IT SEEMS THIS WILL BE GOODBYE FOR A WHILE
Am finally moving back to Paranaque. Tonight is my last night here in San Juan. Already, I feel a heaviness set in within me. This place has been home for nearly four years for me. When I first moved in here (to share the place with my friend Seth) the place was in heavy need for repair and renovation. The whole place had to be repainted. The floor retiled. Even the plumbing fixed. There were a lot of personal moments that happened here; lots of fun times with friends, special moments with certain people, happy memories and painful experiences that had to be survived.

And now, this place will be but another memory for me. As it becomes a home and a happy place for Seth and Elaine to share as husband and wife.

Along with the act of moving out is the loss of my easy access to the internet. Seth invested on a DSL connection which I had the fortunate chance to use while I was in San Juan. Now, however, I might have at most a dial-up connection, if any, for quite some time to come. I do hope to be able to still blog every now and then. Possibly even while at work.

But other wise, to all you friends of mine who I meet up with in the evenings or wee hours of the morning, this might be good bye for now.

The Garapata can speak. And boy has he said a lot all these years.
But the garapata too might have to be quiet for a while.

Or at least, for more days than usual.

Thank you for all the memories.
And God bless this home always.

DCU: Ultimate Shadow Cabinet #01

To Save Humanity...

Kahina Eskandari was standing at the edge of the subway platform when the blare of the incoming train filled the tunnel. Her eyes were closed, framed by her short crop of black wavy curls, as if in deep meditation. A long scar from the middle of her forehead descended down past her right eye and curved down her cheek until it nearly touched the edge of her lip and ended at the right edge of her chin. Though she wore a heavy brown coat over her black dress pants and suit, her imposing figure was evident to those who were nearby.

As was her heedless poise for the incoming train.

The people nearby began to notice that she had not moved. Even as the train blared its horn a second time. The wind inside the tunnel began to pick up. Above, a digital clock displayed: Time for next train to arrive, 6 seconds…

A young man blinked a few times and looked around to see if anyone was going to help her. His orange jacket fluttered with the growing wind. His messily uncombed black hair danced over his eyes.

5 seconds…

An old woman gasped and turned to call for help. Beside her, a blonde woman gently brought one finger to her lips. The old woman stared, unable to speak, and realized the woman had much more muscles than she thought a woman could ever have.

4 seconds…

The man turned to his left and whispered, “Someone has to help…” but the unwashed-looking fellow with Rastafarian hair and an orange vest simply stared back at him.

3 seconds…

A security officer inhaled to blow his whistle. But the whistle vanished in barely a second between the act of blowing and realizing it was gone.

2 seconds…

The man pushed forwards, past the two other bystanders who were in the way. Little did the man realize the two were intentionally trying to delay him. The chocolate-skinned woman in an all pink ensemble and the raven-haired woman in a business suit both turned to him with expressions of irritation. The man, however, shoved on forwards and extended one arm towards the woman who he thought was intent on the act of suicide.
“STOP!” he screamed and somewhere within him, something snapped free from the restraints of unconscious fear and self-control. Energy erupted from his hands, swirling outwards in an ever-growing whirpool of lights and force. The chocolate-skinned woman in pink shrieked and seemingly vanished from view. The raven-haired woman in the suit was gone in an eyeblink. The Rastafarian broke into a leap, hurling himself away from the extending whorls of light. The blonde grabbed the old woman near her and pulled away from the swirls in time.

But Kahina Eskandari, on the other hand, was not as lucky.

The energy struck her, ripping her brown coat into threads as they sliced through to reveal the heavy archaic iron armor that contained her body within. But even that too drew golden lines of molten metal, then were sliced apart by the man’s swirling energy. Kahina shrieked as her body quickly followed suit, and fell in pieces, diced by the energy that had erupted from the man who never knew he had any such powers within him.

”Iron Butterfly is down!” the blonde woman called out as she let go of the old woman by the emergency exit and motioned to her to head for the door, “Get out while you still can.”

“She’s okay right? She’s got to be all right,” the Rastafarian screamed and allowed his head to transmute into something more akin to a lion’s head and mane. Eagle wings proportional to his size erupted outwards from his shoulders and gave him the flight necessary to take to the air, “Blitzen!”

“Am already here,” the raven-haired woman called Blitzen replied as she brought her hands down on Kahina’s face and tried to find a way to lift it without futher intensifying the damage. But sadly, super-speed has its limits on what it can be usefully deployed upon. Diced human remains was not one of those.

The hybrid monster, that was once the Rastafarian, soared close by to the man who had used the energy blast. The Rastafarian allowed his face to transform again from Lion to Hound dog and in a guttural voice proclaimed, “She can’t be... She’s our leader...”

“Quit your whining, Sideshow,” the blonde proclaimed and threw a second glance at the man they were supposed to apprehend, “Dharma wants that man down!”

“Then he’s getting him, Donner,” Sideshow replied and soared another arc before descending towards the man. The man stared at his finger tips and watched the dancing embers flutter about. His face showed an utterly confused expression. Sideshow could see that the man had no idea he had such power within him. Sad, Sideshow found himself thinking, that this man has to be brought down.

Soaring closer to the man from above, Sideshow allowed his lower legs to become the cloven hooved feet of a goat. Letting the wings wrap closer to his body, Sideshow allowed himself to fall and slammed both cloven heels upon the man’s back. The man doubled over and grimaced in pain.

“Down for the count!” Sideshow hollered in victory, but his yell of success was cut short. His eyes were already focused beyond the vicinity of the man. Iota, whose pink outfit barely spoke any clue of her powers, was shaking her head in disgust. Donner was holding Blitzen close, tears streaming from their eyes. And at their feet, the remains of what was once Kahina Eskandari. She was dead.

And Dharma allowed the vision to end.

* * *

Ultimate Shadow Cabinet
Issue #01
To Save Humanity...
Written by Tobie Abad

* * *

Donner and Blitzen have been together for many years.

Actually, to be more accurate, Donner and Blitzen have LIVED together for many years.

Donner was a tall and beautiful woman, blonde, and when off-duty went by the name Gerri Brauer. She is the daughter of a long line of geneticists and scientists who at one point in their history were affiliated with the Nazi movement. Having a past Donner would rather forget, she turned away from her family and found herself meeting with Dharma one evening under a moonless sky. He offered her a second chance, as well as a second life, one which she readily accepted. She maintained her name, however, still holding her family’s heritage with pride even if her family’s history brings much shame to her. She is gifted with enhanced strength and resilience to damage. It is unknown if her powers were inherited, or if they were gained from the numerous secret experiments the Brauers actually chose to try themselves.

Blitzen , on the other hand, took the name Valerie Kameya whenever she was off duty. She had no idea that one day in her future she would be absolutely in love with a woman who could bench press a car. Blizten is a biochemist and it was through her own genius level intellect and scientific experimentation that she came up with this state of being. Blitzen’s powers were, in fact, self-inflicted and she was proud of them.

The two were enjoying a moment one afternoon, playing Resident Evil on the Playstation 2 when a small chime chided from two separate devices in the house. Both looked at each other, with Blitzen already back from picking her communicator up from the bedroom, and knew what it was about. Though their apartment had been built to fit specific requirements (such as the lack of any windows in the living room, as well as well-fitting doors that blocked out any light when closed) it was pretty much a typical apartment one would expect.

“Cabinet calling,” Donner mumbled.

”I’m dressed. You?” Blitzen teased, having already left, changed into her uniform, then zipped back in barely an eyeblink of time.

“Give me a minute,” Donner grumbled and dropped the Playstation 2 controller on the floor. “Oh and get the lights,” she reminded Blitzen because the only way for to get to the Shadow Spire, their groups’ hidden base, required being in total darkness.

The Shadow Spire’s location was carefully hidden from everyone, including its own members. With members of the Shadow Cabinet only permitted to access the location for briefings and debriefings, few even realized that the building could be in a location far away from the rest of civilization. Deep within the Himalayas, within a subterranean complex unlisted in any government agency, the Shadow Spire was accessible only by Shadow Sliding, a form of teleportation which required the teleportee to be in darkness.



Deep within a wildlife reservation, Ramon Rand was laughing. Though no one could see his grin, the Shadow Cabinet member called Sideshow was leaping from tree branch to tree branch in a hybrid form that combined the best traits of a tiger with that of a flying lemur. With a stretch of leathery flesh between its legs, the no-quite-a-tiger soared through the space afforded between branches and landed on another tree almost fifty feet away. Ramon was almost lost in his joy and barely noticed the beeping communicator until he realized it was what scared away the birds that were safely in much higher branches.

Snarling, Ramon Rand permitted his upper torso, arms and head to reemerge from the animal form, and pressed the communicator’s button to signal he got the message.

Eyes scanning the woods, he saw a long dead tree lying on its side and knew its hollow interior would serve the purposes he needed. Shifting into a tiny monkey with eagle wings, Ramon Rand dove towards the fallen trunk and slid inside, blocking the very entrance he used with a quick shove of earth.
“I’m ready,” he growled into the communicator and waited for the Shadow Slide to commence.




And flying over Afghanistan airspace, Iron Butterfly soared in the shape of a strangely-shaped jet fighter. Defying the very laws of physics with her powers, Iron Butterfly dove towards nearby rebel camps and melted their weapons to slag and debris. The soldiers who were hunting the rebels down stared at the strange ship in the sky and began calling out for their superiors to tell them what to do.
“Is it American? French?” the soldiers called out but their lieutenants could not give a certain reply.
“I have bought you peace,” Iron Butterfly called out, her voice magnified by unseen speakers that were shaped by her power, “And allowed your corrupt government more time to prove it can change. Do not waste this chance.”

