SOTA SF Checklist - UPDATED 6/22/2009

I'm so cool! Konti nalang ang kulang ko! Hahaha! All player one colors! This is the current score:

ROUND 1:
RYU
SAGAT
M.BISON
CHUN-LI
SODOM

ROUND 2:
KEN
T.HAWK
VEGA
CAMMY
BLANKA

ROUND 3:
GUILE
GEN
ADON
SAKURA
BALROG

ROUND 4:
AKUMA
FEI LONG
IBUKI
BIRDIE
REMY

So, I'm only looking for player one colors: Chun-li, Blanka, and Sodom!


After that, I'm off to the Revolutions line (which has been seeing price drops lately) for: Dhalsim, E.Honda, and R.Mika.

Pilep and Che recently gave me Zangief! Thanks guys!!! :D


I'm not looking for Dan naman. Besides being a crappy figure, rare at mahal pa. Tsk.

After these, I'm done with SOTA. I'm gonna see how far NECA would go in their own SF line naman.

SOTA Street Fighter

I decided its time to showcase this SOTA SF collection which I've started last February.

The Street Fighter franchise is no doubt a household name. Everyone knows, or at least have an idea, who Ryu or Chun-li is. Even though the franchise is very popular, no toy company has done it justice. Then, SOTA Toys (State of the Art Toys), led by a sculptor named Jerry Macaluso, came along.

Jerry's SOTA made figures by waves/series, with 5 figures per wave. Each wave was referred to as ROUNDS (so series one is called ROUND 1, and so on). It was so successful that SOTA was the first company to be able to dish out so many Street Fighter) figures. But all good things had to end... the company had a falling out with their Chinese molding factory--this is the reason why the factory stole the molds and made "bootlegs" without SOTA's permission. Soon, Jerry sold the company to take a different path. The SF line ended on ROUND 4.

Soon, the new SOTA started releasing figures SF figures under the new series name, Revolutions. Sad to say, they sucked. They weren't in scale to the previous SF figs, the figures had broken parts, bad pain apps... the list goes on, and fans knew its over for SOTA. Heck, the only Revolutions figure I'm planning to collect are Zangief, Dhalsim, and E.Honda--hinuli ko pa kasi ayokong pag gastusan.. antayin ko nalang bumagsak yung presyo! :D

I decided that I will finish ROUNDS 1-4 first. Since this toy line has been around since 2004 pa, trying to find them now is hard! Mahirap hanapin, and kung may mahanap ka, sobrang mahal ng benta! But that's the part of the thrill of toy collecting--the challenge it presents when you are hunting the figures, and getting them for a BARGAIN price! Parang treasure hunt! :D

Now, its time to show what I have collected thus far...

But first, here's a toy collecting terminology list. I'm gonna use terms which is only familiar to toy collectors, so here's a few list of what it means:

*MOC - Mint On Card. It means that the toy/figure is still inside in its unopened package. Hindi pa nabubuksan. Can be loosely called as "brand new" kasi nga hindi pa nabubuksan.

*LOC - Loose On Card. It means that the toy was already removed from the pack, but was returned inside. This is usually associated for collectors who keeps the packaging so that they can sell the toy/figure with the package included, so they can sell it in the future when they bored with it. Second hand.

*Loose - it means na yung figure lang, wala na yung package. Second hand. These definitely sells cheaper than MOCs because they are obviously 2nd hand, and sometimes (just sometimes) it is not in the best condition.

*PLAYER 1 COLORS - this is strictly SOTA SF terminology. It is referring to a figure being in their DEFAULT/ORIGINAL colors as they appeared in the games, or as they are known for. For example, Ryu wears WHITE; Ken wears Red; Chun-li wears blue, etc.

*Variants - this refers to alternate colors of a certain figure. For example, Guile's original color is GREEN, but there are also different versions available such as Orange Guile, Blue Guile, Brown Guile, etc. Those other figures with different colors are called variants.

*Scale - refers to the size (how big they are) of a certain toy line. This particular SOTA toy line is in the 6-inches scale.

*Lot - refers to the whole collection. For example, when I say "Here's my SF lot", I am referring to my WHOLE SF collection--everything I have.

*Butaws - a term coined by Filipino toy collectors. Butaws refers to the least popular characters of a certain wave/series/round. For example in ROUND 1, we have Sagat, Bison, Ryu, Chun-li, and Sodom--the butaw is Sodom since he's the LEAST popular character and would most likely be the hardest to sell since everyone are going for the popular characters. This holds true for people selling their collections. They make a stipulation for butaws like, "If you want to buy (insert popular character here), you must also buy (insert butaw character here)." Of course butaws are sold cheapers, but they are usually bundled with the more popular characters para mabenta rin.

*Groupbuys - When a toy collector sells his collection, he doesn't sell it by piece! Lugi siya pag ganoon. Siyempre yung bibilhin lang ng tao is yung mga popular characters, so malamang maiiwan yung mga BUTAWS (see above). So the practical way of selling and making money off a certain collection is by selling it as a LOT. Kunwari ako, ibenta ko, sasabihin ko: "I'm selling it as a LOT. All for 20k. All or nothing. Everything must go." This is where GROUPBUYS comes in. Since its too expensive for most people to buy everything, specially when they only like a particular figure, they organize a groupbuy where the organizer lists all the available figures from the lot individually (complete with price), so that people can bid on the figures that they like from the lot. The groupbuy only ends when every figure from the lot gets a buyer--a meetup is held with all the said buyers, they meet up with the seller, pay him, and then get their respective figs. In the end, everyone is happy. :D

*Bootlegs - these refer to FAKES. Usually has bad characteristics (broken parts, bad paint, etc) as compared to the original. But with SOTA SF's case, bootlegs are more of a "re-issue", than actual fakes, since its manufactured BY THE SAME FACTORY--so hindi nagkakalayo yung quality sa original. Regarding SOTA kasi, they had a falling out with their China factory. So the China factory manufactured new figures without SOTA's permission, as a way of getting revenge at SOTA--reproducing the rarest figs (ryu, sagat, bison) and making money out of them.

