"3 things I have seen this week:Medical Conference/Seminars"

"3 things I have seen this week:Medical Conference/Seminars"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Doctors need a total of 45 CPD points in order to renew their licences on their birthdays. In order to get these points they need to attend a number of lectures , seminars or conventions. Some are more interesting than others and some are actual snorefests when you have probably heard the same thing for the Nth time from round table discussions and such.

My eyes tend to wonder and observe others so here are 3 things that I have seen this week while in a Medical Conference surrounded by other doctors.

1) Doctors Interest level

Doctors have the unspoken talent of looking always mildly interested. It comes on all the time and can be adjusted from mild to enthusiastic , from pulling back and crossing arms to leaning forward and listening intently. It applies to when the doctor maybe listening to a patient or to a consultant giving a lecture. You can see my interest level. I am writing this while pretending to take notes.

2) Freebilicious!

Freebies and more Freebies. Some doctors seem to lose all of their dignities in fighting for mere trinkets. Some Scour the Pharmaceutical booths for the best booty like pirates in the Caribbean. I understand all the samples that you can gather for a profit or to give away to help others but roaming the entire place for pens? How many pens does one doctor need anyway? For some people I saw today , the answer is that all that you have and more from the booth next to yours.

3) Full Online Registration. Empty Seats.

Sometimes I ask how do you assess an events success? Is it with the number of people who register online? Those who actually came? Or those who actually listened to the speaker and improved their clinical practices later on? (This is harder to prove though).

The first two might be easy to measure but short of decades long follow up the last one might be a little tricky to know.

"3 things I have seen this week - Speakers"

"3 things I have seen this week - Speakers"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Post Graduate courses , Conventions , Seminars , Webinars , Round table discussions , Scientific symposiums.In the world of Medicine these are all parts of the doctors continuing education. And of course if you have lessons to impart then you need to have speakers who could spread this message. Some are more effective than others and some , well they speak. They just speak. Here are 3 that I have seen this week.

1) Mr. "I hate flow charts". 

He begins with his lectures with , "You know guys , I hate flow charts." The proceeds to bore you to death with his lectures that consist of 95% flow charts. He explains these flow charts with the enthusiasm of a mad man who is about to achieve a breakthrough. Only the breakthrough is that he has found more ways to make us go to sleep or force us to act more interested than we really do. At least he has enthusiasm for what he does.

2) Mr. "Ahuh-A lot"

I would be(ahuh) speaking about (ahuh) and how to treat (ahuh) in the setting of (ahuh). Thank you(ahuh) and let us begin(ahuh).

In my rating of him I wrote. "Less Ahuh. More learning."

3) Mr. Sleepy

So it was 3 in the afternoon(as you can see I was writing this then) and all of the attendees were slowly digesting their food(me included and it was much slower than the others). Some were barely holding on to their consciousness and some have already slipped into a slight coma from over feeding.This was the time that the next speaker spoke to the mic in his best Eeyore voice.

"Uh guys. I know this is an unholy hour but I will try to keep my lecture short and sweet."

I was already closing my eyes and then I was mildly surprised that even if he talked like Eeyore his was like that of the Manic Tigger!. That woke me a bit.

And since I still don't have enough CPD points. I am off to the next one and hopefully get to meet some more interesting speakers.

"Defend thyself"

"Defend thyself"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Thanks to the widespread use of CCTV's on a baranggay level people are now treated to pretty horrific things that normally only those in law and enforcement have access to. Such as the case of an off duty police man who just parked and was instantly set upon and stabbed by an unknown man.

Since the Policeman was able to dodge further attacks the assailant decided to run after him. The policemans training took over and we he distanced himself he had drawn his gun and aimed squarely at the man who ran after him. Bystanders were able to carry the man to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his wounds while the policeman voluntarily surrendered to his fellow officers.

As of this writing nothing is known why that man decided to wait for the policeman and stab him. What the CCTV showed was person running for his life and figthing for survival.

The CCTV also revealed something much sadder. An unknown woman who tried to run after the stabber in an attempt to stop him. This turned out to be his very own mother. The same person who would witness the death of his own son later.

I guess the evidence is pretty clear at this point. Defending thyself.

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Here is the original video:

https://www.facebook.com/24OrasWeekend/videos/10156239678251977/

"Tezzeret , Artifice Master: Extracting Knowledge from Metal"

"Tezzeret  , Artifice Master: Extracting Knowledge from Metal" 

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Drawing cards in Magic is always a great experience. Drawing once with a spell is good but being able to draw multiple cards with a permanent on several turns is even better.So much so that cards like Howling Mine and Jace Beleren are a must include in decks that just love to draw cards.

Tezzeret , Artifice Master is another planeswalker that allows you to draw cards and if you control 3 or more artifacts he automatically has "Metalcraft" and allows you to draw 2 cards instead. And that is his 0 costing second ability.

In an EDH setting where you can play a Seat of the Synod , Sol Ring and Sapphire ring on turn one alone you don't really need to worry if you can achieve "metalcraft. I mean with this god play you can even cast Tezzeret himself and draw those 2 cards to replenish your hand. 

And just in case you are missing a couple or artifacts or so Tezz himself can provide you with a 1/1 colorless thopter artifact token with flying. Just use this first skill ability and give him a +1 loyalty counter.  With the popularity of Thopter tokens from the Kaladesh block and cards like Thopter foundry you might also try and win with a Mechanized Production in play. This Thopter can also protect your Tezzeret from dying unnecessarily before you can abuse his particular talents.

