The Bernel Zone

Top 10 Fictional Characters That Have Lightning/Electric Powers

2013-06-19T00:16:00.001+08:00

I find that among characters in fiction that possess “elemental” powers, those that can wield lightning or electricity are, more often than not, depicted as the most powerful among those other “elemental” power users. That’s why you will find the adjective “powerful” mentioned here many times. In this top 10, I list who I think is the most interesting electricity/lightning wielders of fiction.

10.) BLANKA

Blanka is one of the most popular characters of Street Fighter. He obtained the two things about him that make him a savage badass – his ferocious beast appearance and his electric powers – from being exposed to electric eels after a plane crash (yeah, kind of silly). He also knows capoeira (a Brazilian martial art) and developed his own style of this martial art by combining it with his feral nature and electric abilities.

9.) SUPERMAN BLUE

In the 90’s, there was a time when Superman powers become screwed up due to being temporarily deprived of solar energy. He became a form of pure electrical energy and his powers became electric-based. He gained the ability to turn “on” and “off” himself into Superman electric energy-form and powerless Clark Kent (thus, he was a vulnerable human when as Clark Kent) respectively. He was required to wear a blue-and-white containment suit developed by Dr. Emil Hamilton while in Superman electric energy-form so that his energy components won’t disperse.

Such major change of nature and identity might have traumatized anyone, but not Superman. He remained steadfast, made adjustments, and continued being a hero with his new electric powers. He became resourceful and creative in using his new electric-based energy powers to compensate for the disappearance of his super strength, heat vision, and other traditional Superman powers. But at this energy form, however, Superman discovered that he was able to travel faster than ever.

Of course, after some time, Superman’s iconic powers and tangible form returned. They had to.

8.) ELECTRO

Electro is the only villain in this list. He has an equally ridiculous origin story as Blanka – he gained his powers after getting struck by lightning while working on a power line. Nonetheless, Electro’s ability to store, absorb, manipulate, and generate nigh limitless amount of electricity makes him immensely powerful. However, despite of having tremendous power, Electro has always been outsmarted and defeated by Spider-Man and by other heroes he clashes with – who are mostly much less powerful than him – much to Electro’s constant embarrassment. But you know what? That’s what actually makes him entertaining, and thus, is on this list.

7.) BLACK LIGHTING

I love how IGN describes Black Lightning as “a true hero and a born badass that has more than earned his spot on the Justice League.” That, for me, nailed it. His best moment is probably when he restarted the heart of a near-dead Superman. This gives us an idea on the extent of Black Lightning’s electric might since it’s powerful enough to perform defibrillation on the Man of Steel. Moreover, he’s also Batman-trained in close-combat, adding another dimension to his badassery.

6.) LAXUS DREYAR

Laxus, being an S-class mage, is one of Fairy Tail’s most powerful members. He’s so confident in his great lightning-based magic that he even got arrogant enough to decide on taking over Fairy Tail from his grandfather’s mastership. He looks at himself as the most powerful mage in Fairy Tail and thought of his co-guild members as weak, and that there was a need for him to become Fairy Tail master to judge everyone. With just three loyal Fairy Tail lackeys, he would take on the entire guild, conducting a “purge” so that only those he thought is powerful enough should remain as members. During this time, it was as if Laxus was completely selfish, overbearing, and callous. Laxus would eventually be defeated and his attempt to take over Fairy Tail failed. His grandfather pardoned his lackeys, but Laxus however was excommunicated from Fairy Tail.

In his excommunication, Laxus was humbled and realized his wrongness. It was revealed that, deep inside, Laxus actually has the true heart of a Fairy Tail mage – the sincere value for comradeship. After some time, Laxus would return to Fairy Tail’s aid, and with a renewed sense of pride and love for his guild and his guildmates, he regained his membership.

In the quest to recover the honor and reputation of Fairy Tail (after it became the weakest guild because all major members of the guild – including Laxus – were in suspended animation for 7 years and thought to be dead) through the Grand Magic Games, Laxus was instrumental in Fairy Tail’s return to glory. His highlights were singlehandedly defeating his father’s dark guild, Raven Tail; and beating Jura, one of the world’s top ten most powerful magi.

5.) RAIDEN

Raiden is one of Mortal Kombat’s most popular characters. Being a thunder god, Raiden is immortal. He is very fond of Earthrealm (and humans) that he chose to be its protector. He would also be the one to gather human champions worthy to defend Earthrealm whenever it is in danger (i.e. during Mortal Kombat tournaments). When participating in a Mortal Kombat tournament, Raiden would take human form, donning a kickass costume highlighted by an iconic sakkat hat. Aside from his lightning powers, Raiden can also fly and teleport. My favorite depiction of Raiden in live action is by Christopher Lambert in the first MK movie.

4.) KILLUA ZOLDYCK

Killua comes from a family of deadly assassins, thus, at a young age, Kilua was trained to be a very capable and skillful killer. Though he failed in his first attempt to be a Hunter (because he killed his opponent, which was against the rule of the test), he was able to become the only to pass the Hunter Exam during his second attempt, for he singlehandedly eliminated all of his co-applicants on the opening test, which had a “battle royal” nature. Even when Killua was not yet familiar with Nen, he was already quite dangerous because of his assassin background; he can rip through his opponent’s flesh because of his very sharp fingernails, and he possesses superhuman speed, agility, strength, endurance, and intellect. As a Transmuter-type of Nen user, Killua developed a Hatsu that transforms his aura into electricity. One of the manifestations of his electric powers is an ability called “Godspeed”, which gives Killua the ability to travel and react at the speed of lightning. Killua can recharge his Nen by drawing electricity from electric sources like a power outlet.

3.) HATAKE KAKASHI

My choice for greatest fictional ninja is featured in another top 10 list once again (his 3^rd time already).

Having the reputation of being a copycat ninja, Kakashi is an expert in using a wide variety of techniques from different elemental origins. However, Kakashi’s natural aptitude is of the element of lightning. The most basic manifestation of Kakashi’s lightning power is the Chidori (which is already powerfully deadly on its own) and the more enhanced version is the Raikiri or the “Lightning Cutter” (which has better chakra control and has more forms). Kakashi has developed and drawn other lightning techniques from his Raikiri. While Kakashi is capable of using long-range lightning attacks, his most popular form of attacking is by thrusting the highly concentrated amount of lightning chakra into a target by close range.

2.) GINJI AMANO

Ginji is half of the Getbackers duo. He is a powerful electricity wielder, showing versatility in the use of his electric powers. Not only is he capable of calling down powerful lightning bolts to strike down targets, but his power extends to electromagnetism, too. Moreover, his extensive ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves gives him the power of some sort of pseudo-mind control. And by charging the earth with negative ions, and then magnetizing himself, he is able to repel himself off the earth, thus, replicating flight. Heck, he’s so powerful that he can even do some manipulation of reality! But it doesn’t end there. There’s more. He also has an alter ego named Raitei – the Lightning Emperor. While Ginji is bubbly and friendly, Raitei is the exact polar (no pun intended) opposite of Ginji for he is dark and vicious. Raitei is implied as Ginji’s former and actual persona. Ginji reverts to back to being Raitei whenever he is against extremely difficult situations or exposed to elements of his dark past. Raitei’s powers are god-like unlimited, monstrously amplifying Ginji’s electric powers that he can already control or annihilate as far as the subatomic levels, release immense amount of microwave radiation, discharge plasma blasts, create clones of himself from microwave radiation, manipulate photons, and manipulate and transcend space-time!

1.) THOR

One of Marvel Comics’ most important achievements was successfully developing a god of Norse mythology into one of the most popular superheroes ever. The number one spot rightfully belongs to the God of Thunder himself (even if Raitei is more powerful than him). Wielding the mighty Mjolnir, Thor is the undisputed master of lightning and storm, and can summon them whenever and in any form he wants.

It can be argued that Thor is the Superman of Marvel Comics, because, like Superman, he is too powerful but has to consistently hold himself back from unleashing his full power to avoid causing too much destruction or collateral damage. Several times it was implied that the only time Thor can comfortably manifest his full power is when his Avengers teammates are out of the picture, because Thor fears of destroying his allies along with his enemies when he does unleash his full power.

* * *

BONUS: ZEUS

As what was mentioned in the intro and implied by the list, fictional characters that possess lightning-based powers are, more often than not, considered as one of the most powerful, if not the most, in their respective settings or story universes. And this perception of associating this kind of great power to lightning might be linked to Zeus’ status as the “god of gods” of Greek mythology, for Zeus is a lightning wielder.

The character of Zeus has been depicted or adapted on literature, movies, and cartoons, but none of those characterizations obtained the kind of pop culture iconization and branding that Marvel has done with Thor. Still, although he is not as successful in the commercial utilization as Thor, the mythological character Zeus equals Thor in popularity on being associated with lightning – and maybe even more so. Furthermore, the imagery of Zeus throwing lightning bolts as if they are javelins is too excitingly badass.

You can consider this “bonus” entry as an honorable mention or a supplement – or a tie – with the No. 1 entry (Thor). It’s up to you. Either way, it works for me. Zeus just begs to be acknowledged regarding this topic.

Top 10 Powered Armored Superheroes

2013-06-13T21:39:00.001+08:00

A powered armor – popularized by sci-fi and comicbooks – is a powerful and high-tech upgrade of the traditional medieval armor; it does not only serve as a very tough defensive exoskeleton but is also capable of other functions like providing artificial super-strength to the wearer; flight (by means of rocket techs); and being equipped with weapons like laser guns and missile launchers, and “Swiss knife-esque” variety of gadgetries. Among those superheroes that don’t possess any superhuman or supernatural power or trait , some makes use of powered armors so they may be able to hold their own in an environment filled with superpowered individuals. This is a list about that particular kind of superhero; it’s probably quite obvious where this list is going to, but I hope you would still find the rest of the ride interesting.

10.) THE BOX

Roger Bochs is the brilliant engineer who built the Box armor and wields its identity (Bochs=Box, a pun?). What is unique with this powered armored hero is that he doesn’t wear the armor at all, but has to phase into it and merge with it. Bochs would have a psychic bond with the armor whenever he merges with it, which is a disadvantage since any damage the Box armor receives would register to Bochs as pain to his own body. The Box is a member of the Canadian superhero group, Alpha Flight.

9.) CRIMSON DYNAMO

The Crimson Dynamo – just like the more popular Titanium Man – is a cruder, Soviet version of Iron Man. Just like with the “Titanium Man” name, several had been “Crimson Dynamo”; just like with “Titanium Man”, the code name is dependent on the armor and whoever wears the armor possesses the right to carry the code name. But unlike Titanium Man, one of those that donned the Crimson Dynamo persona and armor became part of the good guys – Dmitri Bukharin. Dmitri is arguably the most popular Crimson Dynamo, considering that though he is not the first and last to carry the identity and armor, he was however the longest to do so. He has been part of the Soviet superhero team Soviet Super Soldiers, which would become Supreme Soviets and would later become the People’s Protectorate (after the Soviet Union was dissolved). There was also a time that he used the superhero name (with a non-Crimson Dynamo armor) “Airstrike.”

8.) ROCKET RED

DC’s Rocket Red greatly reminds me of Crimson Dynamo. Like Crimson Dynamo, Rocket Red is also from the Soviet Union and several have carried the identity, depending on who’s wearing the armor. However, unlike Crimson Dynamo, Rocket Red has been associated with the good guys all along, right from the start. As far as I’m aware, all Rocket Reds have been part of the Justice League during each one’s respective time as Rocket Red.

7.) MACH V

Abner Jenkins was one of the first members of Thunderbolts, a superhero team made up of former supervillains. While he was still a villain, he was one of Spider-Man’s foes, the Beetle. Once he turned away from his criminal life, become a Thunderbolt, and started operating as a hero, he first used the code name Mach-1 and as he continued upgrading his armor, he would revise his code name with each upgrade; he became Mach-2, Mach-3, and Mach IV until he finally ended up with the current “Mach V” name. What struck me most about him is being badassly described at one time with having “the flight speed and firepower of a human fighter plane.” A human fighter plane! (Note: the image above is his Mach-1 armor)

6.) TRIPHAMMER

Before Tony Stark had his “Bleeding Edge Armor” – in which nanobots are hidden in Tony’s bloodstream and would assemble immediately into an Iron Man powered armor at moment’s notice, mentally commanded by Tony – I encountered this awesome concept first with Triphammer, a recurring character in Powers.

5.) GIZMODUCK

I really like this hero’s very amusing origin story, so I just have to make him number six. Fenton Crackshell was the accountant of Scrooge McDuck and has the habit of saying the expression “blathering blatherskite.” One day, on a visit to the workshop of the genius inventor Gyro Gearlose, Fenton would find a robot suit called GizmoDuck lying around. This armor is designed by Gyro to activate when the word “blatherskite” is spoken –a word that Gyro assumed is not part of an average person’s vocabulary. But fate meant for Fenton and the GizmoDuck armor to bond, and in that fateful occasion, the accountant uttered his favorite expression, and the rest is history. From then on, he became the superhero Gizmoduck. Later, he would even team up with Darkwing Duck and assemble a superhero team with him.

4.) STEEL

John Henry Irons was a brilliant and successful weapons engineer, but became dismayed of the destruction his weapons causes that he decided to fake his death to live a simpler life. He decided to work as a humble construction worker in Metropolis, and one day, he fell of the skyscraper that he was working on after saving a co-worker from falling. Midway his fall, he was caught by Superman. John was so full of gratitude that he wanted to repay Superman, and the iconic hero advised him that he can do so if he will “live a life worth living.” He took this advice to heart; after the “death” of Superman, he built a powered armor, and carried the insignia of Superman and adopted Superman’s nickname of “Man of Steel”, in an attempt to fill the “late” Superman’s role as Metropolis’ heroic champion and to honor him. Later on, “Man of Steel” was shortened to just “Steel.” Aside from a powered armor, Steel also wields a sledgehammer – a reference to his namesake, the folk legend John Henry.

3.) WAR MACHINE

Lt. James Rhodes was a close friend of Tony Stark, the Iron Man; when Tony was struggling with alcoholism, he asked Rhodes to take his place as Iron Man. Later on, after Tony returns as Iron Man, he gave a Rhodes a new Iron Man-type powered armor. James would opt with “War Machine” (which is a proper name once you see the design of the armor) as his superhero name. What I liked most about War Machine is being a “battle-tank” version of Iron Man, since it’s as if, basing on appearance, that he has more offensive raw firepower than Iron Man.

I dig more the design of the Ultimate version of War Machine than the original, since it’s closer to the “battle-tank” perception that the name “War Machine” inspires:

2.) SPIDER-MAN

What? Spider-Man?!

Yes, Spider-Man. Though, he was never been a traditional powered armored-type of superhero, there have been several times he wore a powered armor. And those instances were all noteworthy as a powered armored superhero. (Besides, this is my list anyway. I can’t put anyone I like and won’t apologize for it. Hehe.)

The first time Spidey donned an armor was in Web of Spider-Man #100, when Peter had to create an armored Spider suit so that he can be greatly defended when he clashed with the heavily-armed Enforcers. It wasn’t fancy at all; it doesn’t have different gadgetries since it was merely intended for the primary purpose of defense.

The second Spider-Man armor was a high-tech one since this was a gift from Tony Stark; this was dubbed as the “Iron Spider.” At that time, Spider-Man had just been “born again” from death – where he gained additional powers (which were taken away after the “One More Day” retcon). So with these additional new powers and his Iron Spider armor, this was the time Spidey was at his most powerful (with the exception of the time Spidey became Captain Universe). The Iron Spider armor was equipped with multiple cool functions, including “Waldoes” – mechanical spider limbs on the back that can be extended at command and had cameras and pseudo-fingers on their tips. Spidey got rid of this armor and returned to his old costume after he changed sides during the superhuman “Civil War.”

The third and most stylish Spider-Man armor was his “Anti-Sinister Six” armor.

Just as the name suggests, this was an armor built by Peter Parker that had functions that are useful for neutralizing the abilities of the Sinister Six. Some of these functions are: a.) a customized echolocator which can detect Chameleon’s heartbeat, allowing Spidey to recognize him no matter how perfect his disguise is; b.) a holographic visor that can see through Mysterio’s illusions; c.) electro-proof function against Electro’s electric attacks; d.) an OctoHelmet, which can control Dr. Octopus’ octo-bots; and e.) brain-wave detector and radioactive dye, to pick out the Sandman’s “queen bee” particle (the grain sand that tells the other grain of sands in his composition what to do).

1.) IRON MAN

As I’ve said in the intro, it’s quite obvious where this list would end up with. I’m not sure if he was the first, but he’s certainly the epitome of the powered armored superhero; almost all armored superheroes are analogous to or borrowed character elements from Iron Man. With his genius intellect and tech savvy, Tony Stark’s Iron Man armor design is continually evolving through the years, making him remain relevant and awesome. Moreover, the Iron Man character right now is at his most popular to date, thanks to Robert Downey, Jr. and the successful trilogy of Iron Man movies (plus the Avengers film).

Establishing a New Status Quo (Hopefully)

2013-06-08T00:01:00.002+08:00

Recently, I felt that if life is a board game, then I’ve always been eventually ending up on a tile that dictates “Go back to start.”

And I’m tired of it.

So I took the first step of changing the status quo – to make a new “start” point. I need to get upgrades or/and overhauls on several facets of myself. (Maybe it’s even time for the Version 2.0?)

From this month onward, there is a need for changes on my routines and, hopefully, my attitude. This would take time and hard work. And I pray that God would grant me the necessary wisdom, tenacity, perseverance, and patience for this process.

I’ll take one step at a time. One day at a time.

If all goes well, I will start to kick butt again.

Hopefully...

Lecture: The Premise and Philosophy of Worship

2013-05-30T19:54:00.000+08:00

I originally meant for the ideas here to be part of a future post for my ongoing “Analysis of Christianity” series. However, I was asked to give a lecture on worship for our church’s music ministry seminar, so I had to write my analysis on worship sooner than intended. Below is the final draft for my lecture. I did not deliver it in verbatim during the actual lecture, of course, because I had to deliver it in “Taglish” for clarity and impact purposes – nonetheless, all thought remained the same.

Good morning.

Before we go on with the clinics on different worship instruments, I will be delivering first a short lecture about the premise and philosophy of worship.

PART 1 – WHAT IS WORSHIP?

