"Leyline Tyrant. Just the battery I was looking for."

"Leyline Tyrant. Just the battery I was looking for."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The Leyline Tyrant is a timebomb just waiting to explode. 

And one of the things that I have wanted on my wishlist. It would have been an absolute killer in a PR kit. I mean look at the 4/4 flying creature for 4 mana. And then look further as this Dragon flies around the skyclaves and stores mana. A flying battery of red mana.

Paired with Neheb you can accumulate a lot of Red Mana fast and if ever your opponent decides to board  wipe or simply kills your Leyline Tyrant with a targetting spell you get to let it blow in their face. Better yet trigger the bomb itself by sacrificing it(with enough mana for lethal of course) to an Ashnod's Altar or a Fling. 

Like I said Neheb and Leyline Tyrant go hand and hand in killing opponents fast especially if there are extra attack steps involved. Heartless Hidetsugu also says hi to the pair as the damage it provides can let you lower your opponents life below the red.

"Bago Mag Abad Santos"

 "Bago Mag Abad Santos"

Ni:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Si Kuya, Si Kuya

Tagaktak ang pawis habang

Tuloy ang benta ng tubig sa daan.

Nakamask, nakafaceshield

Nakakatuwa na sana tingnan

Inabot ang barya ng nasa kotse

Kapalit ng bote na iinumin

Nagpunas si kuya sa basahang

Mukha namang malinis.

At dali daling inangat ang faceshield

Para punasan ang noo

Parang alam ko na kung saan pupunta

Sana wag naman po

Sabay si Kuya hinila pababa ang basahan

Na nagpatanggal ng mask at pinunas

sa ngayong nakalabas na ilong at bibig.

Paikot ikot ikot ikot ikot ikot ikot at ikot.

At bago pa magpalit ang ilaw

Galing berde sa pula

Binalik na din ang face mask

At ang faceshield ni kuya!!!

Mahirap talaga , mahirap talaga

May nagsabi di naman daw siya tatablan

Sana nga Kuya.Sana nga.

"Cragplate Baloth is Pain"

 "Cragplate Baloth is Pain"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Just looking at this guy brings images of pain. For 7 mana you get to have a 6/6 creature on the battlefield that has Hexproof and Haste , meaning that 6/6 frame can smash face right away.

If you are a Blue player , short of having an Unsubstantiate in your hand you would not be able to counter this. And once it does land on the battlefield if you are playing Black short of having Innocent Blood or other sacrifice effects there is also nothing much that you can do. 

Oh wait this guy also has a kicker for 3 mana. Now normally 10 mana is an abnormally high mana cost but this is Green that we are talking about. The same Standard Green that will have access to Lotus Cobra , Azusa and Cultivate. Hooboy. 

The only downside the I see for this big boy is that it lacks Trample. And a lone 1/1 Saproling can just stand in it's way all day. Oh well , this won't be much of a problem in EDH decks that have access to Bow of Nylea or even cards from Ikoria that will give this a Trample counter. The pain will come. 

"Waiting for Sunset: Closing Remarks"

 "Waiting for Sunset: Closing Remarks"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Plot:

Waiting for Sunset (Kung Paano Hinihintay ang Dapithapon) follows the lives of 3 Elderly Individuals whose lives are in intermingled with each other. The story revolves around an older unmarried couple whose lives are affected when the womans estranged husband reaches out due to an illness.

Waiting for Sunset also has the element of ripples that these characters decision had done in time. 

The Good:

The meatiest dialogue of this whole movie revolves around the scene where the estranged couple are talking in bed.Around 17:30 left in the movie. Almost to the very end.It is a short one but very meaningful.

Bene:"Alam mo ba kung bakit ako nakipaghiwalay sa iyo?"

Tere: "Ang sabi mo nagising ka na lang na di mo na ako mahal."  

Bene goes on to try and say that would it have been better if he had lied to her but thinking that Tere did not ask for answers he accepted that that love might no longer be there as well. He wanted to hear anger from Tere now that he was dying.

Tere says that she did not understand how someone could no longer love anyone as fast that. "Sa isang pagpikit at mulat ng mata."

"Nagising din naman ako na di na din kita mahal. Kaya lang ang masakit di lang tayo nagkasabay."

Those last words had the impact of a two ton truck heading Bene's way. The realization that the person whom he thought still loved him was there because she could face up to him. And the much needed closure that everyone needed. 

All three are waiting for their own suns to set. One of them just got it earlier.

The Bad:

Well about those ripples that I was talking about in the movie. Bene and Tere had a son who had commitment issues due to his father's actions. They had choice words for each other the last time they met in the house. It was too bad that he was not able to say goodbye.

The Ugly:

The ending of this movie showed the 3 Elders on the beach. In the middle of them was the now lifeless corpse of Bene who died while they were transferring houses. An ugly thought crossed my mind then as they sat there on the chairs and the movie faded out from this scene. Would they be able to remain happy after this? Or did we just witness a pact where they would all go down with this sunset? 

"The Most Expensive EDH Game"

 

"The Most Expensive EDH Game"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

What was the most expensive MTG game that you have ever played? What? What kind of question is that? People pay entrance fees for tournaments but Magic games don't usually have a buy in per game so what the heck am I talking about?

