After 10 years it's finally here!!! And as the trailer goes...
"Hell, it's about time."
I never thought blizzard is going to pull up their sleeves and start rebuilding an undefeated classic. Of course, a geek such as myself wouldn't miss it for the world. Starcraft, since it's release in 1997 and its Broodwars expansion in 1998, has become a standard for all strategy platforms that ever existed. Blizzard's (the great creator) masterpiece had remained firm in the No.1 spot for a decade, even becoming a battlefield for gaming celebrities all over the world. Imagine it as the "chess" of PC sport.
Anyway, I'm really excited to show a preview of this sure-to-be-the-besteller-of-all-time pc game. Check out the freshly released trailer below of Starcraft II:
And if you're not satisfied, visit Blizzard's awesome website.
Do you think it is because of corruption? Or probably it is because of incapable leaders?
I thought that all our problems come from the top and then it streams downwards to the poorest communities. I blamed all the country's sufferings to individuals and I got used to pointing fingers on those who have power. Little did I know that the problem may have been from me.
I got a big bump on the head after being hit hard with what I read. It was an essay written by a South Korean who is living here in the Philippines.
This imperfect prose is filled with grammatical errors and redundant phrases- a typical work of someone still struggling with English. But don't get me wrong, it is a work of love and compassion for us Filipinos. It is just sad that it had to come from someone who is not one of us yet has a bigger heart for our country than most of us.
Please do take time to read his article... especially if you are a FILIPINO.
_________________
MY SHORT
ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
by Jaeyoun Kim
Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines .
Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines?
I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for
the Philippines
Let me first talk about my country, Korea . It might help you understand my
point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries
in the world.
Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after
the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.
Koreans used to talk about the Philippines , for Filipinos were very rich in
Asia . We envy Filipinos.
Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of
famine. My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government
was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea
was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for
the common good with their heart burning with patriotism.
Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and
country.
Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.
40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea . He
tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a
loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South
Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President
Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money
to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.
In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in
Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the
President Park . They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?
That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with
them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for
Korea , and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent
money to Korea .
So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea . He always asked
Koreans to love their country from their heart.
Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help
developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though
they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea . They always
hoped that their children would live in well off country.
My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically
handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them.
I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I
learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I
have loved my neighborhood. Have you cried for the Philippines ? I have
cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of
so many poor people.
I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the
prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work
for Church. They pray everyday.
However, they do not love the Philippines . I talked to two prisoners at the
maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the
Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that
they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the
Philippines .
Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our
wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were
distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees
could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their
children.
When I was in Korea , I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest.
However, when I came to the Philippines , I completely lost my faith. I was
very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines .
Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday.
The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia , but there are too many
poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing
has been changed.
My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told
me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were
young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When
we went to Pagsanjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun.
However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not
take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the
boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a
boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of
love for them.
My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told
me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are
not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that
I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same
and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their
neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will
be well off.
I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot
change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must
start in everybody, in a s mall scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen
if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries
with our new eyes.
I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love,
because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people,
contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood
and country.
Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the
Philippines , there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is
God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the
Philippines . Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country.
You already know that God also
will be very happy if you love others.
I woke up at around 4:57am and I put on my running gear. I had to tiptoe my way out the apartment because my brother, uncle, and cousin were still sleeping. I picked up my shoes and walked out the room wearing socks. After I locked the door behind me, I sat on the stairs, wore and tied my blue sneakers. I did a bit of stretching and I warmed up by leaping down the steps from the 5th floor of our building to the base and then I had to wake up our security guard who was snoozing peacefully.
The sky was still dark with a shade of red orange from the lit buildings of the city. I was so ecstatic to run that I started to jog from my place to the gates of the University of Sto. Tomas. I wasn’t being courageous by going out in the murky street all by myself, the school was really near and there were people already up sweeping their doorsteps and besides, a Ministop was along the way.
I was glad the gate was already open. A guard was behind it so I asked permission to jog and he let me. I did a few bounds to the pavillon in the corner of the main field then I did some serious stretching. While sitting there and flexing my leg muscles, I felt a wonderful feeling of exhilaration and peace. There is not a time in the busy urban day under the sky where there are no hustles and bustles of moving objects. There were no jeepneys, no vendors, no commuters, and no workers. It was just me, in a cool morning… but with a few other joggers. I started running.
The feeling of each step while sprinting was unexplainably wonderful. I was running and I had to run. For months that I’ve been working, I was enclosed in a schedule, most of the time, I could not control. I did things under the commands of a master (pertaining to bosses). And I even have to battle myself with responsibilities; things that go under “must do’s”. Ever since I realized I’ve been suffocated, I started craving for the speed of sprinting and I believed that that’s the way to get freedom.
Most would jog in the morning because they want to lose weight, be healthier, or improve their physical stature. Running really can do all those but I mainly did not do it for any of those reasons. I wanted to talk to God.
I am a nocturnal person and I live in the night. But that kind of time is when I spend my privacy and do all things I want. I considered it my prize after a grueling day at work. Yet it never made me feel good. Okay… maybe it did but extremely temporary- just like how alcohol or smoking would satisfy. Then it hit me that I need to start my day doing what I wanted most which is running while spending it with God.