Let us define “worship”:

A slide during lecture

That is, however, a broad and cold definition (as expected of a dictionary). Let me analyze “worship” as how it’s significant to our spirituality.

Worship is not only about music and singing, but every component – from start to finish – of corporate worship. Some people mistakenly define and associate worship with just the part of the church service where the congregation sings hymns or praise and worship songs. We should not limit worship to merely singing. The sermon, offering, prayer, etc. – any activity during the service – is part of the worship. In fact, if we need to determine what is the “most important” segment of corporate worship, it’s not the singing and music, but the sermon or the delivery of God’s Word. The “praise and worship” segment is merely the “front act” for the sermon segment which is the “main event.” The “praise and worship” segment is merely the “appetizer” and the Word is the “main course.”

Worship is a lifestyle. When we do things for the primary purpose of pleasing God, even if it’s “secular” work like being a banker or carpenter, or studying hard as a student; or eating and drinking; or a small chore or task like sweeping the floor; then that is worship. When we are obeying God’s commands and are seeking God’s will, then that is worship. Whenever we glorify God with our lives, that is worship.

To worship God is the foremost purpose of Creation. Thus, when Creation fails to fulfill its purpose, then that is an act of rebellion against the Creator. Let us consider the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

Q: What is the chief end of man?

A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

It is our chief end to “give glory to God.” But not only that, but we should also “enjoy” God forever! To “glorify God” and to “enjoy God” always go together – it’s the same thing! Take note that it’s “chief end”, and not “chief ends.” You can’t have one without the other. Thus, enjoying God always goes hand-in-hand with worship. Whenever delight is absent, it ceases to be worship. Our worship is only acceptable to God if it is a sincere and automatic response due to that fact that our delight is derived in Him. When we “worship” out of mere sense of duty, it won’t honor God at all.

Consider also that if we don’t enjoy God and worshipping him, then what would our eternity in Heaven be when our activity in Heaven is worshipping God for all eternity? Think about it: even if – hypothetically speaking – both worshippers and non-worshippers will go to Heaven, only the true worshippers will really think of Heaven as Heaven because they are with the One that gives them excitement and joy and they won’t ever tire in worshipping Him. The non-worshippers will actually have “Hell” even if they are in Heaven because they will be required to do something that they take no delight in (i.e. worshipping) for all eternity; they will have eternal boredom rather than eternal thrill.

Only Christians can truly worship God. Why is this so? Two reasons:

a.) The glory of God has been revealed to them. Thus, they see that He is a God that is more than worthy of their worship.

b.) They love God, and they draw their delight and thrill in him.

Since only Christians have been equipped (by God’s grace) to worship God, then they are the only ones that can accomplish “the chief end of man”, as what was established by the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Worship is spontaneous. Just as someone who has been impressed and moved by a singer’s performance will automatically applaud the singer, so will someone who sees God’s overwhelming attractiveness and splendor will automatically worship Him.

We worship God because we love him. The emotions of thrill and joy are always present when we love. When we love, those feelings of thrill and joy that are contained in our hearts would surely explode, pushing us to express our love by doing things that would please the object of our love. Thus, if we really love God, the by-products of love – thrill and joy – will compel us to worship Him. I said a while ago that worship is spontaneous. And the love that we have for God is a major catalyst in the spontaneity of our worship.

PART 2 – THE LOGIC TRAIN OF WORSHIP

Based on the analysis of worship we had in Part 1, we can derive this train of logic:

A slide during lecture

The more we know God, the deeper we fall in love with Him. The more we love God, the more delight and thrill we feel for God. The more intense our feeling of excitement and joy are, the more impulsive our acts of worship are and the more sincerely glad we are when we are doing them.

Moreover, through these acts of worship, God will continue to reveal himself to us.

PART 3 – THE PHILOSOPHY OF WORSHIP LEADING

Being part of the music ministry is a great honor. Be proud and humbled when you become/are part of the music ministry. As part of the music ministry, I find that it’s through music and songs in which worship to God can be effortlessly articulated. Expressing adoration, thanksgiving, and praise are easily done through the lyrics and the mood and spirit are easily moved into a worshipful state by the music. Music and lyrics are great tools in easy establishment of a direct connection with God and feeling his presence. Therefore, as part of the music ministry that leads the congregation in this special experience, I consider it a great privilege to be in the frontlines.

Every member of the music ministry – both singers and instrumentalists – is a worship leader. And as worship leaders, it is imperative for music ministry members to maintain a lifestyle of a worshipper – to not only be an effective worshipper in the music ministry, but also in other acts of worship as well, especially in living a holy life. Worship leaders should not only be leading the congregation in singing to God, but should also lead the congregation in the worship of God through the obedience of His Words. Worship leaders have the responsibility to be the “role models” of the church.

Practice well. Making mistakes when playing instruments or singing is okay since we are human after all. What is important is our heart. However, this should not be used as an excuse for making mistakes. Any mistake made that could have been avoided if you had practiced well is dishonoring God. Mistake happens but any mistake should have not been due to laziness in practicing. If we gave it our best and had practiced hard, but still made a mistake, then that’s okay (but we should do our best to avoid making the same mistake the next time). Nonetheless, we should always keep in mind the necessity to pursue excellence since we will be performing for the King of Kings, who is deserving of the best quality of music and worship possible!

Repent our sins before leading the worship. This is self-explanatory. In fact, every Christian should do this before attending or joining the corporate worship. Truly, when we are full of sin, God won’t accept our worship. If we attempt to worship without repentance, that is hypocrisy in our part. So asking forgiveness for our sins is an imperative SOP (standard operating procedure) before the start of worship.

We are not rock stars. Music ministry members should remain humble; we should instead be thankful for the talent and privilege that God has given us. We are not performing in a concert, we are leading the congregation in worshipping God. We are not the stars; the glory is not for us. The best worship leaders are those that can effectively direct all available glory towards God. John 3:30 – “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” – should be our mantra and slogan.

This quote from the main character of the anime Kuroko No Basuke also perfectly articulated the proper philosophy of a worship leader:

A slide during lecture

God is our Light, and we worship leaders are His shadow. Just as Tetsuya directs attention away from himself to make his teammates better, so we must make ourselves less and less that God would become greater and greater. As the shadow, let us be “darker” that “the white of the Light will stand out.” Once again, let me repeat this for emphasis: The best worship leaders are those that can effectively direct all available glory towards God.

We are all called to be worshippers, but not all of us are called to be worship leaders. Both heart and talent are needed to become worship leaders. Heart is, of course, more important than talent. And I totally believe that when you are really called for the music ministry, God will grant you the heart. And when you have the heart, the talent is guaranteed to follow.

I find it annoying when people claim that the “heart” is enough, that the talent is unnecessary. I don’t believe that. If one truly has the heart, then he will also have the talent. HOWEVER – take note! – it doesn’t mean that when one has the talent, then that is an immediate evidence of that he has the heart. All that have the heart will ALWAYS have the talent, but not all that have the talent have the heart.

I have this experience in one youth summer camp when I was still a teenager. The worship leader – a woman – in one particular service was so hilariously out of tune that one can’t help but guffaw, even if you try to stop yourself. Noticing that most of the campers – especially the boys – were laughing, giggling, and chuckling, she justified herself after one song that “what’s important is her ‘heart to worship lead’ and her inability to sing in tune is a non-factor.”

I beg to differ with her opinion. Yes, as long as you have a sincere worshipful heart, even if you are unable to sing in tune, your song will be acceptable to God. But that is far as being a worshipper in the congregation is concerned. That is even applicable if you are doing a special song number for the Lord. But not when you’re a worship leader. In the case with being a worship leader – capability in singing is required. If you can’t sing, then don’t worship lead by singing. When you worship lead, you should have the ability to effectively draw the congregation into a worshipful state and lead them into glorifying God. You would need talent. “Heart” is not enough. If you are distracting the congregation instead of leading them into worship because you are singing out of tune, you are failing as a worship leader and you are not at all glorifying God with your “heart”. In fact, this could reflect that you really don’t have a sincere heart of worship, and that “heart” you are claiming to have is merely your own selfish desire to sing or perform in front of the congregation.

Thus, it is very important to evaluate ourselves if we are truly called to be worship leaders. Let us determine if the “heart” we have are truly His calling or merely our own will to glorify ourselves. Pray and fast for it. We should seek His will. Let us not insist ourselves to go into a ministry that God didn’t call us to be. If God truly called us, he will equip us. Besides, since we are all called to be worshippers, it might be that though we can’t be worship leaders or part of the music ministry, we can be more blessed worshippers in some other ministry – a ministry that God has ordained for us.

I can still remember how I learned to play the guitar. I prayed that if God will give me the talent, I will dedicate it primarily for ministry. And God answered my prayer; sometime later, I learned the guitar. And through that answered prayer, I understood that I’m truly called to glorify God through the music ministry.

My prayer is that today, you won’t only improve in skills but that you would also come into recognition of what is God’s will for you as a worshipper. Thank you and all glory be to God.

The Purpose of the World's Pleasures

2013-05-12T22:33:00.000+08:00

Let me clear this out right here in the very beginning, to avoid misunderstanding or confusion later on – of course, there are times when pleasures don’t glorify God. Whenever we delight in and give priority to the world’s pleasures more than we do with God, then that is idolatry – a sin. Also, there are such things as sinful pleasures – pleasures that are explicitly not permitted by God to be enjoyed by us (e.g. sex outside marriage).

But pleasure per se is not evil. In fact, it is something that God has invented, and everything that God invents is good, which we should accept and be thankful for (1 Tim 4:4). Hence, pleasures are good.

Sex, food and drink, nature, entertainment, music, pop culture, arts, companionship, rest, vacation and travel, friendship, success, etc. We are naturally designed to derive enjoyment from these things. We are meant to enjoy the pleasures of this world. For this is God’s world, and the world’s pleasures are God’s.

For me, there are four main reasons why pleasures exist:

1.) The world’s pleasures are God’s gifts to us, his children. Just as human fathers give their children treats, God the Father also gives treats to his children. By these, God has somewhat shown a glimpse of his goodness and favor to his children, for his glory.

2.) So that we might have a concept on what is pleasure. What it’s all about. What’s the feeling and experience.

3.) So that we will have a benchmark – a point of comparison – when we eventually obtain a greater kind of pleasure. And that once we experience that greater kind of pleasure, we would see how miniscule or irrelevant the world’s pleasures are when compared to it.

4.) The world’s pleasures are intended as appetizers. To make us desire for greater pleasures than these. For pleasures that are not of this world. For heavenly pleasures. For eternal pleasures. For pleasures that can only be exclusively found in God alone.

The pleasures of this world are not the ends. It is merely the means for us to be led to the Ultimate Pleasure that is found in God. These world’s pleasures should ultimately bring us to focus on God – for us to eventually derive our ultimate happiness in Him and in Him alone. That even when time comes that we won’t be able to experience the world’s pleasures anymore, we won’t mind at all, because we now obtain our overflowing and unending pleasure from our fellowship with God, who is the Author of pleasure.

Unfortunately, instead of letting these pleasures lead us to God, we are okay with just settling with them. We prioritize them. We invest our happiness on them. Instead of seeking God (by the help of these), we seek the pleasures of this world instead. They become our ends instead of our means to find our Ultimate Pleasure. We are content with settling with these lesser kinds of pleasures instead of moving on to the superior kind! As C.S. Lewis beautifully articulated, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Now that we’ve established what the world’s pleasures’ purpose is – to help us to eventually find our full delight in God – and have recognized the danger of enjoying them – that is, focusing our delight on them that we forget about pursuing the greater pleasure found in God – then, what should our approach be on dealing with pleasure? Should we start hating pleasure then? By no means! On the contrary, we should intensify our pursuit for pleasure. And what I meant by “intensifying our pursuit for pleasure” is for us to stop being too easily pleased with the worldly pleasures but instead let us yearn for such pleasure that is found in God, which is eternally satisfying and extremely delightful.

Moreover, it also doesn’t necessarily mean we should totally stop enjoying the “lesser kind” of pleasures. As what was said earlier, they are God’s gifts and they are meant to be enjoyed. As long as they are not sinful and aren’t hindering us with our relationship with God (but, rather, just the opposite, they are helping us to be closer to God), all these pleasures will always be, as what the Bible says, “permissible” to us (1 Cor 6:12).

Nevertheless, though the Bible tells us that these things are always “permissible”, it also tells us that not all things are “helpful” (1 Cor 6:12). No matter how “permissible” these pleasures are, they might not help us in our dealing with matters of eternal significance, e.g. our pursuit of finding our ultimate pleasure in God, and the risk of being distractions is always present in them. It’s just an unfortunate proven fact that the Devil can easily use pleasures to tempt us into idolatry and sin. That’s why some Christians totally abstain from some pleasures (e.g. alcoholic beverages, TV or movies). Now, total abstinence is not a requirement, but it’s very much highly recommended. Absence of worldly pleasures removes the risk of sinning through them. And absence of these things allows someone to completely put his full attention to God and draw delight from Him. Even for those who don’t choose to completely abstain on some worldly pleasures, it is still strongly advisable to periodically abstain from the pleasures of this world – to evaluate ourselves if we sincerely delight in God more than these. That is why a concept such as “fasting” exists.

The past paragraph made the whole idea seemingly paradoxical, but that’s just how the way it actually is. The more we delight in God, the readier we are to forfeit our God-given freedom of enjoying the (non-sinful) pleasures of this world.

Furthermore – this is a cliché but necessary to mention here nonetheless – according to the Bible, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we should do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). This maxim absolutely applies, too, on whenever we enjoy the pleasures of this world. Thus, determining if a pleasure will glorify God or not should be our foremost consideration when deciding whether we should go on to undertake that pleasure or not, regardless of that pleasure being the “permissible” kind.

Because whenever God is absent in our dealing with the pleasures of this world – if we fail to seek His glory above our enjoyment of these things – then it would surely lead to sinning. Thus, if we know that there’s a possibility that the pleasure we are enjoying might lead us to sin or won’t glorify God at all, and we don’t trust ourselves of having the necessary self-discipline to stop enjoying that pleasure when it’s already likely that it will lead us to sin, then it is still best to avoid or abstain from enjoying that pleasure instead of risking the chance of sinning or failing in giving glory to God.

Lastly, as we are enjoying the pleasures of this world, it’s imperative that we retain the positive things but discard the negative things. Using our understanding of what’s the ultimate purpose of pleasure is and our conviction to keep the glory of God paramount as our filters, we will be able to do just that. We will be able to watch a movie or read a novel, enjoy the story, and just absorb the wisdom and morals that can be derived from it but would be able discard the unhelpful aspects. We will be able to appreciate the beauty and/or optimism of the music and lyrics, but won’t be influenced by the godless lifestyle or philosophy of the musician. When we witness a volcanic eruption, we will forget our terror but instead see it as the manifestation of God’s splendor. We will be able to spot analogies or illustrations that are relevant to our spirituality and relationship with God when we come in contact with pop culture, and won’t notice those that don’t. And, thus, we can truly be able to effectively use this world’s pleasures as what they were intended to be – our first step towards an Ultimate Pleasure.

Is "Defiance" the Next "Firefly"?: My Initial Thoughts About the Show

2013-05-09T10:42:00.001+08:00

Four episodes into Syfy’s Defiance and I admit that I’m already hooked with the show. It has become one of the four TV series I’m currently closely following each week (the rest being Castle, Psych, and Elementary). The first impression one will have of the show is of being a Firefly rip-off because of the sci-fi western flavor and the “rugged frontier”-like setting. It also borrowed several of the elements and tropes from other past sci-fi TV shows like Farscape, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Battlestar: Galactica (there could be more but these are all Defiance has reminded me of). But, yeah, most of the parallels are Firefly’s.

Defiance, as of time being, is far from Firefly-esque awesomeness, but it has the potential of getting there. That’s why I’m watching it. That’s why I’m looking forward to each new episode.

THE PREMISE

The greatest thing about this show is the premise. I find it fresh and appealing, despite of being merely a smart juxtaposition of ideas from premises of past sci-fi properties.

Here’s the background of the story…

Votans – the collective name of seven alien races from the Votanis star system – arrived at Earth in 2013. They were surprised to discover that humans are already occupying it since they thought that the planet was uninhabited. They intended to make Earth their new home after their system was destroyed by a stellar collision.

The Votans and Humans were, at first, despite the tensions and hostilities, merely having negotiations for the settling of the aliens, whose majority was still in hypersleep aboard the Votan fleet orbiting the planet. Then in 2023, an assassination of a Votan envoy sparked the war between Humans and Votans. This was dubbed the “Pale Wars” and dragged on for seven years.

Then in 2030, the apocalyptic event known as “Arkfall” happened, changing the face of the Earth. It was ushered in by the mysterious explosion of the Votan fleet in orbit. Votans blamed rogue human commanders for it while Humans believed it was the result of disastrous weapons experiments by the Votans. The results was the death of the millions of Votans who were still in the ships, and the crashing Votan ships towards Earth accidentally activated and released Votan terraformer technology. The unintended, uncontrolled terraforming caused severe, drastic and chaotic changes to the Earth’s biosphere and geology. Votan plants and animals were introduced to the ecosystem, and some native plant and animal species were badly mutated by the unrestrained terraforming technology, creating disturbing hybrids or new species. The considerable, traumatic change in the environment of Earth made it dangerous and unfamiliar to both Humans and Votans.

The debris of the Votan ships formed an artificial belt around Earth which has been dubbed “Ark belt.” Periodically, debris would drop – a sort of minor “Ark falls” – to the ground, which is both perilous and beneficiary to those survivors below, since there’s chance for salvaging valuable Votan technology from the wreckage to be sold or used.

Because of Arkfall, the two sides were both greatly worn out, prompting an end to the Pale Wars. There was a lack of remaining organized governments for both humans and aliens, thus, there was a rise of communities and factions of humans and aliens banding and cooperating together to survive in this new world (hence, the Western frontier-style setting).

One of these said communities is the town of Defiance (hence, the name of the show), named after the legendary Battle of Defiance – where soldiers from both Human and Votan armies defied their commanders’ orders, stopped fighting, and banded together instead to save endangered civilians (the soldiers from this battle was given the venerable title of the Defiant Few, in which the main character, Joshua Nolan, is one of).

