Thursday, May 29, 2003
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15 Pounds Per Square Inch

... that's the amount of pressure that an average pressure cooker needs to build up to cook food.

I've been feeling like my world is at 15psi for some time now. Vader seems to think that my team is still composed of 4 members and not 2, so he's doubled the work load he usually assigns to us... and at a crucial time too, nearing surveillance audit for our company. Just barely a month to go before that and there's still so much to do, lots and lots of documentation to catch up on, and an Internal Audit that also has to be done and resolved. Meeeeeep. I need another vacation. Another trip to the beach, perhaps? Heeheeeee. :)

On top of all that, there are other personal issues that I need to resolve. It's not that I've been procrastinating on all this, but they all just pile up at the same time, without any warning, and wham! You are overwhelmed, you want to crawl into a little crevice and hide for years. But no, hiding never solves anything. Besides, those that you are hiding from usually have that knack of finding you when you don't want them to. That's just the way life seems to want to go.

There we go with that sentence again. Rain asked why I have taken that view these days. Well I've done all I can and everything still seems to defy me. Controlling things just makes them worse. So why not just be a Jedi about it and let the Force flow, do what you can, but do not Force the issue? It's the only thing that seems to work for me these days, so there.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Tolkien folks are planning a climb. Sounds interesting. I just don't know why I'd rather go to the beach than climb a mountain....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The interesting things you find in people's e-mail and message board signatures....

"I know God does not give me more than I can handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much."
--- Mother Teresa


Wednesday, May 28, 2003
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It's been a-raining for four days. Four days! Maaaan! And I swear, this place is beginning to look a lot like Kamino....

===

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE KAMINO
A Parody of "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"

Go to the URL below for the lyrics and a MIDI file:
http://www.xmasfun.com/Lyrics.asp?ID=71

Filker's Note: This filk was written because it's been raining for four days now here in Manila, and the streets are flooded, and people and vehicles are stranded, and the Star Wars fans may be starting to... errr... hallucinate....

~*~*~*

It's beginning to look a lot like Kamino.
Everywhere you go,
It's a-flooding here once again, raining 'til who knows when,
All this will make the traffic very slow.

It's beginning to look a lot like Kamino.
Floods in every street.
And the prettiest sight you'll see is a dry road that will be
Easy on your feet.

A pair of long-necked creatures, I saw them I am sure,
Or was I a-dreaming just then?
Is too much rain playing with my poor brain?
I want to see sunshine again.
We have to keep the water out the house as best we can....

It's beginning to look a lot like Kamino.
Stop the rain's my plea.
For once it continually fell, this I know very well,
The city looked like it was a great sea.

It's beginning to look a lot like Kamino.
Oh, the sky's so grim.
The one thing that you will hope for when you walk out of the door's
You won't take a swim.


Saturday, May 24, 2003
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The Idea Machine is working overtime!

For some weird reason, the idea machine is working fine and is on overdrive! Yikes!

Three new filks are up at Magical Melodies. Two are "Moulin Rouge" inspired, thanks to Joran. An alternative to the Naboo Lake Retreat fireplace confession scene, "Come What May". And the Kaminoans and the Fetts think it's showtime, so they put up one for Obi-Wan in the "Spectacular Spectacular" inspired, "Kaminoan Spectacular". You'll be clamoring to have clones made for you after that. Hehehhh. And finally, Jabba the Hutt does a Christina Aguilera like "I am beautiful, no matter what they say..." song number in "Too Sexy For A Hutt" inspired by "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. This last one was conceptualized when Rain started playing the Sexbomb Girls CD on the way to Joran's place in Zambales. :)

Please check them out, and do leave some comments. Merci. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is oh... about... 20 or so days awaaaaaay! Sheesh. Too excited for words....

We're going to start formally working on the PHP Launch Party. Wheeeee! Lots of restrictions from Scholastic, so we had to change the name of the event itself. Not good. But hey, this is Harry Potter, there is always a way around these kinds of issues. :)

Joran also reports that Cho Chang will not be appearing in the movie version of Prisoner of Azkaban. Hrmmmmm.... No Harry love interest?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Someone from the new Matrix e-group sent in parts of the script where Neo speaks to The Architect. Finally. Now I can dissect it. Guess what though? I still do not understand a thing after reading it thrice! Hehehhh. The only thing that was clear though was this sentence that the Architect uttered:

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness.

Mmmhrmmmmm....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Happu Birthday, Oneal! :)

I made a little birthday surprise for him and Rain. Not much but.... :)

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/24/2003 11:11:32 AM   #
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Thursday, May 22, 2003
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The pics from the Zambales trip taken by me and Harry may be found here, while those taken by Oneal are in his albums here. Less controversial pics in my album, though. Heheh. I'd rather shoot scenery. Aids is already overexposed as it is. Heehee. Peace, Aids! :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



Wednesday, May 21, 2003

Paid a visit to my high school and grade school alma mater when I accompanied Niccah for enrollment. I thought I would freak out at seeing a place I had to be everyday in for 11 years, but I was actually excited and looking forward to this trip. Although the place still feels the same, there have been a lot of improvements. Sitting there at the stone tables under the mango tree, I reminisced about the times spent when there was nothing else to worry about but tomorrow's classes and an occasional speech that needed to be delivered, an article that needed to be written, and the library book that is due tomorrow. Oh how much simpler things were then. Things have changed a lot in my life... but it seems the school really hasn't. Only physically. The prevailing spirit seems to be the same. And I'm glad. At least it's a place I can go back to with the assurance that some good things remain the same. It feels so much like home....