RYU and GOUKEN

I found both of these in Singapore while Rix and I are roaming the Chinatown malls. Ryu is from ROUND 1, and is a bitch to find since he's practically the most popular character from the franchise. Gouken, Ryu and Ken's master, is a toy con exclusive. Gouken doesn't really belong to any ROUNDS since he's an exclusive character.

I had to say, I got lucky finding these figures in Singapore. Ryu is so rare that you'll probably thank yourself even if you got the bootleg one (which I probably did). I can still remember what Rix said when she saw me overjoyed finding the figs: "Fil, nag-sesecond child hood ka na!" Hahaha! :D


M.BISON and IBUKI(red variant)




Philippe and Che gave these to me!! CHELIPS points for the win!! Hahaha! Pilep surprised me with them when we had a webcam chat when I was in Singapore! Tulo laway ko eh! Hahaha! Bison is a ROUND 1 figure--another fig which is a bitch to find! Try finding one now is HARD. With it is Ibuki from ROUND 4! She's not in PLAYER 1 color, but in a red variant (a better color than the original, in my opinion). Ibuki is loaded with accessories.. she even have that raccoon pet of her as an item! Really, really great items! I owe CHELIPS for these! ;p


SAGAT


The bad ass figure! Definitely the most expensive SOTA figure I have, together with the Bison that CHELIPS gave me! This time, I paid half the price, then my ate contributed for the other half! Hahaha! This guy is so big! Like I've said, bad ass! :D


ADON, CHUN-LI (pink variant), BLANKA (glow in the dark variant)


I found all these in Greenhills while toy hunting with Richard and Verge. I was only planning to buy Blanka, pero I saw Chun-li (which is fucking rare), and even though Chun-li was pink, I still bought her! Rare eh! And it was cheap for the price I got it for. Then while browsing around more, I found Adon which is in player 1 color! The price was also great kaya I bought it narin... mejo kinulang na ako ng cash that time (nasa ATM yung money ko) so Verg offered to let me borrow money para sa kulang. Hehehe! About Blanka, this variant is the glow in the dark figure. Cool, pero siyempre mas astig parin yung may color. *Since I still don't have PLAYER 1 Blanka and Chun-li, I'm still looking for them.


EVIL RYU


Most likely a bootleg because he's smiling so profusely! LOL. But seriously, it is a bootleg/re-issue since the original smiling Evil Ryu is only included with the Pyscho Bison 2-pack. The original single Evil Ryu is the one with the serious face--I found one in GH selling for 1k! Fuck that.. this one looks better anyways, and I got it DIRT (yes, dirt) CHEAP! :D


GEN, T.HAWK, IBUKI


After some time, I joined an all Filipino Toy collecting forum called PTK! And what a big help! I learned a lot just by lurking in the threads, as well as asking a lot of questions from the veteran toy collectors there! By this time, I started joining the forum's groupbuys! Ang saya.. I've'meet nice people (fellow toy collectors) because of it.

The first SF groupbuy, I got these figures: Gen, T.Hawk, and Ibuki (in player one color). All LOOSE though... mga second hand. A good catch still since some of the figs are hard to find (T.Hawk, in particular, is hard to find and EXPENSIVE as a MOC). No brainer, the prize catch here was T.Hawk from ROUND 2! Since I got him as loose, its way CHEAPER. And then there's Gen (from ROUND 3)! I just got him para dagdag collection pati kasi he was being sold cheap! Once I started checking the figures after I got home, I was so impressed with the Gen figure. Ang ganda! Good catch. And then there's Ibuki. You can say that she's the BUTAW fig this time since I already have a MOC Ibuki (red).. you can say I bought this loose Ibuki so I can have a player color. Again, its cheap. The bad thing though is that the joints of the figs are so loose na--the fig looks like a rag doll if you move her around, with the legs swaying all around because of the loose joints. tsk.


BALROG


I got this from another PTK seller. Butaw sa isang Groupbuy kaya sinalo ko nalang! Maganda kasi yung sculpt ni Balrog eh. IMO, everything from batch ROUND 3 (Guile, Sakura, Balrog, Adon, and Gen) was great:D


VEGA, SAKURA, GUILE, REMY


A product of another groupbuy! Since I made friends from the previous GB, they helped me this time to acquire the characters that I want. May heads up kumbaga para hindi ako maunahan ng iba sa selections! :D And this time, the seller included the cards. They are LOCs kumbaga... the figs were removed from the package para i-display, then was returned after! Still in good condition! All in all, GOOD BUY!

Finally, Vega from ROUND 2!! I've been searching high and low, MOC or LOC, for this masked psycho! I finally got him via the GB thanks to my PTK friends. My Shadaloo bosses (Bison, Sagat, Balrog, and Vega) is finally complete. And Sakura? Great fig! It's probably the best SOTA SF female character, in my opinion! I also took Guile because mine was a loose and bad conditioned one without accessories (which I sold later). Pretty lucky to have scored a good conditioned Guile this time! :D Both Guile and Sakura are from the fantastic ROUND 3.

And then there's Remy of ROUND 4! This sad fuck is the butaws of the butaws! This fig is so ugly that I was planning to buy it last. Unfortunately, we set a "buy one-take a butaw system" in this particular GB. And Remy, ugly as he is, was the only figure left in the butaw section which I still don't have. Still a good buy pa rin naman since dagdag sa collection, and he was in good condition din.


