An Ominous Start To The Week...

August 28, 2006...

Happy Birthday Tata! Thought I wouldn't remember? Ako pa! =P Glad to know you're doing fine and hope you have a good one. Keep in touch. ;)

Right now things are a little extra hectic at work. I'm currently moving offices for some reason I still can't comprehend. All this arrangement brings to me is an extra hassle on my part for being far from where I have to be at times. Another learning curve to be established. Another reassignment of tasks and duties. I can see the nightmares in document management which I just straightened out. Oh well...

So far its been a non-productive Monday.

Sigh.

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Oh! It's Arvin's birthday too!!! Hanep! Small world. =P

Once I got home, I tried my hand at reading cards again. Just realized how much I've lacked the practice if not how much the interpretations have eluded me. My "read" on this particular set had been a little difficult. Maybe a few more and I can get back on track. ;)

Some Worthy Mentions...

Passed by the Circle Garden Grill before going home. Missed the kilawing talaba all of a sudden. A pleasant surprise to find Lea still around. A comforting thing to know. ;)

Ever shared a simple lunch of fried chicken and corned beef with someone just a couple of hundred kilometers away? Like taken out of a page in a book, talking to someone close but in actual fact a lot of miles in between. To be honest, I found it an interestingly enjoyable experience, probably attributed more to the company to which I shared that lunch with. Looking forward to similar experiences like that in the near future. Thanks for lunch. ;)

Chronicles Of The Scatterbrained...

Just cleared two of my staff who came to me for their clearances. Mervin and CalroF are ok in my book. Wish them all the best.

One of my DCO's was under fire the other day from the bosses for receiving a document that should not have been received. What kind of bullshit is that? It’s my command responsibility on such things and somebody taking the blame for it without my knowledge makes it somewhat unfair.

Played billiards by myself on a Friday night while waiting for somebody. That somebody didn't show up. How pathetic can it get? To make matters worse, my game wasn’t exactly Philippine Open level but could’ve definitely been better and the heat at NSG that night didn’t help as well...

Some things I've been hearing at work the next day really got me packing up my stuff and leave early. I needed the air and the long weekend would do me good in getting back up to speed once work resumes on Tuesday.

One time while driving I came to the conclusion that when it comes to women, it has been my lot in life that the girl of my dreams won't like me, or has ended up sometime, someplace with someone else. Good guys are not that appreciated or end up with someone who doesn't want to be saved. Gotta snap out of this sorry state. Listening to Tasmin Archer, Dishwalla and Delta Goodrem is either helping me out of it or burying me further in a vicious spiral I can't tell...

Tried to catch up with the HGR boyz over at Galleria to enjoy a game of 40k. Frankly, the traffic, the wait, and the game result this weekend wasn't worth the effort and didn't do well for my state of disappointment. A show of weakness on my part for not being understanding and composed in spite of a ridiculous loss.

Lazy Sundays are so rare and far in between. Got to help my Dad in fixing the faucet as well as the doorbell. It’s a small job but the sweat lost in the process told a lot. We need more Father-Son and lazy Sunday moments.

It cost me P1800+ to fill up a full tank on my car. And I have to do that four times a month at the very least. That’s comparable to going on the daily commute but expensive nonetheless. Somebody has to do something to improve gas prices.

My car got this quirk with the radio. It turns itself on when you open the trunk. So far I’m glad the car still works. Looks like I’m gonna be spending again in having that quirk fixed...

Somewhere halfway across the world, a friend of mine is in need of a friend right now. I wish I could've been a better help in having a little faith which can go a long way. "Things will work out, put a little trust in that. All you need is a little faith." ;)

I overslept. And loving it. Must enjoy it while it lasts for at least another couple of hours...

Got this from my Sister Pie. Quoting her: "Prepare for major cute attackness... :D"



and my personal favorite...



Wala lang.

Dreamt Of Playing This Once...

...In a concert hall in front of thousands, and by myself in a house on top of a hill. It was one of those dreams where I'm in two places at the same time. It was too surreal to be given an explanation anyways.

No One Is To Blame
By Howard Jones

You can look at the menu, but you just can't eat
You can feel the cushion, but you can't have a seat
You can dip your foot in the pool, but you can't have a swim
You can feel the punishment, but you can't commit the sin
And you want her, and she wants you
We want everyone
And you want her and she wants you
No one, no one, no one ever is to blame

You can build a mansion, but you just can't live in it
You're the fastest runner but you're not allowed to win
Some break the rules, and let you cut the cost
The insecurity is the thing that won't get lost
And you want her, and she wants you
We want everyone
And you want her, and she wants you
No one, no one, no one ever is to blame

You can see the summit but you can't reach it
Its the last piece of the puzzle but you just can't make it fit
Doctor says you're cured but you still feel the pain
Aspirations in the clouds makes your hopes go down the drain
And you want her, and she wants you
We want everyone
And you want her, and she wants you
No one, no one, no one ever is to blame

No one ever is to blame
No one ever is to blame

Breaking-in The Guardian...

Venue : Hobby Haven near Katipunan

Peeps in attendance : Goatee Pork, Big Kim, Bigger Emp, Daddy Joel, Serious Fred, Geloman, Obidoo

With the guardian warjack newly painted and an early finish to a boring Saturday, I thought of checking out where the regular Warmachine players are at and see if I can benchmark how the army fares with the new and better Steamroller2 rules. Was later able to locate the boyz over at Hobby Haven, a local game shop near Katipunan. The place is now a bit more cramped the last time I remember it, with the on-going addition of a mezzanine. Felt a little pride in showing off the newly painted Guardian warjack and equally intrigued to see how it plays out on the battlefield.

