"Listening to Bolas..."

"Power! Power shall be yours!!!

"Listening to Bolas..."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

The other day a dragon talked to me. His name was Nicol Bolas. His name sounded girly to me and it reminded me of Tom Cruises ex-wife but this dragon was nothing like that sexy beast, he was a different beast altogether and he was speaking to me. He told me to build a deck , he told me this as a voice inside my head , now normally I would ignore voices in my head because they always claim to be someone else like being a prophet or something but this dragon ( who was a voice in my head at that time ) had a lot of pretty solid ideas.

He said build me a tri-colored deck and we will vanquish your enemies and conquer the multiverse together. Now I usually can't conquer anything much less the multiverse but I have been getting pretty good at playing Magic cards and Nicol Bolas happened to be one of my latest acquisitions and as it turns out he was acquiring me , much like he did with Sarkhan and Tezzeret. I remember it now, how easily my friend gave me this Planeswalker, he of the colors of Grixis, red and blue and black. Many people are daunted to play the scheming dragon but if they listened like I did the dragon would find a way for you.


Nicol Bolas Whispers Deck

4 X Dragonskull Summit
4 X Crumbling Necropolis
4 X Drowned Catacomb
3 X Tainted Isle
6 X Swamps
_________
21 Lands

1 X Nicol Bolas
3 X Jace Beleren
3 X Liliana Vess
1 X Chandra Nalaar
____________
8 Planeswalkers

4 X Rotting Rots
4 X Liliana's Specter
4 X Mind Shrieker
1 X Sheoldred , The Whispering One
1 X Szadek
1 X Nemesis of Reason
1 X Krederekt Leviathan
_____________
16 Creatures

2 X Traumatize
2 X Haunting Echoes
2 X Breakthrough
3 X Diabolic Tutor
4 X Counter Spell
2 X Zombify
____________
15 Spells


So like a mad scientist I went to my room, there the tomes where great magic was bound (read as 4 pocket binders with 4 copies of a magic card neatly tucked in). My tomes were high as I believe myself a man who can afford what he wants ( especially if they were selling it at a much lower price than the ones in starcitygames.com)…So there I was listening and on my way to building a tri-colored deck…I have always been a necromancer by 2^nd nature , my first nature was that of a Fire Mage that burns everything that can be seen , so the dragon played on that , it would be a mill deck that can destroy an opponent by unmercifully picking at his mind ( his library) , whittling it away until there was none left or it can be stand up beat down with an assortment of creatures from different planes.

"It sucks to mill a land..."

Another Planeswalker was added to the mix in the form of Jace Beleren , he would be another muscle in this tri-colored piece and since this would be an experiment in utility , there would be singleton copies of various cards , Sheoldred the Phyrexian praetor that allowed you to summon directly from the graveyard , Szadek , a merciless vampire who milled you , Nemesis of Reason , that did the same only 10 cards at a time per attack, then a copy of Mindshrieker , the bird spirit that allowed you to fill your graveyard and make it bigger in the process almost for a lethal attack each time you paid for its ability as the deck was made to hold several large mana requiring behemoths like the aforementioned creatures . Imagine revealing four 8 mana costing creatures and spells in a row and its goodbye to your opponent.!!!

"Huh?What am I doing here?"

The dragon made sure that there was plenty of control, hand disruption like Rotting Rats and Liliana's Specters were in attendance, card drawers in Breakthrough and Tutoring effects in Diabolic tutor. It was not the perfect fit but Nicol Bolas was happy and with this deck I set off to duel and vanquish my enemies, who are not really my enemies because they are my friends and afterwards we would actually rave about the great ideas that were incorporated into making the deck. Nicol Bolas just won’t listen. He calls it vanquishing foes. I call it having a great time.

     After playing with it though, it was just really good that it can win and win convincingly after a beat down or a mill especially when Nicol Bolas and Jace would play together. It was straight up mill and disruption until no viable threats can be ascertained either by an empty hand or a dwindling library. Nicol Bolas is still flexing his muscles after his victories. Me, I’m just tired from having so much fun.

"Chance"

Chance --------------------03/06/2011

Close your eyes , hear me whisper

these words that I have always told you

that this reality is meaningless

and I dont want to live in a dream

Hear my faint reminder in your jaded heart

that all is well , as it should be

that there is no rhyme or rhythm

only that there is

Open your eyes and know

this is not where I live

that I am only a shadow

a whisper of what could have been...