AKUMA


Definitely the star of ROUND 4--I already had a loose Akuma (without accessories) as my very first figure, but told myself that if given the chance, I would buy a MOC one complete with the accessories. It so happened that Richard and Verg found one in Megamall--reserved it by paying half the price, then told me to pick it up the next day! Aaaawww, it so pays when you have such great friends! Haha! :D


KEN


This IS SOTA Ken from ROUND 2. This guy is one of the rarest characters to find! I asked Mark to find me one from Singapore kaso yung nabili niya is yung NECA version (I'll write about that later). I was so glad when I found SOTA Ken thru.. guess what.. thru MULTIPLY! Haha! I had to meet up with the seller as far as Robinson's Place in Malate! It was fulfilling though, finding him.


FEI LONG


Together with AKUMA, the PLAYER 1 color Fei Long is one of the rarer figures to find for ROUND 4! Nagkalat lahat ng kulay: yellow, red, blue.. pero wala akong mahanap na player 1 color kahit saan (black). I saw one in GH recently, when I asked for the price, 1,200 pesos binebenta! GAGO! Hahahaha! Nakita siguro na sobrang excited ako, akala niya maloloko ako bilhin yun. Haha.

And so I waited a bit more, then lumabas sa PTK forum na may nagbebenta nung Fei Long player 1 for CHEAP! Hindi na ako nagdalawang isip since rare nga talaga. Actually, may nauna nga sa akin eh, buti nag-cancel kaya nakuha ko. ;p

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

NECA STREET FIGHTER 4 - KEN


Mark bought me this one straight from Singapore! I was asking for the SOTA Ken though, but he happened to bring NECA KEN instead. I was one of the people ridiculing the wacky face sculpt of these NECA line based from SFIV. Imagine my surprise after I got the fig personally! Ang ganda! It's even better after I opened it up! VERY good figure! In terms of quality, this is even BETTER than SOTA's SF. I vowed to collect this line too since then. Buti nalang bagong line ito so madali pang hanapin. Yun nga lang, they're pricey compared sa SOTA... mahal talaga kasi ang NECA.

A new hobby of mine... TOY COLLECTING!

Yep, pretty much the primary hobby I'm been to right now. I was collecting toys as early as I was in Grade 2... they all burned down though when our house went into flames! Haha! Sad but true. ;p

Now, I have a chance to revisit a hobby that I really used to love. One problem though: I'm more passionate this time than ever. Blame my obsessive nature--once I set my sights into something, I won't stop until I get it. That's the reason why I have a police record back when I was still in highschool--I became obsessed with a person and started stalking her!! Okay, I'm just kidding with that last part! ;p

Anyhoo, what triggered this toy collecting obsession? A Street Fighter figure of Akuma. Haha! I got one on a cheap price, was impressed by the quality. After a little googling and research on the net, I'm ON the toy hunt game again! ;p

Next post will feature my obsessive Street Fighter collection! (It will also serve as a checklist for my CHELIPS points! Hahahaha jk! ;p)

Star Trek

Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Zoe Zaldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, Bruce Greenwood, and Leonard Nimoy.
Directed by: J.J. Abrams

The movie opens up with an Enterprise star fleet getting blown up by a mysterious alien ship. Among the survivors is the pregnant wife of the heroic Acting-Captain George Kirk who decided to sacrifice himself in order to let others escape safely. As the Enterprise blows up, the woman gave birth to a child who would later become James T. Kirk. Fast forward to 22 years later, James Kirk is now a rebellious and reckless young adult who often gets into fights. One night, he flirts with an Enterprise cadet which leads into a bar brawl. There, he meets a high ranking Enterprise Captain who happens to be an old friend of his father. The captain convinces the young Kirk to enlist in the Enterprise and follow his father's footstep. Three years later, an alien attack causes the Enterprise to send fleets into space. Kirk, suspended that time because of an altercation with a high ranking officer named Mr. Spock, gets into a ship and joins the mission...

What can I say?! This movie is PERFECT! I love it! I actually can't believe I've waited 2 weeks before watching this! I was supposed to watch it with Richard, but nagpunta kami nila mama sa Trinoma kanina so we decided to watch it anyway! And what a great idea!

This is a reboot of the classic Star Trek that was led by main characters James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Although a reboot, they were able to create a story that was able to tie this movie to the original Star Trek universe! I'm writing in general as to avoid spewing out spoilers. I'll give you a clue though: this is NOT a PREQUEL! :D

Being a big budget film, the movie has all the effects that Hollywood can offer! Big ass space ships, explosions, greatly executed fight scenes--everything. Also, as I've said before, the screenplay was great--being able to create a story that was reasonable, or acceptable, to tie with the original.

The directing? Superb. JJ Abrams at his best! You may know him from his work as the director of TV series Alias and Lost, and movies Mission Impossible 3 and Cloverfield, among others. I like his style! Pretty fast paced, the actions scenes very thrilling! He's an excellent director, and now, I'm a big fan! :D

But the best part of the movie is no doubt... THE CAST! Simply put: Everyone. Is. Perfect. Pine was great as a young and reckless Kirk (a slightly different kind of Kirk, given the storyline! ;p). And Zachary Quinto as Spock? PERFECT. The guy looks and talks like Leonard Nimoy did! He should at least garner an Golden Globe award for this! For god's sake, this guy is Sylar from Heroes! And his transformation from Sylar into Spock was incredible! He got every every point of Nimoy's original landmark Spock on target--by way of speach, facial reaction--heck, the Quinto looks EXACTLY like Leonard Nimoy! :D

And the support cast is no slouch either! They were so fun to watch as young versions of the original cast! It was fun everytime a character comes in and you realize that they're the young version of a certain character from the original version.