THE CHARACTERS

One of the main reasons that made Firefly awesome was its lead character, Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds. That character was so easy to get fond of, thanks largely to the portrayal of the charming Nathan Fillion. The lead of Defiance, Joshua Nolan, has many strengths as lead character. Though he seems unremarkable at first, liking the character steadily grew on me. Nolan and Mal have some similar characteristics with each other like both being grittily but roguishly cowboyish, and both being former soldiers in a past significant war and had been participants in a legendary battle during the war – Nolan, one of the Defiant Few in the Battle of Defiance, and Mal, one of the Browncoats in the Battle of Serenity Valley. However, unfortunately, despite these similarities, Nolan’s no Captain Mal. Mal is more charismatic and easily lovable. And since you won’t help comparing Defiance with Firefly, you will always compare Nolan with Mal and find the former paling in comparison with the latter.

My most favorite Defiance characters are the husband and wife duo of Datak Tarr and Stahma Tarr. They are far the most fascinating and strongest characters in the series. The depictions of the two – a large part attributed to the effective performances of the characters’ actors – have successfully portrayed the said characters’ depths and intriguing features. In a way, these two and the emphatic entertainment they bring from their performances are reasons enough to watch the show.

The weakest characters, in my opinion, are Alak Tarr and Christie McCawley. I don’t like them. I don’t dislike them either. And that’s actually worse than disliking them, since it means the characters can’t get a reaction from me. I find them unimportant, bland, and distracting. Maybe because there’s an air of Twilight in their romance. Then again, to be fair, the show is still early though and there’s a lot of room for improvement.

To be honest, aside from Datak and Stahma, I find the others aren’t very exceptional. Oh, they’re okay. Joshua Nolan, Irisa Nyira, Mayor Amanda Rosewater, Kenya Rosewater and Rafe McCawley are fine and have their moments. But the tang of being “stock characters” can’t be removed from them yet. As for the other minor characters – with the exception of Alak and Christie – I find them essential and relevant in the flow of the show.

Nonetheless, the show is at its early stage and the characters are still developing, thus, it’s necessary to reserve most judgment regarding the characters.

MOST ANNOYING PART

Aliens would converse. They would start their conversation in an alien tongue. Halfway through the conversation, they would switch to English. And that bugs me greatly. To be fair, this happens in a lot of other sci-fi shows.

Also, the CGI could be better. But it’s not a major complain from me. As long as the amount of interest and thrill that the plot and the characters can generate overweigh the mediocre CGI quality, that’s fine with me. And, so far, that is what is exactly happening in the series.

IN CLOSING…

Defiance has been so far promising and entertaining. If we don’t compare it to Firefly or any other shows, it stands on its own as a pretty solid show worth watching.

I said in the opening that I’m sticking around with Defiance because of its potential. And as long as I feel that the potential is still there, I will be following the show. In fact, I think that even if the show fail to achieve that level of awesomeness I’m hoping it would become, as long as that feeling of potential – just this – remains present, I’ll actually take it. I’m willing to continue watching it for that.

Some Random Thoughts Before the 2013 Elections

2013-05-07T09:47:00.000+08:00

The election is less than a week away. I’ve already done some evaluation on the candidates for Senate – through watching forums/debates and doing some research – to help me with my picks. However, I won’t be analyzing the candidates here, nor list those I would vote for, as what I did last election (too many candidates). But I have some random two cents’ worth of thoughts in regards to the election, which I would be sharing here. Maybe you’ll find a thing or two that would be helpful when doing your own evaluations.

ENTERTAINING

You know what’s the best thing about the elections? The entertainment! Now, the two best kinds of election-related entertainment are: a.) the emergence of nuisance candidates during filing of candidacies, whose show of batshit craziness and confidence easily creates comical segments on TV; and b.) when the qualified candidates make fools of themselves.

Some of the instances where candidates make fools of themselves are on debates or forums – when occasional questions from moderators, opponents in candidacy, or members of the audience during an open forum force them to give answers that expose their hypocrisy and/or incompetence. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though. The most likely occasion you’ll be able to witness candidates making fools of themselves are during their campaign rallies. Here, they would often participate on some dance numbers. And these politicians’ dances are among the most ridiculous, most hilarious things I’ve ever seen. First-rate comedy. Guaranteed LOL-inducing entertainment.

Kind of tells us the magnitude politicians are willing to undertake – even the expense of their own dignity – to get into power.

To be honest, if a performance has the charm of the right quality of hilarity, I would give a minor “plus points” for my evaluation on that candidate.

CHOOSING THE LESSER EVIL

I did find it hard completing my Twelve. To be honest, I find faults in all the candidates and find it hard to really trust any of them that I’ve just did some “choosing the lesser evil” evaluation when picking those I would vote for. I considered the positives and negatives about each candidate, and if the positives outweighed the negative, then I decided to risk voting for him or her.

“NO CHOICE VOTES”

Among my picks, those I’ve selected without hesitation after my evaluations – because the positives overwhelm the negatives – number less than five. Most of my picks are just “no choice votes” – candidates that I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt, hoping they would actually do more good than harm

Some would argue that it’s better to forfeit some slots if one doesn’t have a complete 12 candidates he is most willing to vote for – that if he only has five candidates he really wants to vote for, then he should just vote for that five and forfeit the other six slots. If this was a still a pen-and-paper election, I would have agreed. I can just comfortably draw a line across those blank spots. But now that elections are automated (which is, take note, generally superior), I don’t feel comfortable leaving some circles unshaded. I am kind of paranoid that those unshaded parts would be shaded by other persons. Of course, there are safeguards against that. But I’m uncomfortable on risking such possibility. Thus, I would rather make “no choice votes” – to fill all of the 12 spots for Senators – and pray that they won’t do anything that would make me regret voting for them.

WHAT IF VOTING FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS ARE THE SAME AS VOTING FOR BOARD MEMBERS OF A CORPORATION?

I often wondered if it’s better for the elections to have the same mechanics as how stockholders vote for members of the Board, in which the voter can distribute his votes. Example: he can use all 12 votes on just candidate; or he can allocate his votes: give 3 votes to Candidate A, 1 vote for Candidate B, 2 votes for Candidate C, and 6 votes for Candidate D; or vote for 12 candidates by giving one vote each… you get the idea. At least with that system, then we avoid the “no choice votes” scenario.

A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT REGARDING PREFERENCE

Here’s a question for you: who will you pick over, A) the competent but “immoral” candidate or B) the “moral” but incompetent candidate? When I say “immoral”, it doesn’t necessarily mean someone who is enriching himself by stealing public funds or worthlessly lazy in his job – because if a candidate is such, I won’t vote for him – but “immoral” in the sense that he has many vices or has committed adultery or is separated from his or her spouse. Thus, what I mean by “moral” is in the sense of he has no vices or has no marital scandals. So between the two choices, A and B, who’s your choice?

For me, I’m actually more ready to vote for the candidate who has had a failed marriage and drinks and smokes BUT is greatly capable and productive when doing his job than the candidate who is in a steady marriage and doesn’t drink nor smoke BUT is completely clueless and inutile in his job.

Remember that we are judging the candidates with regards to their capability as public officials, and not as a person.

Nevertheless, I give exception to those who are inexperienced but are sincere, hardworking, and ready to learn. I am willing to risk giving my votes to such candidates.

NO COMMUNISTS!

Because I “choose the lesser evil”, I would not vote for Communist candidates. Oh, I was tempted to vote because of their intelligence and have articulately delivered some fine thoughts. But NO! The negative aspect of being Communist scums greatly overwhelms any positive things they possess. Thus, I won’t be giving votes to those candidates who have originated from party lists that have ties with the despicable New People’s Army.

VOTE FOR THE “LITO LAPIDS”, NOT THE “BHONG REVILLAS”

Actors turned Senators Lito Lapid and Bhong Revilla aren’t running this election (having already won last 2010, thus, their term will expire on 2016). So what do I mean by “Lito Lapids” over “Bhong Revillas”?

Lito Lapid is being made fun of because he seems totally out of place in the Senate. He is seemingly always clueless and can’t speak straight English during discussions or debates in the Senate. But you know what? Lapid is actually one of the more productive Senators in regards to passing laws. And a significant amount of these laws, mind you, has “human consideration” factor – meaning it is sympathetic to the masses and is socially relevant. “How is this possible?” you ask. Well, it just means, no matter how intellectually lacking Lapid is, he, however, has one of the best staffs in the Senate. So sometimes we also have to put into consideration each candidate’s respective staff’s competence as much as the candidate’s.

Morever, I never found Lito Lapid pretending what he is not. He never pretended he’s a “brainy” individual. If there’s something he doesn’t understand, he doesn’t pretend that he does. He’s just natural and down-to-earth. Just being the common man in the Senate gives him the “masa” appeal.

Bhong Revilla, on the other hand, never fails to annoy me whenever he opens his mouth during Senate discussions. He gives an air of a know-it-all, acting as if he is in par with the most intelligent of Senators. I could be wrong in my judgment of him, but that is what I feel.

(Also, Lito Lapid had more enjoyable movies [in terms of the standards of Philippine entertainment] and had played more memorable characters. On the other hand, I haven’t derived any drop of entertainment from any Bhong Revilla performances. If there are any, I can’t remember. So if you put into consideration their work in the movies when you are evaluating actors running for office, wouldn’t it be fair to choose that one whose movies had actually given you some entertainment?)

This election, there are also “Lito Lapid”-types and “Bhong Revilla”-types (to name some of the latter kind: everyone in the Ang Kapatiran ticket). Consider voting for the former, but never the latter.

(And to answer your probable question – Yes. I did vote for Lito Lapid last 2010)

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

As a Christian, I acknowledge God’s sovereignty in all things. This includes the people of authority. Thus, the winners of this election are those willed by God to be in power – whether they would do good or bad for our country. We, however, can be sure that all things would ultimately work out to bring about the good end that God has purposed with his omniscient wisdom. We can trust that God is good and that His plan is perfect.

Since our leaders are God-ordained, we need to submit to their authority as long as it is not sinful or contrary to God’s commands. And as the Supreme Authority, all authorities in this world are answerable to God. Thus, if they do wrong or be unfaithful with their governance, they will be accountable before God. But as subjects to our government and authority, as a general rule, we must remain patiently submissive and obedient to our leaders as what God wants us to be. In the end, rewards or punishments are going to be given to the leaders and subjects with regards to how they had been faithful or unfaithful in carrying out the roles that God has given them.

HOPE

I give attention to the elections with the same amount attention I have for sports. I root for a preferred candidate with just the same kind of rooting I would do for a Miss Universe candidate. I give importance to political topics with as much importance as I give to pop culture topics.

It would look as if I’m apathetic, not treating voting as sacred, but that’s not the case. I recognize the importance of suffrage and my responsibility as a voter, but it’s not at all part of the most vital, crucial things I have to deal with in my life. This May 2013 Elections, politics, and everything in this world in general will pass away. And important and significant as they might be in the present time, they are trivial in the perspective of eternal importance.

As a Christian, I know of my ultimate end and purpose. I know that I should focus and invest on all things eternal. But while still living in this world, I am still subject to its issues and responsibilities – like politics and voting. And, thus, I should deal with them. But as I deal with them, I should not devote my full focus on them. I should not consider them as an ultimate end itself. Rather, I should just consider them as petty tasks and matters I have to deal with while I’m still leaving in this world.

Of course, I would love for our government to lead our country into economic and political supremacy. If that happens, then great! If it doesn’t happen, then so what? The Philippines, its politics, and my Filipino citizenship are all temporary anyway. But Heaven, my soul, and my citizenship in Heaven are for eternity. And it is with these eternal things I derive my Ultimate Hope.

I will do my part this upcoming election. And I do always pray for this nation. But my hope is not on this election nor is on the candidates I vote for. My hope should not be invested on anything of this world. My hope should be on God and on God alone.

Top 10 Reasons this 2012-13 NBA Season Has Been My Worst Season as an LA Lakers Fan Ever

2013-05-03T10:30:00.001+08:00

I am an LA Lakers fan. No matter how humbling and disappointing this past season turn out to be for Lakerdom, I proudly hold my head high to be identified as such.

I have confidence that we’ll be back on top again someday. It might take a few seasons. But I have no doubt that it’s going to happen.

Nonetheless, to say that this season isn’t heartbreaking would be a lie. It has been. But I guess it’s just goes with the territory of a fan investing much love on his favorite team. I consider the start of the 1999-2000 Season as the beginning of my official die-hard Laker fandom, and since then, this season has been the worst I’ve ever experienced. Here are the reasons why:

10.) LEBRON JAMES AND THE HEAT ARE ON THEIR WAY TO ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP

Of course, as a Kobe and Lakers fan, there’s a feeling of slight envy for LeBron and the Heat. Kobe and the Lakers had a dreadful failed season while LeBron and the Heat are in the best position to win the a back-to-back championship. Ugh. To be honest, I root against the Heat harder than I root against the Celtics. Just can’t help disliking that team. If the Pacers can’t beat the Heat, I root for either the Warriors or Grizzlies (my bets after the elimination of the Lakers) to destroy them in the Finals.

Nonetheless, there’s no denying that LeBron is the hands down, unanimous choice for best player in the NBA right now. His stats and game are out-of-this-world phenomenal. It’s either: a) he’s juiced with performance enhancing drugs, or b) he’s just fate’s choice to be the King of Kings of Basketball. As a Kobe fan, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth to see that this time had come: LeBron has overwhelmingly surpassed my hero Kobe Bryant. Still, as a basketball fan, you have no choice but to be awed by LeBron James right now. I will be rooting against him nonetheless. Unless this happens next year…

9.) WINLESS PRE-SEASON

For the first time in franchise history, the Lakers didn’t win a single game during the pre-season. Of course, pre-season records are meaningless but this is the Los Angeles Lakers we’re talking about! Besides, no team in the history of the game has ever won a championship after being winless in the pre-season.

The pre-season was a frightening premonition on what season was laid ahead for the Lakers.

8.) NO CHAMPIONSHIP

Everyone knows the high expectations in Laker Nation. Any season short of a championship is a failure. That’s a cliché in Lakerdom. But the “failure” of this season goes beyond that. With having such a roster of All-Stars, everybody expected the Lakers to be in title contention. However, the Lakers had spent the considerable amount of the season below .500 that to just make the playoffs became the new team objective instead of the championship.

(For this item on the list, I choose to use a picture of Kobe and Pau after winning a championship. Because I greatly miss those happy, glorious days.)

7.) MIKE D’ANTONI OVER PHIL JACKSON

After leading the Lakers to the first ever winless pre-season in franchise history and a 1-4 start into the regular season, Mike Brown was rightfully fired. Everybody was expecting the return of Phil Jackson as head coach. The fans were excitedly waiting for the expected announcement of the hiring. Even Phil thought the negotiations were going there.

Then the hiring of Mike D’Antoni came out of nowhere. And the Lakers management did it in such a way that was seemingly disrespectful to Jackson that any goodwill for possible future return is badly damaged, if not totally obliterated already.

D’Antoni proved to be not much of an upgrade over Mike Brown. He failed to create any form of effective team chemistry. There was no efficient usage of personnel. It seems he was stubbornly imposing his own system without taking into consideration the capabilities of his players. He was uncompromising to necessary adjustments, as dictated by common sense. He was emotional – his negative emotions doing harm than good. And the Lakers continued to fall, even dropping to eight games below .500 at one time – a difficult hole to climb back to.

Sure, D’Antoni was able to formulate a workable system (at least, on offense) later on. Kobe Bryant as primary facilitator and ball handler (contrary to the initial Steve Nash) was a moderate success. Lakers were able to claw themselves back to .500 and eventually into contention for a playoff spot. But D’Antoni had to rely heavily on Kobe Bryant to drag the team there (which will have severe consequences later on).

To be fair, D’Antoni had his moments. Take for example:

This trick play he drafted was brilliant! My favorite D’Antoni moment of the season.

But overall, I am disappointed with him. I never had the feeling that he was a good coach for the Lakers. I felt no sympathy towards him during the awkward “We want Phil!” incident in Shaq’s number retirement ceremony. If I was there, I would have chanted with the crowd myself.

6.) THIS COULD PROBABLY BE KOBE AND PAU’S LAST SEASON TOGETHER

The Lakers’ Game 4 elimination at the hands of the Spurs could be Kobe and Pau’s last moment as Lakers teammates. And, it sucks. Heck, they weren’t even playing together (with Kobe injured and in street clothes)!

Pau has emerged as one of my most favorite Lakers ever. He was significantly instrumental in the Lakers’ return to glory (post-Shaq). It was a lot of fun watching Kobe and Pau winning championships together. The Kobe and Pau tandem has been thrilling and wonderful. One of my best moments as a Laker fan.

Pau remaining with the Lakers is unlikely. The most logical move for the Lakers, businesswise and teamwise, is to trade Pau for valuable team pieces or cap relief (leaving room to acquire other pieces). That is, if Dwight Howard decides to re-sign with the Lakers. Of course, if D12 chooses to leave, the Lakers management would be fools if they still trade Pau. It is also possible that the Lakers will choose to risk it for another season and still keep Pau even after D12 re-signs. That possibility is just slight though.

I would have wanted for Kobe and Pau’s last game to be an epic one – either it’s a championship clinching game or of them going down in a blaze of glory. That game against the Spurs was not it.

I knew there would come a time when Kobe and Pau would have their last season together as teammates. But not like this. Considering that this was…

5.) PAU’S WORST SEASON IN HIS CAREER

Pau’s career stats:

Clearly, the past season’s – most notably, offensively – has been the most inferior. He had career lows in FG% and points per game and he missed a lot of games due to injury. And, thus, it’s one of the main reasons the Lakers have failed to become a dangerous, elite team this year.

4.) SWEPT IN THE FIRST ROUND

The Lakers was one of the first two teams to make a playoff exit. The Bucks is the other one. Both of them got swept. (As of writing, the Celtics and Rockets, however, have just emerged victorious from their Game 5 battles in their respective opponents’ home floor, extending their series to a Game 6 after falling to a 0-3 start!)

This season marked the first time in my years as a Lakers fan that the LA Lakers got swept in the first round.

I thought that the Lakers, even with no Kobe, were in good position in upsetting the Spurs. But injuries overwhelming the Lakers’ already weak depth and Popovich outcoaching D’Antoni just destroyed all hope of it happening.

Ah, injuries and D’Antoni – the two primary reasons of the Lakers’ downfall this season.

3.) DEATH OF JERRY BUSS

The magnitude of this season’s failure is increased when we put into the mixture the fact that it was during this season that the great and legendary Dr. Jerry Buss passed away. It feels like it’s dishonoring his memory that this season would end up becoming one of the worst in Lakers’ history (and the worst in my time as a Laker fan).