A beeping sound came and was followed by a voice. It was Dharma.

“I highly disapprove of you’re interference with existing governments,” he spoke through the communicator. Iron Butterfly soared higher, allowing the clouds to cover her exit. The soldiers mutely stared at the sky and watched as the rebels ran out of the buildings where they had hid in, their hands over their heads in surrender.

“My time is my own, Dharma. Unless the Cabinet calls for me,” Iron Butterfly reminded her.

“You are being called now,” Dharma reminded her.

“Give me a moment to find the darkness,” Iron Butterfly replied.

And in the end, it was about walking towards the light. Shadow Sliding was like stepping into a room, shutting all the lights, then feeling a strange awareness that you have moved even without ever taking a single step. Then, from the darkness that surrounded you, a point of light would emerge in the distance. This point would grow larger, until you realize you can approach it and by walking to it, eventually leave the darkness and step into the lit room that was the receiving hall of the Shadow Spire.

Isadora Wellington-Smythe did nothing to hide her discomfort upon emerging from the shadows. She smiled at the Mechanic, the man who seemed old enough to have been in Vietnam and was known to be the guy who made the Shadow Spire itself, and offered him a handshake.

”Late as usual, Isadora,” he teased her.

Patting her pink raincoat down, she slid the pink gloves she wore off and tucked them into her pink body hugging bag, “Dharma in a mood again or what?”

“He’s fine,” Mechanic grinned, “As always, kinda hard when you’re someone who sees the past and future as easily as one watches television. Even Plus is here already. You better get going, Iota.”

Iota tossed him a smile and quickly made her way down the receiving hall to the nearby elevators. Quickly traveling up to the floor where the conference rooms were, she pulled out a pair of earlier shrunken ipod nanos and enlarged them to their proper size.

“I bring gifts to apologize for my lateness, if you’ll all pardon them being in hot pink,” Iota called out as she held all six of the mp3 players in one hand and stepped through the door. Dharma was already in the gist of the meeting. Iron Butterfly, Sideshow, Blitzen, Donner and Plus were all seated facing Dharma and looked at her with evident “You’re in trouble” stares.

“Sit,” Dharma coldly replied and continued, “The target shall be traveling via the Orange track and is set to arrive at the Kowloon Station two hours from now. That point of time is your action point.”

“Who?” Iota whispered to Blitzen as she sat down and handed the speedster the ipods. “Some walking government experiment that the Hong Kong government forgot to put down. Dharma’s learned he’s fated to go Godzilla if we don’t stop him in time,” Blitzen replied.

“I’m still not comfy with this S.A.N.D. mission,” Sideshow spoke aloud, “I don’t kill.”

“You won’t have to be the one who does it,” Iron Butterfly detachedly retorted then sat up and turned to face Iota, “Blitzen can debrief you along the way. Dharma, is there anything else we should know about this mission before we Shadow Slide over?”

Dharma seemed to pause for a moment and reconsider things. Donner and Blitzen were happily tucking their ipods into their pockets to notice the nervous glance Dharma seemed to have tossed towards Plus. As far as the rest of the team was concerned, Plus was an energy producer/channeler and telekinetic who suffered from a multiple-personality disorder. She claimed to have a sister, whom she referred to as Narnie, trapped in her head. No one knew for certain if she was crazy or actually speaking the truth. Iron Butterfly asked again.

“Dharma, is there anything-”

But Dharma cut her off.

“No. Shadow Slide immediately once I leave the room. That is all,” Dharma told the group and stepped out of the door. Iota stared at the screen and looked at the image of the young man. She noticed the bright orange jacket he wore and found herself feeling a tad envious. She could never wear anything but pink since she unlocked her powers. Just before flicking the lights closed, Iota found herself mumbling, “Lucky bastard.”

Iron Butterfly waited for the room to quiet down then spoke through the communicator, “Shadow Slide us, Mechanic. Hong Kong subway Kowloon station.”

And they were gone.

* * *

Dharma looked at the Mechanic and tried to seem calm when the Mechanic announced, “Team safely in Kowloon Station, Dharma. Shall I get the wine and cheese ready for another successful mission?”

Not receiving a response, the Mechanic cocked a nervous eye towards Dharma and fought the urge to ask. Dharma was not one to usually talk unless he had something to say.

As the Mechanic watched Dharma leave the room, he found himself unable to suppress the worry. Clicking the button to the communicators on, he mumbled to the team, “Watch yourselves, guys. And good luck.”

“Don’t worry,” Iron Butterfly replied through the communicator, “This will be over before you know it.”

---------
End of Issue #01


Nikki Alfar
Tobie Abad
Gabby Lee
Andre Mischa Cleofe
Cathy delos Santos

BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARL!

Belated Happy Birthday to you, Carl! I am so sorry I forgot to greet you yesterday!
Hope you had a wonderful day!

DEAR PANDA BEAR

Love,
Kuya Bodjie

UPDATE: MOST STRANGE WEEK
Yep. Down by illness twice this week (from a slight feverish tinge on Monday to a bout with the belly today.) On the opposite side of the scale, lots of fun events lately. Got to meet the Pinoy Big Brother winner Nene and Raquel for a picture taking. Also hung out with Seth, Eman and Jan for Seth's clean boy stag party (we basically visited the Spa for a massage, ate at David's tea House and had some rounds of DOTA Warcraft ).

Missed TWO pakains already (Monday, they had a small welcome back for Weng, and today, they had a lunch with this guy from the North America unit of ABS-CBN Global) and been eating twice a day on those days I've been down with the sickness. If only one can lose the belly overnight.
Have barely been able to see my Panda Bear, be it face-to-face or online. She's been prepping for a job and I'm pretty proud she's decided to take some steps on decisions she made for herself. Here's hoping everything works out for the best.
Got the Open Meet and a wedding rehearsal this coming weekend. Its going to be one hectic ride (actually, it already has been and its only Wednesday!)

BROKEBACK PLANS BROKEN

Re: “Brokeback Mountain” premiere

The UP Film Institute regrets to formally inform all concerned that it could no longer push through with its own special premiere of Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” as previously announced because of unavoidable circumstances.

The UP Film Institute wholeheartedly extends its apology for whatever inconvenience it may have caused. It is grateful to Sky Films for bringing such a landmark film to Philippine audiences. It only wishes the guaranteed success and maximum patronage for “Brokeback Mountain” and abides by all that the celebrated film aims to accomplish.

Likewise, the UP Film Institute renews its commitment to continue its support for the cause of fine filmmaking everywhere and welcome all opportunities to provide the premier state university constituents the necessary access to the best of world cinema by all possible means at its disposal.

The UP Film Institute thanks all for their consideration and understanding.
See you always at the movies!

--------

Too bad. I really wanted to see it.

SICK AT HOME BUT LAUGHING
I think I really have to get my face checked again. Finished the drug for the week and forgot to revisit for a recheck-up. Now feeling all feverish again. I hate it. I just hope it doesn't mean I have to go get my face operated on. Waaah...

Darn Cellulitis won't go away.

Anway, here's something to laugh with. Link shared to me by Gelo. Thanks mate!


Missing my Panda bear again. Tempted to ask her over but frankly, I'm feeling horribly anti-social. Probably just sleep. Ish, if you read this, sorry for my late replies. Brain shutting down again. Body needs more rest I guess. And a damn check up.

UP Film Institute premieres “Brokeback Mountain"





The UP Film Institute is proud to present its own special premiere of what is bound to be the year’s most celebrated film.

Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain”—a Sky Films release—hits the big screen for the premier state university community on February 11 (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.) as the centerpiece presentation for the UP Film Institute’s month-long celebration of romance and the arts.

Widely regarded as the frontrunner at the forthcoming Oscars, “Brokeback Mountain” is the Grand Prize Winner of Golden Lion at the 2005 Venice International Film Festival. It recently copped four Golden Globes for Best Picture-Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Song.

It has also been named the year’s best film by leading critics groups such as the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Dallas-Forth Worth Film Critics Association, the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and the
Southeastern Film Critics Association.

Further awards and distinctions include the Satellite Awards from the International Press Academy for Outstanding Motion Picture-Drama, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Film Editing and Outstanding Original Song in addition to bids for top honors of such major Hollywood guilds as the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, the Screen
Actors Guild, the American Society of Cinematographers, the American Cinema Editors and the Writers Guild of America.

From Pulitzer Prize-winning authors E. Annie Proulx and Larry McMurtry, “Brokeback Mountain” tackles the story of two young, modern-day cowboys who meet in the summer of 1963 driving cattle on a mountain range to unexpectedly forge a lifelong bond—by turns ecstatic, bitter and conflicted—as set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas. The
dramatic film is top billed by Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams.





Strictly for mature viewing with sexuality, nudity, language and some violence, “Brokeback Mountain” premieres with the generous support of Sky Films and the UP Diliman Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts as part of UP-mounted campus-wide festivities for Valentine’s, the National Arts Month and the Diliman Month that all coincide in February. Premiere tickets at a popular price are on sale by Wednesday, January 25 at the UP Film Institute Administrative Office. For particulars, interested parties may call cinema hotline 9263640 and 9262722 (telefax). Secure your admission now!

