Fractal Dreams

Busy with a lot of work. Really busy. But I just stopped here a while to let the world know I’m still not dead.

Anyway, my internal clock’s really fuzzy. While working on my projects, I find out that my head’s clearer at around 11 pm up to say, around 3 or 4 in the morning. That is, provided I sleep through the afternoon and early evening. That’s why I find it hard to wake up early, since my body’s used to the graveyard shift. I find it easier to work in the dead of night anyway, since everything is so quiet. Here at my place, it’s hard to concentrate in other time periods because of  noisy radios, noisy children, noisy t.v. sets… you get the picture. Since my pseudo-office has no walls and around 4 windows, noise pretty much just traipses through, and sits around my ears for a breather. Can’t concentrate.

Funny thing is, sometimes, in order to counter the noise from my surroundings, I listen to music in full blast using my freaking-large headset. Fight fire with fire, I guess. Have you guys tried that?

I know that it’s impossible to work in absolute silence everytime, but I wish there was a way to reduce the background noise somehow. I wonder if someone out there feels the same way…

I always thought I knew how to draw.

I mean, I can draw my own manga-type characters and costumes. I was really confident about what I can do, because not everyone can draw things that pop out of their heads.

One day, my professor asked me to draw a few things- a space shuttle, a satellite, a train and a computer. I think to my self: “no sweat.”

Then, when the time came to draw, I couldn’t do it. I was drawing anime figures for so long, I haven’t learned about everything else.

So now, like any beginner, I’m learning how to draw and sketch, scouring the web for any tips and lessons that are available.

So  stop and think about it. What am I good at?  When you have singled it out, think about this next: Am I learning new things to improve my current repertoire of skills, or am I just sitting on my laurels? Am I using same old, tried and true tricks over and  over again, or am finding new ways to spice up my work?

It’s one of the hardest things to do: Learning to learn when you think you’ve learned enough.

I know that articles like this tend to draw those looking for an argument really fast, so let me make my self clear first- this is just my personal opinion.

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines the word Geek as  “an unfashionable or socially inept person” and as a “knowledgeable and obsessive enthusiast”. You know, that’s kinda harsh.  There are lots of people in the world that are knowledgeable about something, but I don’t think that they really fall into the unfashionable and inept types.

So I think out loud, What is a geek? Which kind of people are geeks?

I always like to think that each and everyone of us are geeks- it’s just that we all have our own domains of “Geekiness.” Every one of us has some interest that tickles our fancy- be it gardening, sports, video games, etc, etc. I think if we are really interested in something that we really invest some time on it, it’s Geekery already.  It may not sound nice that Sports Jocks are like Sports Geeks, but I think the fine art of learning how to score a goal from the three-point line is the same as finding out the difference between a PCI and a PCIe slot.

I’ve been working on the plotline on my story project, and the first story arc is nearing completion. However, I’ve been wondering what medium should I use to present the story. I’ve had a lot of choices before, including flash animations, visual novels (an image and text-based game genre), comic books and novels.

I’ve scratched off the animation and visual novel projects, they take too long to finish, and both need sound and voice overs to bring their out their best. Now I’m thinking whether I should go comics or novel. Both have their pros and cons…

Comics
*I can’t draw vehicles and backdrops that well.
*Vivid descriptions of the characters’ thoughts are much harder to convey.
*Basically, this is much harder to produce since drawing everything takes time.
*I draw poorly when I’m tired or the conditions are unfavorable.
*If I need to revise the story mid-way, I’m screwed.

Novel
*Places must be described vividly.
*Action Scenes have to be described by words. In a story with a lot of fighting going on, that is gonna be something…
*I can easily revise the text when I need to.

Pondering on it further, I think the most logical choice would be to combine the two- into a graphic novel. In that way, I write the story in novel form, then supplement the text with pictures. But somehow, I still feel half-hearted when it comes to using this type of format.

How come Iron Man always plays the bad guy?

For example (thanks to the Wikipedia writers for the info!)

*During “the Crossing”, It was revealed that Iron Man was a spy sent by Kang (or Immortus), where he kills Marilla (nanny of Crystal’s Daughter) and the female Jellowjacket Rita DeMara. (People were pissed by this, you know.)

*During “Civil War”, Iron Man leads the pro-registration side, where he enforces that super-powered beings must register in the government and, in the process, reveal their identities. During the civil war, he detains those who oppose the registration in a prison in the “negative zone”, which disgusted Spiderman (who was pro-reg) enough to make him defect to the Anti side led by Captain America.

*Also, Iron Man (along with the Illuminati), banished Hulk to outer space, causing the “World War Hulk” story line.

I am noticing the trend. I know it’s for spinning out a good story, but how come Tony’s at the forefront? Please explain that.