Another thing that caught my eye was his ultimate ability. Sure he comes in with 5 loyalty counters and normally you have to wait for 5 turns to use his ultimate ability. 4 turns to use his first skill and then another turn to get his ultimate ability. Of course it would help a lot if you have a Chain Veil or can Proliferate with cards like Steady Progress or Tezzerets Gambit.

So what does the -9 ultimate do? You get an Emblem that says that at the beginning of your end step , search your library for a permanent card , put in into the battlefield , then shuffle your library.

If you don't like what an opponent is going to do you to next turn you can just go ahead and get a Mindslaver , activate it if you could and control that opponents turn. You could probably search a Moat(if you have one) or Blazing Archon so nothing can attack you. You could get a Stormtide Leviathan to deter land based attackers or even get an Omniscience out and counter at will without paying any mana cost for the rest of the game. Yup all the many permanents that can help win you the game. Lock other players with a possessed Portal or annoy them with a Knowledge pool. Get an Oblivion Stone or Boompile to clear the board or maybe a winning combo piece like Revel in Riches or Mechanized Production. tsk tsk. I already know the kinds of players in my playgroups who would abuse this guy. I am one of them.

"3 things I have seen this week:4 storms part 2"

"3 things I have seen this week:4 storms part 2"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

As I write those on a very rainy Sunday(07/22/18) the whole line of Low Pressure Areas that are clamoring to pass by the Phillippines are still justling each other for position to pass next.

So since last Monday we had Storms Gardo , Inday , Henry and Josie. Yeah a whole string of storms that batter us and continue to make our waters rise!

There had to be a part 2. I just saw way too many stuff.

1) An Increase in the demand for Doxycycline

Because people are getting scared. There has been an increase of patients asking me if I can prescribe Doxycycline to them. I normally advise them if they are really at risk. Some people are just mainly paranoid. They have not been even out in the rain! 

2) Delivery people trying to Deliver!

Mahirap kumita ng pera and the majority people need to go to work and do their jobs or not get paid. I salute these delivery people who take the risk of floods , rent out small boats or wade through the flood themselves to get things done.

I will not order food kung alam kung baha na sa inyo.This is why I always fill up the pantry in the house.

3) And this rat who is afraid it might get Leptospirosis

You just know that it is really bad when even rats won't dare step in your flood waters.

"Doc In , Doc Out - Nagbigay na ng gamot parang di naman nagwowork"

"Doc In , Doc Out - Nagbigay na ng gamot parang di naman nagwowork"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

GF ng Patient:(Taray mode) Nurse masakit na naman tiyan nito. Monday pa. Friday na ngayon. Binigyan ng gamot nung doctor parang di naman nagwowork.

Nurse referred patient to me for consult.

Me:(speaking directly to Patient) Ano pong gamot binigay sa inyo sir?

Patient: Erceflora lang doc.

Me: Ok. Para po mabalance ang population ng good bacteria sa tiyan ninyo. Ilang araw niyo na pong iniinom kasi simula pa daw ng lunes masakit tiyan. 

Patient: Ah.Yun nga Doc. Namahalan po ako dun sa Erceflora kaya nag Yakult na lang ako.

Me:Ilang Yakult po ininom niyo Sir?

Patient: Isang pack po.

Me:Isang pack? Inubos mo ng isang upuan lang?

Patient: Opo. Masama po ba yun?

Me: Dapat talaga once or twice a day lang yun. And di talaga nakakatulong sa matinding pagtatae. So di mo iniinom talaga yung dapat na ininom mo? (at this point I was waiting for the GF to say something...Nothing)

Patient: Opo Doc.

Me: Oh ito ang bagong reseta. Bilhin mo na at simulan mo na ha? Mahirap kasi yung di mo iniinom. Di talaga magwowork yan.(Still no response from the GF)

I observed na binatakun nung GF na hanggang kilikili lang nung BF niya habang lumalabas ng Clinic. 

"Liliana's Contract: A Demonic Victory"

"Liliana's Contract: A Demonic Victory"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

4 is the magic number when it comes to this mono black enchantment. It costs 4 mana when it enters the battlefield you draw 4 cards and lose 4 life. There is one more thing that it does. It sets up a condition that when you satisfy will win you the game.

At the beginning of your upkeep if you control 4 demons with different names then you have won the game. 

Now that is a lot of Fours and I considered this a challenge that I already accepted. I have been planning for so long to make a Vess Legacy EDH deck for some time and maybe when I get a copy of this card I can finally do it.(As of this writing the Core 19 boxes and Bundles are delayed thanks to the 4 Storms that have come and gone to our country. There is that number again!)

Of course this Lili Vess themed EDH deck will consist of cards from her storied past. Most notably her 4 former Demon masters who now dwell where ever it is that past demon masters dwell after they die.

I thought that this might be a cool flavorful win condition to have all of her former masters landing on the battlefield all at the same time and winning at the beginning of the next upkeep. I actually have an existing Shirei , Shinzo's Caretaker EDH deck that had a whole lot of Shadowborne Apostles who could die and summon a demon on the end of an opponents turn.It would take a while to get every Demonlord from my library but then again if it is an EDH game who is in a hurry right?

The second thought I had was to abuse Arcane Adaptation(which you could transmute with Drift of Phantasms by the way) and just have creatures be demons. It might be fun to add to a Blue Black Zombie deck that already has Liliana already in it.All those cheap costing zombies becoming Demons and you win by not attacking too. Hahahahha

Oh well. I just have to wait and see if I get one in my Core19 Bundle and we will take it from there.