Dr. Buss made the Lakers what it is today – the most premium property in the NBA. He was a visionary. He associated the Lakers with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. He made sure that when you come into a Lakers game, you would have an unforgettable experience. He made a Lakers game more than an NBA basketball game. He also made it a Hollywood experience – celebrities, quality half time shows, Lakers girls, and an environment of first-class entertainment. But more than these things, what’s more important is he shaped the Lakers into having the identity of champions. Division banners are not hanged at all, only championship banners are worth hanging. He doesn’t care how much money he spends as long as it brings the necessary talent in helping the team to win that championship. Each season that’s how it goes. Thus, the “any season without a championship is a failure” attitude of Lakerdom.

With Dr. Buss’ death, there is reason for anxiety for the Lakers’ future. Under Dr. Buss, Lakers fans trust that the owner would do all things necessary in his power to keep the Lakers winning. With his passing, his unproven son, Jim, is now fully in charge. Jim has big shoes to fill. And I don’t trust him yet. I can’t feel him having the same passion and vision as his father had. However, I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt and will just wait and see in the next seasons. But the only time my uneasy feeling towards him would entirely fade is if a championship team and reign happen during his time as Lakers owner.

2.) IT HAD BEEN FRUSTRATINGLY, DISAPPOINTINGLY HUMILIATING

Every Laker fan was blown away when they were assembled during the off-season… Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard. It was like the coming together of the Avengers (or Justice League). Those names, on paper, make one of the strongest, if not strongest, Starting 5 in Lakers history! Everyone has been an All-Star at least one time. Two had been MVPs. Two had been Defensive Player of the Year. Four are probably future Hall of Famers. The championship was almost already in the bag.

Every Laker fan couldn’t wait for the season to start. Lakerdom was feeling very, very high.

Thus, the ensuing fall and crash from that high height have been tremendously hard. Injuries and lack of chemistry destroyed the perception that this team would easily win the championship. It’s as if for every game they win, they lose three. The regular season’s presumed “walk-in-a-park” path to the championship became a “trench-warfare” crawl for a playoff spot. The Lakers eventually managed to finish with an okay 45-37 record, enough for the 7^th playoff spot in the West. However, they weren’t able to win a single game in the post-season (See number 4).

Great were the euphoria and boasting at the start; therefore, great were the disappointment and humiliation in the end.

1.) KOBE’S ACHILLES INJURY

Bringing Steve Nash (and Dwight Howard) in should have made life easier for Kobe Bryant. But what happened this season was quite the opposite. D’Antoni’s system was not working. Thus, instead of relying on Steve Nash to be the primarily ball handler and distributor, as what the logical thing should have been, Kobe Bryant was forced to assume this role to carry the Lakers. Thus, even with Nash and Howard in the team, it’s the same old story with the Lakers: Kobe need to dominate the ball in order for them to win.

And carried the team he did. The Lakers was way behind for the last playoff spot, but Kobe guaranteed that the Lakers will make the playoffs. With his legendary heart and will, Kobe played through. Refusing to rest, even if his age requires it. He played heavy minutes – and even the entire game during late in the season. His offense – finding balance between facilitating and scoring – dragged the Lakers in making his guarantee happen.

But at what cost?

Through the years, Kobe Bryant has continually shown his amazing grit and will in pushing his body limits – even playing through injuries that would have sidelined many of his peers and juniors. And it was almost a sure thing that a time would come when his body would finally give out on him and say, “I had enough” – forcing him into a much needed rest that his body has been wanting. That is exactly what eventually happened this season. And it’s one of the worst kinds, if not the worst, of injury that could happen – a torn Achilles.

In their last game with the Warriors (which they have won), Kobe would get fouled and would tore his Achilles tendon. Still, despite the pain, he sank his two free-throws first before being assisted off the court – walking! Let me repeat that: a torn Achilles tendon, he still chose to do his free throws (which he made) before leaving the game, and then chose to wobbly walk to the lockers instead of opting for a wheel chair. (probably because it would look demeaning if he did and his pride won’t allow it). What a badass. It was a heartbreaking and inspiring sight. Fans felt a mixture of pride and sadness for the Black Mamba. Here’s the man, who gave his all for his beloved team, the Lakers. And they said Kobe is selfish, only thinking of himself.

Rehabilitation from an Achilles injury would require six to nine months, or possibly even longer. And no one who “recovered” from such an injury has been the same. Those who had come back from it experienced a significant drop from the prior quality of their game. Of course, this is Kobe we’re talking about – he’s not most athletes. He might even come back better than ever. Nonetheless, to worry that he would no longer play in an elite level when he returns is valid. That is, if he returns at all. Yes, the damage from this injury forcing Kobe into retirement is also a scary possibility.

I was hoping that this injury would fuel and ignite his team to win the championship. But this was wishful thinking in my part. With no championship to show for it, Kobe’s injury has been more frustratingly pointless.

In the end, to nurture the bitter frustration in my heart won’t help me or Kobe or the Lakers. Thus, what’s left for me to do is to continually pray for Kobe’s speedy recovery – a recovery that would bring him back better than ever, to lead the Lakers to another championship. And that championship will definitely be sweeter because of all of these.

Top 10 Samurais & Top 10 Ninjas in Fiction

2013-04-29T13:27:00.002+08:00

Japan has spawned two of the most adored historical characters that fiction and pop culture love to romanticize: the samurais and the ninjas. The samurais are archetyped as versatile warriors, faithfully living a life in accordance to a strict code of honor, who are graceful and adept katana-wielders, capable of drawing their swords with lightning fast swiftness and slashing opponents with deadly elegance. Ninjas, on the other hand, are archetyped as stealthy, elite assassins who possess nigh superhuman agility and dexterity as well as exceptional mastery in concealment and misdirection, covert and silent movements and attacks, and a variety of unique and mysterious techniques and weapons. It is not unusual for the two kinds of warriors to be pitted against each other.

In this list, I would be listing respective 10s for samurais and ninjas (just as what I’ve did with my list on anime protagonists and antagonists). And, yes, since samurais and ninjas are from Japan, a lot of those that made the list are from manga or anime. But take note that to qualify on this list, the characters should have been explicitly introduced as samurais and ninjas and not just because they are samurai-esque or ninja-esque. So no Deadpool here. Moreover, Ronin (masterless samurais) characters are also considered during evaluation for the ten picks for samurais.

Let’s start with samurais…

10.) GOEMON ISHIKAWA XIII

Goemon is the gifted samurai member of the gang of Lupin III, the charming master thief. With his katana, Goemon is depicted as capable of cutting through anything, even metal. He seemingly has near superhuman speed and reflexes, since he can catch an arrow with his bare hands and slice bullets shot at him in half! Moreover, he is also proficient in several martial arts and is capable of staying a long time underwater without the help of an aqualung.

9.) SILVER SAMURAI

The Silver Samurai is arguably the most famous samurai-themed comic book character in Western comics. He has been both a villain and a hero, changing allegiance from time to time. He is a mutant and is capable of charging anything with a so-called “tachyon field”; he usually charges his katana, allowing him to cut through almost anything. He also has a ring that allows him to teleport.

8.) MIYAMOTU USAGI

Being a rabbit ronin, Usagi has the advantage of being simultaneously adorable and badass. Thus, this cute but combat-competent critter easily makes the list. The setting of Usagi’s adventures is during feudal Japan, where anthropomorphic animals instead of humans are living. Usagi travels the land, freelancing as a samurai bodyguard.

7.) SAMURAI JACK

Jack was a prince during feudal Japan. He traveled the world and trained to become a legendary warrior with the aim of destroying the demon Aku, to avenge the destruction of his father’s kingdom at the hands of the demon. Jack and Aku fought with Jack winning. However, before Jack can deliver the killing strike, Aku created a time portal to send Jack to the future, with the intention of buying time to grow more powerful and defeat Jack once he arrives in the future. Jack arrived in a dystopian future where Aku ruled the world. Jack travelled the world, fighting Aku’s minions along the way, in search of a time portal to send him back to his own time so he can destroy Aku before the demon can conquer the world.

6.)AFRO SAMURAI

Afro Samurai has an interesting premise. The setting is a sci-fi feudal Japan in which whoever wears the Number 1 headband has the title of being the greatest warrior in the land. Anyone who desire to become “Number 1” should first defeat the current holder of the headband in combat. However, the only one who can challenge the “Number 1” is the one who holds the “Number 2” headband. Anybody can challenge the holder of the “Number 2” headband. In the first series, Afro holds the “Number 2” headband and many challenged him for it for the right of fighting “Number 1”. He was able to defeat all his challengers. Afro’s own purpose in challenging the “Number 1”, Justice the gunslinger, is to avenge his father, the former “Number 1” who Justice (as “Number 2”) killed to obtain the title for himself. Afro succeeded with this and becomes “Number 1” at the end of the series. However, in the sequel, it was revealed that Afro refused to wear his “Number 1” headband, thus, a mysterious vengeful woman named Sio obtained it. Sio forced Afro – by cloning his father’s corpse and threatening to torture the clone – to search for the “Number 2” headband so that he can challenge her. To make things short, Afro got back his “Number 1” headband in the end.

Being able to win the “Number 1” headband shows Afro’s excellence as a warrior: he is basically the strongest. He is a powerful swordsman, and though he gets tired of killing, he has no hesitation in doing so when it’s required. Afro has an imaginary friend named “Ninja Ninja” who is the opposite of Afro in character and personality.

5.) MANJI

Manji is the protagonist of the manga Blade of the Immortal. As what is implied by the title, Manji is an immortal samurai. He obtained his immortality after being stuffed by an 800-year old nun with bloodworms to save him from certain death. His notorious nicknames “The Hundred Man Killer” (for the amount of opponents he had killed) and “Mr. Twelve Blades” (for the number of weapons he has) just show how an awesome badass Manji is.

4.) NOBUNAGA HAZAMA

Nobunaga is a member of the ruthless and powerful criminal organization known as Phantom Troupe or “Genei Ryodan” (antagonists of Hunter X Hunter). What makes him stand out from the rest of this list is he’s probably the quickest one here. Whenever he uses his katana to attack, the smooth progression (Iaidō) of drawing, slashing, cleaning, and replacing the sword back to its scabbard is so extremely fast that the human eye can’t follow it. Through the human eye, it’s as if the sword never left its scabbard at all. Anyone who is within his attack range is sure to be cut. Nobunaga’s full power, though, has not been revealed yet.

3.) SHISHIO MAKOTO

The top three spots in this list belong to characters of Samurai X, which is, not only the anime that features the most exciting samurai action I’ve ever seen, but one of the best anime series I’ve ever encountered. Of the three, let’s start with Shishio, who’s a very menacing, intelligent, and compelling villain, making him one of the best anime antagonists there are. Aside from his ruthlessness and fearlessness, what’s makes him a very dangerous swordsman is his sword that ignites during combat – because of the blade being soaked in the flesh and fat of all the victims he had killed through the years – and his ability to intelligently read his opponents, that he can neutralize their techniques after just seeing them just once.

2.) SAITŌ HAJIME

Despite of not having the appearance of a samurai anymore, since he’s not wearing the stereotypical kimono of a samurai but a police officer uniform (since it’s now his profession), Saitō still carries the air of a samurai. And wearing a police officer uniform actually adds dimension and charisma to the character. Besides, when he was still a samurai and dressing like one, he probably has the best samurai look among those in this list:

“Badass” is the first thing that comes to mind if asked of what I think of Saitō. The word is being thrown a lot these days but Saitō really possesses the quality. He is extremely skilled, tough, and capable of being ruthless. He’s indeed a very skillful swordsman since he was even able to fight in equal standing with the number one of this list at one time. His best technique is unique for a samurai, since instead of slashing targets with his katana, as what is usual with a samurai, he instead thrusts it forward. Even without a sword, Saitō is very dangerous with his bare hands since he has excellent boxing and close combat skills.

1.) HIMURA KENSHIN

Copied word for word from my entry on Kenshin in my “Top 10 Anime Protagonists” list:

Not only is he my most favorite samurai in fiction, but he’s my most favorite fictional character that wields a sword… The way he fights is such a joy to watch, there’s a beautiful mix of grace and lethality in it… After being known as a legendary and dangerous assassin “Hitokiri Battosai” during the Meiji Revolution, he grew weary of killing and found appreciation of life, thus, he vowed never to kill again. In his personal path for self-redemption, he now uses his skills to help those in need and fight for the weak that are oppressed by wicked people. With the use of a “reverse-edged” sword, Kenshin manages to fight utilizing his awesome sword skills without having to break his vow of non-killing.

Because he doesn’t intend to kill his opponents, he’s not actually able to fight in his best form, that is, by projecting the infamous “Hitokiri Battosai” killing persona. He consciously or subconsciously holds back. Considering this, that he’s always on a disadvantage on his fight, it’s quite impressive that he still overcomes opponents – who, on the other hand, have no hesitation in killing him – without taking any life. Such is the awesomeness of the titular Samurai X!

* * *

And now, for the ninjas…

10.) NINJZZ

Those who were in contention for this tenth spot are Strider Hiryu and Gray Fox the Cyborg Ninja (of Metal Gear fame). But what made me pick Ninjzz over such kickass characters? Simple, I just believe Ninjzz is cooler. Ninjzz is the only one among the Boyzz – robots created by the Botsmaster, Ziv “ZZ” Zulander – that is specifically designed for combat as ZZ encoded all of the world’s martial arts on Ninjzz’s programming. Best ninja thing about Ninjzz though is his voice and speech pattern – perfectly ninja-like. His preferred weapons are his sword and nunchucks but he’s also equipped with a laser gun.

9.) PSYLOCKE

This X-Man used to be bland. But after getting brainwashed by the Hand (criminal ninja organization in the Marvel Universe) and obtaining ninja training, she underwent a dramatic make-over, propelling her amongst the elite characters of the X-Men. She had effectively combined her mutant psionic abilities with her ninja fighting skills, making her one of the X-Men’s most deadly fighters.

8.) ELEKTRA

Another spot on this list is taken by another hot and dangerous kunoichi (which roughly means “female ninja”. Side thought: why aren’t there any male ninja superheroes in Marvel and DC? Or if there are, it means they aren’t as awesome as Psylocke and Elektra since I have forgotten about them). But unlike Psylocke, Elektra has no super powers at all. Nonetheless, that’s exactly the reason why she’s ahead of Psylocke in this list: despite the fact that she has no powers at all, she can beat or at least hold her ground with the best superpowered individuals out there. Elektra is a coldblooded assassin and the coolest user of the sai as a primary weapon (sorry Raphael but this is true). She is best known as the most famous among Daredevil’s exes (that says a lot considering the amount of former flames that Matt Murdock had). She is currently a member of the present Thunderbolts roster.

6.) & 7.) SCORPION & SUB-ZERO

Definitely the top two most popular characters in Mortal Kombat are these two ninjas. Both are terrifyingly competent martial artists and possess thrilling powers; ice abilities for Sub-Zero, and flame abilities and shooting out a kunai-tipped rope (originally thought to be a snake-like creature) out his palm for Scorpion. In the MK storyline, the two are mortal enemies and hated each other with passion. Though neither of the two is my most favorite character from the MK franchise – Johnny Cage is – the two of them follows Johnny. I find Scorpion a little bit more interesting than Sub-Zero (so the former has the 6^th spot and the latter has the 7^th spot).

5.) LEONARDO

Almost everybody of my generation is familiar with and had loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles during childhood. But even though the turtles all shared the same appearances – just difference on the color themes – Leonardo stands out the most. It definitely has something to do with Leonardo’s trademark weapons, his two katanas. Katanas are preferred over sais, staffs, and nunchuks. Katanas are the coolest. When I was still a kid and playing some Ninja Turtles pretend with other kids, each one of us wanted to be Leonardo. Nobody wanted to be Raphael, Michaelangelo, or Donatello. Everybody wanted to wield the two katanas, even if it was just pretend.

4.) UZUMAKI NARUTO

The manga/anime Naruto has greatly innovated the ninja epitome of pop culture. The titular character wears a loud orange color scheme, which is kind of out of character for ninjas who make an effort to conceal their presence and movements (that’s why they are usually portrayed as wearing black). But, as I’ve said, the anime is all about reinventing the ninja typecast. Orange is lame and silly. Still, with that against him, Naruto still managed to prove himself to be a very interesting ninja character.

His character development has been long but worth following. He was first introduced as unremarkable and the least of his peers. His childhood was spent as an outcast and looked down by others. Nonetheless, in spite of all these, Naruto maintained a strong will and a bubbly nature, pursuing his goals with enthusiasm, cockiness, and a lot of heart. As the story progressed, he would gain friends (some of them, his former adversaries) and admirers for his loyalty, optimism, resolve, and seeing and bringing out the best of those around him. Moreover, he would also grow in power, knowledge, experience and skill as a shinobi, making him eventually one of his village’s strongest and most important ninjas. He would even save his entire village from destruction and be celebrated as a hero (see Invasion of Pain Arc). And it just keeps getting better with him and his manga.

2.) & 3.) SNAKE EYES & STORM SHADOW

Both attended the same ninja school and had been former comrades – “sword brothers” – but after the murder of their master (by Zartan), of which Storm Shadow was implicated, they took separate paths and became bitter rivals. Snake Eyes would join the G.I. Joe while Storm Shadow found himself with Cobra. The two would clash many times, whenever the G.I.Joe and Cobra clash. But after Storm Shadow learned the truth that Zartan was the one who killed his master, he would ally himself with Snake Eyes and the G.I. Joe.

There are several ninja characters in the G.I. Joe franchise, but Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are the best and most iconic among them. It can even be argued that the two of them are the best and most iconic above all other G.I. Joe characters. Whether that is true or not, personally, they are my most favorite characters as a G.I. Joe fan. In the comics (which have the best G.I. Joe stories) and the animated series, they superbly stand out. They are even the best thing about the G.I. Joe movies.

Both are awesome ninja characters but Snake Eyes slightly edges Storm Shadow in my personal ranking. Making the former number 2 and the latter number 3 in this list. It all comes down to their initial allegiance (since Snake Eyes has been part of the good guys right from the start) and choice of weaponry. While Storm Shadow has been portrayed as occasionally using a gun, the weapons he mainly carries are his katana and traditional ninja weapons (knives, shurikens, etc.). Guns, however, are a staple of Snake Eyes’ arsenal along with his katana and knives. Guns give an additional layer of kickassery on ninjas.

