Entry for the Leap Day of the Leap Year of 2008



I was busy with the completion of my flash game thesis (which is due tomorrow by the way) when I saw an episode of the Sweet Life about Leap Year Myths and then I just realized that it is the last day of the month of February which is also a Leap date too. That is why I am here again to make a Leap date post and post about some things...



An episode about Bloggers was the topic today in "The Sweet Life" Friday February 29 2008 Episode entitled "Blogging Galing!" (Outstanding Blogging) which discussed about some nifty information about what blogging is and how it is a hit now over the world wide web. The guests were Steff Presscot a pretty young artist from Hit Filipino TC Artist Reality Search "Starstruck" (http://stefprescott.com); a well known Filipina comedienne Candy Pangilinan (http://www.pep.ph/blogs/candidly/index.php); A Vespa and Personal Blogger John Rana (http://whoridesavespa.com); and Mike Abundo who serves as Vice-President for Online Services of the Philippine Internet Commerce Society and writes for Inside Online Video, Tech Side Up, and many others (http://mikeabundo.com/).

Just got some nifty info from Mike Abundo. Here are some:

- Create compelling posts. If your into writing then create compelling write-ups; video blogging then make compelling video blogs; and so on.

- Be linky. Other sites and blogs should link to you (that is why viral linking, contests, memes and tags has also been a hit in blogs). Bot should crawl to your blog that is why you should create compelling posts.

- Don't call a Blog as a "Blog Site" because Blog is already a Site.
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The Invincible Iron Man Animated Movie Review

Iron Man Movie the Live Movie adaptation will soon be hitting the movie houses (here in the Philippines) but before that there is "The Invincible Iron Man Animated Movie" which was released back at 2007 straight to DVD. I have rented and watched the first animated Iron Man Movie and here is what I have to say.



Some warning though. This is my own review of the movie and spoilers maybe up ahead so read at your own risk! Now back at your regular viewing.

The Story of Invincible Iron Man
(My own summarization of the story, you may pass this section if you don't want be spoiled.)

The movie starts somewhere in China where Tony Starks Company is doing an excavation for some Chinese officials to raise a long buried City. All was going well until a group called the Jade Dragons interfered that will stop at nothing and sacrifice anything just to stop the rising of the City. Why? Because with the rise of the city will also means the rise of the Mandarin, a powerful Chinese Emperor who tyrannically ruled China three thousand years ago.





Stark was forced to travel to China when all his men in the excavation died except his best friend Jim Rhodes who was held captive by the members of the extremist Jade Dragon. One of the Jade Dragon is compassionate and caring as she treat Rhodes well and argued with the higher ranking Jade Official. The woman goes by the name of Li Mei.








As Stark arrived, together with some military back-up they traveled to the city only to find themselves trapped by the Jade Dragons. Tony Stark almost fell in that attack. He was later seen in the same place where Jim and a Chinese Shaman was held captive by the Jade Dragons. With great stroke of luck and the power of technology, his life was extended by a machine connected directly to his heart. Upon his awakening, the Shaman told him and his friend about the Myth of Mandarin, the great Iron Warrior who defeated the Mandarin, and the reasons of why the Jade Dragons are willing to take lives just to stop his resurrection. With Li Mei being caring and compassionate amidst their current situation. Love slowly blossomed between Tony and Li.







The leader forced Stark to create a weapon that will stop the machine that has progressively raised the city. He promised them that in a short time he will create a weapon that will destroy the foundations of the machine but instead he made a iron suit which they use to escape from China. Li Mei chose to be left in China to continue the battle with the Mandarin.







Tony together with his friend returned back to America only to find out that he is held responsible for the illegally exporting weapons to the Jade Dragons which he is not aware of. He became a fugitive in his own company but then there are his friend that aided him to gain access of a hidden laboratory inside his office where the original design of the Iron suit he created in China lies.







He traveled back only to find out about the materialization of the Elementals who will aid in the finding of the five rings that will revive the Mandarin. He defeated each of these statue turned warriors one, two at a time, and finally crushing the last one. He retrieve all the rings that the prophecy foretold that would bring forth the Mandarin, and yet one is still missing. Li Mei took the rings into her custody, leaving stark back to his company problems.







His office was crowded with cops and he has no choice but to use his designed suit in his escape from China, but this time back to it to face the Mandarin himself. He thought of himself as the one responsible for everything so he planned to take back the rings from Li Mei only to find out that she has been possessed by the spirit of her ancestor "The Mandarin". The identity of Li Mei was finally unveiled. Her family line is the descendants of the Mandarin and knowing about the evil that his resurrection will cause, they made a pact that they will never let it happened and yet it was inevitable as Stark's Company meddled. If it failed then the only way to ensure the Mandarin's defeat is by the Mandarin taking a physical form through possession with one of his descendants who was Li Mei.





The Mandarin's resurrection is almost complete as he possessed Li Mei's body but Li Mei was struggling. Love eventually conquered the evil soul of the Mandarin but it will also mean that Li Mei's life will also be put to end.





Tony Stark returned with to America, cleared his case with the accusations against him and bought back all the shares from his company with two absolute decisions as the sole owner of the company. One is to promote his best friend Jim Rhodes as Chief Engineer for Advanced Technologies, and handling the ownership of the company back to his father who earlier in the movie was only a slave to the share holder's (board of directors) decision which made him abandon his son. Howard Stark fired all of the greedy directors and told his son that he foresaw the company as a father/son enterprise. It ended with the father and son's reconciliation and them shaking hands.

Chris A's Review...