"3 things I have seen this week:4 storms part 1"

"3 things I have seen this week:4 storms part 1"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

As I write those on a very rainy Sunday(07/22/18) the whole line of Low Pressure Areas that are clamoring to pass by the Phillippines are still justling each other for position to pass next.

So since last Monday we had Storms Gardo , Inday , Henry and Josie. Yeah a whole string of storms that batter us and continue to make our waters rise!

So the three things I have seen this week?

1) The inside of my house

One of the common complaints that I have as of late is that I do not get enough sleep and hoooboy did I get a lot of that this week since I decided to stay home and relax rather than be stranded somewhere or have my car turn into an instant submarine.

2) When they declare no classes...It shines.

So when LGU's decide that it is going to rain really hard and decide to cancel school early....The sun comes out and seems to mock them!

On the other hand when they decide to see if the rains would continue or stop and allows kids to go to school the rains continue and they are forced to cancel classes later on in the day. Much to the dismay of parents and students alike.

These storms are really messing with us.

3) Floods and the many people who are dealing with it with humor.

One of the videos I shared over the weekend was about someone who seems to be snorkling at water that is merely up to ones knee. This person strokes through the water , picks up items and deposits them on the side of the road. He was actually swimming in the gutter area by the side of a road. 

I guess he isn't afraid of getting sick or has done this a gazillion times that he might be immune.

"Midweek Magic 2018 #28: Dealing with my Hellion"

"Midweek Magic 2018 #28: Dealing with my Hellion"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The thing I like about Sealed events is that you get to see some really funny interactions between cards.

One of them happened when I was facing off Yo Castillo , a sneaky player who preferred combats tricks over brute force. Since I was playing a Grixis deck and I opened an Inferno Hellion I was able to cast this 4 mana costing beater who at 7/3 can actually end games. The sad thing is that if it attacks or blocks then it goes back into your library. You shuffled it in there!

So in this particular play on Game 2 , I played the Hellion as a blocker and passed the turn to Yo.

Yo then excitedly cast an Act of treason to get my Inferno Hellion and smack me in the face with it and to rub salt into that particular injury the Hellion got shuffled into my library leaving me with no creature on the battlefield.

I would eventually win the round in Game 3 but that loss was especially memorable as we were laughing at the predicament I found myself in.

"Chaos Wand:Doing what It Promised."

"Chaos Wand:Doing what It Promised."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I like this wand. Right off the bat I keep on picturing opponents who just love playing extra turn spells or mass removal spells and I just really want to be able to mess with their decks.

The Chaos wand promises to do what it is named after. I am looking forward to casting this on turn 3 and get an extra turn or a windfall on the next turn. 4 mana to activate and ohhhhh all of the chaos it would do. Imagine getting a Living End or Damnation. 

The thing I like is that it might be a dud or a spell that can turn the game in your favor. I know a lot of players in my play group who play a lot of artifact hate and a Rain of Thorns can be used against them when that is the card that you reveal with this.

Now is the time to look at all your opponents in the field and guess what they have in their decks. Time to cause some Chaos!

"The Dragon Returns"

"The Dragon Returns"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

YuuA looked out the window as the rain continued to pour. She could not help but think of him during times like these. It was the warmth of his hands as he massaged her tired muscles after practices. The warm soup he would fix her when she got home. The way he spoiled her was way beyond she could expect from anyone. And now she did not even know where he was.

"YuuA-nim , please concentrate on us back here."

"I am sorry." YuuA bowed toward the choreographer who cannot help but slip a little bit of annoyance at the distracted idol. The rest of her members tried their best to look straight ahead except for Seunsee and Bee who were concerned about YuuA's increasing distractions.

Seunsee whispered to Bee. "You ought to take her out more"

"And suffer through another blank wall session? If she isn't staring into a wall or traffic she kept on mumbling about where could he be again and again. It's driving me nuts."

"Is it because she still cares about him that bothers you even if you are already dating finally?"

"Yes.I wish I could make her forget about him but that has to be her own decision to make."

"Wisely put Bee. You know how stubborn that person can be when she wants to."

"It has been months since he has been near us. Red and Blue are still here but they are mum about where he is."

"YuuA keeps on asking though."

"I feel helpless when she does that but I really can't complain about it. She seems to be so unstable lately."

"Give her a kiss."

Bee sighed remembering how futile even basic skinship can be with her nowadays. They had more time to be intimate when they were friends. She should feel happy that YuuA shared her feelings but why is it that she somehow feels cheated.

"Believe me I keep on trying." She growled at Seunsee.

"Try harder or you will lose her."

Bee cannot help but feel that she already lost her. She tried to dismiss the upsetting thought by copying the move that the instructor was showing them and she was early by a second.

"Bee-nim are we in practice or are you trying to butcher my routines? A lot of you seem to be so distracted today. Focus. Mr.Kim wants this done by the end of the week. Your comeback needs to yield great results , your life as an idol group depends on it. We will break for now. Be back here in 15 minutes and by then I want all of you to clear your heads of all these unwanted distractions."

Once they were out of the practice room Bee grabbed YuuA's hands. "Can we talk?"

"Bee. Just leave me alone."

"I can't and you know that."

YuuA looked straight at the rapper and put on that look that could make dragons stand still. "Leave me alone."

Bee clenched her fist and said nothing as the main dancer walked away. Seunsee was right behind her. "That didn't go well."

"It didn't and it is that damn dragons fault."

"Let's not blame someone who is no longer here."