I am talking about potentially the most expensive EDH game that you would ever play in your entire life and this in an infinite combo guaranteed to mana drain your wallet if you let it.

First is the card Booster tutor. For 1 Black Mana and Instant speed you could open a Magic Booster pack and get a card from it and hopefully get to use it too. This is one of those cards meant to be funny but I will be serious in my use of it.

So what if you can use this ability infinitely? In and EDH game you just need the following cards. Isochron Scepter , Sol Ring and Paradox Engine(still banned but since this also includes a card from one of the UN sets this is a combo that is best used with the permission of your playgroup).

So Cast the Isochron Scepter . Imprint Booster Tutor. Pay 2 mana from the Sol Ring to cast the Imprint Booster. Crack a pack and get a card. The free casting of Booster Tutor will trigger the Paradox Engine making sure that your Sol Ring and Isochron Scepter will be untapped. Repeat.

Now imagine cracking packs with this again and again. The older the set the more expensive it will get. And hence the most expensive EDH game you will ever get to play in your entire life. Now the question is do you really even need this combo to start cracking packs? I don't think so.

 

"The Lazada Incident"

 

"The Lazada Incident"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

This is a cautionary tale. Read and learn from my experience.

It was Tuesday Morning and I had just parked my car in front of our house. Having not a wink of sleep from my duty I was eager to get my things and take a shower so that I can finally get some much needed sleep.

With my eyes still tired from the night a woman wearing a mask and carrying a heavy package was waving at me from a distance. She hurriedly came to me and she looked familiar.

"Sir buti na lang po nakita ko kayo. Di ko po kasi macontact si Maam."

At this point you can already guess how much stuff my family orders from Lazada. 1) She knows me because I am the one who usually goes down and gets the stuff. 2) She knows me because I am the one who usually pays.

She handed me the package as I was asking how much it would cost. "____ pesos lang po sir."

I had given her the exact amount. And she left happily. I realized that I had already left the exact amount with my wife last night because she did say that her shipment was coming tomorrow. I ended up paying for it myself any way.

So moral of the story. Wag mo na ibigay kay Misis. Ikaw din magbabayad sa umaga. Hahahahhaa

"3 positive things that I can say about 2020"

 "3 positive things that I can say about 2020"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I posted this online a couple of weeks back and not surprisingly there were only a few people who could say anything positive about this year.

A year filled with so much anxiety and fear that everything comes into a boil and spews out on social media more than we expect. 

There are a lot of bad things that are not even Covid19 related that have happened this year but I find that there are at least a couple of things that I am thankful for.

1) I still have my job and are getting offers over time.

I am glad that I listened to my parents. They saw the future and never had I been more thankful for taking their advise and not giving up. I go to my work with an attitude of gratefulness each and every time. In a time where most struggle to find work I can be sure that my family is fed and provided for and I can somehow measure up to my Dad in terms of these.

2) My Aven is coping well with online classes.

I have read and listened to all the horrible stories of online classes. And I am happy that Aven is not experiencing any connectivity issues or anything that has to do with her laptop.  She is now more confident in Math class and is off to a great start this school year. She has been taking tutorial lessons all lockdown long and we are grateful for the patience of her teachers both in Math and in her Violon classes.

3) All of us are in relatively great health.

My wife and I are grateful that we have a great support system that is stable and intact through out this whole mess and that we remain healthy despite everything. We are able to help those that we could and they in turn help us as well. I am happy that we are all in the same page in regards to safety and disinfection and all the practices are bringing great results. None of us has ever gotten sick and we hope to keep it that way.

So all in all there is much to be thankful and even if the situation seems bleak now there are still bright spots in this world. 

 

"Fromis9 - Feel Good MV reaction: Inviting"

 "Fromis9 - Feel Good MV reaction: Inviting"

by:

The Vole

2 things before I start talking about the MV itself. 1 is that Fromis9 has been on break to sort of cool things down after the whole Idol School MNET scandal thing broke out. And I have been following whatever they put out even before this comeback. Even those ASMR content from Jisun eventhough my ears are sensitive to it hahaha. So it safe to say that I have been waiting for this comeback and I am glad that happened on the month where Lovelyz and YooA are also hitting the same stage. More content for me.

The other thing is that though Baby Laugh Seo-yeon is in the MV she will not be performing with the group as she had a leg injury and is currently recuperating. After all this waiting to see them finally perform as a full group.

With that out of the way though there is no inherent story in the MV what fromis9 does in this comeback to set a mood. Nagyung starts by inviting people to come into their place. And the MV is set up like you are going from one site into another like one where you seem to be going through a gallery on instagram or pinterest to different studio set.

And Fromis9 has been all dolled up in this MV , no weird color combinations on Nagyung for example because they are made to look like Instagram models.They were made to look elegant and attractive. 

The song is an invitation to enter this place where Fromis9 is so that they can show you a different sides of themselves. And there are more to discover apparently. They are pushing Gyuri for this comeback , her and Chaeyoung who is a brunette and had considerably slimmed down here as well.

Jisun's voice is more clearly displayed here. Jiheon the maknae is being given more rap parts showing how such a versatile group this is with Chaeyoung getting more singing parts. Saerom has been green lit to be a little bit more sexy this comeback.