Team Angus:Twilight Zone Moment

Team Angus: Twilight Zone Moment
by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

( Insert creepy song intro here)....While on the way home from our recent Team R&R from Punta Fuego , Nasugbu , Batangas , we made a wrong turn somewhere in Tagaytay and followed a police car to the very end of a dark closed off road , another dark alternate road to the left appeared. We initially argued if we should take that road. Since the police car was there we went and asked directions , we asked if we can take the dark road to the left , the policeman in the car said (and this is verbatim) : "Ang daan na yan ay papunta sa isang liblib na lugar kung saan wala kayong patutunguhan..." they then proceeded to point to a Church 15 minutes back where we came from like all Guardian angels should , as we sped off the car eventually disappeared , I believed that those Policemen were there to help us in our time of need and we appreciate them...we then noticed that all of our messages only got in or got sent out when we were near the Church they pointed us to! There was no signal in that dark area! imagine if the car broke down or we ran out of gas in that place! Thank you God for those men or as we believe Angels disguised as Policemen...

Smoking Ban on Pinoy Doctors: What was the PMA smoking?

Smoking ban on Pinoy Doctors: What was the PMA smoking?

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

The Philippine Medical Association has passed a law that bans Filipino Doctors from Smoking, the reason they gave was so doctors would serve as good role models for their patients. Another reason was that Patients now need not fear of being affected by Doctors second hand smoke (which has a greater risk for lung cancer).

      The reason behind it is well intentioned but it is absurd to believe that every doctor will comply with this. People would not quit cold turkey just because the PMA said so. I don’t smoke personally but I just think that this is ridiculous on so many levels.

     One, you are talking about a particular group of people who have endured stresses far beyond that of a normal human being, for people who have parents who are also doctors, the stress to achieve is insanely high, the demand to excel and be accepted to a prestigious Medical school and then work as a Resident under the tutelage of some of the harshest teachers. Doctors have it rough, no one will see it, and no one will understand it unless they are Doctors themselves. Smoking is part of that culture, it is part of coping up with stress, and Even the President admits that he needs it to relax. People think that Doctors have time to cope with other things like watching a movie or going to a gym, those things are great but most would rather sleep after a grueling 36 hour duty cycle and the easiest way to cool off hot heads and bruised egos is to burn a few sticks behind the OPD at night, or in the parking lot where not a lot of people could see. Smoking Doctors are hypocrites in a sense since everyone who has picked up a Medical book knows that smoking is dangerous for one’s health but when you are low on funds and there are few recreational things you can do on such a time consuming profession smoking is always accessible and always willing to give you a little stress busting outlet. You cannot change an entire complex culture overnight, which makes me want to ask, what the hell has the PMA been smoking?

     Two, the likelihood of a Physician smoking and actually affecting a patient with second hand smoke is almost next to nil. You would have to be exposed to a physicians smoking habits for a long time to be affected at all, so unless you are lovers or drinking buddies with your doctor your chances are very slim. Doctors are very conscious of how patients perceive them, and I don’t think a physician in his right mind would ever smoke in front of his/her patients while diagnosing their illnesses? Most Consultants if not all are very discrete about these kind of habits; you would have to spend a long time with them before even knowing they have it. They have secret places to do it in too; the reason is that image means money to doctors as well. It’s sad that the public was even encouraged to rat our smoking doctors, imagine the insane amount of texts that would pour in, the man hours needed to examine and process everything, not to underestimate or demean the PMA but I don’t think they have the man power to do this kind of thing and it would be a very questionable act to allocate funding for this particular issue when medicines are needed in far flung places and physicians are moving to different countries for greener pastures. And when asked what they would do to offending Physicians? We will cross that bridge when we get there, the spokesperson said. An ominous threat? That’s all you have to say an ominous threat? These aren’t Clerks or First year residents anymore; saying things like that would work on the young, try saying these things to the established consultants, the ones who have the pulling power. I don’t even think everyone in the PMA agrees with this ruling. This isn’t high school and the right to pollute one’s self with toxic substances is ones responsibility. The Physician is ultimately responsible for himself. He gets cancer, he had it coming, but no organization has the right to dictate one’s life choices, we even say that to our patients who don’t want blood transfusions. Self Determination, something that people often but seldom understand.

     I do not smoke. I quit more than 2 decades ago because it was bad for me. I am not an advocate for smokers. I have friends who smoke who will never stop smoking , one will say my grandfather died at the age of 110 and he was still smoking till his last day , and another will say , Damn them , I won’t let them take away something that I enjoy. I write this because there is a sense of madness and impulsiveness in this ruling. As if somebody thought about it one day and said come on, let’s just do it and see what happens.

I am writing this because I am a Writer first and a Doctor second. And as both I say, there is no way this will stick, you can bet a whole carton of cigarettes that it won’t.