"Oh he is here alright. He is still in her head."

"Frustrating isn't it?"

"What?"

"Fighting against a ghost."

Bee punched the wall behind Seunsee. "Makes me wish I can do that to him."

"Maybe you could. If I let you." All 8 members turned around to see V standing there in the opening of the basement area , both hands filled with red delivery bags which they know is filled with food. The scent wafted in the enclosed space.

"Thats...Jjangmeyeon!"Linnie shouted as the other members dashed to take the bags away. 

"Ah ah ah. First a weigh in." V said as he kept the food at his back and safely within any of the girls reach. Bee and Seunsee sat dejected. At this rate they have gained more pounds during fighting training and would be sure to be the last to eat.

Hyosin their eldest took the scale first and was within her weight target. V handed her a set. Linnie was the same and the anime-eyed Jinyo beamed as she was actually below her projected range. Binmi blew a silent kiss at V as he stood in front of her."Talk to me later Oppa ok?"

Seunsee weighed next was suspicious when she was within her weight goal. "Take the set and eat. You are hungry aren't you?" Seunsee's stomach grumbled as she took the box of food.

Bee weighed and walked away. V tried to give her her share. "Keep it."

"You need to protect her right? How can you do that when your stomach keeps distracting you?Eat."

"Fine." Bee took the food and sat in a corner to eat in the basement. Most of the girls were huddled together silently enjoying their food.

"It's like you never left. You still keep bossing us around." YuuA said declaring her presence.

"Which reminds me. It is your turn to weigh."

YuuA seemed to protest but stepped on the scale anyway.V handed her her food and for a brief moment their fingers touched sending a flash of memory in YuuA's mind.

Bee was beside her in an instant."Are you ok?"

"I'm ok. I just need to eat and sit down." YuuA said as she glared at V.

"You wanted to know where I was. I told you. As I promised on that first date I will not lie to you." V said as he turned around.

"Are you going again?" YuuA asked despite herself.

"I might be staying for a couple of days. Mr.Kim has been complaining that all of you are distracted and need someone to whip you into shape."

YuuA shoke her head and groaned. It seems V was going to be their manager in the interim. 

She sat down between Bee and Seunsee and began eating.She hid the smile that was fast spreading across her face.

"Midweek Magic 2018 #27 :Copperhoof Vorrac Goring"

"Masyadong bigboy!"

"Midweek Magic 2018 #27 :Copperhoof Vorrac Goring"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

It is no secret that I make EDH decks so that I could play with the cards that I have accumulated through the years. I wanted to make a home for all of the cards that I have if I could. One card that I have had since the original Mirrodin expansion was the Copperhoof Vorrac which for the better part of a decade had been chilling in a dusty binder until I finally found it in my hopes of improving my Marath deck.

Sometimes I intend cards to be in one deck but they end up in another and the Vorrac ended up being a part of my emerging Xenagos deck. And it would make an impact as improvement on the deck immediately.

The 5 mana costing beast starts off as a 2/2 but quickly becomes monstrous as it counts all of your opponents untapped permanents and it gains +1/+1 for each of them. Lands , creatures , enchantments and planeswalkers. All of them count.

In one particular game I was able to play it and it ended up as an 11/11 and in turn pumped by Xenagos to be a 22/22! I enjoyed the look on my opponents faces as they hurriedly tapped permanents to make the Vorrac much smaller. 

This in turn creates a great opening or chance in the 2nd main phase. If you are playing a blue opponent it means that whatever you cast in the 2nd turn would not be countered. Unless they have a Thwart in hand. It would be the perfect time to cast a relentless assault as well to finish off the game when all control players mana are tapped. It did not happen this game though but a seed of that thought lingered in my mind for future games.

In the meantime the Vorrac had proven it's worth and I was finally happy that it found a home in this deck after languishing for over a decade in a binder.

"Malayo na"

"Malayo na"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Bakit ba ako nagagalit kapag nakikita ko kayo?

Kung parang di naman pala naging tayo

Bakit nasasaktan sa tuwing may ganung eksena

Di ko naman mapigilan ang inis sa tuwina

II

Sabihin ko man na wag kayong magtabi

mariring mo ba? ititigil dahil sa mga sinabi?

Di mo nga ako kilala

yun pa ang mas malala

III

Dinadaan na lang sa tawa

nagiging parang bata

nagseselos sa mga bagay na di naman dapat

di naman maiwasang kaagad na malaman

IV

Parang tanga lang sa mga inaasa

di maaring mangyari kahit ano't ano pa

Malayong malayo ang mga pangarap

sa mga realidad na hinaharap.

7:45 07/10/18 Optum Bldg N , Quezon City.

"Desecrated Tomb:Going Batty!"

"Desecrated Tomb:Going Batty!"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Desecrated Tomb just looks at your graveyard and says , go ahead , take a creature out of it and I will make your day. Here's a 1/1 Black Bat with flying!

So what are the ways that you can do this? 

Delve is on the top of my list. Remove a creature and you get bats. The Golgari mechanics of Dredge and Scavenge also play well here. Returning a Creature Card like Golgari Gravetroll to your hand gets you a bat! And exiling a creatures like Death's Shadow with Varolz gets you a bat too! 

Deathrite Shaman and Scavenging Ooze gets you bats!Reanimation also gets you a bat! 

And you all know the infinite combo that this does creatures with Persist creatures and a Sacrifice outlet right?

Undying Creatures get you a bat as well.

That old Mikaeus and Triskelion Undying Combo? Well that is a lot of Bats if you want it! Because old Triske will die and come back for more pinging action! Each time leaving the graveyard. 