Saerom and Jiwon are featured in the 2 lifts in this MV. I wonder how they decided on that? Jiwon is on the light side but I believe Nagyung is the lightest among them, I could be wrong though. I might not be sure about who is lightest but the I am sure who has the strongest arms and that is the Mighty Jisun. She may look sleepy all the time but darn is she strong as she is featured as the base for both lifts hahaha.

The song is catchy and a good come back song and I really hope that they win something.They have a couple more years in their contract and I do want them to continue promoting.

"Abracadabra"

 "Abracadabra"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

The strongest spells need no chants

Or any of that special brew

All she does is stand there

And I really don't know what to do.

II

She begins to form a word on her lips

And I am lost at that little start

No words have come out

but she had a strangling grip on my heart

III

And so when she moves I move

like that thrall that I am

invested in every movement

hanging on to every word.

IV

A puppet on a string

Now I fully understood

Escaping from those eyes

and the big unlikelihood.

Toyota Abad Santos , Manila. September 28,2020. 9:59am

"#Alive: A Zombie movie for Modern times."

 "#Alive: A Zombie movie for Modern times."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Plot: When a gamer wakes up to find that the world is plagued by zombies and he somehow needs to survive this new world.

For those who have not watched the movie yet spoilers ahead. This is just a reaction/review of the movie weeks after the fact that I have watched it.(because stuffs to do hahahah)

The Good:

In my opinion this movie makes good news of the technology that is available today via the internet. It makes sense that this would be how survivors are tracked or at least the possibility of rescuing those still alive in the four walls of their homes.

It shows that internet and social media will always be a part of our daily lives and it also shows that the networks of Korea can withstand a zombie apocalypse. If this happened in our country I would not be so sure.

The use of a drone is something that has not been used in a zombie movie before. The series "The walking dead" used a drone to lead zombies away from the Saviours Sanctuary but here the drone is used both for surveillance and weapon. It makes sense given that the Walking Dead is theorized to happen in the early 2000's and this movie is taking place in the more immediate present.

I am a big fan of zombie movies and have been looking forward to where the koreans would take the genre after Train to Busan. Here the zombies are still as deadly though not as tough as the zombies in the latter film. They have managed to interweave emotion and the weight of people's decisions in this movie.

I am not going to spoil any of those spots here though.

The Bad:

There have been backlash on the internet that this movie has too much ad placement and when you look at the company that produced it. Lotte it will start to make sense. Let us not be naive and say that this is merely for arts sake. Of course this is a giant corporation that is spending money to make money and what better way to promote some of it's product by putting them right there. The scene did not take away from any of the emotional or action movements and were done in a lull of the film where the characters were trying to get to know each other. It makes sense that they were asking about a brand that they might know in real life. What would have been ugly is if the characters were fighting and they were hitting a zombie with a hammer and going "wow this hammer from Lotte sure is tough so and so". You see none of that here. So I dont understand the fuss. I could see the fuss if the main characters were choosing between a drone made by lotte and a drone not made by them. Again does not happen here.

The Ugly:

Well parts of human nature. Like our tendency to give up or the other extreme to treat real life as a game. "Time to go farming" to paraphrase the main character here.

Also that couple at the end of the movie where it becomes apparent that the love you feel for other half would lead you to murder people. 

The end is somewhat predictable but the zombie ride is still worth the price of admission.

 

"Doc In , Doc out Presents: Wala naman po."

"Doc In , Doc out  Presents:  Wala naman po."

by:

Virglio F. De leon Jr. MD

Patient called in complaining of a fever ,scratchy throat for 2 days.

Me: Sige po Maam , Sa Baranggay niyo po ba eh maraming Covid19 cases?

Patient: Naku wala po...Kaunti lang.

Me: Huh? Wala po ba or kaunti lang?

Patient: Kaunti lang po Doc pero...Nakalockdown po ang Baranggay namin since Sunday.

Me: Ahhhhhhh...So Marami na nga po. Nakalock down na po eh.

Patient: Opo Medyo po.

Hay. From wala to kaunti to Nakalockdown pala.(Insert face palm here)

"The Double Master Effect and the Ripples it leaves."

 "The Double Master Effect and the Ripples it leaves."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I have a love and hate relationship with my favorite game of Magic The Gathering. On one hand I am so heavily invested in it that I now have a total of 110 EDH decks. Working EDH decks. Decks that you can just get out of the 7 cases I carry around and play with them. 110 EDH decks. And several decks that are currently under development. And dozens more commanders waiting in the wings.

There is no doubt that I love this game but then again a part of me is beginning to hate it. And this is really heightened from when Double Masters came out. This is the set the that has a VIP Booster pack that is worth 100 bucks each. Translated to pesos that is 5000 each. On Alpha Investments Rudy opens 16 booster packs per opening which makes each video worth upwards of 80,000 pesos! Almost like a semester of Medical school in cost. And not like I have that kind of money just lying around. But a lot of the Patreons in Alpha Investment has. And so all I can do is join the ride and enjoy it.

In a set where you can win big but also lose big it sets an expectation in your mind about how pack openings would go. A 500 Dollar Force of Will Foil Showcase lights you up but then you get so used to the other less expensive cards in the set that a Chrome Mox or Mox Opal does not even get a reaction out of you.