Although I'm not a BIG, big fan of the WHOLE Star Trek franchise (there's a bunch of them including Deep Space 9, among others), I'm a big fan of the original Star Trek as well as the 'Next Generation' (led by Jean-Luc Picard, portrayed by Professor X..err.. Patrick Stewart). Being a fan of the original, I'm very familiar with the iconic characters that it was so fun when you watch the new version paying homage to the original.

The only ones who can only say bad things about this movie are probably the UBER SUPER DUPER Star Trek fanatic who, of course, will always prefer the original cast members and would not accept a remake, and would certainly not welcome changes. But I assure you, this is an excellent movie, as well as an excellent twist to the original Star Trek lore. The way they handled the new story, the franchise is open to many more sequels! And I sure do hope they give us MORE! Score: 10/10

About Hayden Kho's Sex Videos...

Man, and I thought he was just that "2-faced douchebag gold digger Belo leech" that everyone is claiming him to be. Turns out, this guy is worst! He's a sick and perverted "2-faced douchebag gold digger Belo leech".

It started last December when it was reported that Kho and Belo split because the latter tinkered with the latter's laptop and found sex videos of Kho with other girls, presumably made while they (Belo and Kho) were already together. One of the girls involved, sexy star Katrina Halili, was thrusted into the open. She admitted that she made the mistake of dating someone who's already in a relationship, yadayadda, and denying a sex video. The issue died a slow and painful death as time went by, eventually Kho and Belo were reported to be together again, and the issue was laid to rest.

And then the shit hit the fans! Just a few days ago, someone posted on YouTube a videoclip of Hayden Kho and Katrina Halilia dancing sensually with just their undies on! Everyone assumed it was a "pre-sex", 'foreplay' if you will, video before the couple did their deeds! The issue was revived!

Then a couple of nights ago, the ACTUAL SEX VIDEOS hit the net! The shocking part is that its not just Katrina Halili, but also two other girls!!! One of them, I didn't really expected!

One of the girls, the one I didn't expect to be involved in this, let's call her M.R.! She's a part time model, appeared in some TV shows and commercials. Her image, wholesome. She even rejected an offer from a men's magazine. And then this happened!

The other girl beside Halili and MR, is a Brazilian model. I'm not really familiar with her, pero maganda ah! Haha!

Now, I don't really write about shit like this. Sex video scandals come and go, and its not really surprising this time of age. BUT, but, this one is different. This one is disturbing. Read on.

I watched all THREE sex videos that were leaked! In all three of them, the video camera looked like it was positioned like it was HIDDEN! In the Katrina Halili video, it looked like it was placed near a table. Hayden Kho was adjusting it before going to bed, before a unwitting(?!?) Katrina Halili joins him.

The Brazilian model video, the camera looked like it was positioned on a dark room/cabinet! The angle was so bad that the camera was aimed at the air con!

Then the MR video! This one is clear! Again, like the Brazilian video, the camera seemed like it was hidden on a dark room/cabinet! You can see Hayden Kho standing once in a while, ADJUSTING the video, while MR wasn't looking! You can notice that everytime he does this, he pushes the door so that MR's view was blocked (so that she can't see that he was tinkering with a video cam!)
--Googling stuff, I discovered that Hayden Kho and MR was a couple back then when they were still in med school! And this video was taken probably during that time! (wow, ibig sabihin gawain na talaga ni Hayden Kho ito dati pa!?)

Grabe! Ang bastos talaga! Seeing all these, it seemed that THESE GIRLS DID NOT KNOW THAT THEY WERE BEING FILMED by Hayden Kho!

Grabe talaga, doctor pa naman daw yung si Hayden Kho! And I heard, he's from UST!? Tangina.

Ok sana if the video was consensual. Pero hindi. Like I've said, it seems that the girls didn't know that they were being filmed by Hayden Kho!

If it was consensual kasi, sige ok... hindi lang naman kayo yung gumagawa nun, mga ibang couples din. It's a private thing between the two of you since you're a couple. Baka yun yung fetish niyo, dba? Pero yung hindi consensual, iba na iyun. Dude, you're filming an unwitting girl while you're fucking her.

There are only a few things I can think of on why Hayden Kho would do these things:

1. He's a sex maniac (that's a given), and he tapes his sexcapades so he can watch it later again in his own comfort!
2. Bragging rights. He films his girls so that he can show his barkadas and guy friends that he gets to fuck this girl, or that! Sick bastard.
3. To blackmail these girls!? It's possible. Why is he filming them without their knowledge, dba?

And another reason why I'm so convinced that the girls didn't know they were being filmed is that... the VIDEOS ARE CRAPPY. When I say 'crappy', I meant the camera angles and the lighting. Dba, kung consensual yun at gusto nilang gumawa talaga ng mga sex videos, why not bring the camera NEARER (think Paris Hiltom/Kim Kardashian)! Bakit nasa malayo, at nakatago sa isang sulok!?

Something must be done to Hayden Kho. Grabe na yun. I'm in no way someone who has a grudge against him, or what. I don't even know him personally. It's just that, sobrang baboy lang talaga nung mga pinagagawa niya. Grabeng pangbabastos ng mga babae yun.

I heard Sen. Bong Revilla is asking for the termination of Kho's medical license. Kulang pa yun. Dapat nga tinanggalan na ng medical license yan dati pa nung "nag suicide attempt" siya nung uminom ng maraming valium!