Cards like Murderous Red Cap and Kitchen Finks can also set you off in the Bat race!Imagine this with an Impact Tremor in play! Death by Bats!   

And more bats! Bats to skull clamp or to attack? You choose! Go batty!

"Starting Somewhere"

"Starting Somewhere"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The road traffic was light for some reason and V took it as sign that even fate was making this travel much easier. On her right sat Jinyo in her white Short and tank top. She has insisted that he turn the airconditioning up as the heat of the summer was beating down on them this afternoon. Oddly enough she had the window on her side open as she absentmindedly bit on another watermelon slice.

"Just how many watermelons can you eat in one sitting?" V asked as he turned a corner and Jinyo was dipping into the plastic container for yet another slice.

"As much as I want!" The wide eyed girl said and started spitting the seeds at a nearby lamp post not minding if people can see her or not. And people who did see her might not recognize her without the make up she normally but they might take a picture of the red cap that she seemed to be favoring lately.

"We are forgetting that you are an idol today huh? Just like some other girl who eats watermelons a lot? Of course they will catch you at a Vlive and figure out that you were that cute girl spitting out seeds the other day.

Jinyo answered by spitting seeds at his general direction. Not really aiming at him but giving him a warning to stop his teasing. V knew just the thing to stop her as well.

"YuuA will be pleased to see you after all this time."

Jinyo looked at him then and stopped munching on the summer treats for a minute before speaking.

"I am not even sure why you brought me. We really have nothing to talk about."

"I think it is actually time for both of you to talk."

"About what? How I stole you and that I am happy and she is not?"

"About how you can be friends again despite everything."

"Easy for you to say. She forgave your betrayal. She hasn't forgiven mine."

"Then make it easy for her to forgive you. You used to be like sisters remember."

"I don't know how to do that anymore."

"Well she doesn't either so I guess you two can work something out."

Jinyo swallowed the last of the watermelons and wiped her mouth. "I guess there is no working around this but to just plow through then."

"There's my Jinyo."

"Don't get any ideas. You are sleeping out of my bed tonight."

"If it gets you to finally be at peace. One night isn't so bad."

"Who said about it being one night?" Jinyo said with mischief in her anime like eyes. "I might impose a lifetime ban on you for annoying me."

"Really?" V challenged knowing how resolved Jinyo can be when it comes to him.

Jinyo was not able to answer as V opened the window on his side of the truck and spoke to the intercom to allow them to enter the complex where YuuA was now staying. She was not really sure where to start. All she knows is that they have to start somewhere.

"Midweek Magic 2018 #26:The Magnificent Magmatic Force Death Sequence"

"The Beast ka talaga!"

"Midweek Magic 2018 #26:The Magnificent Magmatic Force Death Sequence"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

In an instant my battlebond Partner Pao was eliminated by Jethro who was playing Xenagos and a Putrefax just tentacled slapped Pao out of existence along with the Prossh deck that I hoped would win the deck.

I looked on at the other side of the board with Jethro who no longer had creatures and Yo who had a vampire at hand to stop whatever it was that I would be attacking with.

I had Xengaos and one of the cards that has become one of my favorites Magmatic force. I drew my card it was the  7/7 Trampling Cosmic Larva! A plan formed in my head. I had to finish it this turn because I might not survive that with two opponents even without a board presence. Yo already had an eerie procession out and he has enough mana to eat up all of my creatures. 

I cast the Cosmic Larva , pumped it with Xenagos and with it on the battlefield Xenagos became a creature that could attack. Xenagos and Magmatic Force hit Jethro head on without a blocker and lowered his life total to 14. The 14/14 Cosmic Larva went to Yo who blocked but still got reduced to 26 life. 

"Guess who is going for seconds?"

My second main phase I was able to cast a Relentless Assault that I had in my hand since the beginning of the game! I doubled the power of Cosmic Larva which made it a 28/28 that finished Yo. I was not able to finish off Jethro this turn as I planned since I was only able to deal 13 points of damage in total. Of course he already knew how it would end. I ended my turn and on his upkeep he got hit with 3 damage from Magmatic force effectively ending the game.

Magmatic force wins the game once more!  

"Puntod"

"Puntod"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Kapag pumapatak ang ulan 

bumabalik ang mga away nating mabilis matapos

ang mga sinasabi nating masakit pero nauubos

mga bagay na kahit nauulit ay di nalilimot.

II

Di maisigaw ang galit sa kawalan

kung ang kawalan ay ayaw na ding makinig

at tinalikuran ng panahon ang mga sandali

na pilit ko sanang binabawi

III

At kada patak ng ulan

nilalamon ang bawat hibla ng nakaraan

dito sa puso kong tuyo kahit basang basa ang katawan

Ano pa ba ang dapat gawin?

IV

At sa pagluhod ko sa harap ng iyong puntod

Wala. Wala nang magagawa

Napunit na ang huling pahina ng libro.

Oras na para magsulat ng panibago.

9:43am 07/09/18 Little Tagaytay , Valenzuela City.

"Sarkhan , Fireblood: Have Mana , Will Power Out Dragons."

"Sarkhan , Fireblood: Have Mana , Will Power Out Dragons."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

At first glance Sarkhan , Fireblood might seem like it would not win you the game but that it just at the beginning. 

Sarkhan is a very good support card for red that normally does not have a planeswalker that can allow you to draw cards. (I don't really want to mention Tibalt because my vain attempts to play around him ended futilely.) So I was happy with the 3 mana costed Sarkhan which actually will play with the other Sarkhans , like the Temur one. 