So what started as me just enjoying seeing a Mana Crypt being opened or laughing at the Nth time someone gets a Goblin Guide/Expedition Map combo or Meddling Mage/Phyrexian Metamoprh(The lowest valued foil cards of the set) became something else.

The commons and uncommons no longer registered as they were opened. Those did not bring on a high even if some of them were things that I knew I could use(and with 110 EDH constantly needing updates believe me I could use them). Certain names would keep me interested like the cycle of swords or even the said Mana rocks( Mana Crypt , Mox Opal and Chrome Mox). All the rest become a blur and nothing from it excites me. And when Rudy opened 3 Force of wills in one session there was no way that other videos after that would ever compare. So I lost interest but watched anyway because it became a part of my routine.

So when the Double Masters Run ended and Rudy began opening other products like Jumpstart or even the Zendikar set boosters it seemed to lack that luster or that high that Double Masters provided. I had to step back because the over saturation was getting to me. I had to recalibrate my brain a little that the new things that were coming.There was something there that I could use to improve my decks or my game and it would be coming from all the slots of Commons.Uncommons. Rares and Mythics. And now those from "The LIST".

The effects of Double Masters are still here though and I wonder how magic can ever top this one. I won't be surprised if they will try though. The burn through your wallet era of magic is going to go on for awhile until most likely the players would just say to heck with this and not buy anything. Sooner for most but would likely never come for some.

 

"3 things that you should consider when playing Modular lands"

 "3 things that you should consider when playing Modular lands"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Zendikar Rising is here and I have been opening packs but only managed to get one of those pesky sought after rare modular lands. Not even one in the mythic slot. EDH players will be playing them and if you are one of them(which I am sure you are) here are 3 things that you should be considering at the moment.:

1) Spells like Mystical Tutor or Merchant Scroll can now fetch you a spell and land! So think about it. A blue player having access to more lands via fetching.

2) You can give up some basic land slots for these spells in a mono blue deck because they serve as land and spell for your deck. Some may argue that tapped lands put you at a disadvantage and this is why I believe that that mythic versions of these lands are going to be better.Even if you have to pay 3 life for them.

3) And the last thing I want to say that you should consider is that  you need to put proper sleeves or people will be able to see what card you are holding in your hand. Talk about Telepathy.

"YooA - Bon Voyage MV reaction: And so it begins"

 "YooA - Bon Voyage MV reaction: And so it begins"

by:

The Vole

I have to be honest. The reason why I have not reacted to YooA and her Bon Voyage MV was because I was so nervous about how people would be receiving her as a solo artist. Now that she has won her first win as a solo artist on the Show proving just how Miracles love her I can breathe this sigh of relief and actually go ahead with this and just focus on the MV.

The song starts where the teaser ends. The part where YooA closes her eyes in the face of a gigantic white wolf. And this is where I am going with a theory of what happened to YooA.

What follows are different scenes where YooA is considered to be the beautiful spirit of nature but in my eyes the case can be made that she was carried away into what I call an Island or Forest of Mirrors where she becomes different versions of herself and with what the video is showing she seems to be a fairy in all of her lifetimes , past and present. All of her versions are beautiful. If we also follow the beginning of the song where she says that she wakes up and she has soft fur growing on her and describes horns on her too she becomes like the deer that has always been a part of OMG since Closer. Also check out that deer on their Lightstick and you will know what I mean. 

If at the beginning you could say that she is trying to run away from something before she runs into the wolf. Expensive car and as we all know in movies no matter how expensive or how new your car can be it is really no match for a fog that appears out of nowhere. Engines conk out and never start again in the presence of unaannounced fog which is what happened to YooA. 

I believe that when the White Wolf appeared to her it was reminding her of something that she had lost.And she might be in a situation where she is confused or trapped may it be because of fame or her work. I mean expensive car , all made up and in the middle of nowhere with no one else around? Isn't that a clear sign that she was running away. And so the white wolf appears to guide her on this journey.

The scenes where YooA is always running free , experiencing nature. Dancing and having fun in the sun or in the forest. Wherever she is on this Island or Forest she is happy and that I believe is what the wolf was leading her to. A place in her life that she can be happy. 

Though she initially showed fear at the beginning of the video the last word she says is , "I wanna be with you." And that smile at the end of the  video showing us that there was nothing to fear from the wolf itself. And in fact it was somewhere that she wanted to be. That mysterious dream where she is dancing freely for the first time. 

The use of the Drone in this MV is both sweeping and dizzying at the same time which mirrors the heady feeling one experiences when you realize that you are free and that whatever is weighing you down no longer exists at least in this world.

I may have had some reservations about the World beat/African drum beats in the song as this has been compared to a Moana/Lionking sound track and with YooA receiving a deal to sing an OST for a netflix animated movie it seemed that WM has been on to something. After all they are delivering a brand and a fit to potential people. Not that this not fit YooA at all as she and OMG have always been versatile and adaptable to any concept. I believe that this is the reason why they chose this song over Abracadabra as the main song for her solo. 

With all the love that has been poured over YooA these past few weeks and how refreshing this sounds in comparison to the current Kpop landscape of heavy bass and girl crushes WM was proven right.

Congratulations on your success YooA and here is to more Solo outings for you. 