Dapat dito, kasuhan na. Pero yun nga, dapat i-reklamo siya nung mga babae na nasa videos. I would definitely stay tune to this NEWS. Tignan natin kung ano ang mangyayari. I won't be surprised if nothing happens to Kho though... blame our society... tsk tsk.

++
And for the people saying things that, "ang pokpok naman ng girl na ito, nagpa-bira kay Hayden Kho..., etc", its either you're VIRGINS, or you're HYPOCRITES. Those girls had sex with Kho, like MR who was Kho's GF at the time, not knowing they were being filmed. It's like girls having sex with their boyfriends... except that Kho is a sick and perverted boyfriend who filmed their deeds without the girls knowing about it. Sick!

Angels and Demons

Cast: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor
Directed by: Ron Howard

Robert Langdon is back for another adventure. This time, it directly involves the Roman Catholic Church. The pope has recently died, and while its time for the election of a new Pope, the top four candidates were kidnapped. At the same time, a top secret research facility which houses a sample of generated anti-matter was breached-- one of the anti-matter samples was stolen. The anti-matter sample is so strong, it can wipe the whole of Vatican City if ever it diffuses, in this case--if the batteries of the antimatter container dies down. It only took a while before it was revealed that the the kidnappings of the pope, and the stealing of the anti-matter sample is done by only one organization: the Illuminati. And with the threat of the anti-matter and the on going elections of the pope, the Catholic church is in disarray. Robert Langdon was called into the scene to investigate and help on his expertise on symbols to decipher the Illuminati clues.

All in all, I can say that its a good movie. Definitely much better than the sleep inducing movie adaptation of Davinci Code. It's fast paced, and once scene shifts fast to another. I can say there's no boring part where Langdon babbles in length this time around! The acting was good too--everybody did their jobs. Another plus is that Tom Hanks is no longer sporting that weird mullet haircut he did in the first movie! LOL.

And before you ask--yes, I DIDN'T READ the book. Probably the reason why I didn't have much complaints! And as always, I after I read or watch something, I google for more information about it. It turns out, the movie adaptation CHANGED THE NAMES of the cast save for Robert Langdon and the female lead! They also changed key parts of the novel such as how the Hassasin has dies, cut down significant back stories, and how the movie ended. These things are definitely sacrilegious for die hard fans of the book! If ever I read the book before I saw the movie, I would have definitely given this movie a bad review! Haha!

Another thing, this movie is treated as a SEQUEL! I remember that Che and I had a discussion on the way home. The discussion was about Angels and Demons being a SEQUEL and not a PREQUEL. I always knew that Angels and Demon is a PREQUEL to the Davinci Code. The discussion started when Che told us that it was a SEQUEL daw. I read the Davinci Code throughly, with Dom as my discussion mate during that time (around third year college). I skipped Angels and Demons, and lend Dom the book instead. Having read the Davinci Code, I was skeptical with Che's claim that Angels and Demons was a sequel! Haha!

So after I got home, I googled stuff and confirmed that I was right all along-- Angels and Demons is a PREQUEL of the Davinci Code. The story is set BEFORE the Davinci Code. And the book itself was published BEFORE The Davinci Code. (A&D was published in 2000, while Davinci was published in 2003). It's just that The Davinci Code was a more popular book, that only Angels and Demons garnered attention after the second book was released and became a best seller, which gave people the impression that it was a sequel rather than a prequel.

Che's partially correct though-- the MOVIE VERSION was treated as a SEQUEL! It was director Ron Howard's idea because he wanted to portray Robert Langdon as a more confident character this time around. It won't just make sense though, treating it as a sequel. In this movie, Langdon is still that hard nosed atheist--and if they were treating this as a sequel, then all that battle of religious beliefs and meeting the ancestor of Christ is all for nothing and wouldn't make any sense! LOL! Another point for the die hard Dan Brown readers to cast hate on this movie!

Overall, I enjoyed the movie and thought it was good. Again, because I didn't read the book first. It was fast paced and had more action involved this time around to keep things more interesting, and it was a welcomed change from the first movie. Plus, I have to mention again that Tom Hanks is no longer sporting that odd haircut from the first movie! Another big plus! ;p
Score: 8/10

**On a side note, I finally saw the trailer for Drag Me To Hell! I was eagerly awaiting for this film. The reason? I'm a big Sam Raimi fan! And after they said that this movie will be in the vein of The Evil Dead series (which made me a Raimi fan in the first place), I was stoked! Finally, I had the chance to see the trailer for the first time--and I can say that this movie looks good! Downright creepy with that demon old lady gypsy, whatever she is. Reminded me of the good 'ol deadites of the old! Also, they better put a Bruce Campbell cameo in there or everyone will be disappointed! :D

Here's the trailer! (Note, this YouTube video doesn't do trailer justice.. it looked better in the theater!)

Angels and Demons at Greenhills

Last Saturday was very busy. I was doing some work the night before that caused me to stay up late. As in 3 hours lang tulog ko since my ate asked me to drive her to Makati for her Mary Kay workshop!

Also, that day was the planned movie night in Galleria with the rest. Since mga 2pm pa yung usapan namin nila Che for her Anion seminar, medyo matagal na oras ang aantayin ko. As early as 9am, I'm done in Makati! So I was thinking what to do next. I love to go to Greenhills pero natandaan ko yung SUPER mahal na parking fee. Instead, I went to my friend Richard's house in Pasig. I was texting him while I was still in Makati, asking him if he's home. No reply 'til I actually got his house! Haha! Nag-text nalang ulit ako na pa-park nalang sa harap ng house nila kasi kailangan ko magpalipas ng oras. Thank god he texted a little bit later that he's home and kakagising niya lang. Even then, we decided to go to GH kasi I promised rin naman na we were going the next day... since I'm there na, why not go now, dba? Haha.