Well, I’m reading the Naruto Manga again, since I can’t get the gist of what my pals are talking about during our long breaks at school. It goes like this, usually…

*SPOILER*
Schoolmate A: …and then Pain killed all the…
Jelsan: Hey!
Schoolmate A: …What?
Jelsan: Who the hell is Pain?
Schoolmate B: the akatsuki leader.
Jelsan: Ohhh.
Schoolmate A: …okay, where was I…oh right. And then he..
Jelsan: Oh, WAIT!
Schoolmate A: …WHAT NOW?
Jelsan: Is pain the one with the tattoos on his face?
Schoolmate B: no. not tattoos, piercings.
Jelsan: Ohhh.
*END SPOILER*

So, there. Now, while reading the manga, a thought crossed my mind. What’s different with western comics and eastern manga/manhwa anyways? I’m not a comic guru or such, but I think there’s a few subtle (okay, not-so-subtle) differences:

*Of course, you may notice, one of the differences is color. Most Mangas come in B/W, with a few color inserts. Comic books always come in full color.
*Mangas are most of the time serialized in comic magazines along with several titles. American comics are standalone magazines. The serialized mangas are then later compiled into volumes, which we people usually buy. Comic book fans have their anthologies, trade paperbacks and hardcovers.
*Story. Mangas feature storylines that end. As I see it, Mangas feature several story arcs, then come to a conclusion. Most of the time, there are no sequels, or whatever. Also, usually, the Mangaka who creates the comic sees the story to the end. In the case of the western funnybooks, well, Batman has been here since, what, 1960’s? 1970’s? Bob Kane is now resting in his grave. And while Dick Grayson is now a grown man (not the teeny Robin he once was), Tim Drake is still a teenager, and undoubtedly, lots of writers had their hand in writing stories for our caped crusader.
One of the few exceptions to this are the works of Ozamu Tezuka, which had several revivals (but I think that’s only in the anime…)
*Presentation. Most western comic readers have a hell of time trying to read manga books. Mangas are read from right-to-left, which takes a little getting used to. And they like spreading their sound-effects all across the page! Add in to that the speedlines and blurs, and plus it’s black and white…
*And spin-offs. Mangas usually spin-off into anime t.v. shows. It’s the same storyline as the one we’ve been reading all this time (sometimes with minor story modifications). For western comics, usually the big guns get the TV shows- X-men, spiderman, batman, the justice league, superman… and usually, they have their own sets of writers who produce different storylines.

So there’s a few points in my head. In terms of choosing one style against the other, I’m neutral between comic books and mangas. I believe that no one style is superior over another, it’s just that different cultures have different ways of presenting things. So I don’t believe in those people who are rabidly against manga (WHAT FREAKINGLY-LARGE EYES!) or who are against superheroes (Why do they wear their briefs outside their spandex suits?).

Hah! Finished and submitted the first draft of my thesis documents, and I’m taking a little break in-between work. Time to gross out people again!

Poopy is one of those drifters who consider my house to be some kind of Cat Shelter, so technically, he’s not my cat. You might ask, “Why name him Poopy? What kind of retarded name is that?” The answer to that, my friend, I shall tell you in a few moments. But first, if you’re eating, I suggest you read this later. Oh yeah. This is gonna be gross.

Ready? Ok. It’s go time.

Poopy, as you might have already guessed, is named as such because he likes to spread his crap all around. You might argue, “So, what’s weird about that? A lot of street cats spread their crap on the street, because they aren’t potty trained!” The difference with Poopy, my dear friends, is that after he craps on something, he sits on it. Sometimes he’s rooted to a spot, feels the need to unload, and does so, without even moving away. So he gets really really smelly. And I thought cats are supposed to be one of the cleanest animals on earth. Maybe this one didn’t read about that.

But that’s not the worst thing about Poopy. The worst thing is, he’s a really amiable cat. Again, you might raise your eyebrows questioningly, seeing that being friendly is not such a bad trait, given Cats can be sometimes snobbish. But when your cat has tons of (excuse the term) s*** all over his butt, it’s really hard to feel like you’re appreciated when he rubs himself all over your leg. He’s like Pluto, the cat from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat”, except that he isn’t one-eyed and demonic, only devilishly filthy. Eww.

This is Poopy chasing one of our local cats, so he can hoard the food scraps we sometimes give him. Note the icky butt.

Anyway. Off to a less disgusting story. (note: LESS disgusting, not NOT disgusting) I didn’t know dogs can fart. Seriously. After our house dog, George, finished her lunch, she went to the pile of old newspapers that serves as her toilet.

Presently, my mom and I were talking, when a tremendous fart interrupted us. Of course I knew it wasn’t me, so I raised a questioning eyebrow, to which my mom replied, “it was the dog.” Oh. So that’s why George was quiet these past few days!

…………...ehem.

I guess a lot of you are offended now. Whoopsie.

I was sitting in the john one day minding my own business, when I saw amongst the battered walls of the toilet a strange pattern etched on the paint due to wear and tear. Now, you can blame my hyper-active imagination, but I see here a silhoutte of a lady wearing a dress with a puffy skirt, with her hands on her waist (or lifting her skirt up a little bit, because her feet are showing). Can you see it too?

Or maybe I’m just too weird. Yeah. Maybe that’s it.

My friend istaipen recently showed me this video of a “Japanese Spiderman (circa 1978).”

I am so speechless at this. Never in my entire comic-book loving life have I seen anything more bizarre than this. NEVER.

Imagine Spiderman having a giant robot. A giant, sentai, transforming robot, whose only relation to Spiderman is the web design.

Maybe the X-men will have their own robot that connects together Voltes V style. Can’t think of a witty catchphrase though… “X-men! Unite!”

Sometimes Japan produces such weird stuff. Good thing they’re the funny kind.

I read this in an old Forbes magazine, and I thought it would be nice to share this piece to you guys. The author is unknown, sadly.

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty.
Then for three years he was itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He didn’t go to college.
He never visited a big city.
He never travelled two hundred miles from the place he was born.
He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.

He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him.
His friends ran away.
He was turned over to his enemies and through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth.
When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind’s progress.

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of man on earth as much as that one solitary life.

-Author Unknown