Came up with a list with the Guardian in mind as well as a proxie of some models I might consider taking:

500pt List
Warcaster : High Exemplar Kreoss
Warjacks : Guardian Heavy Warjack, Crusader Heavy Warjack, Revenger Light Warjack
Units : Knights Exemplar, 2xDeliver Sunburst(1 proxy)
Solos : 3xWracks, Paladin of The Order of the Wall(proxy)

1st Game - Khador (Vlad) vs. Menoth (Kreoss)
Scenario : Assassins
Highlights : I've come across Kim's Widowmakers, Mortars, and Manhunter before. The only way for me to stand a chance in winning is getting to his warcaster Vlad and hope to put him down. With the way his forces are deployed, the only way to get to Vlad is run forward and run his guantlet of Demo Corp, Kovnik, and Spriggan warjack... and if I get passed that, surely the widowmakers and mortar will be waiting for me. Later on in the game, I was only able to get Kreoss past the gauntlet and the widowmakers only to be cut down by Vlad.
Result : Win for Khador

2nd Game - Cryx (Skarre) vs. Menoth (Kreoss)
Scenario : Assassins
Highlights : Deathjack and Bokur! Gosh what a sight. Bane thralls, Skarre and Bokur cannot be shot down, which proved difficult. Skarre went on the attack and pulled a lethal combo of a boosted skarre bomb courtesy of a skarlock sacrifice. Dunno if all that made any sense. I survived, which prompted skarre to huddle up behind Bokur and the Deathjack. I tried countering with my feat and came up short in taking her out. A few turns later, Skarre was able to walk away from charge range and kill off Kreoss at a safe distance.
Result : Win for Cryx

Wanted to go for the hat trick against Pork's Mercs but everybody wanted to call it a day and grab a bite to eat before going to da Shak. We motored on to Lots-A-Pizza and literally had A LOT of pizza (3 large and 3 extra large according to Kim's account). Laugh trip galore too, with the special mention on the possibilities of 1.5 liter pet bottles as a drop pod. Went home shortly after that, with some knowledge on my army composition and tactics. Maybe with enough inspiration to finish painting the rest of my stuff too.

My Workbench - 3rd Session...

On The Workbench...

Haven't been religious in my miniature modelling/painting as of late. Managed to try my hand at painting again, with my Protectorate of Menoth miniatures on the workbench. My progress so far:

Warcasters:

Kreoss - Painted and based. Finished.
The High Reclaimer - Painted and based. Finished.

Warjacks:

Crusader - Painted and based. Finished.
Revenger - Painted and based. Finished.
Repenter - Painted and based. Finished.
Devout - Painted and based. Substantially complete with some highlighting and base clean-up.
Guardian - Painted and based. Substantially complete with some highlighting and clean-ups.

Troops:

Knights Exemplar - Painted and based. Substantially complete with some highlighting and base clean-up.
Deliverer Sunburst and crew - Basecoats on-going. Already working on basecoats for metallics.
Choir - Primed. Still haven't visualized color scheme per acolyte.

Solos:

Three Wracks - Painted and based. Substantially complete. Some clean-up of menite devoted before fixing them on to the wracks. Loved the rust effects!

Pictures to follow. Hoping to target completion of the sunburst and choir before I consider moving on to 40k stuff.

OT: On Warmachine Gaming...

A couple of nights ago, got the chance to play Warmachine again using my 500pt Kreoss-led battlegroup against Ronald's 500pt Makeda-led warpack from Hordes. It was an interesting game with a unique feel of the synergy between two different game systems interacting against each other. Despite our limited knowledge of each other's game systems, Ronald and I still had a great time letting our armies beat the crap out of each other on the gaming table. Ronald is one of the few players I came across that can encourage you to be competitive and have fun at the same time. I'm sure to come across his Skorne across the gaming tables soon.

Some Random Thoughts...

Missing Paopao...


Too young to be gone so early...

Two of my staff are getting ready for their last day in a week's time...
My work is heavily dependent on the performance of my staff. I need them to work full-time on one project while I'm working on another with another member of my staff. Which makes the leaving of these two particular engineers a little difficult for me to accept if I had my way. But who am I to stop them right? They deserve the breaks given to them and they should chase their dreams while they're young. With that thought, I wish Carlo F. and Mervin good luck in their chosen career path and it's been an honor to work with them.

The current replacements working parallel to them are mostly female, a testament to the achievement of women in the Philippine construction industry... I must admit, they're a lot more detailed, slightly better organized, but a lot more sensitive so transition is a little difficult.

Games at the Office...
Obi, Gelo, Tads, and Justin are regulars. We've been playing Wednesdays and Fridays after office hours everytime we get the chance. Sometimes on weekends, its games with Ronald, Emcee, and Ryan which is fun too.

Progress in my painting...
Went back to painting my tabletop miniatures. My current painting project is a Guardian Warjack. Got stuck in the painting for a couple of days now, mostly due to lack in new brushes. Already solved that today

Pizza Delivery as part of my resume...
Sometimes I get the feeling I act more like the client than the client's representative...

I'm a Kylie fan...


Enuff said. +P