The UP Film Institute is the country’s premier state university unit offering film courses for both undergraduate and master’s degrees. It operates its own cinema that screens all quality films free from censorship and programmed for purposes of a variety of studies and broadened appreciation of cinematic arts. Established in March 2003 by virtue of the UP Board of Regents Resolution, the UP Film Institute is the merger of the former UP Film Center and the Film and Audiovisual Communication Department of the UP College of Mass Communication. It is the only Philippine member of CILECT or the International Association of Film and Television Schools.

University of the Philippines Film Institute (Member, CILECT/International Association of Film and Television Schools) Plaridel Hall, Ylanan Road, UP Diliman, Quezon City Cine Adarna, Magsaysay and Osmeña Avenues, UP Diliman, Quezon City Tel: 9818500 (UP Trunkline) local 4286, 4289; 9262722 (Telefax)

Some funny gifs I saw
Here's one which just reminds me of the fun the old years were like.




Here's my "congratulations!!!" to Ang Lee and his very successful Brokeback Mountain! May you have more awards to come!!!

JUST WANTED TO SAY...

My Panda bear makes me very happy.
I can't wait to see her again.
:-)

Yun lang po.

WHO KILLED THE MADMAN?
http://www.livejournal.com/community/scans_daily/1301756.html#cutid1

DCU: Ultimate Desire #4

Coming Out

1932, Sixteen years since the night Desire had been imprisoned.

Roderick Burgess was in the throes of passion, bucking like a tiny rowboat on a stormy sea. She rocked with each motion he made, pressing herself against him in hopes that he pleased him enough that he would allow the translucent cloth that he wrapped around his shoulders to drape over her. It was said to be a truly magical thing, this cloth. Its very touch brought arousal to new peaks. Its very fabric shuddered deep beneath the skin and awoke nerves and sensations that were never thought to exist.

And with a grunting sound not too different from that a hungry boar would make, Roderick Burgess reached his peak and felt the pressure that had been building in his loins break free.

His heart was not far behind.

But not quite yet.

* * *

1940.

Alex Burgess was celebrating his thirty-eight birthday among friends and neighbors when he realized his father was not at the table. He tossed his gaze across the room, and upon finally certain his father had not chosen to join them at the table, rose and gave some excuses as he made his way to the stair well.

"Alex," a young woman whispers to him, "The people are waiting," she worriedly looked around the room, "And your father… he is..doing well I suppose."

Alex stared at the woman. She did not resemble anyone his father knew. She was probably some friend of his. Or some associate. But he always felt all women look alike. He raised his glass towards her in a stylistic pose and clinked the surface with his knife. People all turned to focus on the direction of the noise. "People…people… you’re attention please."

Heads turned towards where Alex and the unknown woman stood. Alex offered a friendly smile and then raised his wine glass before his own face. "May I call for a toast," he loosened his necktie, "Many things have happened this year. Some good, some bad. "

Murmurs in the crowd showed their assent with his words. Alex stared at a brown-haired handsome man by the fireplace and threw him a smile. The man smiled back. Alex turned away from the man, not wanting to reveal himself to the assemblage, and turned to face the stairwell, "And I would like to take this opportunity to thank the man who has brought me to this world but sadly chosen to be absent from this special occasion. A toast to my father. May he find the happiness he had long been seeking before the end comes." Uncomfortable silence followed, with many finding his choice of words strange. Then half-hearted applause as Alex brought down his now empty wine glass and followed the staircase to the higher floor.

The unfamiliar woman stroked her hair back and glanced at the stairwell Alex took. She considered following but knew to do so was to reveal her intentions too soon. She opted to bide her time and mingled with the guests, laughing at their empty questions and half-focused words.

Alex found his father asleep in bed. He was naked save for the translucent cloth which he demanded to never be taken from him. Alex grimaced at the soiled bedding and sour odor of long stagnant sweat. He wanted to drag his father off the bed, force him to bathe and perhaps burn the old bed to replace it with a newer…. CLEANER bed. But he knew to touch his father was to be recipient of another scourging and bout of insults. And that was the last thing he wanted.

"Perhaps the Indifference found you at last as well, father," Alex murmured, uncertain of what ailed his father. The answer, of course, was something Roderick Burgess was learning in his dreams.

* *

Desire remained silently waiting, staring at the two guards who kept a good distance from the glass prison. Neither ever looked at him in the eye, having learned from previous mistakes how powerfully influential Desire could be when he catches one’s gaze. Both, too, were deaf. Desire’s whispers were more dangerous than any know poison.

But Desire was not afraid. He knew time was on his side. And that soon, so would be freedom.

* *

Roderick Burgess was walking down a long corridor filled with many paintings and statues that seemed unfamiliar to him. A pillar held the immortalized image of a naked woman who’s head was adorned with ram’s horns. The painting showed a young child standing amidst a burning field, on his feet lay the remains of a shattered crystal vessel. Another held the image of a great woman shaped from clay receiving a golden kiss from heaven.

"May I help you?" a wizen looking man with spectacles, thinning hair and almost pointy-ears asked aloud. Roderick Burgess turned to face the man, staring at his finely cut clothing that seemed perhaps Italian or French in design. The man had a large book in one hand and a raven sitting on his shoulder.

"Where-" Roderick began to ask but decided to try and show some respect for hospitality first. He was, after all, an educated man. "My name is Roderick Burgess. May I know your name, sir?"

"I am Lucien and this is my area of responsibility. Have you come to contribute an entry to this library of unwritten and unfinished things?" Lucien asked, adjusting his glasses to see the man better.

"Am I dreaming?"

"You are within the Dreaming, that much is correct," Lucien nodded and turned as if to speak to the raven on his shoulders, "Inform the master. We have a guest." The raven, much to Roderick’s surprise, took to the air on cue and flew down the corridor. Roderick struggled to make sense of where he was, but it seemed that all the books within view had strange symbols and markings rather than words. A nearby window gave only the view of an endless night sky filled with stars. Roderick had barely time to register everything and turn to Lucien to ask another question when he found himself in the presence of a pale man dressed in dancing shadows.

"It is not customary for the master of the house to be summoned by his seneschal and librarian," the pale man addressed Lucien, then turned to Roderick with an expression-less gaze, "You are Roderick Burgess. The Daemon King of the Order of the Secret Mysteries. You have one of my siblings in your house."

Roderick realized who he was speaking to, though he mistook him to be another one.

"You are Death!"

"No. I am not Death. But you will know my sister soon enough," he replied calmly, with no hint of venom or ill in his voice.

"I… I made a mistake. I did not mean to-"

"What man does and intends are rarely the same thing. But responsibility is not waved from ignorance or error. There shall be a price to pay for your actions, Roderick Burgess. And this price is one I cannot avert," the Dream King calmly spoke.

"You… you are threatening me," Roderick Burgess felt the blood seep from his face. He remembered his son, Alex, whom had run away from him many years ago, only to return with a business and a successful future already in his hands. Only his return came with a price and that was the lack of ever having a son. Alex Burgess had come home to come out to his father. And yet, Roderick believed his son would someday realize that his fancy for men was but something temporal. And that the want for a heir would come in time. "Fine. Do as you wish! I have lived a ripe old age. But leave my son free of this."

"I can only promise you, Roderick Burgess, that vengeance shall be enacted only to those who had taken from my sibling what was rightfully not theirs to take," the Dream King replied, "Now go. You are no longer welcome here."

Roderick Burgess awoke in tears. He found his son standing by his bed, and reached out to hold him. But his son shook his head and left the room, too afraid to face his own father… to afraid to see how weak he had become.

A soft knock came a few minutes later, even as Roderick resigned himself to the loneliness his life was to embrace as routine. He lifted his gaze, so the the same woman he had once shared the bed with. The same woman who made him feel more like a man than anyone ever did.

She smiled.

* * *

1947.

"This remains a triumph of the order," Roderick told his son and passed away. The gathered bowed their heads in solemn respect. Alex wept openly, caring not for the judgmental eyes that would see his effeminate ways. Candles burned low as the physician declared Roderick Burgess dead. The Order of the Secret Mysteries collectively bowed their heads before Alex and pronounced him as the successor of the order and sole holder of the title Daemon King. Alex, however, simply continued to weep.

At the far corner of the room, a woman carefully slipped open the door and made her way out of the house. Her legs, covered with run-filled stockings, carried her across the square rather quickly as she made to escape. Occasionally, she would run her hand inside the cloth parcel she carried, and smile secretly as her sex grew wet from touching the robe she had stolen.

And beneath the household, in a basement that had long seem better days, Desire smiled and new it was very near now. He noticed a mark on the far side whose paint and paper had stained from the leak on the wall. And he could already see how eventually a small thing such as a drop of water shall suffice in brining his freedom.

* * *

The Indifference continued to grow. There were so few countries now where its presence had not reached. Doctors, physicians, psychologists and priests remained oblivious to its source or its cure.

* * *

Desire continued to wait.
I knew there was no denying what Desire itself wanted.

In time,
Everything succumbs to Desire in the end.

Everything.

- end of issue 4 -
Ultimate Desire
by Tobie Abad


Nikki Alfar
Tobie Abad
Gabby Lee
Andre Mischa Cleofe
Cathy delos Santos

JUST A RECAP OF WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO SO FAR
Finally got my camera working again. It went wonky after I lent it to Johnboy for the Ad Congress in Cebu. For a while, it would only charge to 3 minutes no matter how long I'd plug it. THankfully, now, it works like normal.


Enjoy the pictures!

Here's more!





I wrote a longer post but the net here at work ate it. So decided to just edit this post and add the pics . Waaah...

TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
(Got tagged by my Panda Bear Isha)
10) Cheap Prices
We do get less than other countries in terms of salaries and the like, but the accessibility of cheaper goods which are ALSO available in other countries makes up for it. Seriously, I have seen stuff for sale in Los Angeles and Hong Kong which cost less here (and no I don't mean pirated goods).

9) Less Catastrophies
I guess an odd typhoon here and there is okay. Occasional land slides do occur in more rural areas. Then there's red tide on occasion. But that's just about it. Other countries contend with blizzards, hurricanes, tornados, volcanos, frequent earthquakes, sand storms and more.

8) Halo Halo, Nata de Coco, Sago at Gulaman, Tocino, Laing and Taho
Definitely.

7) Beaches and Vacation Spots
None like those we got here, and mind you I don't mean *cough commercialized cough* places like Boracay. I mean those less known places which have beaches that ARE still actual beaches and the like. And no, I am not sharing them with you. Ha!

6) Tricycles
As personalized as taxis but as cheap as jeepneys. Why take a cab when you can take a tricycle for less and still get to a precise destination? Its limited to close areas, but hey, that works for lunches and stuff.

5) The variety of food
Oh yes. Stay long enough in the United States and you'll realise everything they serve, be it steak, burgers, fish, salads or even pizza eventually taste the same. They keep things bland and force you to spice it up on your own. Here, we got a world variety of cuisine and its all really distinct and yummy!

4) Paskong Pinoy
Nothing like it.
Nothing at all.

3) Party Time
Only in the Philippines do you get to buy beer ANY time of the day and get to see party spots still open past two a.m.

2) Churches
It is nice to know Churches are many here. And beautiful too.

1) The Culture
It is just sad that so few get exposed to it. We need more pro-pinoy stuff. On television. On print. On games. On fashion.

MALASWA ARTS!!!
The Cultural Center of the Philippines presents a Tanghalang Pilipino production:

Carlo Vergara's Zsazsa Zaturnnah: Ze Muzikal

Eula Valdez
Agot Isidro
Tuxqs Rutaquio
Ricci Chan
Lauren Novero
Arnold Reyes
Deeda Barretto
Wilma Doesnt
Mayen Estañero
Tess Jamias
and the Tanghalang Pilipino’s Actors’ Company

direction Chris Millado
music/lyrics/musical direction Vincent A. de Jesus
adaptation Chris Martinez

lighting design Shoko Matsumoto
choreography Ding Cruz
set design Sonny Aniceto
costume design Nicole Mori
technical direction Barbara Tan-Tiongco
stage management Chynna Roxas

February 10 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 24 | 25 March 3 | 4 | 2006 8:00PM
February 11 | 12 | 18 | 19 | 25 | 26 March 4 | 5 | 2006 3:00PM

Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Studio Theater)

Tanghalang Pilipino 832-3661 / 832-1125 locals 1620 / 1621 /
(0920) 953-5381 / 0920 953-5419
email ccptanghalan@yahoo.com
TicketWorld 891-9999
--------------

Reposted this announcement taken from Carl's blog. As you probably know, Carlo Vergara is the creator of what I personally would say was the best local comic I've ever read so far (Mythology Class is a close second placer)

So do find time to watch!
--------
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!

EARLY MORNING AGAIN
Already at work cause I have to get myself done with all the stuff I got pending asap. Got a meeting at 6p.m. too at Makati to rush to. And hopefully, get to go watch a movie with my Panda Bear Isha. Had a brush with weird stomach trouble yesterday evening, which led to getting some chills during the night. Thankfully, Johnboy dropped by to keep me occupied and
feeling better.


Can't wait to see my Panda Bear Isha again. Ever since she moved back to her parents' place in Makati, its been much more difficult to map out times I can visit. Distance, time, and other factors are much less cooperative compared to before. Makes me wish I had a car. Well, come to think of it, about time I learned to drive.

Her brother, Basil, on the other hand, is recovering from a broken pinkie which he got when he won in a sports competition. Learned from Ish that he's gotten addicted to Avenue Q, which frankly I think everyone should try listening to.

FELL #01 for free online!


Ever heard of Fell? If not, then here's your chance to check it out for free! Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith's disturbingly curious foray into strange things in a city that looks like Silent Hill all grown-up has a powerful approach to storytelling few comics capture nowadays.

EVER WISHED YOU COULD DRINK A POTION TO FEEL BETTER?


Any gamers who has ever played a Final Fantasy game by Squaresoft or a Dungeons and Dragons session would know that Potions are those little drinks that help keep your hitpoints and health up. Well, looks like Squaresoft finally came up with a cool idea for merchendising and decided to release their own soda beverage which is aptly called 'Potion'. I love the packaging of the whole thing! If only I can find out what it tastes like.

Can't wait til they come up with a way to sell a Phoenix Down!

FREAKY WINDOWS
Some strange art director/window display designer came up with something I saw a few months back that still makes me think "Weeeeeird..." With an almost disturbing touch of quirkiness, the mannequins were headless and given cloth to cover the headless areas. I dunno. I guess for some it was nothing new. But for me, it just seemed so "serial killer" inspired.


STAR-STRUCK MODE
I guess I might as well confess that there have been some times at work when I join the bandwagon and have my picture taken with the stars. Here's two which I haven't posted for quite some time. To be frank, I really asked for the pics to make others envious. Ha!


BY THE WAY


Yes, I was innocent once. Then I learned to use my brain.


Nikki Alfar
Tobie Abad
Gabby Lee
Andre Mischa Cleofe
Cathy delos Santos

PASSIONCheck out the song here.

Passion is Utada Hikaru's single for the recently released Playstation 2 game Kingdom Hearts II. The game is a collaboration between Square Enix and Disney and frankly is a tremendously addictive, adventure/rpg game which mixes the best of both worlds into one magical ride. Hikki provides the vocal song for the second time, (the first game's vocal track, "Simple and Clean" was also sung by her) and does not disappoint!

Catch the video here.

PASSION (Romanized lyrics)

Omoidaseba haruka haruka
Mirai wa doko made mo kagayaiteta
Kirei na aozora no shita de
Bokura wa sukoshi dake obiete ita

Natsukashii iro ni mado go somaru

Mae wo muitereba
Mata aemasu ka
Mirai wa doko e demo tsudzuiteru 'n da
Ooki na kanban no shita de
Jidai no utsuroi wo mite itai na

Nido to aenu
Hito ni basho ni
Mado wo akeru

Omoidaseba haruka haruka
Mirai wa doko made mo kagayaiteta
Kirei na aozora no shita de
Bokura wa itsumademo nemutte ita

Zutto mae ni suki datta hito
Fuyu ni kodomo ga umareru sou da
Mukashi kara no kimari goto wo
Tama ni utagaitaku naru yo
Zutto wasurerarenakatta no
Nengajou wa shashin tsuki kana
Watashitachi ni dekinakatta koto wo
Totemo natsukashiku omou yo

Aozora no shita de

PASSION (English translation from lyrics)

If we remember, that far far away
the future is shining somewhere
we only have to be afraid a little bit
as we sit here under the beautiful blue sky

Beloved colors fill the window

If I can be with you again, before I turn
to the future that is shining somewhere
I want to see our time change
underneath that large sign

There’s someone I can’t meet again, in this city
So I open the window

If we remember, that far far away
the future is shining somewhere
we can sleep forever
under the beautiful blue sky

Before I loved you
I was a child born in winter
Sometimes, I have doubts about
the things that started in the past
Oh I will never ever forget
the picture you attached to that New Year’s card
It’s the things that we can’t do
that we long for so much

Local Comic Book Industry?
Is there really one already? Is it ever going to be a viable industry? Are there actions being done today that actually are counter-productive to such an industry growing?
Check this blog out and see some other viewpoints on these ideas and issues.

I AM PISSED
Yeah. Woke up at 3:13am. Talk about spooky time to wake up, eh?
Anyway I am pissed. That's all I got to say about it.
I'll probably be better soon. Ta ta...

ELSEWORLD STORY: THE TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE WAY - Issue #02

She was called Wonder Woman.

But she was far from being anything that was truly deserving of the word; Wonder. Though yes, there was no denying her perfectly chiseled features: Her skin was flawless, with no hints of stretch marks nor blemishes. Her eyes were beautifully almond-shaped windows that displayed the immaculate azure pupils within. Her lips were dangerously full and red which seemed perpetually in a half-seductive pout. Raven black hair rose from her head like a veil of shadows. Her body was impressively sculpted, as if from the finest clay into the most resilient marble, and was just as muscularly compact as it was sensually supple. She wore a golden tiara on her head; its design was golden with a single red five-pointed star on its center. She wore silver bracers; though these were devoid of markings and designs, their simplicity announced one fact – that neither bullets, nor blade, nor energy which had been used against her have even dented them in the slightest of ways. She wore a tight-fitting dress that covered her breasts with a golden metallic breastplate designed to resembled a large eagle (a design which many were to misinterpret its wings looking like two large letter Ws). Red leather and cloth covered most of her back. A golden girdle on the other hand wrapped around her waist while a loincloth of blue adorned with white stars hung below.

But even with her dangerous ability to fight unarmed, her powers of flight, resilience, and strength. Or her jet fighter which was invisible to all forms of radar and detection including the naked eye. There was something else that made Wonder Woman the woman whom everyone else respectfully feared; It was the Golden Lasso that she always carried.

It was the lasso that gave her power to enforce the Truth.