This is a non-aggressive Sarkhan in the beginning and aims to have an army of Dragons in the mid to late game. In the beginning it will allow you to filter your hand. There is a randomness with it's first ability as you would not see if you get a better or worse card until the moment you draw it. Well here is to madness then.

I do like the second ability of 2 mana of any combination of colors. This means that on turn 4(if you do not miss a land drop) you can already power out a 6 mana costed dragon. This ability of Sarkhan would make him an auto include in the existing Ur-Dragon or Scion of the Ur-Dragon decks or any of the Mono Red Dragon decks.(I have the 2 latter with Zirilan of the Claw). Things are better with Sarkhan arriving on turn or heck even turn 2 with the right mana dork. With the abundance of Dragons in the Core 19 Sarkhan is sure to be a hot commodity.

His last ability is just really icing on top. I mean if you can have dragons swinging out on turn 5 or 6 those 4 5/5 dragon tokens will just be overkill. Or if you do not have dragons then you just ultimate him and have 4 5/5's that represent a players starting life total. 20 damage. 

I am sure that in Dragon decks Sarkhan will be a hot target in games just be sure to defend him and all those Dragons will be yours. And maybe if you play your cards right the win as well.

"Midweek Magic 2018 #25: The Shooter."

"Midweek Magic 2018 #25: The Shooter."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

One of the cards that I opened when I was on my Battlebond tear to get a Doubling Season and Greater Good was this red monstrosity. Magmatic force was disappointing in the financial department as it turned out to be around 49 cents for a rare card! Of course I always could use a 7/7 beater but the 8 mana cost and commitment to red was making me think hard of where to put it.

On a whim I put it in my emerging Xengaos deck as one of those cards that I felt would either improve the deck or make it worse. And I would get to test it soon enough.

One of the things that I did not consider was how 3 damage would add up really fast in an EDH game. And Magmatic Force carried this 3 damage punch each upkeep. I would be able to deal 3 damage to anything. Meaning a creature , a planeswalker or a player. In this case it was Jethro would be attracting all of the firepower. I would be able to shoot 12 points of damage per rotation and even attacking with a 7/7 or 14/14 (pumped by Xenagos) and it wasn't really long before Jethro would succumb.

I just had to take a picture of this even if I would not win in the end. It was Janry with a well timed evacuation that did me in in the end but I was happy with the way Magmatic force was the improvement I did not see in my deck.

"Pangangailangan"

"Pangangailangan"

by"

Virgilio F.De leon Jr.MD

I

Di ko iniisip na may kulang

Pinupuno ang mga araw ng mga magagandang alaala

Binubusog ang sarili ng mga litrato mo sa isip ko

Pinalilipas ang oras na kunyari ikaw ay andito

II

Pero ikaw pa din ang kulang

ang araw ay di napupuno na ganito ganito lang

ang gutom as di nabubusog ng alaala

ang oras at tumigil simula nang mawala ka

III

At patuloy ang uhaw sa mga segundong huli

nung sa akin pa ang liwanag ng iyong ngiti

Pero parang bumbilya na napundi

Andito na lang ako , magisa sa dilim.

9:41am 07/09/18 Little Tagaytay , Valenzuela City.

"Porn is the culprit?"

"Porn is the culprit?"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

May kakilala ba kayong mahilig manood ng porn? Ayon sa isang psychiatrist, ang hilig sa panonood ng malalaswang video ay maituturing daw na personality disorder.

So in this video that has been spreading around people are trying to relate pornography to violence and drug use.This is a short video that is a little bit click baity since it features an opinion of one Psychiatrist and does not really cite any studies about the correlation of the effects of porn and its direct relation to the rise of crime.

Watching porn can be considered a mental disease , oddly enough the psychiatrist in the video forgot to even mention that.And since it is not considered a disease until now people would be hard pressed to come up with criterion to say that it is a disease. Unless people's porn consumption and crime activities are monitored. I cannot erase the fact that a lot of serial killers or those who have committed other heinous acts are often caught with a cache load of pornographic material in their private spaces. One can argue though that even with or without these videos a persons propensity for violence or commit crime is directly proportional.In a way that is like saying that anyone who watches Pacman in action on the ring will want to be like the Pacman or if someone saw a video eating cheese filled foods that they would go out and consume these cheese filled foods. There seems to be a disconnect in this.

Watching Pornography is something that millions of people do on a daily basis and if you would say that these people are all serial killers or have a high propensity for violence then the world surely is an unsafe place. I would think not. While it is not uncommon for porn consumers to ask significant others to try out acts depicted in the same videos that is really their business. A lot of us have this perception that we have rapists among us at every corner. Porn and the associated masturbation or sexual release of energy need not be bad. This takes advantage of your brains center for rewards. Yes there are a vast majority of people who turn to these kinds of videos because they do not have partners to do it with and even those who partners watch porn for different reasons. May it be to spice things up or reward themselves. Masturbation and sexual pleasure are not evil things. These things make you happy. After you finish you don't really go..."Hmmmm why don't I just go out and murder people or do drugs?" A vast majority will sleep it off or eat food or rest. Unless there are other things that are wrong with you of course. 

Sadly though the weird correlation is something that people who clicked this video will believe. While consuming porn is frowned upon in Philippine society there are benefits to it that are proven by science. Will too much of it be bad? Yes. Anything that is too much is always bad. If porn addiction already hinders you in functioning in society then yes that is something that you should see a doctor for but a vast majority of porn watchers are highly functioning members of society. You might be surprised at some who watch it but that is only because we live in a country where we assume that things are bad before we even get the chance to really understand it.