First things first, once we got there, we went for the toy shops! Haha! Then after, my actual priority: finding a Globe office so I can charge the iPhone. My mom went to Indonesia kasi, and since she find it troublesome since she got her iPhone, she decided to switch phones muna with me. Problem is, nadala niya sa Indonesia yung cables and charger ng iPhone! So there, naki-charge muna ako sa Globe office!! Hahaha! Hinugot ko yung display nila, sabay saksak ng akin! Hahaha! :D

While waiting there, Che texted. Hindi raw makakapunta yung iba. So she asked kung tuloy pa ba. Since pagod at puyat na rin ako that day, my first reply was next time nalang. Eh biglang naisip ko na baka on the way na sila ni Pilep, I texted ulit na kung gusto nila ituloy kahit kami kami nalang since I'm in Greenhills na. So yun, tuloy pa rin! Haha!

After having another hearty meal at Mexicali's, Richard and I went to the cellphone vendors area naman. We're looking for brand new cellphones. After a while, Che texted that nasa Virramall na raw sila ni Pilep. Palakad na kami sa Virramall nang biglang may babaeng naka-eyeglasses lumapit sa akin... si Che pala! Haha! Hindi ko kaagad nakilala! :p

Since Pilep was still withdrawing money, sinakay muna namin yung gamit niya sa loob ng car. After we got back to Pilep, I introduced them to Richard. I did not expect Richard to go with us kasi akala ko may lakad pa siya that day! Haha! He ended up joining us in watching Angels and Demons.

About the movie, it was ok! Definitely a step up from the movie adaptation of The Davinci Code. I'll write a review later! :D

After the movie, I was still full. I was worried though that Che and Pilep might be hungry na since hindi pa sila kumakain, snack pa lang. I asked them where they want to eat, Richard suggested a steak house--which name escapes me now! Haha! Hindi pa kasi ako kumakain dun, nakwento lang sa akin nila Richard dati. We were supposed to go to SOMS, a Thai food specialty restaurant, so Che and Pilep could try the food... pero sobrang traffic going that way. May Fiesta yata or something (may fireworks eh).

At the steakhouse, I myself didn't order. Primary reason is that I'm still FULL after that afternoon snack in Mexicali. Second reason, I'm out of cash and the damn restaurant does not accept credit cards! Haha! I would only order food though, if ever, just so hindi mailang sina Pilep and Che na silang dalawa lang ang kumakain. Pero yun nga, I was out of cash since I bought my ate an expensive slice of cake in Bizu. I felt bad for Richard though. For a guy like him, I knew he was hungry na--hindi lang siguro nag-order kasi nailang na hindi ako nag order! Haha!

After dinner, we're off home. We were at Shaw na that time so Richard goes first. He asked to be dropped off nalang a few blocks from his house--may bibilhin raw siya sa convenience store. After goodbyes, I gave CHELIPS a ride home. Na-elibs ako kasi may daan pala papuntang Sta. Mesa galing Shaw Blvd! Thanks to Pilep for the directions! Hahaha!

And it was kinda early that night. By 10 ata, nasa bahay na sila! Haha! Halatang biting yung kwentuhan kasi nasa harap na kami ng gate nila Che, nagkukwentuhan pa rin! Haha! Next gimik would probably be the marathon at the end of the month--or who knows, baka magkakayayaan ulit any time soon! :D

saturday get together: farewell to Mark and Donna

This is gonna be the last time we see Maki and Donna for a long time. Mark is going back to Singapore the next day, while Donna is going to the states for good (!?!) to be with her mom. Sa May 16 na ang alis. :( So yun, get together kina Mark.

As expected, late na naman ako dumating! Haha! Since I was on the way, I offered Jem kung gusto niyang sumabay sa akin, so sinundo ko na siya sa house niya. When we got there, andun na si Che, Pilep, Donna, and Myk! Hindi macontact si Drey.. si Dale naman ganun din, nag text nalang later na may sakit raw siya.. si Onyx.. este Onion.. este Onik.. este Oninz, nang-indian! Sasama raw tapos nung gabi, hindi na nagparamdam! Hahaha!

By the way, finally, I was able to give Maki his shorts! Haha! Yung deal kasi namin, hahanapan niya ako ng Ken figure sa Singapore. In exchange, hahanapan ko siya ng "malupit" na shorts! Hahaha! I was so relieved and pleased when he told me that he really liked the shorts! Sinuot na nga kaagad eh! Hahaha! Cargo shorts kasi na maraming pockets. Actually, when I was shopping for the shorts, and dami kong pinagpipiliian... but when I saw that shorts, alam ko na na "this is it"! Swipe kaagad ng credit card regardless of the price! Hahaha! Buti nalang kasya kay Mark! ;p

So yun, since late kami ni Jem, kumain muna kami ng konti. Sarap nung fish ni yaya, may garlic toppings pa! ;p

After dinner, akala ko tambay lang kina Mark. Yun pala plano nila lumabas. First suggestion was, TAGAYTAY! Everyone was excited! Tapos biglang sabi ni Jem: "Hindi ako pwede eh..."! Nyaaaaah! Hehehe! Canceled na tuloy. Lahat talaga kailangan nakasalalay kay Jem eh! Haha! So since Tagaytay was canceled, sinuggest ni Myk na Starbucks nalang daw. Sa may West Ave. raw. When we asked Myk bakit sa West Ave. mag Starbucks, sagot ba naman: "Daming chicks eh!" Hahaha!