"Sa May Kanto ng Congressional"

 "Sa May Kanto ng Congressional"

Ni:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Kakatok sa puso mong sarado

habang ang ilaw ay pula

Pahingi ng pagkain

para sa aking kapatid at ina

II

Pahingi ng pambaon

Sabay katok sa nakapinid na bintana

Pabilis na lang sir

Magbabago na sa berde ang ilaw

III

Nguni't ang puso ay di bubulaklak

napuno na ng ganid at basura

Dali daling magkakambyo

At tatapak sa gasolina

IV

Iwan ang ale , ang bata

na may hawak pa ding placard

titingin sa nakaalis

pero kakatok naman sa bagong tigil.

Toyota Abad Santos , Manila. September 28,2020. 10:08 am

"Taborax, Hope's Demise: Shadowborne Apostle's Glee."

 "Taborax, Hope's Demise: Shadowborne Apostle's Glee."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

One of my friends Jus Puntay exploded in our group chat. 

"Doc para dun sa mga Shadowborne boys mo!"

And I am glad that my friends know my pet decks and easily suggest something that can be a great addition to them. Especially this particular demon that seemed to be tailor made for the Shirei led Shadowborne Apostle deck.

So as a general review , you could sacrifice 5 Shadowborne Apostles to fetch a demon of your choice from your deck and put it on the battlefield. At the end of the turn if Shirei is still in play you could return those same creatures (Converted mana cost of 1) back to the battlefield.

If all goes well you could be fetching demons each your opponents turns. Now with this particular demon in play you get a lot more value for this cycle.

Tabarax, Hope's Demise is a 2/2 flying Legendary creatue costing just 2 colorless and a black mana. 

Taborax, Hope's Demise has lifelink as long as it has five or more +1/+1 counters on it.

This 2nd part can easily be filled up by the following triggered ability.

"Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Taborax. If that creature was a Cleric, you may draw a card. If you do, you lose 1 life."

You see Shadowborne Apostle's are non-token clerics. So when you sacrifice 6 of them to fetch a demon not only do you give 

Tabarax, Hope's Demise 6 +1/+1 counters , you also get to draw 6 cards! Oh don't mind the loss of 6 life. Power at any cost remember? And remember too that 5 or more +1/+1 counters give Taborax lifelink. An 8/8 Lifelinking flyer on your side of the board.

Plus if you have 3 opponents and you have were able to do the whole Sac clerics process 4 times. You would have an 18/18 Life link Flyer that can retrieve all of those lost life points as well as adding 2 more. Of course it needs to connect first but with 16 more cards in your hand I am sure you can figure something out.

It takes a lot of time to set up but this is a worthy target to fetch in a deck like this. So one more to go on my wish list.

"Tayo Sa Huling Buwan ng Taon:Di Na."

 "Tayo Sa Huling Buwan ng Taon:Di Na."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

"Napanood ko na ito" My wife told me. "But I want you to watch it with me because there was something really confusing about the end."

This was an invitation from my wife that I cannot refuse so over lunch we watched this story unfold.

Synopsis:

"Five years after their break-up, ex-lovers turned friends Sam and Isa attempt to find their own selves in the realm of their respective romantic relationships. What they discover instead is pain and uncertainty as they come to terms with their feelings for each other and everyone around them."

Yes I copied that synopsis because this seems to be what the story is pushing the viewers to think.They are framing your mind to have the expectation that this story will evolve around these two people who have been broken up for 5 years. Instead what you are thrust into is the world that they have been in 5 years into that past relationship.

The movie feels like you started at the middle instead of the logical start. There are many things to like about this movie , the dialogue is as natural as can be. The characters are believable , charming and even interesting even if it shows them in their every day lives. Both couples are happy where they are. They have been making plans.They have been living their lives.

However if you have not read that synopsis about these people broken up you would have thought that you were watching a different love story. Two stories that will eventually converge but stories that are reaching a conclusion.

Bear in mind that this story happens in a span of a week. The last week before the New Year.Spoilers ahead if you have not watched it. One incident triggers all of their happy lives to unravel. And for what?

The scene where Sam and Isa are finally alone and Sam just blurts out "What happened to us?" And you can see that he is in pain and Isa is also in pain as all these pent up feelings bubble up to the surface. This scene where they were waiting for a Jeepney ride in Manila. You know that they are in pain you somehow feel disconnected from this pain that they are experiencing as up to this point you really have no idea what actually occured to both of them that caused them to break up or live seperate lives. 

Sure it is hinted in the dialogue but it all falls short somehow and what results is a disconnected feeling from what is going on in the scene. It seemed like for all the build up of happy lives and plan for the future all of that falls apart in the face of unspoken feelings.

Tayo sa Huling Buwan ng taon....Seperate and Isolated from everyone else who should be loving us because of things that we did not resolve earlier. I just find it a bit preposterous that  people who have been loving us change in a span of a week. And that in the same people who used to have happy lives end up where they were 5 years ago. Alone and Sad.

Oh and that scene where My wife was confused about? It is all tied up neatly with this poem. The same poem that was being recited at the beginning of the film and was again recited at the end of the film. And like a cursed cycle , Sam finds himself alone as he had been at the beginning of the film.