And that allowed her to call herself the Truth.

For in a world where the Three ruled with an iron-fist of control, the Truth was something far too many people hoped to hide from.

---
Truth, Justice and the Way
An Elseworld Event
Written by Tobie Abad
---

With a delicate spin, the turnip pirouetted around the tomato and slid down the metal bar separating the two vegetables until it reached the corner of the tray and fell into the area among the leeks.

Timothy Hunter gave a gasp of surprise and rose back to full height, uncertain of what he had just witnessed. He looked around and saw everything else was still as it was. People were moving about, minding their own business as they searched among the racks and shelves for the stuff they wanted. Tim turned to the closest rack and saw the various kinds of fruits that were for sale, each one wrapped with a few others of the same kind, shrink-wrapped to retain freshness. Not too far away, the lettuce and other leafy greens quietly sat in their own areas.

"There is an explanation for all this… a rational explanation," Tim muttered to himself as he clamped both hands back on the shopping cart and pushed his way from the produce and towards the shelves where canned goods were on display. He ducked past a tall nearly bald man who reached for a tin of asparagus that was tucked way too high in the display, then zipped past an overweight blonde who was backing up without looking while reading the fine print on a can of black mushrooms. "There has to be… I’m barely fifteen. I cannot be suffering from hallucinations. Only old geezers stuck in wheelchairs do that."

Tim stopped in front of an old man who seemed to be staring back at him. The old man grunted and motioned for him to keep moving. Tim shoved his cart forwards and finally reached the part of the shelves where various kinds of bottled spices were on display. He looked around for the bell peppers and found the red peppers a few steps away from his cart.

He grabbed the first jar of bell peppers and peered through the glass. The pickled peppers looked old and tired. Worn even. Tim stared in fascination as the pepper seemingly folded in on itself, revealing paper thin skin and dried seeds. Nearly dropping the jar, Tim shoved it back onto the shelf and backed up quickly back to his cart. He wiped an errant bead of sweat away and tried to calm down.

"I am not seeing things," Tim muttered once again to himself.

"You’ll be seeing stars if you don’t shove out of the way," a rough male voice threatened Tim from behind. The young boy turned to see an unshaven blond man staring at him from behind an unlit cigarette that precariously hung on his lower lip. He wore a pair of worn jeans and three layers of shirts. The first two were black and white. The third shirt was a red long-sleeved shirt that had been heavily worn down (probably by repeated washing).

"Move?" he growled in what sounded more like a command than a question.

"Sorry," Tim mumbled and shoved his cart closer to the shelves, "It was not like I meant to-"

"Thank you," the blond guy interrupted Tim and walked on, ignoring Tim’s scowl at his rudeness. The man stopped at the same cart Tim saw the rotting peppers and stared at the display for a moment, as if sensing something. Tim’s eyes widened as the man reached for the very jar he had returned.

"John," a woman’s voice called out from behind Tim. The boy turned to see a woman in a blue pair of jogging pants. She had a white turtle neck on and a black cardigan jacket covering most of her body. A heavy-looking crystal hung from her neck, tied to a black rope that was looped twice and knotted once. She had no make-up on save bright red lipstick and her hair was pony-tailed behind her head. "We already have enough peppers."

"So we’ll have extra, jeez why you being all fussy today woman? You on the rag?"

The lady slapped John soundly on the face. Tim decided it was none of his business and turned to leave. But it was that very moment the lights flickered and the sound of something like a bomb falling from the sky shattered the glass windows of the market place.

All eyes turned towards the shattered windows before each ducking down to find a place to hide behind for safety. It was clear to everyone what was happening that very moment. The staccato sound of gunfire merely punctuated more their suspicions.

Someone was about to be face to face with the Truth.

* * *

Back in the house, Tim’s father was once again soundly asleep. Hands folded in front of his chest, the slumbering man had once again left the television on even while his attentions were more focused on the shows his dreams shared with him.

The screen showed a middle aged man, whose hair had been slicked back, holding a large top hat in one hand and a long black cane which had a white tip in the other. He smiled a cheshire cat smile and tapped the cane to the tip of his dark shaded glasses. "Friends, true believers and most faithful fans," the man called out to the studio audience with the bravado expected of a showman, "Today I shall show you a trick unlike anything you have ever seen before."

The audience applauded upon Mister E’s announcement and fell silent once he motioned them to do so. He spun the top hat in his hand and stopped to hold it with the opening facing the ceiling. He tapped his cane against it and mumbled a few strange arcane-sounding words, "Flippendo Fellatio and all that jazz!" and bowed to the audience’s applause when a healthy white rabbit suddenly leaped up from the somewhere inside the hat to land on the ground with a heavy thud.

"Oh no, my dear friends," Mister E shook his head, "No no no.. this is far from what I am planning to show you. You see there are three kinds of magic, my dear faithful audience. The first kind, like this rabbit, was done using illusions and what we magicians call smoke and mirrors. Misdirection, so to speak."

Mister E grinned an almost feral grin; white ivory teeth all displayed like a lion baring its maw of sharpened fangs. He then tossed the hat towards the audience but suddenly pointed the cane at it. The hat burst into flames, dissolving into colored dust faster than an eye blink. "Then," Mister E continued, "There were those who fell for what we would call Preparation. Many very convincing tricks require a lot of planning before hand. Be it earlier treated cloth to carefully concealed pockets, a larger degree of tricks belong in this category. Few that have been prepared are not given the proper training to learn first the basics of Misdirection. Without properly knowing the ways of Misdirection would give away any Preparation made before hand."

The audience collectively shared a gasp when two magician assistants carried onto the stage a large velvet chair that had been given the same restraining capacities of an electric chair. Leather straps to bound the arms and legs were present in the chair’s design. A large black cloth was left hanging on top of it, presumably to cover the face.

"The last, however, is the true tongue of magic. And I am afraid it cannot be taught or
stolen. For it is something that innately manifests among those intended to be counted among the practicioners of True Magic," Mister E grinned and sat down on the chair, allowing the two asisstants to carefully strap him in. He let go of the top hat, not seeing another rabbit pull itself out from its dark depths. "Behold," Mister E called out to the audience, "A glimpse of true Magic!"

And without warning, Mister E was gone. The crowd went wild, clapping their hands rapidly as the assistants spun the chair around to show that Mister E had indeed disappeared!

Half a city away from the studio, Tim Hunter’s father stirred long enough only to realize that there was someone in the room with him. But he never got a chance to wake up. The urge to drift deeper into sleep overwhelmed his sense of self-preservation. Straightening up from what seemed to be an awkwardly taxing journey through the television set, Mister E patted his suit down, stared at the now deeply dreaming Mr. Hunter once more, and checked his silver pocket watch for the time.

"Not much time, Mister Hunter," Mister E spoke in a disturbing sing-song manner, "Come out whenever you are…"

* * *

"You won’t be taking me to the Gulag," the man screamed out as he unleashed another volley of bullets at the policemen who were pinned behind their waywardly parked cars. The semi-automatic rifle in the man’s hands roared out fire as he shattered glass windows, windshields and nearby store windows with its deadly hail of bullets. Not too far away, crouched behind shelves of canned spices, Tim Hunter peered out and fought the urge to run further away. Almost everyone else in the shopping center were on their hands and knees, crawling away from the shattered window that faced the armed man and the police. Everyone knew that the Truth was bound to come out into the open. And everyone knew that when the Truth came, there was no stopping the inevitable.

John Constantine and Zatanna were moving away from the window like everyone else when John noticed Tim Hunter still by the shelves where they had bumped into him. Muttering a quick curse towards Zatanna (who scowled at him for cussing at her face), John shoved his lady love to the ground and made for the shelves as quickly as his squatted figure could permit.

"John!" Zatanna whispered as loud as she could, "What are you doing?!?"

"The boy," John replied and left it at that. He waited for the next sound of gun fire, and broke into a sprint to the shelf the moment the cascading sound of bullets erupted into the air. He was certain the gun was being discharged in a direction away from him.

Tim watched as the armed man stared at the sky for a moment, then unleashed another hail of bullets at the still pinned policemen. "Puppets! Scared useless puppets! That’s what you all are! Do you even realize how much you have fallen apart?" the man cried out in anger. He shook visibly with anger and frustration. His long brown hair seemed to move uncomfortably as he raised both hands towards the sky, "They shouldn’t be in charge of us! Can’t you all see that?!?! They are not even from our world!"

"You have said quite enough."

Her voice was unmistakable. She descended from the sky with a golden trail behind her. She stopped an inch from the ground, arms on her side with one hand gripping the golden lasso and the other clamped on her lap. It was the Wonder Woman.

The Truth.

Tim Hunter nearly shouted in shock when John clamped both hands on his shoulders and dragged him back out of view.

* * *

Mister E walked down the hall with his cane before him at all times. The sound of the applause from his very own show was fading in the distance as he walked away from the television and towards the staircase leading up to the rooms. He reached the steps and for a moment, stopped, then realized what he had felt was not merely paranoia or worry.

"You are here," he called out to the room and the room did not reply. Mister E crossed his arms in a show of disapproval. "Do not assume I am like the rest of these mortals. Though physically blind, I see far more than they can ever dream of."

"Fitting choice of words," a figure in the darkness replied. Stepping into view, the King of Dreams allowed himself to be seen, "Which I would assume was intended to strike me as having been noticed by you."