In conclusion , there is no direct correlation with porn consumption and violence and drug use. People may be more lonely and depressed nowadays as the Psychiatrist said here and that might increase porn watching but that doesn't mean that you would consider hitting hard drugs or go on a raping spree. Simply absurd.

Here is the link to the original video if you want to check it out for yourself:

https://www.facebook.com/gmanews/videos/10156665373046977/

"Palladia Mors , The Ruiner: Naya Beater."

"Palladia Mors , The Ruiner: Naya Beater."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I have no doubt in my mind that Nicol Bolas sister is a force to be reckoned with and would serve as another solid Naya type beater. I mean look at those stats. 

Naya might be loader with beasts and dinosaurs at the moment but sure there might be a deck that can feature this 6/6 flying , Vigilance , Trample Dragon.

I mean she can stand there and have hexproof or swing and lose that hexproof and deal 6 damage to an opponent. I see her being incorporated in Ur Dragon decks as an update to other dragons. Who doesn't like Vigilance and Trample right?

I have mixed feelings about her as a commander at the moment. She is a beater but she does not offer anything as a commander and that bothers me a lot. If I will go with the combo type decks that already has you can actually swap her in to existing Naya decks that feature Mayael or Marath. I still feel a little iffy about at the moment but maybe just because I have traditionally lost with Naya decks. Except when I am playing huge dinos.

Time to put my thinking cap on and see what Palladia-Mors still has to offer me.

"Midweek Magic 2018 #24 :Yargle Yargle Yargle"

"Midweek Magic 2018 #24 :Yargle Yargle Yargle"

by:

Virgilio F.De leon Jr.MD

When my friend Mark and I play we always end up with a lot of laughter and goodwill. It was always interesting to play with him since he always seemed to have a fresh take on things and one that had experimental written all over it that still surprised me.

On this particular game play he had just delivered my Daretti Build from Scratch deck and though I was excited to play with it I didn't want to waste time sleeving it and miss any playtime. So I sprang out my Xenagos deck that meant we would have fast games. Mark brought out the Yargle deck that he talked about in the previous and it was time to give it a spin.

The deck was pretty straight forward. It was time to attack with a 9/3 Behemoth and kill all of your blockers with plentiful black removals. Of course it doesn't always end up that way as this is a Team Virulence game after all.

In one game I was already prepared to cast Triumph of the Hordes on the next turn for that Infect style points that we often want in these games but damn it Mark beat me to it by attacking with Yargle unblocked. Thinking that I still had more life I just let the Frog Spirit go and then my friend cast a Tainted Strike that ended the game with me bubbling Phyrexian oil from my mouth. Damn that!

The following game I was more aware of this win condition in the deck and so I had more blockers ready than usual. Of course all of those died. Except for a lone blocker that still stood. And when Mark used the Transmute cost to get a 2 mana cost spell I thought he was getting a Phyresis to cast on Yargle. Turns out he looked for a Go for the Throat as he already had Tainted Strike already on hand. I got infected again. Yargle yargle yargle! 

My plaguelord pride was tarnished! Infected twice! So on our last game I wasn't about to let Yargle just do that and I was successful in that but I did not count on a Pilgrim's eye that was swooping in with an equipped Strata Scythe. 6 points of damage per turn is no joke and as I was looking for a creature with Reach in my deck I realized that I had none and I had no way of stopping the now huge flyer that was chipping away at my life. Damn.

I only won 2 games against Yargle but I was satisfied with my friends deck building. And we were all laughing at this pressure too. Maybe I might have a grudge match with Yargle soon but for now hat's off to the simply excellent 1 v 1 deck.

"Dumating"

"Dumating"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Ang sabi ko ay maghihintay

At sabi mo ay darating

Kaya ako ngayon ay andito pa din nakatayo

Pero hindi ko alam kung darating or gaano ka kalayo

II

Tumitingin sa orasan , malapit na ang hating gabi

Pumipikit iniisip na lang ang iyong mga ngiti.

Di naiinip kahit nilalamok na

Inaantok pero tuloy tuloy sa pagaabang

III

Napanbuntong hininga at ngayon alas tres na

Nilalamig magisa pero wala ka pa.

walang pasabi , walang text , walang sinabi

Di sinasagot ang sunod sunod na tawag.

IV

Kanina ka pa pala nandiyan. Yumayakap.

Umiiyak at humihingi ng tawad.

Sumisigaw sa tenga ko na di ko naririnig.

Nagsasabing mahal mo ako at pangakong laging tatabi.

V

Tumayo ako kung saan nasaan ka.

Nagalit at sa huling beses nagsabing di na ito mauulit.

Umiyak ka lang doon ng tahimik. Umaasang malalaman ko din.

Pero di ko na nalaman. Di ko na din inalam.

9:25am 07/09/2018 Little Tagaytay , Valenzuela City. 

"Lovelyz:Wagzak MV reaction: Beach Lovelyz"

"Lovelyz:Wagzak MV reaction: Beach Lovelyz"

by:

The Vole

Before I start I would like to say how unfortunate it is that Jin would not be joining this comeback and I wish her well and hope that she recovers soon from her health issues.

Wagzak is Lovelyz latest offering that has a summer feel to it. It is light and bubbly as the Lovelyz themselves and in my opinion this group has always captured that feel and they don't even need to be on the beach for it.