It was the best prayer time and quiet time I had. It felt like traveling with Him as your companion and at the same time knowing you can overcome everything because the world around you is changing and you’re not alone.
I was breezing through every corner of the field while the sun started to rise. And after an hour of having the best conversation with God, I walked out UST campus under a cool daylight. I passed by Ministop and bought a really refreshing red Rush (have you tried this? It’s the best). I sat a bit while waiting for the sun to fully settle. Seeing that it has finally risen to start the day, I went out the store to buy a warm bag of pandesal for breakfast. I realized that I haven’t closed my prayer to God so I concluded by asking Him if He’ll help me finish the year right with all that I request granted. He told me that He never failed me, and that only I failed myself. He assured me that as long as I treat my life right, the rest of my days will be a blast. Thus I’m utterly convinced.
Can you believe it? People can really be ingenious and they can make most of everything put out in the world. Now they are even producing Sims 2 videos. I must say that one person in particular did an amazing work with converting a game into something really entertaining to watch. You'll be watching one of his works at the bottom.
If you are curious as to how they do these things, well, they control everything. They direct their 'sims', design the set, manipulate the camera, and create skin texture. To top it all, they do it as if they are playing the game... no tricks or programming mumbo jumbos. You can do it too. Buy the game and shoot away. But be warned that you will need weeks (probably months) glued on your chair and most of all, a freakin' good concept for a storyline.
I was just led into browsing through youtube when I talked with Sheryll about Sims 2 (hey this fun stuff is not for kids only... although She can be quite an exception - shhhhhhh... but she was watching High School Musical for the 'nth' time while we were having this conversation). Anyway, I'd like to post this thing on by blog because I'm sure it'll make this page look good. If you guys like these stuffs, tell me and I'll be posting more of my great Sims 2 video finds. Happy watching!!!
This is an original concept from someone named Jaydee. The music is "Sk8ter Boi" by Avril Lavigne (I don't like the song but this video is cool)
One Saturday afternoon as I was playing my stress-relieving MMORPG game, the TV was tuned to a local channel and from where I was sitting, I could hear everything. I was multi-tasking then and I enjoyed my afternoon until… an entertainment news broke out. Some guy, who’s the grandson of a highly regarded personality (regarded?), was caught in a fight with someone who mistook his girlfriend as a service crew (or in other words, much clearly connoted- a “waitress”). This lady (which I’m sure) was outraged by the obvious misunderstanding. Or if it wasn’t obvious, she practically went berserk over a slight tap (on her shoulder perhaps?)- with the event calculated by my logic not exceeding a minute. Okay so what’s the problem here?
Then comes her knight in an expensive designer armor, with fist clenched (probably), and gritted teeth (most likely) strode towards the exact point of the alleged crime. Thus the heated moment began. By that time, I believe that the hyperventilating girlfriend was contemplating about how disgraceful it was to be mistaken as someone who is decently earning the needed bucks for a shift through servicing ignorant customers. Let me get back on track. What was the problem again?
The gallant (not so!!!) Sir dead-dropping-gorgeous, made a gigantic fuss over the whole clean mess and challenged the unguarded basketball player (ahem… former basketball player). Whilst in their “joust”, the lady is crying over her shattered ego. Okayyy… what was the problem here again?
I’d like to rant about this but my fingers are possessed as they tap my tirade into readable words. First of all, I got no problems with being a waitress unless I’d be serving in the most “accommodating” way in this tainted world (what a drama but you get my point), while lady brat over there was still insulted because she was mistaken as someone doing a decent job. Should I assume she would prefer the ranks of the more provocative version? *winks*
Secondly, if I grew up in a home that taught me to help my countrymen, I would start out by putting a leash on myself if I let my rage loose on anyone who insults my discriminating uptown-overly spoiled and pampered girlfriend (the adjectives I had just used prior to the word “girlfriend” resulted from my possessed fingers). AND… I would never run for public office. Let me say that again… I would never (EVER) run for public office. The rusty politics in this country doesn’t need more brainless temperamental and hypocritical twits (forgive me for the words I used, be reminded that I’m pouring my fury out here).
Oh look… I already wrote a page and see… it took me only ten minutes. Anyway back to my monologue. I am very appalled but such acts. Come on! I may not be as wealthy as these young socialites are but isn’t it morally apparent that what they had done would disgust even the five-year olds? My teacher taught me never to look down on anyone and I was in grade school then.
I praise these men and women who resort to working hard in a decent job everyday just so they can compensate their costs of living. They work. May they be service crews, janitors, messengers, or security guards, they aren’t different from anyone else. We are all born with the same body functions in order for us to live our lives. Sadly, we are conforming our standards to this society- and what good examples are the above referred young man and woman who I’m pretty sure were overfed by their parents since day one, NOT having to experience what is like not to have anything at all.
My admiration goes out to the people who deserve it, people who live each moment of their lives with pure and honest intentions, who know how to plant their own seeds and to sow their own harvests.
I just hope for Sir knight in designer clothes and his uptown-uptight lady that they would learn the big lesson in being humble. It shouldn’t have to come to the point of someone throwing a bomb at them but if has to be that way, let it (let all hell loose!!!); while I on the other hand, would keep my Saturdays for myself glued on my MMORPG game.
(exhaling) What a relief I finally let it all out.