"The King of Dreams walks the Walking Lands," Mister E mused, "Not a common sight with the exception of certain events in the past and the future. Like love. Like missing siblings. Like vengeance."
"Enough," the King of Dream’s eyes shone brighter, like stars against a moonless sky, and contained within them an anger that threatened to burst like a super nova. Mister E’s talent for peering into the time stream had given him ammunition to speak against one of the Endless. Such advantages were best used sparingly.

"You come for the Hunter?" Mister E asked the King of Dreams. The pale man in dark violet robes that danced with the flittering shadows of children playing did not give a reply. Instead, he brought both hands towards his nape and allowed a great helmet of ivory and bone to manifest and adorn his head. A brilliant emerald came into view upon his chest.

"You wear your garments," Mister E observed, though he was blind, he saw the events that were to happen like they were things a man normally saw, "You prepare for battle. But not against me."

"No," the King of Dreams spoke frankly, "We are not the only ones here."

The two turned to another corner of the room. There, hidden by long unspoken anger and wrapped beneath a deceptive veil of concealed rage, the third figure allowed itself to be seen.

"The Spirit of Vengeance itself is among us," The King of Dreams acknowledged his presence. "Let us speak then our true minds on why we are all here. Surely, we may still speak like men even if we are all far from being such mere things."

"Yes," the Spectre admitted, "Let us speak. For now. But soon, know that there shall be upon this land a reckoning. And when that happens, neither restless Dreams nor misguided Mysteries shall be the road which the Hunter shall take to find his prey. Vengeance shall not be denied."

* * *

Tim angrily shoved John Constantine’s hand away from his shoulders. With a determination to see the events transpiring outside in the street fueling his actions, the young man stomped an insolent foot down upon John’s toes and used it as the very stepping stone to leap forwards towards the windows.

"Son of a-" John cursed as he fell to his knees, eyes gone all teary in pain.

Tim slid beneath the broken window and peered over the edge to see the Truth herself swing her golden lasso around the gun man. To his surprise, the gun man did not even one attempt to dodge the magical rope.

"Tell me your name, criminal, that all may know of you whom have threatened their peace and livelihood!"

"I have done no such thing, you cruel and heartless Amazon!" the man hissed back.

"SPEAK YOUR NAME," the Truth demanded and by the power that was intertwined within the very lasso that had been woven from the threads of the Girdle of Aphrodite and Gaea. That same moment, the false hairpiece fell from the man’s head.

"My name is Lex Luthor," the man proclaimed, "And I shall be the catalyst to your downfall."

And for the first moment in many years, the Truth felt a touch of something long alien to her. Gifted as she was with the incredible beauty from Aphrodite, the wisdom of Athena, the power and stregth of Demeter, the sisterhood with fire from Hestia, the rapport among the beasts from Artemis and the gift of speed and flight from Hermes, she had long had not known this alien feeling that now struck her heart.

For none who were entangled within her lasso could speak any falsehoods.
The Truth knew that what Lex Luthor had proclaimed would be without doubt and absolutely for certain a truth.

End of Issue #02
---------
Title: Truth, Justice and the Way
Tim Hunter is destined to be the greatest wizard of all time, but in a world where magic is nearly dead, and three immensely god-like despots are the Authority over the world, will he be brave enough to embrace his destiny?
Limited Series

THREE THINGS I MUST ACCOMPLISH TODAY
Yep, today is a day I have to do three major things.
1) Get to Makati by 6p.m.
I have to meet up with some people regarding interesting things to come. And by interesting, I do not mean to curse myself with the Chinese saying of living in interesting times. To accomplish this would entail me being at work by 8:00a.m. so I can leave by 5:00p.m. Yes. That is why I am already awake this early. I cannot fail!
2) Visit my Panda bear and her brother in PGH
Isha's brother, Basil, had to undergo some surgery yesterday. Struck by a strange malady yesterday, I had no choice but to stay home. I must be sure to get to visit. Bring food too. Hmm... I wonder what kind though. Suggestions are welcome!
3) Get to Paranaque tonight
Family calls. One must never turn a deaf ear when family calls.

Wish me luck!

YOU MUST WATCH THIS
Only I think this requires DSL or better.
Still, if you get the chance, you MUST.

Never. You will never look at Sentai the same way again.
(Hell, you'd actually suddenly like it!)

EARLY RANTS FOR 2006
It is finally a new year. And with this new year comes the hope that things will be different if not better than the previous one. Everything from economic woes, to health worries seemed to coagulate in the surrounding days of last year's very turbulent waters. Though things felt like they were on an upswing in the latter part of 2005, in general the year was seen as one of the more difficult years in the decade by many of my friends.

With the coming of 2006, I have decided to do something rather than create a list of resolutions to follow (or try to). Though I do have some self-imposed promises to make happen, I decided it would be more interesting to post what some frustrations I hope change this year.

And as they say, "Bato bato sa langit, matamaan huwag magalit."

1.) A full list of Yahoo! Messenger names with all having a "Not at my desk" or "Do not disturb" icon on.
Seriously, if you don't WANT to be disturbed, then DON'T turn Yahoo! Messenger on. Unless you're waiting for someone specific and want the rest of the world to ignore you, then by all means GO INVISIBLE.

I really find it an annoying peeve to see long lists of names and all are not to be disturbed. Its like having a large buffet table with a huge plastic sheet over the whole thing so no one touches it. What the fuck? Why even display the food then?

I am not sure how I feel though about the whole list being "I'm on SMS". Its kind of a double take thing; they're NOT online, but they are reachable. So I think its currently okay. I guess.

2.) Thinking more than Acting
There are some websites that could serve as beautifully efficient means to contact more people interested in certain hobbies that frankly are in terrible need of updating and activity. I don't care how delicate mapping out a website is assumed to be (this is a hobby website for crying out loud, not some government site or what) but it should NOT take more than a whole year to decide how to update it.

Seriously.
Update it please.

Same thing goes to certain projects and purchases. If you WANT to buy the car, stop waiting for someone to convince you to do so. Just buy it. Or don't. No one likes being asked to share their opinion, then told their opinion is wrong. So stop asking if all you plan to do is contradict them.

3.) Very very loud fireworks at 3 a.m. when no one else is lighting them
Makes me wish I could light the same thing and aim it at your face. And please, causing neighbors' cars to break into alarms at that hour is a sign to STOP lighting them. Swallow a sensitivity pill, you prick.

Oh and this leads to...

4.) Insensitive people
Especially when it comes to time management and keeping others who adjust their schedule to theirs informed. How fucking hard is it to send a text message to the people waiting for you that you can't make it? Give others the chance to adjust their scheds if you can't make it. Not everyone lives their lives at your beck and call. Really. Not everyone.

Same thing goes to the bastards who love yakking in elevators as if the were talking to someone half a football field away. And no, I don't care if you're talking about your latest purchase on tacky clothes and horribly over-priced tsinelas. Just admit the fact you don't have a television show to imitate Oprah and move on with your life.

5.) Certain public celebrities and government official
If it were possible, I'd neuter you all just to help give the Philippines a better chance at becoming something better. Its sad how much you are in power and positions to influence so much people, and you use it to protect your (lack of) fashion sense and evidently self-indulgent fund collection. One single day's worth of your salary can feed hundreds of the poor. Stop acting like your single donation in a month is really an act of charity.

We all know you're just after getting more tax cuts.

6.) Online Comics ignored as part of Local Comic Industry
Its frustrating. But it seems to be the common mindset shared by those in the industry. You'll see mentions of independent publishers, of photocopied self-stapled comics, of printed stuff and published work, but you never really see mention of online comics and websites that have been creating comic strips and stories.

Its sad. Why it would never be permitted to be part of industry discussions, I will never understand.

7.) Happy People
Oh no. I actually hate myself now too!


Nikki Alfar
Tobie Abad
Gabby Lee
Andre Mischa Cleofe
Cathy delos Santos

Recently joined a fanfiction site contest and wrote this as my entry. Just wanted to share it.


EMERALD AND RED: An Ultimate Green Lantern Corps Christmas Story
Deep past the borders of known space, there was a planet in a long unrecorded Sector which the Green Lantern Corps has yet to discover. The planetoid was small, barely the size of the Earth's moon, and was surrounded by seven hundred fifty seven smaller sattelites which amazingly never even once struck one another in their revolutions around the planet. The place was an inhabited one, and its inhabitants were very special people.

The planet, had it been discovered and given a name using a human tongue, would have been most likely named Radan. And its people, whom would have most likely been called the Radians, were very special people.

For over fifteen thousand years, neither Radan nor its Radians were ever given any notice or gained the attentions of any other inter-planetary or inter-galactic body of intelligence. But this night which would have fallen on the 24th of December, if one were to keep track of time based on Earth time, both discoveries were finally about to happen.

Green Lantern Corps: The Christmas Special
"Create-A-Lantern"
by Tobie Abad

Berek Adan was a member of the Green Lantern Corps. A resident of a planet called Biyahe, Berek Adan was blessed with the innate ability to fly tremendously far distances in much lesser time than most would require. There was no way to scientifically quantify this ability that permitted Berek Adan to traverse the known Universe much better than any other Green Lantern other than the fact that whenever Berek attempted to move from one point to another, Berek’s acceleration and speed were always far greater than they were supposed to be. It was like Berek somehow unconsciously exponentially increased the speed of his travels. Though young among the Corps, it was this special ability that made Berek Adan was the best man for the job to investigate the far outer reaches of the various sectors in the known Universe. More so, considering the mission he was to accomplish today.