1.) HATAKE KAKASHI

The top of this list goes to another one of my most favorite anime characters. Naruto is an interesting ninja, but he’s not the most interesting character of his own manga/anime series. Kakashi is. Possessing a Sharingan and capable of limitedly accessing its powers, Kakashi is able to easily copy others’ techniques. That’s why it was said he’s a ninja that has an arsenal of one thousand techniques. He is both an intelligent pre-battle strategist and on-battle tactician. He was a prodigy in childhood and had grown up into one of Konoha’s most powerful and legendary shinobis. He’s currently next in line for the position of Hokage (top ninja). Despite of his fame and superior abilities, Kakashi maintains a cool, patient, and humble attitude and puts emphasis on friendship and teamwork above anything else.

* * *

BONUS: RONIN

I’ve mentioned a while ago that I find a lack of male ninja superheroes. The closest to such is the Avenger, Ronin (the second one). The word “ronin” means “masterless samurai.” But the superhero Ronin donned a ninja outfit instead of going with a samurai look. Ronin has neither samurai nor ninja background at all, thus, the reason the character wasn’t included in the two lists. Still, the character is quite fascinating.

The first Ronin was Maya Lopez a.k.a Echo, who was first known as a former enemy and eventual ally of Matt Murdock a.k.a. Daredevil. She is deaf but get by by reading lips. She has the skill called “photographic reflexes” (the same ability as Taskmaster’s) which allows her to duplicate any physical movement or action after only witnessing it once, including fighting styles.

The original intent by the writers was for Matt Murdock a.k.a. Daredevil to be Ronin when serving as an Avenger. Matt Murdock was continually refusing Captain America whenever Cap attempts to recruit him to join the Avengers (though he would eventually join an Avenger team in the future). It was the time when Daredevil was being portrayed with notoriety by the media and Matt thinks it would damage the Avengers’ image if he joins. The solution would have been for Matt to adopt another superhero identity as an Avenger (as what suggested by Cap). That would have been cool, Matt would be Daredevil whenever he’s going solo and he would be Ronin whenever he’s on a mission with the Avengers. Unfortunately, the concept was in conflict with the storyline that the Daredevil series was doing that time. Thus, it was decided for Echo to become Ronin (sent by Matt to aid the Avengers) – which everybody thought prior the revelation of the identity was Daredevil, as what was being hinted earlier. Matt as Ronin would have been more awesome. Bummer.

The second Ronin was Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye, the archer with trick arrows and phenomenal accuracy. There was a time he “retired” his Hawkeye persona and became Ronin for some time. He would first wear the Ronin costume during the Avengers’ rescue mission for Echo (who has been captured by the Hand) since it’s the only costume available then. After the mission, Clint offered to return the costume and identity to Maya but she rejected it (she went back to being “Echo” after her rescue and return to the Avengers), thus, Clint chose to continue carrying the Ronin identity, trading his bow and arrow for katanas and nunchucks.

Clint is back to being Hawkeye now, but during his run as Ronin, he displayed his versatility, that he is a valuable superhero even without a bow.

RE: Superior Spider-Man Part 2 (Or "I Admit That 'Superior' Has Been Actually Pretty Cool So Far, but I Still Prefer the Return of 'Amazing'")

2013-04-23T19:03:00.000+08:00

In my last rant about the Superior Spider-Man, I had argued that what makes Spider-Man special is because of Peter Parker. Spidey is a character that we, fans, can easily relate to, and because of that, any heroic or positive qualities of his have more impact on us. He is an emphatic and charismatic fictional role model, and those qualities that make him such are derived from his alter ego, Peter Parker. Therefore, for Spider-Man to have this significant connection with readers, it is necessary for Peter Parker to be the one behind that mask.

That’s my main beef with Superior Spider-Man. Because, technically, it is no longer Peter Parker that is wearing the Spidey mask.

The Superior Spider-Man is Otto Octavius possessing Peter Parker’s body and memories. When I was still speculating who the Superior Spider-Man is going to be, one of my options was somebody using Doc Ock’s “body switching” technology (as what the villain had used in Amazing Spider-Man’s final storyline) to possess Peter’s body, but it’s NOT Doc Ock himself. My exact words were “Marvel is being stupid with this Superior Spider-Man development, but I don’t think they’re that stupid to indeed settle with Doc Ock possessing Pete’s body as the Superior Spider-Man.” Boy, was I wrong.

So in Amazing’s last storyline, Otto Octavius successfully stole Spider-Man’s body for himself while concurrently trapping the hero on his own dying body. All this time, it seemed Otto just wanted to live the life of Spider-Man (oh, really?!). For his own selfish reasons, of course. Spidey, in Otto’s failing body, made an attempt to take back his body but was unfortunately unsuccessful. Defeated and helplessly expiring in Otto’s body, Spidey now realizing that getting his body and life back is now out of the question opted instead to insure that he won’t be leaving the legacy of Spider-Man to a villain. As a desperate gambit to reform Otto Octavius, Spidey transferred all his memories to him. And it worked. This made Otto “live out” the life of Peter Parker, making the former empathetic to the latter’s experience and development. This made Otto realize what being Spider-Man is all about – there is a tremendous responsibility that goes with the terrific power. Peter Parker dies in Dr. Octopus’ body and Otto Octavius vowed to become a superior Spider-Man than Peter.

A great amount of people were, of course, pissed. Death threats were even made by some.

I was also greatly pissed. Doc Ock won?! Peter Parker didn’t deserve this! It made me sicker and madder than what I’ve felt after the horrible “One More Day” storyline. It actually surprised me that I can feel this strongly about a fictional character. That a development in fiction could draw out such amount of emotion in me. Oh, fiction has moved me before many times, but not this much. This kind of intensity was a first. I didn’t make death threats, but I was upset enough to kind of nearly understand why some did. (Important note: it doesn’t mean I commend or empathize with those fans that made death threats. In fact, I admonish the making of death threats. It’s actually a sadder thing when death threats arise because of a disappointment on a work of fiction. That’s ridiculous and terrible.)

To be fair, if I try to calm down and look at it in an open-minded, broader viewpoint, I would find that this Superior Spider-Man twist is actually brilliant and beautiful. Initially, it just seemed to be a gimmicky bad idea, but at a second thought, it starts to look striking and fresh. I’ve never seen this stuff in comics before. In fact, if this was not Spider-Man (a character I am so attached to) we’re talking about, I could have enthusiastically applauded this.

We can look at the (supposedly) last issue of Amazing Spider-Man, issue 700, as a unique and moving superhero origin story for the Superior Spider-Man and a bittersweet and powerful “shining moment” for Peter Parker.

A “heel-face turn” or a bad guy becoming a good guy is an impactful development in a work of fiction. But in comics alone, we have already seen former villains leaving their former ways and choosing the path of becoming heroes many times before. But in the case of Otto Octavius, his change of heart was unique. It was “forced” upon Otto by Peter Parker after the former had already beaten the latter! Here’s the bad buy winning against his mortal foe – the good guy – but it was through this victory that he had his change of heart. That is unheard of. Most of the time, the good guys needed to “break” the bad guys for them to see the error of their ways which would lead them to eventually decide to become heroes. Moreover, this bad guy’s conversion to good was a result of literally becoming the good guy that he had been fighting as a bad guy. If this was your usual “heel-face turn”, the supervillain Dr. Octopus would have just become the superhero Dr. Octopus. But in this case, the bad guy Dr. Octopus had not only become just A “good guy” but had become THE good guy – Spider-Man himself! That’s outrageous and original – a completely different use of the “heel-face turn.”

Peter Parker has a hero’s heart till the end. He was defeated. He was dying. But still in the last moment of his life, he gave his all. By giving all his memories to Otto, he gave Otto complete capability to live out the life of Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man! Peter gifted his enemy a “second lease in life” – a gift to start over as a good guy by living his life. This is the same enemy who just stole his entire life away from him in the first place and imprisoned him in a diseased, dying body. But Pete did it anyway. All that matters to him in the last moment of life is he would leave the world a Spider-Man that would remain as a hero; it doesn’t matter if he’s letting the same person who took his life away from him get what he wanted. It’s as if Peter just went, “so you want to be Spider-Man? Fine, you be Spider-Man. It sucks that you would be living my life now. It’s not that I have any choice anyway. But not so fast, buster. Here are all my memories. Understand the moral obligations of being Spider-Man!” Peter Parker was spectacular till the end. In a sense, it was still a victory for the Amazing Spider-Man in spite of getting defeated.

As a Spider-Man fan, I hated ASM #700 and the fact Otto took over Pete’s body to become Superior Spider-Man. Again, Pete doesn’t deserve this crap to happen to him! But as a fiction fan, looking at it in the light I’ve mentioned previously, I have started to appreciate at least the concept.

Besides, I have to admit, the Superior Spider-Man has been, so far, kind of a kickass. He has been significantly more efficient, calculative, and organized, albeit darker and colder. He now has cybernetic goggles, spiderbots, retractable talons on his fingertips, and raptor-like claws under his feet – significant upgrades of Spider-Man hardware.

The Superior Spider-Man has the feel of Batman. But if you tell him this – despite the fact that comparing him to Batman was meant as a compliment – he would probably be insulted; and would then point out how flawed, substandard, and stupid Batman is compared to him. That’s what this new Spider-Man is all about.

In fact, despite being “brainwashed” into becoming a superhero, Otto still possessed his villainous qualities. Scheming and cunning. Has a massive superiority complex. Conceited. Arrogant. Impatient. A first class A-hole. But a brilliant A-hole. Will remind you of Dr. House. And will charm you the same way Dr. House did.

Anyway, in spite of his sincere desire for redemption and heroism, he is being a superhero in a Dr. Octopus way – ruthless, menacing, and self-seeking.

HE EVEN KILLED!!!

And I don’t like it one bit. Killing has never been Spider-Man’s thing. He’s not the Punisher. He’s Spider-Man. And Spider-Man doesn’t kill!

The creepiest thing about Otto occupying Pete’s body is he has the opportunity to take advantage of Mary Jane.

Fortunately, it was Otto himself who broke things off with MJ (in issue 2) after logically assessing the situation between them – the “Pete-MJ-Spidey” relationship – and concluded that being a couple won’t work within them.

(I don’t quite agree with Otto’s analysis. But that’s okay. As long as it’ll keep Otto away from MJ)

So here we have Otto living the life of Peter Parker and is seemingly living it out better than Pete did. “Peter Parker” is now almost always on time with appointments since he can now balance his time well between being Spider-Man and Peter Parker. As Spider-Man, he has become anti-heroic, more cunning, more intelligent, and operates and fights more efficiently – gone are the jokes and childish antics. And as a fictional character, he displays magnificent depth and appeal because of the unique nature and concept of his persona.

Still, I would prefer Peter Parker back. And, thank God, that in the last page of the very first issue of Superior Spider-Man, it was revealed that the “hope” element is part of Superior Spider-Man.

Pete is still around! That is actually the reason that many Spidey fans still stuck around with Superior Spider-Man at this point.

Of course, with Peter actually still existing inside his own body’s consciousness, a battle for Peter Parker’s body is inevitable between Pete and Otto (with regards to the implication of the last Superior issue as of writing).

Yikes!

And, as what’s suggested by the previews of future issues, this battle would lead to another Spider-Man costume change, with Otto still in control in the end?!

Just have to wait and see.

So in summary: Superior Spider-Man is not as bad as I’ve thought it was going to be, BUT – a big BUT – I would still prefer for Peter Parker to win back his body and return as Spider-Man ASAP!

More thoughts coming up as the Superior Spider-Man drama progresses.

Sidekicks Reloaded

2013-04-15T21:26:00.001+08:00

To tie-in with Joy Church once again hosting this year's Vacation Bible School (VBS) seminar for teachers, our team made a video recording of our own renditions of this year's VBS songs. The theme of this year's VBS is "Sidekicks Reloaded" and features five songs.

click here for more videos

Top 10 Androids

2013-04-14T20:20:00.001+08:00

Those who don’t possess a bit of nerdy knowledge often mix up “androids” and “cyborgs” with each other. Of course, the two are different. In my top 10 cyborgs list, I’ve already explained what makes a cyborg: they are beings with both organic and mechanical parts. Now, this time around, it’s the androids’ turn to be discussed. Androids are synthetic organisms – usually robotic in nature – meticulously designed to be in the likeness of the human form; any appearance of “flesh” is synthetic in origin. Also, androids usually possess advance levels of artificial intelligence that give them the capability of human-like free will, independent thought, cognitive processes and logical reasoning – with some even having mental abilities exceeding human capacity – and, sometimes, simulation of human emotion.

10.) BRAINIAC

Brainiac, a Coluan (an alien race) android, is one of Superman’s most famous and powerful archenemies. As his name suggests, Brainiac is a super genius. He has a so-called “12^th-level intellect” (humanity, in general, is only capable of up to “6^th-level intelligence”), giving him superhuman memory capability; superhuman calculative prowess; and extensive knowledge of theoretical and applied sciences, engineering, and technologies of different alien origins. Aside from his mental powers, Brainiac had possessed various other powers and abilities as well (depending on the incarnation).

9.) BISHOP (341-B)

Michael Fassbender earned some praise for playing the android character David in Prometheus (the semi-prequel to the Alien movie franchise). David, they said, has been a charismatic character. I, however, was unimpressed. If you were able to see Aliens (second movie in the Alien movie franchise), you can’t help but compare David with Aliens’ own android, Bishop, (played by Lance Henriksen) and then conclude that David greatly pales in comparison when compared to Bishop. Bishop was designed to have the same appearance of his creator, Michael Weyland (who himself resembles his ancestor, Charles Bishop Weyland). Despite of not being primarily programmed as a combatant, he has been programmed to keep humans from harm as best as he could and he displayed badassery and heroism in performing this function by aiding human survivors to escape the murderous Xenomorphs. Moreover, this awesome knife scene is enough to immortalize Bishop:

8.) NAOMI ARMITAGE

Naomi Armitage is the protagonist of the terrific cyberpunk anime movie series, Armitage III. The story is set in a futuristic Mars – made habitable by the help of “first type” robots – where humans and “second type” androids, improved versions of the “first type”, co-exist. Armitage was introduced as a Martian cop working with a new partner, Ross Syllibus, who was from Earth, as they hunt the murderer of a famous country singer. Because of the killing, this singer was revealed to be a never before seen “third type” android – a highly-advance model that is already very much human-like in function and appearance that no one can tell them apart from human beings. The discovery of the existence of “third type” androids prompted human beings to hunt them down, who had been secretly living amongst humans. Halfway through the story, it was revealed that Naomi is herself a “third type” android. Later on, the already kickass gunslinging girl would undergo modifications – i.e. cybernetic wings and particle cannons – to become more kickass and dangerous. Armitage is so much of an advance android that she is even capable of getting pregnant; she and Ross would raise a daughter named Yoko.

7.) DATA

Spock is my favorite character in the original Star Trek. And Data is my favorite character in Star Trek: the Next Generation because he serves as the Spock figure there. But due to being an advanced android, he is capable of advance mental calculations and is probably superior in practicing logic than Spock. And in contrast with Spock who avoids emotion as much as possible (because of his Vulcan roots), Data is very much fascinated with it – hinting of his desire to achieve his own humanity or something close to it by experiencing this important aspect of humanity (i.e. emotion).

6.) CELL

Cell is the main villain during the “Android Arc” of Dragon Ball Z. Possessing genetic materials from different warriors in the Dragon Ball Z universe – including Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Frieza – Cell was designed by his creator Dr. Gero to be the “perfect warrior” of the universe; thus, Cell possesses a wide range of powers, skills, techniques, abilities and traits. Cell is an evolving android, and with each evolution, aside from getting more powerful and cunning, he also undergoes drastic personality changes – projecting traits and attitudes of those warriors his genetic make-up is derived. He was able to achieve his ultimate form after absorbing Androids 17 and 18 (who are technically not androids at all, but cyborgs). Because of his very versatile and developing nature, he is easily one of the most exciting characters in Dragon Ball Z (in fact, in my book, Buu is the only greater Dragon Ball Z villain).

5.) HUMAN TORCH

When we mention the name “Human Torch”, what comes to mind first is Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four. Unbeknownst to most non-comic book enthusiasts, Johnny is not the first “Human Torch” in the Marvel Universe. The original Human Torch was an android who took the civilian name of Jim Hammond and was one of Marvel Comics’ “Big 3” (the other two of the three being Captain America and Namor) during its early years, back when the company still goes by the name of Timely Comics. Just like Johnny Storm, the original Human Torch – Jim Hammond – has the ability to envelop his entire body or portions of it with flames, shoot out flames, and fly. While Johnny gained his powers the same way as the other members of the FF, that is via cosmic radiations, Jim’s flame powers are due to the photoelectric solar cells – his power source – that cover his entire body which ignites his epidermis into flames upon contact with oxygen.

4.) VISION

The Vision is arguably Marvel Comics’ most popular android character. Probably because of being a prominent Avenger for years. The Vision is a synthezoid built by the robot villain Ultron (who himself is a creation of Hank Pym a.k.a. Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Yellowjacket/the Scientist Supreme) from the remains of a divergent Human Torch (see number 5) with neural processors similar to the brain patterns of Wonder Man. Originally intended to be used against Avengers, the Vision was able to overcome his initial programming and instead aided the Avengers against his creator Ultron. Since then, the Vision has been a loyal and valiant Avenger. The Vision has an array of powers but his most iconic power is the ability to turn intangible and phase through solid objects.

3.) ROCKMAN

Rockman, also known as Megaman, is one of the most iconic video game characters in history. I remember that I had greatly enjoyed playing my Mega Man game (can’t remember which game was it) in our FamCom. And Rockman was one of my top choices for my team when I was playing Marvel vs. Capcom. The character is sometimes erroneously identified as a cyborg, but he is not. As what is clearly established by his origin story, he is 100% robot (with human appearance). He was created by Dr. Light to serve as his lab assistant and was christened “Rock”. To effectively carry out his intended function, Rock has a “Variable Tool System” that allows him to mimic any tool after observing how it had been used. When Dr. Light’s envious nemesis, Dr. Wiley, reprogrammed Dr. Light’s robots to become his minions with intentions of world domination, Rock the lab assistant volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot to stop Wiley and his robots. He then applies his ability to mimic tools in his crusade by copying the special weapons or abilities of the robots he defeats – making the character and the games’ concept unique and exciting.