"Doc In , Doc Out: The need for Faceshields"

 "Doc In , Doc Out: The need for Faceshields"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

With Cities now making faceshields mandatory a friend of mine posted if this is for safey or business or a waste of money. This was my response:

"At first iniisip ko kung bakit need pa ng face shield. Yes masks and distancing and hand washing should be enough but it should be done by everyone properly. Not everyone does though.

What most people do not realize is that we still have that unconscious urge to touch our faces or even touch the mask that we are wearing, then scratch under the mask. The face shield prevents that. At least to a certain extent. Even helps in the virus to not get into your eyes regardless of how low that could be.

This also helps if the mask underneath is a bit displaced after eating or talking. There is that layer or protection because some would not even notice it.

Things take a lot of getting used to. But there are guidelines in wearing it. Do I like looking / feeling like an astronaut when I just want to buy food in a 7-11? Of course not but am I making all the efforts to secure my family is safer when I get home? 60-80 pesos seems like a low price for that. "

"My Hair.To Cut or Not to Cut."

 "My Hair.To Cut or Not to Cut."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

The last time I grew out my hair was the year when Aven was born.It had to such an unruly mess as I took care of her and now 14 years later with all this global pandemic I have managed to let it grow out again.

When the lockdown happened I was one of those people who would not be getting a haircut because all of those services became unavailable to us. There was even a challenge where wives would cut their husbands hair. Some clearly had the talent for it and some well , did not. The latter hair cuts were hilarious. 

My wife. Well she let me grow it out. I told her that this might be the last time that I might be able to given that my crown was already thinning.(Thanks for that Dad!). 

A couple things that I recalled while my hair grew was that uncomfortable feeling of those patelya hairs going into my ear. And the uncontrollable waves that it would shape themselves into when I woke up in the afternoons before preparing for my night duties.

I might be writing this because my long hair might end this Sunday. The wife seemed adamant about me putting on a "Professional" look rather than the fat homeless guy looks that I have been sporting lately. I feel like my hair is just fine though. 

If it is gone this Sunday then so be it. It was good run till it lasted.

"3 Bloopers of the Pandemic"

 "3 Bloopers of the Pandemic"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

One day this pandemic will all be over. And we will look at it as a fading memory. Most of us will remember the pain and most will look at the whole mess and distance themselves from it.

While there is a lot that could have been done. There are also things that should not have been done. This is not about anything political. Just one of those moments where you want to scratch your head and ask what?

Here are 3 policies that will still boggle your mind even after this is all over:

1) The Diminishing Distance

This one was thankfully reversed after someone noticed how absurd it was. The social distancing rule of 1m apart would have been reduced every 2 weeks until there was no distance left. 

Someone said that this was done so that the virus could adjust and that it could not file a complaint later on that it was not given any warning. 

2) The Barrier Dilemma

Not only was this insisted on by people who clearly did not understand aerodynamics( that includes me , I only read about it) but those same people asked the people who were motorcycle experts to shut up because they did not know what they were saying. 

After several public outcries and public accidents the authorities relented and allowed the barrier to be taken down because 1 it was not actually needed in the first place.

3) Faceshield over Motorcycle helmet

Now it is true that faceshields are now part of public attire. However it was not really stated that you should wear one over your helmet as you rode around. This was actually a misunderstanding as some people instantly assumed this absurd thing. Thankfully when the actual guidelines were released it did not say anything of the sort. It would have been hard to do anyway even if you wanted to comply.

"Lovelyz - Obviate MV reaction - The New Lovelyz"

"Lovelyz - Obviate MV reaction - The New Lovelyz"

by:

The Vole

An image is also a trap and it seems that Lovelyz for all their talents will always be relegated into the trap of that sweet and innocent image even if they have grown through the years that they have been in kpop.This video with it's heavier sound and all out visuals for all the members is a declaration.

It starts as the members walk into a house full of memories. Some are painful , some are weird and some are confusing. The house has full of references to their previous MV's and songs as I can surmise. And they seem to emerge as adult versions of themselves. If they have suffered being in that image or as the song says being stuck with someone that you want to forget.

There is a scene where all the members are gathered and receive word via an owl familiar/messenger and a spell ignites burning the mansion. As if saying forget what you know about us. This is us now. There is a lot of reference to Harry Potter here and member Sujeong who helped in the lyrics did say that Obliviate is a spell of forgetting. 

The shot where they are looking on as this house burns. Looking on as if to say that this was us. A long panning shot of Yein , Jisoo and Kei who took a lion's share of the visuals in this MV.

That last shot where they turn as if to announce to the world that this is the Lovelyz that you should know now.

The song is actually a declaration  , about forgetting someone and letting them just be in memories. They meant to say this to a love one but they can also be saying it to those observing/following Lovelyz for a long time.

It is a heavier sound and quite a departure from the sweet/sad or bubbly songs that you expect from these girls. It was only a matter of time before they blossomed into a more mature sound and this was the time for it. 

Even the choreo reflects a gradual transition to sexy although you still see the familiar formations that Lovelyz is known for.

There is a definite uptick in the visual counters here as they seem to be promoting Jisoo front and center , now that they are embracing a sexier image Jisso , Mijoo and Yein are being pushed even further. Alongside Kei and Sujeong of course.These two being the most established in the group.

Lovelyz has already won an award for this song and I am happy that they continue in their path of success. Although they really should not have worn those dresses that made the look like heavy drapes(complete with tassles).