Yein has grown up so much in this MV and it seems that she has eater a lot of the facetime reserved for Baby Soul , Jin and Jiae. Heck no one can blame anyone for wanting to see more of the Lovelyz Maknae.

Jisoo and Mijoo also share some light moments here with Kei and it is great to see that they are also having fun. I don't understand the push for Sujeong to be sexy but they are letting her go off with mid ribs and showing more skin lately. She deserves the attention and being an IDOT fan I don't mind this as well. Woolim has been right in pushing her to do this.

The song is light and catchy , not too heavy on the trap beats but the song does take advantage of them here or there. 

All in all I don't see how this song will fare now that Twice has come out and Black Pink will also be promoting until the end of July. Here is hoping the the Lovelyz fare better than how I expect them to in this tough July 2018 run.

"On Being Alone."

"On Being Alone."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Was I always alone? I turned to my own inner thoughts about this now that my daughter feels the same way as she enters high school.

I remembered not caring about if I was popular or not because it was a small school and people would know about you regardless if you like them to know you or not. My daughter told us that she has been experiencing culture shock from transitioning from a small close knit school into a big one where everyone is ultra competitive or falls behind in a very big way.

She is growing up conscious of the differences in people and their statuses and she is smart to figure this all out by herself that makes me proud because I always felt that during that age I was too naive to even care.

I remembered that I was too consumed by the things that I were doing to care what people think of me. I was the leader , I was the head , I was the top dog and no one could do what I do especially during those times that I was juggling so many things but succeeding in them nonetheless. If you can call it success. 

I was alone and I did not mind. It gave me time to think.To process things. It gave me time to create new things. There were no distractions. Oh I had friends but none of them were at school because I felt that only a handful of people really did understand who I was when I was in high school.

People who cannnot categorize you always felt that you were weird and were an aberration when it comes to their normal world views and categories. And people always have that need to categorize. I belonged to neither and I belonged to all which did not sit well with everyone , I guess.Only when I entered UP Bagiuo did I understand that what set me apart was something that I can be accepted for and was the norm in College. 

I have often told those closest to me that I did enjoy college more than highschool in this regard. Personally I enjoyed high marks in high school in all of my activities when it comes to school and church but it was in College that all this creativiy would come into focus and I would find a big part of myself by being friends with the same kinds of weirdos and the diffrent kinds of weirdos that even the ultra smarts of the college was not able to label.

Weirdly enough I feel like I should tell all of this to my 12 year old. Highschool might not be the place where you find it all but it surely is a start to know who you really are and the things that you would want in the future.

I see so much of myself in her when I was at that age. That drive to do things and the need to excel.I really should not tell her some of my views because a part of me wants her to remain the same no matter what her age.

There is always time in the weekend.We will have out talks.

"Bolas Won't Let Me Quit."

"Bolas Won't Let Me Quit."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

It is no secret to some of my closest friends that I have been feeling a bit saturated with Magic lately. I have been actively advising others on how to make their own decks but I have not made a deck of my on in the past few weeks.

Granted that I recently acquired a Daretti from my good friend Mark as well as my attempts to edit my Marath deck to no apparent success.

Despite getting a lot of killer cards and great deals on cards that I wanted I feel a little bit saturated. So much so that I was considering taking a break from Magic after our planned Draft or Sealed Tournament on Thursday.

The big question was how I can take a break from Magic when I have been playing it consistently during the midweek. I had no answer to myself as well.

When Thursday rolled around everyone was excited to open their packs of Magic 19 or Core 19. I was hoping to get a Crucible of Worlds but I was greeted back by an old friend.

None other than Nicol Bolas himself who had come in the form of Nicol Bolas , The Ravager. 

To add an extra layer of fun , all 6 players involved in the Sealed tournament rolled a die and got to pick off packs in a bag. The packs were already jumbled in that big bag and well the die rolling even added a whole new dimension of randomness.

When we got all 6 packs we all ripped through it. And in my first pack Lo and Behold , Nicol  Bolas appeared. As if to say to me , What the hell were thinking of taking a break? Now that you have me you need to make a deck around me.

And build it I did. I decided to play Grixis and was happy that I had enough cards to support Nicol Bolas. I would win 2 rounds before we all ran out of time and now the dragon seems to whisper. "Build my deck."

I'm on it.

"Midweek Magic 2018 #23 : Building Xenagos"

"Midweek Magic 2018 #23 : Building Xenagos" 

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

For a few weeks now I have been amazed at the efficiency at which Xenagos has been killing me and my other group mates. I have tried to steer of creating my own version of the deck but one day as I was trying to desperately improved on the Marath deck that I ended up with it dawned on my that I have gathered enough Red and Green pieces that I would be able to create my own version of the deck that Jethro has been killing as with. I need to put a little twist on my own in it though and I wondered what that would be.

Among the pile was the R/G Manland Raging Ravine which I think will be a great addition since it is something that cannot be countered and grows steadily the more that you use it.

Another card that I included though I had reservations was Magamatic force.Sure it was 7/7 and it is one of those that I have not played with and since my whole Battlebond opening phase I have had 2 copies of the behemoth just waiting for a deck. And this seemed a deck that needed it.

Another card was another card that I had with me for over a decade which is my Copperhoof Vorrac. A Mirrodin rare that never really quite found a home for one reason or another but in this Xenagos deck that I was building it felt like it was a great fit and so in it went.

As another improvement on the deck and as a surprise I added Triumph of the hordes. It might work or not but at least I had another option to go ahead and infect someone. I really missed doing that.