"So this planetoid just showed up in our scanners," Berek mumbled to himself as he allowed the ring to take him to the destination, "A planet smaller than most planets, directly opposite of Takron-Galtos, the prison planet, and for the longest time, undetected by any other sentient race. Although our records show the so-called Promethean Galaxy is the most distant system known to the Corps, this planet wins the title for the most distant barely known sector which was accessible via normal travel. Assuming anyone was willing to spend that much time to get to it."

"Talking to yourself again?" another Green Latern teased Berek as the translucent green box holding her image popped out from the ring. Berek looked into the screen and saw Marea, a Green Lantern from the planet Aynilam. The planet Aynilam was known to be a terribly impoverished and politically instable place. Marea’s selection to be part of the Corps was a story in itself… perhaps one best saved for another day.

"Actually, my Biyahean precognitive powers sensed you were about to call," Berek Adan teased, "What do you think I’ll find there?"

"Whatever you do," Marea reminded him, "Your mission is to scout and investigate. Remember. Any sign of danger, you zip back."

"Okay okay.." Berek sighed, "I’ll be in touch."

And with another burst of acceleration, Berek Adan felt the ring protectively wrap a second layer of shielding around him as his flight broke the speed of light itself. He saw the whole surrounding blur into a white blinding surge which eventually faded back into starlight as the ring informed him that he had arrived.

Berek Adan took a second to clear his eyes. To refocus his senses. Then looked ahead to see the planet that, til recently, did not exist in the Green Lantern Corps records.

The planet, Radan, was a brilliant gray planet which did not seem to show any signs of human life. No buildings or any such similar structures visible from outside its atmosphere. No identifiable dangerous structures or devices visible either. Only the wide spread presence of a grayness over everything that one could see. Either the inhabitants had built their societies underground, amongst the natural structures of the planet, or were undetectable to the natural eye.

Berek Adan brought his ring up to his face and tried contacting Marea. Marea did not respond. The ring admitted that there was to be a delay between transmissions due to the intense distance between the two points.

"Well," Berek Adan mumbled to himself once again, "I don’t think a gray planet is something dangerous. Let’s go check it out, ring." And with that, Berek Adan of the Green Lantern Corp flew down towards the planet and vanished within its gray mists.

* * *

The planet was a cold planet.

Heavy gray clouds covered the sky from horizon to horizon. Had they been any thicker, the whole planet would have been covered in an eternal darkness of night. Thankfully, the cold planet had winds, and the winds kept the gray clouds dancing.

Berek Adan, surrounded by an emerald glow that both protected him from the immense drop of temperature as well as ensured the environment was safe for him to breathe in, swooped through the gray cotton-like mountains of clouds and tried to see more of what awaited below.

He felt frustrated by the immense cover the clouds gave and decided to handle the matter a bit more directly. Focussing his will through the power ring, a massive bloom of propeller blades came into existence in the sky beside him. The blades began to turn and from their turning, a great tunnel of wind cut through the clouds to reveal something Berek Adan was not expecting to see in a planet so far away from known civilization.

There was a flash of colors and a barrage of musical notes that emerged from the undeniably active city that was revealed beneath the clouds. The vibrant beam of red, blue and green caught Berek off-guard. He spun, instinctively shielding himself from the harmless colored lights, then prepared to unleash a power blast of his own when Marea’s voice suddenly replied its delayed message.

"Check it out if you must, just do NOT engage with anything. You find out what the trouble is and return immediately or else you are off the Corps!"

Berek brought his hands down, allowing the colored lights to illuminate him. He brought one hand to shield his eyes a bit from the light and attempted to see where they were coming from. *This isn’t engaging with anyone,* he reasoned, *Not to mention, I don’t know what the trouble is yet. So I’m not breaking the rules.*

"Ring," Berek called out as he wrapped a second layer of force field shielding around him, "Can you track the source of those lights?"

The ring said yes.

"Take me there," Berek Adan called out and allowed the ring to pilot their movement. He flew down the tunnel he had created from the clouds and emerged at the other side to see an unexpected sight.
There were buildings. Of all shapes, heights, construction styles and colors. There were lights. Lots of light. Signboards. Billboards. Moving text. Holograms projected against walls. There even were gigantic screens, much like human television screens. Some were half the height of a sky-scraper. Others were much smaller, behind windows or on street corners.

Berek Adan looked around and saw signage that declared strange words. The ring translated them as: Cheap Prices, Bargain Offers, Sales, and even Discounts. Walls were covered with posters, painted signs and other similar iconic messaging devices.

"We’re going to pump… …you up!" a voice suddenly boomed and Berek Adan reflexively leapt backwards, landing on both feet with his hands outstretched as if ready to throw energy blasts. The voices came from a wall that showed two overly-muscular men in tights who constantly flexed their muscles and grinned.
"What in the known galaxies is going on here?" Berek Adan shook his head slowly and tried to understand the strange events he was witnessing. Berek swung away from the monitor that showed the two muscular humans and instead tried scanning for any humanoid individual that was visibly present. He remained levitating over the ground, not wanting to land and have himself less mobile and more exposed to danger. He kept his senses alert and tried to observe what he could of his surroundings. "Ring.. begin recording all audio and visual input. Send as five-minute data packets of information to Marea."

"Don’t have a cow, man!"

"Power extreme!!!"

"And knowing is half the battle!"

Berek saw nothing but more and more monitors, shops, streets, window displays, signboards and décor. There were no vehicles, no people, no animals, no plants. It was only then Berek realised the gray fog that swirlled around the world was kept at bay by gigantic walls that forced the fog to trail over the empty city. Minutes turned into an hour. Berek Adan had not seen a single living entity. Nor had his ring detected any.

"I don’t understand why you’ve suddenly found interest in human culture, Berek, but flooding my message box with old Twentieth Century human entertainment is not going to help us understand what is going on here," Marea’s delayed transmission finally reached Berek.

"Going on here…" Berek heard an echo of Marea’s voice and spun towards that direction. He descended towards the source of the echo and found himself facing a man-sized wall whose display swirled with green light and stars. Berek focused his gaze into the glass for a moment, investigating if his suspicions were right. He waited patiently, finding no reason to leave until he proved himself right… or wrong.

"Stop sending me all this Earth television shows," Marea’s next delayed transmission came and that moment the screen flickered to life with a visual image of Marea talking to her ring. Berek Adan stared at the image and ignored Marea’s transmission. He looked at the display and did the unexpected.

He spoke to it.

"You’re the life form in this planet, aren’t you?"

The image of Marea stopped. It turned to face him. Then nodded.

"-Could you at least give some report on what is going on there?" Merea’s delayed transmission ended. The image began to fade as well. Berek yelled for it to wait as he reached out both hands towards the screen but they met the resistance of a solid glass surface. The life forms, Berek Adan began to understand, were inside these screens.

"Ring, transmit to Marea the following message: Marea, on your next transmission, leave the transmission on as long as possible. A long steady flow, even if you’re not saying anything. I need a long amount of time of transmission… I mean of… agh, I don’t know what I mean. Just make sure when you send your next message, don’t stop sending," Berek Adan called out to his ring and stared at the screen. There was a riddle here which he knew he had to solve. An intelligent form of life that could not communicate unless he was receiving a message from Marea.

Or at least, that was what Berek believed.

"Greetings, I come in peace. Take me to your leader," a voice called out and Berek spun around to see another monitor showing the image of a roughly humanoid figure. Only the man was wearing an obvious rubber suit. Berek Adan was not certain if the image was meant to disguise his true appearance or if this was some kind of cultural thing. * Human culture… Human entertainment…* Berek found himself remembering.
"Welcome!" a throng of voices came and Berek spun to face the other side to see at least ten other screens showing images of the same thing: a man in white and blue uniform with arms outspread. All wore some form of blue apron and had a silver tray on the other hand with a bottle and a wine glass on it.

"Who’s there?" Berek Adan asked aloud.

"Hi! I’m Chuckie. I want to be your friend until the end!" Another screen blared and Berek saw the image of what seemed to be a plastic doll with wild orange hair. He had freckles and was being held by a human child.

"Human… entertainment…" Berek repeated to himself.

"Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test!" the screens all began playing. Images of cartoon drawings of a candelabra, plates, cups, saucers and knives began dancing in an elaborate production number. All were singing the same song.

"Wait… wait… why don’t you just communicate with me the way one of you did earlier?" Berek asked aloud, then faced the screen were Marea appeared earlier. "You did something independently. Why not just talk to me that way?"

"Warp shields down to 20," a man in a red uniform suddenly called out in one screen towards another in a golden yellow suit. The room they were in reminded Berek of the battle stations in starships.

"I don’t get it," Berek cried out.

"We need more power! More power!" a crazed looking old man in a white suit yelled out to what seemed to be a younger good looking man in a strangely tinkered upon earth vehicle. Berek Adan stared at the screen and watched as the car ran towards where the old man was hanging, which was between two large cables that had caught the lightning from the sky. The car vanished with an explosion of light and left tracks of fire.

"Energy… it costs more energy to make your own answers!" Berek Adan snapped his fingers as he replied. The screens were suddenly filled with all these images of people dancing, cheering, smiling and clapping. Berek found it strangely uplifting to receive such praise, even if it all came from thousands of screens that seemed to watch him with indifferent glass. "So you guys are inside these monitors? Are you trapped in here?"

"We’re not like you… we’re different," a screen showed a blonde man telling a darker skinned woman with long flowing black hair. A trail of flowers flew past them both, line an animated line of sentient wind.
"Programs… each with a purpose," an bald man with black shades told a badly acting white male as they walked amongst a throng of frozen people. Both wore black leather.