"Bon Voyage"

 "Bon Voyage"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

I want to go somewhere

Somewhere I have never seen

To see from the treetops

or be at the bottom of the sea

II

To be where no one knows me

Just so I can be myself

To be there with no one

So I can be self aware

III

I do not fear the darkness

or the unknown of that place

All I know is there

I can regain all of my taste

IV

For life , for things

things lost in the memory of me

To rekindle a flame

flames that have petered unseen

V

I want to go somewhere

And it was yesterday

No better time to start then

So I am leaving today

Toyota Abad Santos , Manila. September 28,2020. 10:03am

"Tajuru Paragon:The Elf you are looking for"

 "Tajuru Paragon:The Elf you are looking for"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I used to say that this guy will be the life of the party. And with the Party mechanic being pushed in Zendikar rising you can be sure that those who want to play with that in mind will surely be looking for this guy.

Of course I have my reservations about the party mechanic even if it does fit the feel of an adventuring party in the world of Zendikar , this time exploring the Skyclaves that have risen to the skies with it's rumored artifacts and traps. From a story perspective this new Party mechanic should have you excited.

I am not sure if people would embrace it like the Ally mechanic. I did not hear much about the actually but I will probably try to get a Party started and Tajuru Paragon will surely be a big part of that. 

So a Party consists of a Cleric , Rogue , Warrior and Wizard. They would probably expand this on a later set that is tied in with Dungeons and Dragons(as announced). There are already several spells that would benefit you if you have all of these creature types in your deck. Changelings would surely fit in here right? And my best pal Mistform Ultimus should also fit in as well.

It is still too early to say if this will be popular among players but I might try my hand at it if the pieces will finally be available. Maybe some time in November perhaps?

"Distance: The Ripples that we make. "

 "Distance: The Ripples that we make. "

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

Plot:

Distance revolves around a family whose mom has been missing for 5 years. She has now returned to them but she is not sure if this is what they really want.

The Good:

Distance , this word refers to the feelings of Iza Calzado's children in the movie after her unexplained disappearance. Being in their lives mean that they would have to readjust to her presence after a long absence. And the family in the movie is portrayed like any other as they try to eat together and do things as a family should.

Some families have peaceful or fun meal times. This particular family's meal times are filled with awkward glances and long silences. They might talk to each other but you know that those connections are severed or frayed. The husband being strong to bring in the object of his pain. The children not knowing if this person will leave or stay or whatever it is that she is doing here.

In the course of the movie it gets a little better for Iza Calzado's character but the final scene of this movie will reiterate it's title. As the family finishes breakfast you see that the children once again puts up their barriers and the husband though hiding his pain is left with the realization that this will be the situation that they will be in for the time being.

The Bad:

Cheating is bad. Cheating can never be justified but people are people and the heart wants what the heart wants. In this case Iza leaves for 5 years to be with her long time girlfriend who turns out to have a fatal disease that severely shortened their blissful life together. 

Though she has been forgiven by her husband she still need to undo a lot of things due to her actions. And in the movie though she tries and even tearfully apologizes it leads to one thing. More Distance. 

The Ugly:

People and their thoughts and their misunderstandings. The inability to move forward and to experience new things because of this specific hindrance. One can almost be tempted to say get over it but that is now how it really works even in real life. It always takes time and the ugly truth is no one in the family can force each other for that level of forgiveness and acceptance. So for now Distance is the name of the game they will be playing.

"Doc In , Doc out - The Selfishness of others"

"Doc In , Doc out : The Selfishness of others"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

This story happened last month and has stuck with me as I am reminded that there will always be people who value themselves more than others.

So I went to the Portal Area of UP Ayala Technohub to buy a late dinner at the family mart there.These group of 6 women arrived the same time as me on a taxi. I paid them no mind since I was in a hurry but then they complained that the Starbucks was already closed.(11pm na).

One of them said , "Family mart na lang tayo , May Ice cream din dun." So it made me look at them. They were wearing plain clothes so they might be people living in a dorm nearby. I am sure there was still a curfew on so why were they all out if they were not on their way to work or coming home from it? They did not look like they had an emergency. Unless you count craving for Starbucks coffee or Ice cream an emergency. None of my business as far as I am concerned. They were all wearing masks and face shields.

So I went ahead of them to buy my food and drinks. They entered the Family mart with no regard for social distancing. They took off their face shields and lowered their masks to talk to people on their phones. "Asan kami? Gago nasa Tagaytay na kami" One of them said. Another asked the store clerks kung puwede daw ba silang tumambay sa labas ng Family Mart? Huh? Balak niyo pa talagang maghang out. Hopefully magkakasama sila sa isang bahay pero kung hindi we might be seeing a small cluster of infection here.

As I was going out , another woman lowered her mask and was talking excitedly on the phone , to a baby!!! I don't really know anymore.

This is the kind of attitude that would just let Covid19 continue on. May Curfew , nagcrave ng Ice Cream at Kape di bale na kung sila ang mahawa o makahawa sige labas pa din. Nakafacemask at shield pero inaalis din in an enclosed public space.This is why I have lost faith in most people.

220,000 plus cases and yet still here we are with these kinds of people.