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/22/2003 09:44:42 AM   #
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Monday, May 19, 2003
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A Little Summer Escapade

These people....



went here....



on May 17-18 for a little summer getaway....

More to come....

photos taken by oneal at the mayoralgo residence, cabangan, zambales, may 18, 2003 (because uploading the pics that me and Harry took is taking forever!!!)

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/19/2003 05:37:20 PM   #
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Friday, May 16, 2003
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Preliminary thoughts on "The Matrix Reloaded"

After watching this movie starting at 11:25pm until... oh, about... almost 2AM or so, I feel like I have to reload my brain. The "Architect" also seems to have a nice degree in Philosophy, and it looked like he graduated with honors too. Heehee.

Aside from the weird philosophy stuff, which will make you feel the need to watch the movie again just to understand the concepts, "Reloaded" actually... rocks. Yeah, it does. It rocks as an action-scifi flick. Can't fail to miss that the action sequences are still jaw dropping and that the characters are ultra-cool. Neo though remains the... errr... hrmmm.... I dunno, his character is kinda... I can't quite describe it. But at least he rocks during the action scenes.

I agree with Aids that Agent Smith seemed to have some "Evil Usses". Heheh. Bill and Ted-ish, but cool. :)

I actually... errr... had my eyes closed during several sections due to utter exhaustion, but I can still hear the dialogue and stuff. I'll need to watch it again though, just to understand the concepts. They are still mind boggling. Bring on Yoda, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Mace talking about the concept of the Force any day. :)

Will reserve more critical review and rating after the second viewing. :)

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/16/2003 10:26:44 AM   #
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Thursday, May 15, 2003
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Whew! Finally finished uploading all the pics from Guimaras to my Imagestation albums.

Pics of the Project Planning and Team Building Workshop are here.

While the miscellaneous pics, also known as my little guilty pleasures are here.

You may need to register at Sony Imagestation though, to view the pics. :)

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/15/2003 04:45:07 PM   #
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Wednesday, May 14, 2003
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healing

the sea ---
wash over me and take away my pain.
wrap me in your loving embrace.
cleanse my wounds and soothe my soul.
put a smile on my tearstained face.

the waves ---
drown out the words that cut and scathe.
rush to the land and crash on the shore.
and with the music that you make,
lift my spirits so i will crash no more.

the sand ---
in the beach i am but a grain,
so small i may be swept away to sea..
me and my love forever lost.
am i the only one who will weep for me?

the clouds ---
white wisps gliding across the blue.
shapeshifting right before my eyes.
become all my lost hopes and dreams.
and sail away among the skies.

the breeze ---
whispering enchanted words.
spells of healing and of peace.
take my heart where you will or bring it back,
to you my spirit i release.

sunset ---
the colors splashed across the sky
painting the emotions i feel inside.
sleep, oh light, and with tomorrow's dawn,
bring me love and hope and dreams denied.

photo taken by me and harry at nueva valencia, guimaras, may 12, 2003

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/14/2003 11:41:27 AM   #
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Friday, May 09, 2003
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I will not be blogging for a few days. Off to 2 beach trips in four days. Heehee. Will hopefully come back with a lot of nice pictures... and a sunburn. Heheh. If you need me, write a message on a piece of paper, put it inside a bottle, and throw it into the ocean. Hopefully, it will find me... hopefully, a nice guy will also find me on the beach. Heeheeeeee.. :)

Ack, I'm hopelessly hopeful. :D

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/9/2003 07:14:43 PM   #
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Wednesday, May 07, 2003
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Darn. After reading a synopsis of Dragons of a Vanished Moon (The War of Souls, Book 3), there seems to be more questions in my head... and this desire to invade the bookshops. Unfortunately, the paperback edition has not been sighted around here. Must. Resist. Urge. To. Order. Online. Remind me never to peek at excerpts again!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection

The Indiana Jones trilogy is finally coming out on DVD on November 4th in the US. It will be composed of four discs, the last containing bonus material. Reuters reports:

Elements slated for the special fourth disc include a documentary crafted by Laurent Bouzereau, who has gone behind the scenes on Lucas projects like "American Graffiti" and such Spielberg projects as "Jaws" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

"The fourth disc explores every facet of how the films were made -- from stunts to visual effects to the music and sound," said Jim Ward, vp of marketing at Lucasfilm. "We take viewers around the world to explore the history behind the 'Indiana Jones' legends."

Finally! :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Do books grow on fields?