When we got there thoough, daming tao. Nag-switch nalang kami sa isa pang branch malapit sa dating house nila Myk. Ayun, kwentuhan galore. I didn't order kasi natakot ako baka mag-revolution ulit yung stomach ko! Hahaha! Around 1am, kailangan na raw umuwi ni Jem so ayun, direcho na sa house ni Mark. Kwentuhan ulit (para ma-delay si Jem!! hahaha!) and picture picture until we finally called it quits. We bid Mark and Donna goodbye.. medyo matagal tagal bago magkita kita ulit kami so buti nalang may one last get together. Si Myk na nag-sabay kina Che at Pilep (damn! there goes my CHELIPS points! hahaha!), while I gave Jem a ride home.

Next gimmick raw is on Saturday. Gonna watch Angels and Demons at Robinson's Galleria! ;)

Pics!! *courtesy of Che's SLR! Haha!

car woes: vol. clutch!

Last Friday, I accompanied my mom to her Mary Kay meeting. Since she was now a director, she have a lot of people under her joining the MK bandwagon. She asked me to drive the others para may masakyan towards the meeting in Makati at the MK headquarters.

All was well during the trip towards there. A little bit traffic here in there, but hey, its EDSA so its normal. After enduring the all-girls meeting (i'm the only guy there. well, there's tito jun, who's gay, so he doesn't count! haha ;p), we're off home.

And then, shit happened. SUPER TRAFFIC SA EDSA! Which was surprising since its already 11pm on a Friday night! The traffic looked like straight from a hectic 8am Monday morning! As in buhol! But that's only the tip of the iceberg...

Biglang nagloko ang clutch nung car! As in lumulubog! Supposedly, pag tinapakan mo ang clutch, babalik dapat kaagad pag binitawan mo... yung nangyari, naiiwan! So yung effect nun, lumulubog ang clutch at hindi ko ma-change gear pag nangyari yun! And I endured that with heavy traffic from Makati until Cubao! And to make matters worse, bumara talaga siya dun sa bukanan sa Cubao! Kaya pala kasi traffic, may inaayos sa underpass ng Cubao! Tapos dun pa ako tumirik! Buti nalang pumasok din yung gear! Grabe, as in all throughout nung traffic, super gamit ako ng handbrake!

Fortunately, the next day, dadating si Mang Boy--my mom's driver. Dadalhin niya dapat yung isang car sa Banawe para paayos yung aircon. Nakakatawa kasi nung morning, tulog pa ako tapos ginigising nila ako. Pina test drive raw kay Mang Boy yung kotse tapos sabi maayos naman daw. So gagamitin nalang daw ni mama yung car habang pinapaayos ni Mang Boy yung Honda sa Banawe.

Sabi ko, "Sige, bahala kayo. Basta sabi ko, sira yan ah!". Later that afternoon, I learned from my ate na tumirik pala sila ni mama sa labasan kasi ayaw pumasok yung gear! Hahaha! Buti nalang daw palabas rin si mang Boy ng subdivision at nag-swap na sila ng kotse muna para unahin yung Toyota! Hahaha!

By the evening, ayos na yung car. Pinalitan yung pump sa may clutch area kasi bumigay na raw... kaya pala bumabara yung clutch pag tinapakan. Hehe. Buti nalang ayos na since may get together ulit kina Mark at kailangan ko ng car! Haha!

Donna's Birthday @Maki's!

Eto ang triple celebrant eh! Newly grad! Birthday celebrant! Despedida queen! I present to you... Donna!! Hahahaha! ;p

I slept late that Sunday, and by Monday noon, my cellphone ring woke me up... its Mark! Nagyayaya raw mamayang gabi! It's Donna's birthday at may konting inuman raw sa bahay nila! At ayan na naman yung prodding ni Mark na mahirap tanggihan!! Haha! May ability yang si Maki na mamilit eh... hindi ka talaga makakatanggi! Haha! So I obliged.

A little later, I went online in YM. I buzzed Jem and asked her what time she was going to Maki's house... nagulat, hindi niya raw alam na may happening! Haha! And then I messaged Che, hindi raw sila pwede since Pilep had work later that night! I wondered what's up... yun pala, Mark only told me since alam niyang wala akong pasok the next day! Si Drey naman sinabihan niya rin kasi gusto niya makausap since bitin nga nung Saturday! Hehe!

Dami tuloy nagtampo! Si Pilep raw maghahalf day kung nasabihan kaagad! Ako naman nadulas kay Jem na merong happening.. etc.! Hahaha! ;p

Anyhoo, I got there around 9:30pm. Putek, naligaw pa ako! Medyo last year pa ang huling punta ko kina Maki eh! Haha! Drey arrived a shortwhile later. There was Donna's friends, and us. Ramby, Mark's pamangkin, also joined us a little later. So yun, inuman at kwentuhan. Everything under the sun (in this case, the moon) and all the problems at hand. Tamang inom lang since Drey and I both had to drive home pa. Sarap rin ng pulutan ni Donna! Yung inihaw, chicharon, etc. Pero yung pinaka favorite ko eh yung white cheese ni Donna na galing France! Dedekwatin ko sana yung isang buo kasi naawa ako kasi birthday niya naman! Hahahahahaha! ;p

By around 1am, nag-bbye na kami kay Donna, and Mark who was already lying the in the bench--pagod na since kanina pa siguro active yun. Hehe. Kitakits nalang daw sa coming Saturday ulit! ;p

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Directed by: Gavin Hood
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Houston, Ryan Reynolds

The much awaited Wolverine movie has finally arrived. A few weeks back, the leaked unfinished product has surfaced in the net. Although I didn't watch the bootleg movie, I heard more bad than good things about it.