2.) MACHINE MAN (X-51)

I am not really sure why but at that time I picked up that old Machine Man comicbook (bought it along with other old comics surplus), he became my most favorite android superhero. Maybe because of his X-Men-like struggle – just as the X-Men are being hated and feared by the world they protect for being mutants, Machine Man was being hated and feared by the world he protects for being a robot. Or maybe because of his dramatic origin story (his predecessors – 50 past X-model robots – became dangerously delusional and psychotic due to insufficient programming. His “father”, Dr. Able Stack, however, theorized that the only way a robot will function like a human is if it was raised as one, and this is what Dr. Stack did with X-51. Of course, as typical of heroes of that time, there’s a need for a tragedy to occur to push him into becoming a hero. In the case of X-51, his “father” Dr. Stack was killed when he removed an auto-destruct device from X-51 to save him from it. X-51 vowed to usher in Dr. Stack’s dream of peaceful co-existence between AI robots and humans. He would adopt the name of Aaron Stack, and as Machine Man, he became a superhero while blending in among humans and being a fugitive from the military). Or maybe because of his cool Inspector Gadget-esque collection of robotic abilities, especially the telescopic limbs. Or maybe because he is the connection between the Marvel Universe and the sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey (Seriously. I kid you not). Or just all of them put together. Whatever reason/s, I just found myself drawn to the character of Aaron Stack a.k.a. Machine Man and I wish he would gain more popularity as a comic book character. (Considering he already had been an Avenger before, I am surprised he is not included in the roster of the upcoming Avengers A.I.)

1.) R. DANEEL OLIVAW

I really love Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels and Foundation novels, and it was awesome how he linked the two book series, along with the Empire novels, together. And Daneel was the most identifiable connection. In the early Robot novels (Caves of Steel and Naked Sun), we get to be first introduced to Daneel. He is human in appearance but is actually a robot, as indicated with the “R.” in his name (with “R” meaning “robot”); and, just like other robots in Asimov’s Robot universe, is subject to the “Three Laws of Robotics”:

1.) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2.) A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3.) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
(If a robot violates or thinks it has violated any of the Laws, the robot’s positronic brain will self-destruct.)

Daneel was the first of the only two “humaniforms” (robots that have human appearances and are very indistinguishable from human beings, with regards to outward appearance) ever created. He, in three of the four Robot novels, served as an invaluable partner to Elijah Baley – one of the most fascinating detectives in fiction – in his investigations of the novels’ respective murder mysteries. Daneel possesses a special ability called “cerebroanalysis”, which allows him to read mental and emotional states of the humans he meets. Later on, R. Giskard Reventlov would transfer his telepathic abilities to Daneel before his deactivation, enabling the latter to completely read human minds and influence their thoughts and emotions to carry out the Zeroth Law of Robotics – "A robot may not harm humanity, or through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm." This Law, which supposedly transcends the original Three Laws of Robotics, was devised by Daneel and Giskard after discourses of the Three Laws’ limitations. From that day onwards of the Zeroth Law’s inception, for millennia, Daneel would work behind the scenes of human history – including events in the Foundation and Empire novels – manipulating humanity into paths he believes would improve or preserve the human race. It was through his machinations and pushing that would lead to Hari Seldon to create “psychohistory” – application of statistics to predict future historical events. This was the same “psychohistory” or “Laws of Humanics” that Daneel and Giskard had theorized during their discourse which they believed would allow them to execute the Zeroth Law in a quantitative sense.

Top 10 "Captain"-Named Superheroes

2013-03-29T18:20:00.001+08:00

Aside of “Man” (e.g. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Power Man), “Captain” is probably the most archetypal or common word attached on a superhero name. Having the “Captain” in his name doesn’t necessarily mean he has this particular military or maritime title (though there are some in this list who does have the appropriate military background for it), but it does imply that this superhero has some chops as a leader and/or is an “A-list” type of superhero.

10.) CAPTAIN CAVEMAN

To start this list, let’s have a Hanna-Barbera character, who is an obvious gag of the whole “slapping ‘Captain’ on the superhero’s name” thing. So with “Captain” preceding “Caveman”, we get a superhero from the Stone Age. Simple eye-roll inducing superhero christening. Anyway, I still find Captain Caveman a fun character when I was a kid, especially because of his ability to pull different objects hidden in his hairy body and hilariously crashing whenever he flies (because of losing “energy”).

9.) CAPTAIN HAMMER

Captain Hammer might be a “superhero” but he serves as the antagonist (the only antagonist in this list) of the terrific musical short film Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog. Being a narcissist, Captain Hammer’s “heroic” actions are more for the sake of feeding his vanity and ego. Despite of this, he is easily a likable character – probably because of actor Nathan Fillion’s charm and how the story’s climax used Captain Hammer’s super-strength as an illustration to introduce a thought-provoking facet of the said super power: to be invulnerable, due to super strength, means having the whole concept of pain foreign to the one bearing this power; thus, having no idea of what pain is gives him a low tolerance for pain that when he feels it for the first time – no matter how minor – since he’s not used to what pain is and has developed no idea on dealing with it, he will be completely overwhelmed by the feeling, causing massive trauma.

8.) CAPTAIN COMMANDO

Captain Commando is one of the most fascinating video game characters I’ve encountered as a kid. I love his self-titled game and he’s one of my favorite characters in the Marvel vs. Capcom game. Captain Commando is supposed to be a futuristic superhero that fights super-powered crime. He possesses several gadgets, most notably his “Energy Gloves” which allows him to shoot fire and electricity bolts. He attaches the word “Captain” in all his techniques, like “Captain Kick”, “Captain Cannon”, “Captain Goggles”, etc. Now doing this is absolutely corny, but these techniques however are highly invaluable and his fire and electricity attacks are powerfully badass. He is assisted by the “Commando Team” which is made up of a mummy, a ninja, and a baby piloting a mecha.

7.) CAPTAIN ATOM

Captain Atom is said to be the inspiration of the nigh omnipotent character in Watchmen, Dr. Manhattan, hence, the almost similar origin stories, powers, and character appearance. Captain Atom is probably one of the most powerful superheroes in the DC Universe because of his ability to absorb and manipulate infinite amounts of energy to a near limitless extent. He can manifest the energy he stores through a variety of ways like flight, super strength, self-sustenance, projection of energy attacks in various forms, and even the conversion of energy into matter. He is also an actual holder of a “captain” rank, being a former Air Force soldier.

6.) CAPTAIN UNIVERSE

This superhero is somewhat unique. Captain Universe is not a superhero dependent on a single identity. Rather, the Captain Universe character is a merger of the Uni-Power, an extra-dimensional force, and its chosen host. The Uni-Power would impose the power and costume of Captain Universe to a worthy host whenever a severe crisis or threat is at hand. After the crisis is resolved, the Uni-Mind would usually leave the host immediately, returning the host to his or her status quo. Dr. Strange (combining with the Micronaut leader, Commander Arcturus Rann), Spider-Man, the Hulk, a toddler, a dog, an astronaut, a small-time crook, and even a pair of identical twins are some of those chosen to become Captain Universe in the past to deal with a situation. Captain Universe possesses immense amount of power and his (or her) abilities include superhuman strength, flight, time travel, telekinesis, highly enhanced senses, and unlimited projection and supply of energy. An African-American woman named Tamara Devoux is the current Captain Universe and is, surprisingly, a member of the current roster of Avengers. It’s still not yet fully revealed what is this Captain Universe’s mission and why she had joined the Avengers.

5.) CAPTAIN PLANET

Whenever the Planeteers found themselves on a tight corner or in a fight that they couldn’t win on their own, they combine their elemental ring powers – earth, fire, wind, water, and heart (which is supposed to be the element of emotion, if I understood it right) – to summon Captain Planet, who possesses all of these elemental powers magnified (as what the end song of the show said). Captain Planet has various abilities, which includes weather control; flight; invisibility; telepathy; and fire, water, wind, and earth projection and manipulation. His power increases whenever he gets in contact with nature or pure, clean forms of natural elements (i.e. clean water, sunlight, lava, etc.). But despite of being a powerful hero, he is also greatly vulnerable to pollution. Captain Planet fights in the same way as Spider-Man and Buffy: he makes quips, puns, taunts, and wisecracks during action or combat (probably the main reason I started to like the character).

4.) CAPTAIN BRITAIN

Though Captain Britain has been meant to be the UK counterpart of Captain America, the character has been able to separate himself from being a mere Captain America rip-off and had made a name for himself as a distinctive and interesting superhero. Despite of having ties with Science as a brilliant physicist, Captain Britain’s powers, however, originated from magical sources – specifically, Merlyn (yes, an obvious reference to Merlin). He has the usual package of typical superhero abilities – flight; and superhuman speed, stamina, strength, senses, agility, reflexes, etc. – as well as being able to create force fields. At the present, Captain Britain’s power is dependent on his confidence and emotions. Thus, whenever he feels confident, he’s powerful, but whenever he begins to doubt himself, his power grows weaker. Aside of becoming a prominent member of British superhero teams like Excalibur (UK’s X-Men counterpart) and MI-13 (UK’s S.H.I.E.L.D./Avengers counterpart), Captain Britain had also been an Avenger and is an automatic member of the Captain Britain Corps, a group of superheroes made up of the different Captain Britains of different universes or realities whose purpose is to serve as guardians of the Multiverse.

3.) CAPTAIN MARVEL

There had been various supeheroes in Marvel Comics that had taken the name of “Captain Marvel”. My most favorite among them is the most recent “Captain Marvel”: Carol Danvers, who had been Ms. Marvel for most of her superhero career. I admit that it’s probably because I greatly adore Ms. Marvel – the most badass female Avenger, in my opinion (wish she’s on the next Avengers movie) – and am apathetic with those different male Captain Marvels. Recently, she decided to take the mantle of “Captain Marvel” for herself to carry on the legend of the original Captain Marvel (the Kree, Mar-Vell). And I totally dig this development. We always assume that a “Captain” superhero should be male when being a “Captain” is not at all limited to males. Females can have the title of “Captain” as well. So kudos to whoever had this idea (I like the Ms. Marvel costume though over Carol’s new Captain Marvel look) to make Carol Danvers a female superhero having a “Captain” superhero name. I strongly support any attempt – if any – of pushing Captain Marvel to become the “Wonder Woman” of Marvel Comics. The character – when she was still Ms. Marvel – has somewhat earned it in my book.

2.) CAPTAIN MARVEL

Chosen by the wizard Shazam to inherit his powers and be a champion for good, whenever teenage Billy Batson exclaims the wizard’s name – “Shazam!” – he is struck by a bolt of lightning and transforms into his adult alter-ego, Captain Marvel. The word “Shazam” also serves as an acronym for Greco-Roman mythological names (with the exception of Solomon) that serve as representation of what powers Batson gains when he becomes Captain Marvel: these are Solomon (vast knowledge and wisdom), Hercules (super strength), Atlas (stamina, endurance, healing factor, invulnerability), Zeus (lightning bolts), Achilles (courage, fighting skills, invulnerability), and Mercury (super speed, flight). Because Marvel Comics owns the trademark for the Captain Marvel title, DC’s Captain Marvel has been marketed and alternately referred to as “Shazam” for years, which would ultimately force DC to officially rename the character as “Shazam” in its recent New 52 reboot. Despite of this, Shazam/Captain Marvel remains the most popular and most remarkable “Captain Marvel” character there has ever been (there was even a time when he was more popular than Superman, in terms of comicbook sales) in the history of comics.

1.) CAPTAIN AMERICA

Dozens of superheroes may be out there bearing the “Captain” in their names, but there is only one “Captain” that would always stand above them all. There is only one “Captain” that can be nicknamed and referred to as “Cap” and be distinguished above all other “Captains”. This “Captain” is THE Captain. In fact, there had been times Steve Rogers had taken the name of “The Captain” when his birthright superhero name, “Captain America”, is unavailable or unsuitable for use.

Spider-Man (or Wolverine) might be Marvel Comics’ most popular character but in the Marvel Universe, Captain America is “The Man” – the most respected, esteemed, admired, and beloved superhero in the Marvel U. He is more than a superhero; he is the icon of the superhero community. He is easily looked up to as a leader by other superheroes – particularly, the Avengers – not only because of being a superior tactician and brilliant field commander (due to his military background), but also because he has the innate ability to inspire others and bring out the best in them.

Captain America is selfless, bold, noble, and extremely loyal to the ideas, morals, and principles he stands for – the same ideas, morals, and principles the United States of America had been historically founded upon (which, I like to believe, is a fact and not merely a product of historical romanticism). He would pursue a righteous objective with dogged determination and burning tenacity, and would make a stand for what he believes is right with uncompromising stubbornness, unshakable conviction, and unflinching courage; regardless if his objective or stand is against impossible odds, unpopular, or/and very costly or dangerous to do.

Take note that Cap has no superhuman powers whatsoever. The super-soldier serum that Steve Rogers took only gave him – who was thin and frail prior the treatment he had undergone – a physique that is the zenith of what a human body can attain. Any physical strength, athleticism, conditioning, and stamina he gained are only that of the extent of what’s humanly possible. Thus, he is closer to the Batman-type of superhero (no super powers) than to the Superman-type (with super powers). The difference is Batman attained the apex of human physicality through brutal exercise while Cap attained it through a serum. However, this doesn’t mean that Captain America is no hard worker. Not at all. Captain America became one of the most skilled and deadly combatants in the Marvel Universe because of rigorous and intensive training. He studied different fighting disciplines and martial arts, assimilating them into his own fighting style, which incorporates the use of his formidable trademark shield.

Superman is Captain America’s counterpart in DC Universe as the icon that all other superheroes look up to. Yes, Superman is one of the most heroic of superheroes; uncompromising, morally steadfast, brave in facing threats and danger, selflessly putting himself in harm’s way to protect others, etc. But Superman is a very powerful superhero. Supes is bullet-proof, nigh invulnerable. Captain America, however, has these heroic convictions that Superman has and does these heroic things that Superman does despite having no superpowers at all. He is mortal. He is not bullet-proof. And, if you look at it in this light, that is more impressive. Captain America is sheer heart, guts, and badassery.

Top 10 Brain Twisters/Riddles

2013-03-14T12:18:00.001+08:00

I consider brain twisters/riddles as one of the most pleasurable types of mental stimulation. Primarily because – since it’s, first and foremost, designed for fun – they don’t usually have the burden of pressure and consequences, as what is involved with most problem solving thinking situations. And, of course, the overwhelming experience of getting your “mind blown” is always thrilling (though the best mind blowing experiences are still found in thought experiments, which can be a considered a “higher” kind of brain twisters), and finding a solution to a problem or solving any mystery by using your mind gives a feeling of special satisfaction.

Throughout my life of enjoying brain twisters, I share here the top 10 that fascinated me most… by the way, the answer to each brain twister is after the “SOLUTION:” notice. Just highlight the yellow-shaded parts with your mouse to reveal the answers.

10.) THE SERVANT’S WISH

Once upon a time, in the West Lake village, a servant lived with his master. After service of 30 years, his master became ill and was going to die. One day, the master called his servant and offered him for a wish. It could be any wish but just one. The master gave him one day to think about it. The servant became very happy and went to his mother to discuss the wish. His mother was blind and she asked her son to wish for her eye-sight to come back. Next, the servant went to his wife. She became very excited and asked for a son as they were childless for many years. After that, the servant went to his father who wanted to be rich and so he asked his son to wish for a lot of money. The next day he went to his master and made one wish through which all the three (mother, father, wife) got what they wanted. What was his wish?

To be honest, I wasn’t able to solve this at all.

SOLUTION: "I wish for my mother to see her grandson swinging on a swing of gold."

9.) MISSING SQUARE PUZZLE

This geometrical paradox blew me away when I first encountered it. “How could this be? How come when the parts of the 13x5 triangle are rearranged, a missing 1x1 square part is exposed? Bah, Math is sorcery!” Clue: It’s an optical illusion (which means it’s not what it seems), thus, trickery is involved.

SOLUTION: Neither of the “triangles” is actually a triangle. It only appears that they are. But they aren’t. The “hypotenuse” is flawed. It is bent and doesn’t have a proper slope. Thus, with no proper slope, a proper 13x5 triangle can’t be actually made from the given parts.

8.) 5 APPLES IN A BASKET

A basket contains 5 apples. There are 5 people in the room. You need to distribute the apples among the 5 people so that each one has an apple, with one apple still remaining in the basket. How can it be done?

The answer to this riddle is very easy. You just need to think out of the box. Tip: some simple smartassery is required. I’ve always been a smartass that on the first time I encountered this riddle, I gave the correct answer in a second.

SOLUTION: 4 persons each get an apple. The fifth gets the basket with the fifth apple still in it.

7.) CLEVEREST FUNNY RIDDLE EVER

The Pope has it but he does not use it.

Your father has it but your mother uses it.

Nuns do not need it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a big one,

Michael J. Fox’s is quite small.

What is it?

This one is guaranteed to incite chuckles and giggles. Especially if it’s the first time you hear this. The answer is obvious when you think about it (and, oh, it’s not green at all!).

SOLUTION: Surname

6.) SOCKS IN THE DARKNESS

There are several variations of this sock riddle. But the first time I encountered this riddle was on the Vol. 1 No. 2 issue of the International Edition of Disney Adventures magazine. Here’s how it went:

Jacquie got up before sunrise to set off on the annual family holiday. She was a hopeless early-morning riser, so before she went to bed she had packed her bags and carefully laid out on the chair at the end of her bed the clothes she would wear on the first day of journey.

When Jacquie awoke and began to get ready, the light globe in her room blew. She managed to find all her clothes in the dark except her socks, which she had forgotten to lay out. She knew she had 10 red socks and 10 polka-dot socks in her drawer, and could find them by touch, but the trouble was the socks were not paired.

She didn’t care whether she wore red socks or polka-dot socks that day, but she did want to wear a matching pair.

Jacquie could hear her folks yelling at her to hurry up. She didn’t have much time. What was the least number of socks Jacquie would have to take from her drawer to make sure she had a matching pair of socks?

Again, this is actually quite easy when you carefully think about it.

SOLUTION: Three. The possible combinations are: a.) she’ll get three red socks; b.) she’ll get three polka-dot socks; c.) she’ll get two red socks and a polka-dot sock; and d.) she’ll get two polka-dot socks and a red sock. No matter what of the four possibilities turns up, she’ll surely get a matching pair.

