ years since People Power, right?

And after that, maybe they'll be no more need for wang-wangs.