As of this posting there are now more than 300,000 cases in our country along with more than 5000 deaths. And yet the Selfishness of others continues.

"My Story - My Mental Health"

 

"My Story - My Mental Health"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

"Ang hilig ni Kuya sa mga beach ano? Puro yun ang My Story niya eh." This was from my sister-in-law who noticed these kinds of things. And yes I love beaches. I also love Castles and Mountains and Torii's. And weird cloud formations from all over the world. I like a lot of things.

There is this page I follow that let's you glimpse all of these beautiful places in the Maldives , Bali or Hawaii. While I wish to go there one of these days the reason I post them is simple. I would rather picture those beautiful places than focus on the hellhole that we are all currently in.

I review protocols and guidelines and enforce them. I diagnose patients and review their cases. Deem them fit to work or be in quarantine for X more number of days. Some days are better than others. Some are not. Do I worry for my family? Yes. Do I worry that we might be ok after all this? Yes. There are many bad things to ponder on. Many things that may still go wrong.

Do I escape all of those things? Nope. I face them head on every single day. And do you know what helps me? Looking at far off places that are absolutely beautiful every time I feel that the things going on in my life is too much. I have a strong support system in My Wife , My Daughter Aven and My Mama Lita but often times I am alone and to cope I look at these places. Picture that I am there. Exploring a Castle high in the mountains , crossing a forgotten river or taking the steps into a Temple Shrine somewhere. For a moment I relax and gain a little strength.

Now I figured that if this helps me then this might help other people relax as well. There is too much anxiety and sadness in the world that I want to share these places. For people to see that there is beauty in the world outside of the 4 walls that we are currently trapped in either by Law or by Choice.

I have also not been writing for the last couple of months as much as I would have wanted to. And the reason I felt is that would it be worth it to continue to write? So I started being consistent in these little things. I post on my stories. I post mtg related jokes and stories on my Flight of Ideas blog page on FB. And after awhile it gave me the courage to write again. 

So yeah I do like the places that I post , I also like feeling how I feel when I look at them. 

"3 reasons why A Quiet place will never be good for me or my family"

 "3 reasons why A Quiet place will never be good for me or my family"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

We all know the ploy of a Quiet place by now. It involves a family trying to survive an earth where Aliens hunt by sound. 

While we were watching this I turned to my daughter Aven and said:

"Well we are pretty much Alien food anak."

We burst out laughing but deep inside there was a reason for that and here are 3 reasons for that.

1) Aven is noisy even when at rest.

She would make crow like sounds , hum to herself or tap on any surface when gets the chance. Not to mention that she really does love talking.

2) My wife and I throat clear like it is no one's business.

We both suffer from Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease and should we ate too little or too much we begin to cough from all the acid we produce. Aven actually recognizes me as I approach the door to my house via my distinctive cough. In fact I theorize that the all hearing aliens would get me as I walk home.

3) We all snore like crazy.

Even if we can voluntarily control all the sounds that we make while awake I am pretty sure that the aliens would track us down and munch on us as we sleep. From Aven's light snoring to my hardcore Jack Hammer/Teeth Gnashing snores there is no way that even the most deaf of these aliens would not be able to pick us out.

It is a good thing that this was just a movie. 

"Bish - More than Like MV reaction: Refreshingly Cute"

 

"Bish - More than Like MV reaction: Refreshingly Cute"

by:

The Vole

After watching Bleach with my family I began my Japanese song kick once again and it has been awhile since I checked on one of my favorite groups which is Bish I decided to look for their latest songs. 

One of the songs that I saw on youtube was More than like. This was released July 3 , 2019. And was even featured as one of the themes for the much loved anime Fairy Tale.

I tried looking for English lyrics because I like this song...well More than liked because I wanted to learn more about it. I am not sure of the translations so I am not going to try and discuss the meaning of this song. 

I just wanted to react to the video and how I was quickly hooked on Bish once again that I started playing this on my drives to and from work.

The MV starts with Chihiro. A blonde  SentoChihiro who was at a bar. I love this hair color on her. The video sort of splits into where all of the members of Bish are and well subsequently merge or divide where members are jumping into each others frames or separating from them. Not the first time I have seen such a thing as Girl on the Height of rudeness also did a similar video but this is the first time that I have ever seen Bish like this.

For once they are not doing weird things or weird things are not being done to them. Nothing overtly sexual or even violent. All through out the video no one is dying. It was a simple , fun video where everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. My favorite  , Aina the End did not look angry or hurt or was about to murder anyone. She looked like a cute , happy person that was part of BISH. All of them did. And it was refreshing.

I am sure it would not last knowing their management so I was determined to enjoy this video even more. hahahhaa

The other thing I wanted to say was that in the last part of the video they seemed to be almost syncing in their choreo and it almost moved me to tears. How much have they improved in their dancing and how much they continue to improve their sound. I look forward to more Bish songs in the future.

"Latom"

"Latom"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.MD

I

Heart and Flames 

Are both the same

Once reduced to embers 

Nothing then remains

II

All fervent prayers

For this restless soul

Goes up unheard

Goes down misheard

III

Never mistake the cries

Not for Anguish or Mercy

Just the wish to die

Nothing but a filthy lie

Optum , UP-Ayala Technohub , Quezon City. September 2 , 2020. 6:19am