5.) BEAR HUNTING

Much like number 6, there are several variations of this. But the first one I encountered – and still the best so far – went something like this:

A hunter returns to his tent to find it trashed by a bear. Furious, the hunter quickly went back out to search for the bear. He walked one mile south and then one mile west. He found the bear and killed it with his rifle. He then traveled one mile north back to his tenth. What color was the bear?

This brain twister would require someone to have decent analytical and logical skills. Once a proper train of thought or reasoning is established with the help of the given facts, an answer can be easily derived.

SOLUTION: White. It was a polar bear since the hunter’s tent was located on the North Pole (as established by the description of the hunter’s journey from and back to the cabin).

4.) THE HARDEST LOGIC PUZZLE EVER

Three gods A , B , and C are called, in some order, True, False, and Random. True always speaks truly, False always speaks falsely, but whether Random speaks truly or falsely is a completely random matter. Your task is to determine the identities of A , B , and C by asking three yes-no questions; each question must be put to exactly one god. The gods understand English, but will answer in their own language, in which the words for yes and no are “da” and “ja”, in some order. You do not know which word means which.

Now, I don’t expect you to be able to solve this puzzle. There’s a reason that this puzzle invented by the logician and puzzle-master Raymond Smullyan, and slightly modified by the computer scientist John McCarthy, has been coined “The Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever” by George Boolos (a legendary philosopher, logician, and teacher in MIT). You should be a logician in the super-genius level to solve this. Nonetheless, this puzzle is pretty fascinating to me. I was intrigued that a puzzle has been given such a title as “The Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever”. This hard, complex problem puts perspective on, no matter how good of a logician I am, I am still so far off from the big leagues. Really made me feel small. LOL.

Anyway, just Google for the solution if you are interested in knowing the solution.

3.) LOGIC PROBLEMS

I think the most popular of this is the “Who owns the fish?” Logic Problem, which is a variation of the “Zebra Puzzle.” The “Zebra Puzzle” is also known as “Einstein’s Puzzle” or “Einstein’s Riddle” because, according to legend, he invented it when he was a boy. It is very hard to solve (but easier than number 3) that it’s sometimes said that only 2% of the world’s population can solve it. Anyway, this is how the “Who owns the fish?” variation goes:

There are five houses in a row and each house is a different color.

A different man lives in each house and is from a different country.

Each person drinks a certain drink, plays a certain sport, and keeps a certain pet.

No two people drink the same drink, play the same sport, or raise the same pet.

Use the following 15 facts to determine who owns the fish:
-The Brit lives in a red house
-The Swede keeps dogs
-The Dane drinks tea
-The green house is on the left of the white house
-The green house owner drinks coffee
-The person who plays polo rears birds
-The owner of the yellow house plays hockey
-The man living in the house right in the center drinks milk
-The Norwegian lives in the first house
-The man who plays baseball lives next to the man who keeps cats
-The man who keeps horses lives next to the one who plays hockey
-The man who plays billiards drinks beer
-The German plays soccer
-The Norwegian lives next to the blue house
-The man who plays baseball has a neighbor who drinks water.

SOLUTION: The German owns the fish. (Google for yourself the process how)

This kind of logic problems is solvable by the help of making matrixes. Example, if you have five characters with five different things for five different occasions, you’ll need three 5-by-5 charts: characters to things, characters to occasions, and things to occasions. (If you have four things to solve for, you’ll need six charts. You get the idea.) Then merely use logic to eliminate and connect.

Here’s an easier Logic Problem, one of the earliest I have encountered and was able to solve (this is found in the book “The Complete Book of Bible Puzzles 1” by Randy Petersen):

Zechariah saw a vision of seven lamps on a lampstand. Each was connected by a pipe to a bowl of oil, which was supplied by olive trees. Well, let’s play with this picture a bit. Let’s say each of the lamps bears a different name – in honor of the promised Messiah. The names are “Branch”, “Son of Man”, “Ancient of Days”, “Root”, “Ruler”, “Prince of Peace”, and “Sun of Righteousness.”

In addition, each of the pipes is made of a different metal – gold, silver, bronze, zinc, iron, copper, and tin. Each pipe connects with one of the two trees – either to the left one or the right one. See if you can determine which metal made up the pipe leading to which lamp, and which of the two trees it got its oil from.

Info:

1.) The gold pipe leads to the lamp that gets its name from Zechariah 6:12.

2.) The olive tree on the left supplies tree of the lamps.

3.) The silver and tin pipes lead to lamps whose names begin with the same letter. Those two pipes also hook up to the same tree.

4.) There are two lamps that get their names from Daniel 7:13. These are connected to two pipes whose metals are mentioned in Daniel 2:32.

5.) Two of the pipes leading from the left tree are copper and zinc.

6.) The lamp whose name comes from Isaiah 9:6 is hooked up to the same tree that supplies the iron pipe.

7.) The names of the lamps supplied by the copper and zinc pipes begin with different letters.

8.) The lamp named “Ruler” is supplied by a pipe whose metal also ends with an R.

Those clues should be enough. But if you need more, here are some more clues…

9.) Only one name starts with a vowel. Its lamp is hooked up to the tree on the right.

10.) The lamps named “Baruch” and “Root” are hooked up to different trees.

11.) The lamp whose name comes from Micah 5:2 is connected to a different tree from the one that supplies the bronze pipe.

12.) Of the lamps named “Ancient of Day”, “Ruler”, and “Prince of Peace”, only one hooks up to the tree on the right.

This time, I won’t provide the solution. (Too lazy to type it. LOL) It’s easy. Just work on it.

2.) DINGBATS/REBUS PUZZLES

I was first introduced to this kind of puzzle during my freshmen English class (our English teacher was awesome; she is probably my most favorite teacher ever). The objective of the puzzle is to determine what common saying, term, word, or phrase is being interpreted by the picture. Example:

The answer is “Tricycle” because of the word “Cycle” being repeated three times.

Another example:

That’s “Reading between the lines”.

Here’s some that you can try solving:

SOLUTION: “Six feet underground”, “Apple pie”, “Seven seas”, “Three degrees below zero”, “Standing ovation”, “Just around the corner”, and “Jack in a box”

1.) TWO-MINUTE MYSTERIES

This is my most favorite kind of brain twister. “Two-Minute Mysteries” (written by Donald J. Sobol) are bite-sized cases (which had been compiled into paperback volumes) featuring Dr. Haledjian, who is arguably one of the most brilliant detectives in fiction. After each short tale (in which the clues and details are presented), the reader is given the opportunity to solve the mystery. Thus, reading “Two-Minute Mysteries” is guaranteed to be both engagingly entertaining and mentally stimulating. It tests the extent of the reader’s stock knowledge, attention to detail, and analytical skill. Here’s a two-minute mystery sample, “The Case of the Dead Frenchman”:

The body of Yves du Motier was found in the bedroom of the apartment belonging to Silas Howe, the coin collector.
Du Motier had been stabbed to death with a letter opener. The body lay four feet from the rumpled bed.
“Death occurred about 8:30 am, or half an hour before the body was discovered,” Inspector Winters told Dr. Haledjian.
“I telephoned Silas Howe, who has been in Philadelphia attending a numismatics convention. He says that last month he brought du Motier, a French coin collector and an old friend, from France for an operation to restore du Motier’s hearing.
“The way it looks, somebody used a skeleton key to get into Howe’s apartment and tried to steal his rare coin. Du Motier must have awakened, seen the intruder, and in the struggle was slain. The safe where Howe keeps his coins was unopened. No coins are missing as far as we can tell.”
“Who notified the police?” inquired Haledjian.
“James Wilkes, a neighbor in the apartment house. Wilkes was on his way to work when he saw Howe’s door open, and hearing the alarm clock ringing, investigated. He found the Frenchman dead on the floor.”
“When did Howe leave for Philadelphia, and who can verify his presence there?” asked Haledjian.
“He left three days ago,” said the Insepector. “We contacted his hotel manager, who swears Howe was in and out on each of the past three days. Say – I see what you’re getting at!”
Whom did Haledjian suspect?

SOLUTION: Wilkes – who claimed to have been attracted by the ringing of the alarm clock – a fatal slip, since du Motier who was deaf would not have set the alarm.

If you are able to find a volume of “Two-Minute Mysteries” in a bookstore, buy it. It’s going to be worth it.

A Weather Storm is Brewing

2013-03-07T19:46:00.002+08:00

Just around the corner, a Weather Machine sits…

A terrifying storm is brewing…

You can feel it in the air.

Tingling feeling from increasing static.

Rapid change in pressure.

You can almost smell the ozone forming.

It’s coming soon...

00:00

Suddenly…

Thick, dark clouds swiftly gather above

Darkness envelopes the place.

Then… the Wrath of Heaven blasts down!

Massive devastation.

The scariest thing about this is:

Even if you aren’t the target all,

With all those deadly lightning bolts chaotically striking about,

You can easily become part of the collateral damage.

Lightning storms almost spare no one.

2012 in Review (Part 7): Wrap-Up

2013-03-02T16:11:00.001+08:00

I would have wanted to do two or three more parts for this series, but it’s March already and I have to wrap this up. Maybe having a series format for the review of 2012 wasn’t a good idea after all; never found the time to finish all the parts in January, as intended. Won’t do this again for the review of 2013. LOL.

So how would I evaluate 2012? Hmmm. It was okay… but could have been better. Both 2010 and 2011 had been more awesomely notable. Since 2009, I felt that each successive year has been better than the previous. Now 2012 had some amazing stuff for me, however, I can’t say it was a better year than 2011. Let’s say, that with 2012, I feel like I’m still stuck with the “step one.” Still, I am thankful of 2012.

In 2012, I screwed up aplenty, but God is so gracious, He bailed me a lot, too. Of course, I’m deeply sorry of all my mistakes, but eternally grateful for God’s mercy and protection.

God has shielded me from any major tragedies and sufferings (and I pray He would continually do so). There were some heartbreaks, but, because of God’s grace, immediate speedy healing follows. There were some discouragements, but I was always reminded to put my hope in God always and trust His wisdom.

There weren’t much personal glory obtained during the year, but that doesn’t matter; I just hope I was able to amply give glory to God in 2012, which is more important.

Lastly, I think the top highlight of 2012 in my life is the fact that I gained a lot of weight that I’m now officially fat (never had a fat physique since I was in my early parts of being a twelve year old). Hehe.

2012 wasn’t really as terrific as I wanted it to be. But it didn’t suck either. I had a blessed year as always. Life has always been full of struggles. But God is good. And everyday in my life, He makes sure that I am reminded of this.

2012 in Review (Part 6): My Reads

2013-02-28T00:00:00.001+08:00

This January AND February, for my traditional reviewing of the previous year, I will be writing a series of articles that would recap or evaluate some (if I have the time, then all) of the highlights of 2012 that involved, concerned, compelled, and/or fascinated me… this is the sixth of seven parts…

I’ve always loved reading. And, just like every year, I read a lot in 2012. The difference is, it’s the first time I’ve realized that I’ve been already doing more reading digitally than of actual print. Times are indeed evolving. That’s why fighting off legislation that put extreme limitations on Internet freedom – like those hazardous ones in 2012, the United States’ SOPA and PIPA and the Philippine’s Anti-Cyber Crime Law (because of flawed and tyrannical clauses, especially the anti-libel clause) – will always be necessary.

Most of my reading now involves massive amount of Internet articles and digital comics. But this 2012, I still acquired some (printed) books – since I still find the E-Book format inconvenient to the eyes (though I may find this no longer the case if I finally get a tablet of my own. LOL) – the most notable being A Golden Compass (because, now, I have all three “His Dark Materials” books) and, a Jack Ryan thriller, Red Rabbit. In 2012 however, novels and pocketbooks no longer made up the majority of my dose of fiction from literature. It returned to comics again. I’ve always read plenty of both comics and novels, but in the past years, the ratio of concentration I have for them was either more on novels or 50-50 at most; the last time I read more comics than novels was probably when I was still a kid. Well, until 2012.

I acquired some trade paperbacks (I now mostly purchase trade paperbacks or collections than individual comicbooks. Saves some money) in 2012, but most of my comicbook reading was done through – yes – the Internet. Massive amount of downloadable digital comics out there.

Anyway, here were the highlights – things that easily come to mind as I write this – of my 2012 comicbook reading.

Katekyō Hitman Reborn! unexpectedly ended in 2012. I was caught by surprise as I finished reading chapter 409. Just like that, it was the last chapter. There was no warning that the manga was going to end. I love how all of Vongola’s antagonists throughout the manga’s run ended up becoming their allies eventually. Still, I was disappointed it has to end just like that. A mafia-themed manga/anime, regardless of being over the top, was a brilliant premise; there were still a lot of potential terrific concepts and stories to explore. Bummer. Anyway, 409 chapters was already a decent run. So with Reborn! finished, and Hunter X Hunter undergoing another lengthy hiatus, I’m now down to following six mangas.

DC Comics’ New 52 continues this 2012, though it feels it’s already losing its novelty and momentum. The best comic title of DC in 2012 was, in my opinion, Batman. I’ve also enjoyed Stormwatch much. Also, last year, DC established a Superman and Wonder Woman relationship as the new status quo.

Interesting, but I still find the Clark Kent-Lois Lane-Superman “love triangle” more interesting.

Over at Marvel, Hawkeye was the surprising best comic title of the year. The writing and how the character – a B-list superhero – was handled were terrific.

“Avengers vs. X-Men” was the annual major Marvel event of the year. Just like “Civil War”, I found it a brilliant premise, but the execution of the story fell short. Just like “Civil War”, “Avengers vs. X-Men” never became the epic clash I expected it to be.

Late in the year, Marvel – in an obvious attempt to mimic the success of DC’s “New 52” relaunch gimmick – started the “Marvel NOW!” relaunch (which is still ongoing).

2012 also marked the first time Earth-616 – the main Marvel continuity – and Earth-1610 – the Ultimate continuity – interacted with each other. Contact between the two universes used to be off-limits; but it’s finally done in the Spider-Men mini-series, as 616 Peter Parker crossed over to the 1610 Universe – a reality in which his counterpart is dead – and met Miles Morales, the teenager who took the mantle of Spider-Man after the 1610 Spider-Man was killed.

Speaking of Spider-Man, the biggest and most controversial comic book event of the year was in the shocking Amazing Spider-Man #700.

A dying Otto Octavious was able to develop the technology and scheme to switch consciousness or bodies with Spider-Man. Thus, as he hijacks Peter Parker’s body, Peter is left trapped in Doc Ock’s dying body. Pete (in Doc Ock’s body) made an attempt to re-gain his body back but failed. Dying and defeated in Doc Ock’s body, a desperate Peter decided to transfer all his memories to Doc Ock (who is occupying Pete’s body). This gambit worked, managing to “reform” Doc Ock. After realizing what being Spider-Man is all about, Otto decided to live on as Spider-Man, to now fight for the side of good instead of the other way around. This was the beginning of Otto Octavious as the Superior Spider-Man (as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch). Despite being a dramatic and original development, this didn’t sit well with us Spidey fans. Writer Dan Slott even received death threats. (Will be sharing my thoughts on the Superior Spider-Man some other time).

Lastly, the best read I have this year was a children’s book by Jeffrey Brown titled “Darth Vader and Son.” It’s incredibly clever, funny, and adorable; featuring situations of Darth Vader being a dad to a little Luke Skywalker. Here is a glimpse of this terrific book:

Wedding Serenade

2013-02-26T21:46:00.005+08:00

Last January 26, we performed some songs during the reception of the wedding of one of our Korean members at church. Below is a clip of our set. It was not the first time we performed on a wedding, but this was, as far as I am concerned, the first time that our performance on a wedding was videoed.

click here for more videos

What My Left Eye Feels Like

2013-02-19T22:24:00.000+08:00

This is no exaggeration. (Almost.)

To be fair, this is not the first time my eyes screamed “Get us checked up!”

In the past, I would experience this feeling of “wormy” irritation behind my eyes (usually, my left) days or weeks at a time, then it would eventually subside.

Before, I would delay any opportunity or refuse any invitation of going to an eye doctor. Never wanted to wear glasses. I perceived it as an inconvenience.

But this time around, I won’t mind going. In fact, I would gladly welcome any (free) chance of getting an eye check-up. I would gladly wear glasses. Having to wear glasses is waaaaaaay preferable than having an irreversible eye condition.

"Valentines? Bah, Humbug!" Part 2

2013-02-14T21:24:00.001+08:00

This time around, it would carry a different tone from what I wrote two years ago.

I have a problem with Valentine’s Day. A particular date – Februrary 14 – should never dictate when one should make somebody feel special. Because if it does, it creates expectations. Toxic expectations, that when not met, creates nasty disappointments and heartbreaks.

Valentine’s Day makes you aim for a superficial title. The title of being “romantic.” It makes you live for a superficial experience. To experience an idea called “romantic.” And when this idea of “romantic” is not achieved, if nothing “romantic” happened, then the day becomes a failure. Being “romantic” becomes more important than the actual person.

That’s just sad, isn’t it? The memory of being loving the entire year is erased if you fail to be “romantic” during this one particular day.

Bah, humbug.

2012 in Review (Part 5): My Own Movie Awards

2013-02-14T14:28:00.000+08:00

This Janu - oh, my... it’s already February! And I still have 3 or 4 of this left to do! Let me continue (and, hopefully, conclude) this February this series of articles that would recap or evaluate some (if I have the time, then all) of the highlights of 2012 that involved, concerned, compelled, and/or fascinated me… this is the fifth part…

Forget the Oscars. This is the first ever “Bernels.”

I’ve already picked out my top movies of 2012; so this time, I will be picking out winners by categories relating to the movies of the past year. The categories are not necessarily similar of those being given out in the Academy Awards or Golden Globes. This is just for fun, with only one criterion in picking out the categories and winners: my preference.

Let’s begin.

Best Movie Moment: The Avengers’ Final Battle

There’s no other movie moment that gave me such feeling of rapturous delight and spellbound absorption as much as that part of the Avengers where the team squared off with Loki and the Chitauri in New York City. Every Avenger shined: Iron Man being awesome was already a given, because ever since Robert Downey Jr. portrayed him in film, we expect nothing less of the character but cocky and witty awesomeness. Captain America was impressive in his solo film, but we all know that Cap shines most when he does some captaining with the Avengers, and this was brilliantly shown in that sequence, as he makes a clear battle plan for efficiently fighting the Chitauri. Thor is arguably the most powerful Avenger (but, like Superman, is holding off his full power), and this was also displayed well in that sequence. Black Widow and Hawkeye were not merely supplementary or “padding” for the roster but were showed to have the chops of being great A-list superheroes, despite not having any superhuman abilities. And Hulk… more about him later.