Apparently, in Suffolk in England, it does. Two first edition copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were apparently found by a walker in a field. Also, the books were said to have now been collected by a journalist from British tabloid, "The Sun" (oops.). JK Rowling's agents said that they have brought the police in to investigate the possible theft of the books. But the latest reports reveal, it is possible that a real copy of book 5 was leaked to "The Sun", according to JKR's lawyers, and that it is possible that the "book found in the field" scenario is not entirely accurate. Of course, the whole thing may just be a publicity stunt. Apparently, the tabloid has also printed the parts of the final page of the book, and suffice it to say, it contains a MAJOR spoiler. Well, I will not be hunting down THAT spoiler. Heheh. Boy, now this shows just how anticipated this book is. I hope JKR will not disappoint.

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/7/2003 10:13:51 AM   #
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Tuesday, May 06, 2003
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"Hope is the carrot that is dangled in front of the horse's nose to keep him plodding on."
--- "Dragons of Spring Dawning" by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

The horse has managed to catch and eat the carrot, smart horse. Hope is gone. I give up on the battle. I surrender.... Now I prepare for the war.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

DarkHorizons.com has posted the names of the mutants listed on the screen of Stryker's database just as >> Mystique morphs into Lady Deathstrike and tries to look at Magneto's file <<.

• Keniucho Harada - Silver Samurai
  
• Garrison Kane - Kane
  
• Remy LeBeau - Gambit
  
• Eric Lensherr - Magneto
  
• Artie Maddicks
  
• Jamie Madrox - Multiple Man
  
• Xi'an Coy Mahn - Karma
  
• Pietro Maximoff - Quicksilver
  
• Kevin McTaggart
  
• Danielle Moonstar - Mirage
  
• Ororo Munroe - Storm
  
• Paige Guthrie - Husk
  
• Samuel Guthrie - Cannonball
  

At least there's no need to go freezing movie screens anymore, right, John? Heehee. :)

And oh.... one more thing....



Sorry, I couldn't resist, I just love the guy....

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/6/2003 09:44:30 AM   #
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Monday, May 05, 2003
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I think I am now scaring myself, I don't know where all this is coming from....

At Magical Melodies: a new Lord of the Rings filk. Frodo Baggins sings "Show Me The Way" at the Council of Elrond. This filk was written to the tune of the song "Show Me The Way" by Styx.

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/5/2003 09:00:33 AM   #
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Sunday, May 04, 2003
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X2: X-Men United --- rating: 5 stars (spoilers follow)

(Spoilers are hidden between >> <<. Highlight with your mouse to read the text.)

Finally watched X-Men 2 today. Or rather, we watched yesterday, but it ended today. Heehee.

I can now see what all the hype is about. It's a great movie. And fun. It makes you think, actually, about what everything is a set-up for. And yes, it was definitely better than the first.

The opening sequence already draws attention to one of the new mutants introduced in this second movie, Kurt Wagner ("but in the Munich circus, I am known as the incredible Nightcrawler!"). I like Nightcrawler's character, actually. I've always liked him since my old high school friend introduced me to the comics years ago, and consider him one of my favorites (the others being Beast, Wolverine, Gambit, and Storm). I like the way he was portrayed in the movie. Somehow, his character... gives hope... and re-establishes faith. His powers are useful too. :)

It was great seeing the other mutants too. Especially Lady Deathstrike. Boy, that was a sight to behold. :) We don't see much of Rogue's powers... but then she's young and as yet, untrained. Same with Bobby Drake, although that ice wall was pretty cold... errr... cool. :) Cyclops still seems to be useless. Oops. Heehee. Sorry, Scott Summers fans. :D Pyro is... well, a god among insects. Best recruitment line I've ever heard. Hahahhaha! :)

I liked the way the plot was presented, since it answers a lot of questions (and presents new ones), but at the same time, it shows the other characters quite effectively. And yeah, so >> Jean Grey dies << but all indications are that >> she will rise again as Phoenix. <<

Favorite scenes? Well, every time Professor X "stops time", those scenes were amazing. It reminded me of Phoebe Halliwell in "Charmed", but it works. :) Also, Magneto's >> escape from his plastic prison, << now that was kinda spectacular, as well as the encounter between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike. And of course, >> Jean Grey's demise, since it really showed her powers. Those eyes already portend Phoenix though. <<

Fun fun fun. Can't wait for X3. :) I'm going back to reading "The Once and Future King" after I finish Neil Gaiman's "American Gods". Heehee. :)

Thanks to Joran, Oneal, Chris, and Hec for the company. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*



We're leaving here tonight
There's no need to tell anyone
They'd only hold us down
So by the morning's light
We'll be halfway to anywhere
Where love is more than just your name

I have dreamt of a place for you and I
No one knows who we are there
All I want is to give my life only to you
I dreamt so long I cannot dream anymore.
Let's run away, I'll take you there....

Forget this life, come with me
Don't look back you're safe now
Unlock your heart, drop your guard
No one's left to stop you now....

--- "Anywhere" by Evanescence

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/4/2003 01:54:11 PM   #
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Friday, May 02, 2003
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I have a new filk up at Magical Melodies entitled If He's Not The Chosen One. It's Qui-Gon Jinn singing to the tune of "If You're Not The One" by Daniel Bedingfield. (paging Laurice!) Hehehhehe. :)

:: padméskywalker told this story at 5/2/2003 08:52:41 AM   #
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