"So you aren’t human… or humanoid to say more accurately," Berek nodded to himself. He was making progress. "So you aren’t trapped in those things but through it, you can communicate with others and stuff."

"These are a few of my favorite things… raindrops and roses and whiskers on kittens, bright colored petals and warm woolen mittens…" a woman began dancing among a bunch of children.

"You like communicating through them. Ookay.. we got what you like to do. What about community? Society? How many are you here?" Berek Adan asked.

"A circle of life… and it moves us all.. " they showed images of a cartoon lion on what seemed to be a large outcropping of rock. Then the images shifted to "One mind, perfect, unified, with one purpose…" showing what seemed to be some woman with mechanical parts and things sticking out of her body. She was speaking to some bald man in a costume similar in style to the earlier one where some guy in a golden suit was being told something about warp shields.

"Collective. One collective intelligence. I see. So you don’t eat and stuff. You just… entertain yourself with earth entertainment?"

The screens flickered and showed a thousand of various shows. Sportsmen were running, fans screaming, cars raced, news were delivered, people danced, children laughed, dogs barked, lightning flashed, sharks dove, lightsabers clashed. It was a world of colors, sound and stories.

"Okay … whoa.. whoa.. slow down…" Berek Adan raised both hands. "And somehow you pick up Earth transmissions… well… somehow.. you pick them up even if this is scientifically too far to do that."
All screens suddenly showed images of packaged wrapped in colorful paper. Ribbons adorned them. Gifts. Presents.

"Gifts… these were gifts… you mean someone comes here?" Berek Adan asked aloud.

The screens suddenly showed a lot of excited faces. People were anxious. Anticipating. Smiling. Eager. Berek Adan watched as from the far distant horizon where the monitors still continued on, everything had begun to change. The thousands of other monitors far away had begun to transform into a wave of red that was closing in towards Berek.

"What…" Berek was about to ask when the gray clouds began to part. Lights from above began to come into view. The monitors around Berek seemingly responded to it. All flooded their screens with bright red light. Tense, and suddenly uncertain for his own safety, the green lantern brought up his ring again and wrapped himself in a force field. "What is going on!" he asked aloud, hoping one of the collective would reply.

One lone monitor did.

It showed a chimney of red bricks. It showed a verdant tree that had been heavily smothered with glowing lights and tinsel. It showed an eager child behind the couch watching in anticipation as something began to emerge from the fireplace.

It showed something moving from within the fireplace. It showed a large black shiny boot descending from within.

"Ring, force field. Now. And while you’re at it, prepare for zero to fifty boost to atmosphere if need be. They’re afraid of someone. Afraid. Or anxious. Some god like figure?" Berek Adan braced himself for battle. Body tensed. Muscles tightened. Beneath his green mask, his eyes peered ahead towards the bright lights. He could hear something. Something terribly out of place.

"Bells?" he muttered in realization as the cloud cover parted to reveal a large line of brown furry beasts in full gallop mid-air. The beasts of burden were all tied together with what could only seem to be long vine-like green verdant ropes that were decorated with red and white tinsel. Behind them, the rope was connected to a red metal sleigh upon which sat a massive white humanoid with a white beard so huge it practically covered its face’s lower half. The figure was dressed in red and white and carried with it a huge white sack on its back. The sack seemed to be filled with something clunky and horribly heavy. And leading the beasts of burden, a lone beast who had a bright red glow upon its nose. "Definitely not just bells…"

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" beamed the rotund man as the reindeers and the sleigh reached the ground. All monitors fell silent, showing various depictions of the man in red in their screens. None dared make a sound, however. "Hello there," the large man turned towards the Green Lantern and waved a hello. Berek Adan eyed the man suspiciously.

The old man didn’t seem to find it strange. He brought his bag down to the ground, then fixed his black belt as he stood up from the sleigh, "Anything I can help you with, good boy?"

"Boy- excuse me sir, but I am Berek Adan of the Green Lantern Corp. Explain yourself!"

The jolly old man never stopped grinning. He clapped his hands together, as if to warm them up, and then pointed a finger at Berek Adan. Berek instinctively braced himself for some energy blast. Or some death ray. And instead got himself a shocking reminder! "Berek Adan… you have grown up to be a very naughty and self-centered boy. Why I recall back when you were a young thespian, always finding ways to surprise me when I came by your house back in Biyahe. You even nearly caught me once, when you first became a member of the Corps, using the Ring’s powers to conceal yourself from all sense. Sadly, I noticed you then. Green Lantern you may have been, that first taste of the Ring landed you in my naughty list."

"Came by my house…" Berek Adan muttered and the jolly old man allowed Berek to see him as his own culture described him. "Holy Biyahe, you’re… you’re the Maginoong Pasahero! The Generous Passenger!!! My parents used to tell me about you! How once every turning of an Earth Year, you’d travel all over the universe to deliver gifts and trinkets to children who were not on your naughty list!"

"Nice to be remembered boy!"

"Oh my… you’re real! But.. but I caught my parents. Caught them prepping the gift supposedly from you. They made you up!"

"Actually," the jolly old man smiled even more, "That’s what a naughty kid sees. And sadly, there’s a road that’s got no turning back."

Berek Adan sat down, shocked and overwhelmed by the weight of truth that was crashing on top of him. He realised he understood things even more than he accepted them right now. The Maginoong Pasahero was definitely here to deliver something for these… inhabitants. And there was no concern to be worried over. The planet’s coming into the Corps’ notice remained unanswered though. Why now?

Why would they notice this planet now and not sooner?

"Ah.. I see," the jolly man in red nodded, "You’re all eager and excited aren’t you? Where’s the new kid?"
Berek Adan watched as all monitors blacked out with the lone exception of a single glowing spark that emerged from the distant hills. It slowly pulsed as it flew closer towards the two of the space-faring visitors of the planet. Berek Adan tried to make sense of things, "The collective unconscious is growing. It still has…. Children? The signal the Corps detected… it was the child being born?"

"Only one out of every thirty years," the jolly man in red agreed, "And if memory serves me well, it is only know they have grown large enough for their bursts of exclamation to reach outside the planet."

"Living radio signals. They pick up earth culture from the transmissions they can receive. And they transmitted outwards when they scream in joy. We picked up their announcement that a new child was born!" Berek Adan realised he was witnessing an alien equivalent of a birthday party. As well as some other rendition of a custom they practiced in Biyahe. The red dressed old man opened the bag and brought out a new shiny monitor. The spark dove into the screen, pulsing electrical arcs of excitement and joy. All the other monitors burst into activity, showing cheering crowds, fireworks and dancing lights. Berek Adan felt a tear precariously hang in one eye. He felt the urge to cry but held back.

"Merry Christmas," the red jolly man called out to the monitors. All greeted back with video and song. Various renditions of the old man in red were dancing on the screens, waving bells and tinsel, waving hello if not smiling, songs musically proclaiming the man as jolly and nice.

Berek Adan watched as the jolly man in red walked back to his sleigh. He moved up to the Maginoong Pasahero and found the courage to speak. The man in red turned to Berek Adan, never letting his smile waver.

"So that’s it. You were the source. It was through you that they all got these monitors. The technology. To let them have a better way of receiving signals. Of conserving their energy. Gifts. Gifts to make them happy…" Berek Adan was content. The mystery of this radar planet… perhaps one he’d best call Radan (mixing Radar with his last name) for easier recall, was solved. But it had opened a new one. "… you said I had become naughty…"

"Berek," the Pasahero smiled, "You’re all grown-up now."

Berek frowned. He felt the rejection coming. "So I’m never going to… to be part of that wondrous practice ever again? No more gifts. No more wish lists."

"Oh don’t be so sad," the Pasahero slid his hand beneath Berek’s chin and lifted Berek’s face to look up at him, "You’re all grown up now. Now you can give your own gifts. Don’t you see, the Maginoong Pasahero exists because these nice kids can’t afford yet to give one another presents. So I do it for them. Now, you’re all grown up, it is up to you if you’ll follow in my… calling."

Berek Adan waved goodbye as the Pasahero snapped his fingers. The reindeers broke into a trot and leaped into mid-air, moving smoothly into a graceful gallop as they carried the Pasahero and his sleigh into the depths of space beyond.

"Join the happiness, Berek Adan! Give your own gifts to those who deserve it! I’m off for now. Got to visit this kid calling himself Darkseid. Seems to be in his last year of being nice so I better give him this package containing that thing he keeps asking for. Anti-Life Equation… does he realize he’s asking for something so…"

Berek Adan could no longer hear the Pasahero’s words. He could only hear the cheers and the singing of the monitors around him. He turned to his ring and gave the command. "Homeward bound, Ring. Let’s just stop by planet Tza-Phing and get everyone else in the Corps something nice. I feel like I’m in a gift-giving mood." He rose into the sky and began to vanish, leaving the planet Radan in its festival of joy. And somewhere, between the light-years of distance between Radan and the Green Lantern Corps’ station where Marea was based, Berek Adan received Marea’s burst message and laughed.

Marea decided to sing something to make the transmission last longer without necessarily becoming boring. Marea had chosen some Earth holiday song which she always found interesting. Berek Adan hummed along, finding the song infectiously catchy.

"He knows if you are sleeping… He knows if you are nice… Mmmm Mmmm Mmm Mmmm Hmmmm hmmm hmm… So be good for goodness sake…. Oh you better watch out…."

- end -