I’ve watched that sequence in The Avengers no less than a dozen times, both from watching the entire film over again and forwarding the film to that point where Loki and Stark were trading banters. Shows how much I loved this movie moment.

(In fact, writing about it now compelled me to watch it again. LOL)

Runner-Ups: Cabin in the Woods’ Horror All-Stars Havoc, Pencak Silat fest in The Raid: Redemption

Best Movie Hero: Hulk (The Avengers)

Yes, every Avenger shined in the movie, but the Hulk stole every scene he’s in. The scene where he tossed around the arrogant Loki like a ragdoll was reason enough to become my pick as best male movie character.

Hulk, despite being one of founding members of the team, is never a fit for team play. He is an unpredictable, uncontrollable Weapon of Mass Destruction. Therefore, as a WMD, he is a powerful and dangerous threat to both enemies and the side he’s on. This is what Hulk on a superhero team brings. And this interesting element has been perfectly depicted in the movie. That’s why, when Cap was instructing the Avengers on their battle plan, Cap’s command to Hulk was merely “Smash.” And he did.

Runner-Ups: Dr. Schulz (Django Unchained), 007 (Skyfall), Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)

Best Movie Heroine: Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)

I’m always a sucker for strong no-nonsense female characters. And Katniss is one of them. She is tenacious, independent, and intelligent. Toughened by having a hard life, her primarily concern is survival and she has no room for unnecessary things like romance. Being a survivalist, her instincts and will carried her through in making the right calls during the Hunger Games – a televised free-for-all deathmatch among teenagers – allowing her to stand tall in the end.

Runner-Ups: Selena Kyle (Dark Knight Rises),

Best Movie Villain: Mad Dog (The Raid: Redemption)

The movie The Raid: Redemption was a treasury of intense fight scenes – the best piece of close combat epicness I’ve seen in a movie for a long time. And two of the three best fight scenes have Mad Dog (the right hand man of the drug lord who the SWAT protagonists were targeting) in it. The word badass is being thrown a lot by people – including me – these days, but Mad Dog brings justice to this adjective. He is a tough, brutal, and proficient fighter who finds great thrill in fighting and killing with his bare hands. He is so confident with his skills and capabilities that he willingly puts himself in a handicap so that the fight and the kill can be more stimulating for him. Bane is a badass villain, being able to break Batman’s back; but if he finds in a fight with Mad Dog, my money is on Mad Dog.

Runner-ups: Loki (The Avengers), Bane (The Dark Knight Rises), Gollum (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)

Best Movie Villainess: Madame Thénardiers (Les Misérables)

There are not much fascinating female villains to choose from in 2012’s pool of movies, so this is almost just a “winner by default” pick. I adore Helen Bonham Carter, so I pick her character in Les Misérables. Along with Sasha Baron Cohen, they enjoyably played the dirty, dishonest husband-and-wife thieving duo, the Thénardiers, lighting the mood of the generally gloomy and dramatic musical.

Best Animal Character: Richard Parker (Life of Pi)

Richard Parker – never just “Richard” or “Parker”, but always “Richard Parker” – is the name of the tiger that shared the experience of being stranded at sea with the main character, Pi. I love how cleanly the tiger has been animated into the movie; it was so realistic that Pi’s interactions with him throughout the movie were effectively emphatic.

Best Cameo: Moose (Step Up Revolution)

I decided to watch Step Up Revolution because of three reasons: a) I am greatly entertained of great dancing, b) my date loves dancing, thus, she likes Step Up movies and wanted to watch this new one, and c) Moose’s cameo. Moose is definitely the most charismatic character that ever appeared in the Step Up franchise that a mere cameo of him makes me excited.

Runner-Up: Stan Lee (The Amazing Spider-Man)

Most Hilarious Character: Ted (Ted)

Ted, the movie and the character, is the most hilarious movie and most hilarious movie character of the year. I’ve never been a fan of Seth McFarlane. I’ve always looked at Family Guy as an inferior Simpsons rip-off. And McFarlane’s brand of humor, crude and unclassy though funny, has never appealed to me. But put that kind of humor on a teddy bear magically brought to life and it works! There’s something riotous about a typical adorable teddy bear having a vulgar mouth and lifestyle.

Best Movie News: Disney Buys Lucasfilm, Star Wars 7 in 2015!

Someday, we will wake up to find out that Mickey Mouse has become the supreme ruler of the world!

Most Terrible Movie I’ve Watched: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Ugh. What a shame. I never expect this sequel to be an awesome superhero flick, but I was nonetheless hoping it was, at least, going to be a mediocre but “okay” superhero movie like its predecessor. Ghost Rider is one of Marvel’s most intriguing properties, and this movie just crapped on it. With the exception of that scene where Ghost Rider converted a huge crane into a gigantic flaming machine, the entire movie was total garbage. There are definitely worse 2012 movies than this, but I haven’t gone to see them, knowing they’d be terrible. With Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, I gave it the benefit of the doubt, watched it, and wished I didn’t.

Best Direct-to-Video Animated Movie: The Dark Knight Rises Part 1

Since Paranorman was included in my top 10 movies for the second-half of 2012, I already implied that it’s my pick for best animated movie of the year. So, instead, let’s have a “Best Direct-to-Video Animated Movie” category instead. Superman and the Elite made the top movies of the first-half edition, but it isn’t the best. It’s The Dark Knight Rises Part 1, which was released during the second half of the year. It didn’t make the second half edition’s top 10 because movies are packed at that time and there are just better movies than it for it to be considered. Nonetheless, it is arguably one of the best animated superhero movies ever made. Based on Frank Miller’s classic, the story tells of a 55-year old Bruce Wayne who was forced to come out of retirement as Batman. Part 2 (which is even better than Part 1) was released in January 2013.

Best Action Scenes: The Raid: Redemption

My preference for a terrific action scenes are more on close-combat martial arts than Michael Bay explosions. And I’ve already mentioned that The Raid: Redemption has among the best fight scenes ever made in the history of action movies. The action scenes were savagely realistic, sustaining the movie’s testosterone intensity from start to finish.

Most Romantic Movie: Silver Linings Playbook

“The only way to beat my crazy was by doing something even crazier. Thank you. I love you. I knew it from the moment I saw you. I'm sorry it took me so long to catch up. I just got stuck.”

If that’s not romantic, I don’t know what is.

Movies I Wanted to Watch on Theater but Missed: Titanic 3D

When Avatar was released, there was still no 3D theater here in my hometown. And when it was re-released for special screening a week after the opening of the first 3D theater here, I still wasn’t able to see it. Whether you love or hate Avatar, you can’t deny that critics praise James Cameron when it comes to the use of 3D. And I’ve yet to see the visual thrill that Cameron can do with the 3D medium. This past 2012, he decided to re-release his classic Titanic in 3D. And reviews said that it’s “3D conversation done right.” That kind of praise was intriguing. Considering that based on experience, most 3D conversions I’ve seen end up as “pop-up book” visuals, I really wanted to experience this hyped 3D conversion of Titanic for myself. But I missed it. Can’t remember why. Maybe I had no money when it was released, or I had not time. The reason doesn’t matter, the fact is I was not able to see it. And it kind of sucks that I still have to wait for Avatar 2 to see if the hype about Cameron’s 3D prowess is totally warranted.

Most Underrated Movie: John Carter

Regardless of what the box office returns for this movie imply, regardless of what critics say of it, John Carter was a good and enjoyable sci-fi flick – one of the best films of 2012.

Movie That Would Have Made My Top 10 Movies of 2012 List IF I Was Able to Watch It in 2012: Django Unchained

If you’ve read the second half edition of my top 10 2012 movies list, you would know that there were movies that I wanted to watch in 2012 but wasn’t able to, thus, were not able to be considered for the top 10. But, if you notice, those movies – Life of Pi, Les Misérables, Silver Linings Playbook – are being considered here in “The Bernels”. It’s because I was able to watch them already as of writing. You might even consider “The Bernels” a “Top 10 Movies of 2012 (Post-2012 Edition)” (Hmmm. That actually sounds good. Might try it next year.) However, among those movies, only one would have made my final top 10 if I was able to watch it in 2012 (thus, would have qualified for the final top 10 picks), and that is Quentin Tarantino’s Western, Django Unchained. It would have taken the number 7 spot. I really love a good Western story and amazing Western gunslingers, and this movie has both. The characters were fascinatingly compelling, the gunfights were exhilarating, and the dialogues and monologues were very engaging.

(Bonus!) Coolest Movie-Related Stuff I Found in the Internet:

2012 marked 007’s 50^th anniversary in film. To commemorate it, somebody made this awesome GIF of all Bonds doing the trademark post-movie 007 gunshot.

2012 in Review (Part 4): Highs and Lows As a Sports Fan

2013-01-26T00:37:00.001+08:00

This January, for my traditional reviewing of the previous year, I will be writing a series of articles that would recap or evaluate some (if I have the time, then all) of the highlights of 2012 that involved, concerned, compelled, and/or fascinated me… this is the fourth part…

2012 was an Olympic year. And as usual, United States and China dominated.

The Olympics, however, is not the biggest sports story of 2012 that I cared for most. The following mattered to me more than the Olympics:

The Rock returned to Wrestlemania to bring the whuppin’ to John Cena’s candy ass.

Linsanity!

After getting cheated by the judges with his fight with Bradley, Pacman, on his next match – his fourth meeting with Marquez – would suffer the most devastating loss of his career.

But above all of these, what affected me most is the dramatic rise and fall of morale in Lakerdom…

After failing to capture the championship this 2012, falling to the Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, the Lakers management was able to acquire Dwight Howard and Steve Nash during the offseason. Everybody in Laker Nation was ecstatic. I was ecstatic. At last, the Lakers are back on being dangerous title contenders. In fact, the championship was almost a guarantee with this new Laker superteam. Every Laker fan was floating on cloud 9.

The regular season, however, brought Laker Nation crashing to the ground. The team proved to lack chemistry. They were not dominating as expected, but were losing instead. Mike Brown got fired as coach. Then Lakers hire Mike D’Antoni. Still, even with D’Antoni, the team ended the year with a mediocre 15-15 record.

(As I write this, Lakers continue to fall this January, winning only 2 games so far. With each loss, as the Lakers go further down .500, a playoff berth continues to grow dim, a championship’s now almost an impossibility. The Lakers currently have an abysmal record of 17-25.)

A Laker turnaround this 2013 is unlikely, but still possible. And as a Laker fan, I hold on to this hope.

2012 in Review (Part 3): TV Farewells and Welcomes

2013-01-25T00:14:00.001+08:00

This past year I had to say farewell to three of my favorite TV shows.

With just one season without Cuddy, House has to end? It gives the appearance that the show lost its spirit with the absence House’s love interest. Which is a wrong perception, of course. Even without Cuddy, the show has been solid and fresh. Yes, the verbal sparring and wit wars between House and Cuddy were missed, but the show remained as funny, intense, and exciting. Even more so in some episodes. House is, after all, a show about House – the most awesome TVcharacter ever. The Hugh Laurie-portrayed character alone is enough to carry the show. Such a shame House had to end considering that it was still going strong and just had to end because of lack of appropriate support (i.e. financing) from producers. Such a shame indeed. I felt it was still good enough for two or three more seasons. Heck, something like Smallville (which had its moments but was clearly inferior to House) lasted ten seasons, and House only had eight?! (Sigh)

Leverage’s season 5 was its last. And its cancellation came as a sad surprise to me. The finale though was an awesomely written episode. But I don’t dig the “wrap-up” of the story in which Nate and Sophie had to retire, leaving the team to just three members with Parker as the new mastermind. It doesn’t work. In the last scene, Parker would even replicate Nate’s awesome monologue during the final scene of Leverage’s pilot episode. That scene had been iconic because Nate smoothly delivered that monologue which empathically defined what Leverage is all about. Parker’s was flat. Moreover, my greatest disappointment was I had been always hoping that the team’s line-up would have expanded – with new members gradually joining the team – during the show’s run… and it didn’t happen. Thus, though the story of the final episode had been awesome, the closure of the show was unsatisfactory to me.

This year also marked the end of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the greatest superhero animated TV series since Justice League Unlimited. This was the superhero TV animated series that brought all of these heroes together…

Not as impressive as JLU, but still awesome.

With House and Leverage gone, what’s left for me are Psych and Sherlock. Psych’s new season, however, didn’t start late in the year, as it usually does, but will just be starting this February. Sherlock’s second season run last year – after we, fans, waited since 2010. That’s 2 years! And it’s as if there will be no Sherlock this year. Now, Sherlock is an awesome show – one of the best shows ever created for TV. The problem with it, though, is it takes two years for each new season to arrive, with each season having only three episodes! Granted, that each episode’s length is that of a mini-movie, it’s still not enough! It’s very very frustrating.

In 2012, however, I also got hooked with two new shows.

Castle has been around for a while but it was only in 2012 that I started watching it. My bestfriend Madel was the one who introduced me to Leverage and House; so after House ended, as I was searching for a new awesome show to follow, I asked for her recommendation. She pointed me to Castle. I watched its pilot, and I got hooked. Before Season 5 started this year, I have already watched all episodes from the previous seasons (Thank God for the Internet. LOL). Castle got me re-acquainted with the geek god Nathan Fillion, who I first encountered and adored as Capt. Mal in Firefly. I’ve never really been a big fan of Nathan prior to Castle; but because of this show, I was led to check out his personality, interests, and career which made me grew fond of the guy. And now, Nathan Fillion is probably my most favorite celebrity.

The second show I got hooked this year is Sherlock’s rip-off, Elementary. Like Sherlock, Elementary is also a modern take on Sherlock Holmes. However, the setting is set in New York instead of London, Gregson works for the NYPD instead of Scotland Yard, and Dr. Watson is female instead of male. Among the three, what I don’t like most is the last one. Watson should always be male! The friendship between Holmes and Watson works best when both are male. Aside from these differences, Elementary also lacks the clever allusions to the original material that Sherlock has. Each case is almost always unique in itself, with no reference to the adventures of the literary Holmes. Lastly, Jonny Lee Miller performance as Sherlock Holmes is terrific, but he’s no Benedict Cumberbatch, who’s just perfect. The better thing about Elementary than Sherlock is that it follows the traditional episode scheduling of a TV season. Thus, with a new mystery to look forward to each week, we get more dose of Sherlock Holmes with Elementary than Sherlock.

You might be asking why I haven’t tried Game of Thrones yet, considering it’s probably the best show out there right now. The answer is, I want to read the books first before I check out the show. TV episodes are readily available in Internet, anyway, so what’s the rush? LOL.

2012 in Review (Part 2): Song of the Year? Oppa Gangnam Style!

2013-01-23T00:46:00.001+08:00

I feel that the music and songs of today are very inferior to the music and songs of the past. It’s very seldom for me to find a favorite among the songs made nowadays. I find the mainstream, synthesized music occasionally catchy but bland, artificial, and soulless; and the lyrics too shallow or unoriginal. Either it’s just my biased preference per my age or I’m objectively correct in my observation that the songs of today lack the quality of the songs of the past. I don’t know. Either way, I’ve never been a big fan of the 21st century music scene.

This year, my sister got crazy with this boy band One Direction. Now, I’ve never been a big fan of boy band pop music (with the exception of my fondness for Michael Learns to Rock [if the band is considered as such], Backstreet Boys, and a bit of Blue… and maybe a song or two from other boy bands), and I know that boy band music is about 60% good looks and just 40% talent. I’m not saying boy bands can’t sing – most of them can – but good singing is secondary to “being a cute guy that girl fans can crush over.” But though musical talent is just secondary factor in boy band music, it is my observation that the music of One Direction can’t even hold a candle to those mediocre boy bands that dominated the 90’s. Moreover, one of their songs goes like this:

Lets go crazy, crazy, crazy till we see the sun.
I know we've only met but let's pretend it's love.
And never, never, never stop for anyone.
Tonight let's get some.
And live while we're young.

That’s the first time ever in the history of boy band pop music that premarital, casual sex is obviously implied in the lyrics. That is a bit disturbing considering that I’ve always thought boy band music is supposed to be GP. That or I haven’t listened to enough boy band music.

But enough with One Direction. This post is not about them and their music. This is all about the sensational…

“Oppa Gangnam Style” is the song of the year. This song’s popularity – considering that it has more of the makings of the “fad” kind of music than having the makings of becoming a classic – may fade in a few years (or even in a few months into 2013), and I doubt Psy will have a bigger hit than “Gangnam Style”, but this song owned 2012. No song comes close. Its music video became the first video to get to 1 billion views in Youtube (ergo, it’s the most watched video in Youtube history) – all in mere months of being available in Youtube! To say that this song’s impact to pop culture has been big is an understatement.

The success of “Gangnam Style” could be attributed to its catchy techno music, ridiculous but enjoyable dance moves, and/or Psy’s massive sex appeal – because there’s swag, and then there’s Psy…

(Moreover, his singing might sound silly, but just hear him talk. Just search for an interview in the Internet. He’s fluent in English and his voice is James Bond-like.)

For me, going viral in the Internet is the most important reason of Gangnam Style’s successful pop culture invasion. The success of Gangnam Style is another reminder on how powerful the Internet can really be, that it dramatically changed the mechanics of promotion and dissemination of products, propaganda, ideas, information, etc.

By the way, despite arguing that it’s the song of the year, I’m not implying that “Oppa Gangnam Style” is a piece of musical genius. It’s cheesy. But it’s that kind of cheesiness which is “so cheesy that it’s awesome.” It’s far from becoming one of my most favorite songs, it doesn’t help improve my perception with the quality of 21^st century music, and it’s not going to be a permanent occupant of my playlist (though, currently it still is in it)... but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying some cheese once in a while.

Lastly, if you get a badass like Wolverine to dance the Gangnam, that has to count for something…

01-13-13 Dynamic Worship Special Number

2013-01-19T21:42:00.001+08:00

After Floodgates debuted "Pangako" (its first original composition) in "Unified", the band performs it for the first time in front of the Joy Church congregation as a special number for the dynamic worship last January 13.

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