I am a great fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, action genre type of fan and movie goer... and upon finishing the movie I can say it is a good movie but... but there are some issues. Issues concerning the graphics. Of course it is an animation but it feels like there are some missing elements. Maybe the 3D fight animation to the character interaction animation isn't that well blended. The design looks like a not so old animation like that of Spider Man Animated Television Series back in the 90's. It would be better if the fight scenes would be more longer and Iron Man having a small chance in defeating the Mandarin because in those last scenes all that Iron Man did was be thrown of the wall and his suit damaged (or maybe that was the whole idea?). This made me think... I guess they are right on not showing this animated film to movie houses because it just looks like a well-3d animated special for TV (considering what American Technology and Animations are capable of). It is not a bad movie, in contrast it has a good story. Maybe my summary is not that good as that of the movie but hey, try to see it for yourself. Although I have some complains, I can recommend this movie for you Marvel readers and fans (specially for Iron Man followers), action, and animation enthusiast to go rent or buy this DVD.





Invincible Iron Man gave me a taste of things to come from the much awaited Trilogy of the soon hit Iron Man Movie which will be seen in theaters in the future.

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The Chinese New Year of the Rat

( ~ C-Special Feature )





China has been a part of Philippines history...

Even before the Spaniards reigned tyrannically; Japanese enslave, murdered and conquered; and Americans bought and falsely made everyone believe that they save the Philippines... there were the peaceful Chinese who traded with the early Filipinos. By their peaceful ways, the early Filipinos whole heartedly welcome the Chinese traders who later established a Chinese Community or "China Town" in Manila. The Chinese people found a new home and a place for business here in the Philippines. Through the long years of their stay here, interrelation and mixed of cultures was inevitable. Filipinos adopted their culture and beliefs and the Chinese also adopted our language and culture as well.



Early Filipinos Bartered with the Chinese.
Images from http://www.philonline.com.ph/~kaisa/khc_btsinoy.html


One of these adopted culture which the Chinese Community celebrates every year is the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is celebrated differently from the common New Year that every country celebrates as a New Year Enters. According to Wikipedia Chinese New Year starts on the first day of the new year containing a new moon and ends on the Lantern Festival fourteen days later.



The Emergence of Chinese community
Images from http://www.philonline.com.ph/~kaisa/khc_btsinoy.html


From the past experiences and observations I had through the years the following are commonly seen in the Chinese New Year Celebration...

Dragon and Lion Dances




Dragon Dance



Lion Dance


Loud beats of drums and deafening sounds of cymbals accompanied by the Dragon and Lion Dances are believed to drive evil spirits out.


Lucky Charms





Good Luck Charms and Decorations are all over the place. This are to negate the negative effects and drive the positive energy into one's home or establishment. If you're year is not compatible with the current Animal Year or element then Feng Shui Experts suggests you take one of these charms.


The Delicacies



Tikoy(upper left) and Moon Cake(lower right)



Tikoy is known as a Chinese New Year Pudding and is made up of glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. Sticky and sweet by nature, it is said that having this on every table will further hold and keep the bond of the family members towards each other.

Mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are rich, heavy, and dense compared with most Western cakes and pastries.


The Chinese New Year for this year is celebrated this day February 07, 2008 the year of the Earth Rat according to the Chinese Zodiac...



1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

People born in the Year of the Rat are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money. Rat people are easily angered and love to gossip. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful. They are most compatible with people born in the years of the Dragon, Monkey, and Ox.



The Rat year is a year of plenty, bringing opportunity and good prospects. It will be marked by speculation and fluctuations in the prices of commodities and the stock market; the world economy in general will boom. Business will be on the upswing, fortunes can be made and it will be an easy time to accumulate wealth. However, this is also the time to make long-term investment plans as the bonanza the year of the Rat brings will serve to see us through the bleak years that may follow. All ventures begun at this time will be successful if one prepares well. But do not take chances or unnecessary risks: the year of the Rat is still ruled by the cold of winter and the darkness of night. Those who speculate indiscriminately and overextend themselves will come to a sad reckoning.



On the whole, this will be a happier year than most: free from explosive events and wars and with far less catastrophes than, say, the years of the Tiger or the Dragon.

Nonetheless, it will be spicy. It promises a lot of bickering, bargaining and petty arguments that will do little harm. A congenial time that will find most of us socializing and enjoying ourselves.

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Pedro

( ~C-Comics and Art )





Click Here to Zoom In


Translation:
Panel 1:
In a classroom...
Teacher: Pedro use the word "deposit" in a sentence.

Panel 2
Pedro: That is Easy Ma'am, Deposit is leaking.

Panel 3
Teacher : No, no, no, no! You got it all wrong Pedro. Let me further explain it to you.
Bank = Deposit. See the relationship? Bank is to deposit.

Panel 4
Pedro: Ah! I finally got it.!
Teacher: Okay, I will give you another chance. Use "deposit" in a sentence.

Panel 5
Pedro: Deposit in the bank is leaking.
Teacher: Nyahhhh!!!


Another Comic skit I've done in the past. The joke is really old, I dunno if it is even considered as a joke anymore hehehe.... Just another of C-creations for my dear viewers. Feel free to press the zoom in to view the whole image.
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Awards to C by fellow Bloggers

XXtra Ordinary Blogger Award!



This blog award is intended only for blogger, who has that intense passion for blogging, always there at my BLOG to greet us, and finally the BLOGGER who is simply "XXTRA ORDINARY"

Thanks for Julia Aquino with this tag. The avatar looks adorable by the way.

You Make My Day Award





The you make my day award is courtesy of one of my good blog friend Tessa. Thanks to her for sharing this award, she also makes my day... into a good one (^^,)


5 - Star Blog Award


This 5-Star Blog Award is given to a blogger whose blog is of highest classification.
A blog of excellence in the following criteria:
- content, design and style, informative and accomodating -


Thanks to Marc Roger by giving me this Award. It made me feel like I am this high class expensive, sophisticated, and luxurious hotel... Thanks again.
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