The movie starts off with a young James Howlett, sick and lying in a bed. Near him is a young Victor Creed who seems very protective of the young sick kid. Then comes James' father who checks up on his son. Next thing was Victor's father barging in the Howlett mansion, which led the senior Howlett to a confrontation. A gunshot was heard, and as the two kids rushed down, they see James' father shot down by the man. James, out of anger, retracts bone claws out of his fists and stabs the man. As the man is slowly dying, he reveals that he's the young James' real father, and that Victor Creed is his brother. As their mother screams out of horror, the two boys ran into the woods and vowed to look out for one another. This is the start of their story.

Okay, the movie wasn't bad at all. It's just that they fucked up a lot out of the established comics mythos about Wolverine's universe. Of course, the movie itself had problems. Some of the actors were cheesy as hell. The only performances worth watching was Jackman (who's very dedicated to his Wolverine role), Schreiber, and Houston. Ryan Reynolds, one of my favorite actors who happens to be playing one of my favorite comic characters (DEADPOOL!!!!), didn't have enough screen time. The Gambit guy was also cheesy, in my opinion.

The overall movie was decent--but like I've said, they messed up a lot of the Wolvy mythos. One is that Wolverine and Sabertooth (Creed) are not brothers! Agent Zero aka Maverick does not hate Wolverine, and vice-versa! He's practically the only guy that Wolvy actually respects in Weapon X! Then, they included the cameo of a young Scott Summers (Cyclops) just to tie the movie to the past X-men trilogy. Everything seemed forced though. There are a lot of other changes which are passable... but the gravest mistake they ever did was ruining DEADPOOL!!!

Okay, I'm a closet Deadpool fan. I still even keep my old vintage Deadpool toy which sits beside my TV in my bedroom. This guy may not be a household name like say Wolverine, Batman, Iron Man, and the rest... but he's definitely a fan favorite! I, for one, am actually expecting the movie because they announced that Deadpool was part of it... and that Reynolds was actually playing him. Just imagine my disgust surprise when they ruined Deadpool by making him that oddity known as Weapon XI! They made him a freak who looks like Baraka from Mortal Kombat! They even gave him powers that the original Deadpool didn't have! Olats talaga!!! :((((((((((((

The abomination in the left is the infamous Weapon XI, aka THE DEADPOOL in this movie! The one on the right is THE REAL Deadpool! Fuck!

Anyhoo, end of rant. Like I've said, the movie was decently made anyways. Okay special effects, Jackman as Wolverine, passable acting... if you could just look past the few changes they made in the Wolvy mythos, then you can enjoy the movie experience. Score: 7/10

Bakal Reunion!

Finally, Mark arrived from SG so its time for the much awaited BAKAL reunion! May 2 ang swak na date for everybody, and so it was scheduled that day with the venue being Pilep's house (pansin ko parang BAKAL HQ na yung top floor nila pilep.. doon na palagi eh! haha!)

I actually over slept during noon. Napagod kasi ako sa ginagawa ko kaya napasarap ang tulog ko! Haha! Sina Che, Pilep, and Mark kasi nanuod pa ng X-Men Origins: Wolverine sa Makati so umidlip muna ako.. I ended up waking around 8-9pm na! Haha!

By the time I got there, the whole gang was almost complete na: Pilep (malamang bahay niya! haha), Che, Mark, Donna, Dale, Jem, Drey, and Myk...

It was great seeing Mark again! Of course, the last time I saw him was the Singapore trip. Dala niya rin yung pasalubong na Street Fighter Ken figure! Yahoooo! Hahaha! ;p

Shortly after I arrived, Dom came in with his new guy, Paulo! Last time I saw Dom was last year pa, during our last Thesis defense! Damn! Haha! (ay wait, nagkasalubong nga pala kami sa Mega Mall earlier this year rin! haha)

A little later, Ed arrived! Kumpleto na! (kumpleto na, except sa mga taong nang-iindian!! hahaha)

The evening was great! Ed and Mark was finally there.. nagpakita na ulit si Dom.. kwentuhan at get together with everyone! There was pizza, BBQs, Savory Chicken (yum yum! sino nakaisip nito!?! hehehe)... and of course there was the booze! ;p

Napapagusapan na humina na ang inuman since nawala na si Mark and Ed, so kailangan raw bumawa this night! Hahaha! So there was beer--San Mig, Light, Red Horse.. then there was the hard drinks.. Cuervo.. Jack Daniels (na hindi masyado nagalaw).. and Che's Jägermeister! May tama na ako nung tinikman ko yung Jägermeister so I dunno if my memory serves me right, pero parang lasang FRUITCAKE! Hahaha! ;p

Everybody had a great time, I assume. Paolo, Dom's new guy, fitted in the crowd by gamely drinking with us. Si Myk nakakadalawang bottle na ng San Mig Light--naglelevel up na! Haha! Si Drey at Ed napasobra naman ng inom! Mga hardcore drinkers eh! Hehehe! Si Ed nga, naging "butterfly" na naman... even screaming his trademark "wooooh!" up close on a drunken Paolo's ear! Hahahahaha!

A little later, Jem had to leave so hinatid muna namin. After we came back, inuman pa ng konti, kwentuhan, konting videoke... then around 5am, pack up na. Drey and Ed was left behind since natutulog pa so nauna na kami.

It was very fun, at least for me, since halos kumpleto na naman kami. Sa uulitin guys! (SIX MONTHS LATER!?!?!) Hahaha! ;p

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Dale slept over at my house. The next day, we decided to watch the Wolverine movie in Trinoma. Review coming up! Ed is going back to SG the coming Monday so we were texting him to join us watch Wolverine. Medyo pagod na ata so nag rest na muna siya that Sunday kaya hindi na sumama..
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pics from the get together! *grabbed from donna's multiply! ;p