The Principle of Fire!

Hunyo's Principle of Fire!

20 mountains

Creatures:

Chandra's spitfire 4

Kiln fiend 4

Bloodshot cyclops 4

Spells:

Searing blaze 4

punishing fire 4

Forked bolt 4

Burst lightning 4

Lightning bolt 4

Pyretic ritual 4

Fling 4

This deck is pretty straight forward my friend , you burn people to death!

Among the spells only pyretic ritual doesn't deal direct damage...it is there to get Chandra's spitfire on turn 2...remember that as you study this simple yet elegant deck. it can bring the cyclops out on turn 3 as well , assuring a whopping 4/4 meaty goodness ass kickin on the 4Th turn.

The 2 creatures here become very big because of spells , the spitfire gets +3/0 every time you directly damage or burn someone , the kiln fiend gets a +3/0 every time you cast an instant or sorcery...since most of the spells here are one to cast or two to cast its pretty safe to say that they will get really fat really fast...the cyclops is just there to deal out damage to your opponents big creatures at 4/4 but believe me with the fire power packing in this deck none of your opponents creatures can stay alive for long on the battlefield.

Early game strategy:

If your opponent is running a lot of creatures early just burn them away and use the principle of Sligh , drop a creature , burn your enemies blocker and attack, its best if you can cast your spells first and burn someone before for you attack for the plus power.

The possible finisher is Fling , you can burn people , then attack with a pumped up creature and then Fling it to them as well( if you have 2 open mana). if you pumped your kiln fiend for lets say 9 with 3 burn spells , you can fling it for that amount of damage...go figure! Don't be surprised if you don't often use this finishing move , there are plenty of ways to win with this deck...

Remember that you would get beaten on the early get go since you are just getting a handle on your deck but keep on playing and they will see how awesome this deck built is. The principle of fire be with you my friend. Reach out and fry someone.

Note: This was a deck list meant for my good ol' Buddy Tagz who wanted to start his Spark Again...Keep on burning...

Urbandubs The Apparition - still there?

l feel alienated from my favorite band , a band that has been with me through the ups and downs of my life.

"Come" was playing that lonely night that I decided to channel surf and saw this low quality video of a band who seemed like they really enjoyed themselves , the chorus was hypnotic and for months while languishing in different states of mind I would look for them...their song echoing in my head...

"I like the way / you feel...

It was in Glorietta one day that my wife decided to buy for me this one CD that made me hug her really tight . that was the Album Influence and the band was Urbandub. That album would be the anthem of my independence , it was my first time living alone and earning my way into the world .

"New Tattoo" sparked me to write poems and to read.

"Fallen on deaf ears" echoed my own arguments back at me as my wife and I had our little tiffs from time to time ,

"Soul searching" mirrored what I felt as I walked the streets of Pasay wondering what to do next with my life. When my mind troubled me I could not sleep without "Quite Poetic" on replay.

I finally got my life together and retuned to the fold and when things finally got together I thought that my favorite band would sell out after coming up with Embrace and winning numerous awards and accolades. They had fans called the dubistas and though I longed to hear

them live time would not permit me but their music was constanly in my ears.

I must admit that after hearing First of Summer and and Alert the armory my fears of Urbandub turning into something else were getting stronger but they surprised me as I listened intently to each track...though my life was no longer as chaotic as it used to be and I had less

reason to be sad the Songs from Embrace struck a cord in my heart "Frailty" and "Endless Silent Whisper" became my fast favorites.

I even wrote about "Reveal the Remedy" . "Fate reveals the remedy" I said. Time will reveal the ends and the outcomes , that made sense to me and helped me be at peace with myself. It told me that fretting about tomorrow and regretting all the wrong decisions I have ever made in my life were pointless. This is echoed in the The Apparition albums "A call to arms" , I believe that this is the break through song of that album.

I do digress....Southern lights was a very pleasant surprise after I went to the mall to do some groceries(daughters have great requests of fathers and fathers have no right to say no). After hearing Guillotine and hearing people rave about it , it made me feel like not buying the album at first but it was right there on the display stand staring at me like a a tormented puppy dog , it

was like a small raven saying , you'd regret not buying me. And I take little ravens seriously so I bought it and fell in love. Fell in love with hurt and bitterness and longing and all the arguments that it had with it.

"An invitation" recalled memories of comforting my wife as we fought against the world and the definitions that were set against us.

"Anthem" The song of the hurt . The fallen. The underestimated and undervalued. There was beauty in that for me , the heart of someone broken trying to get up ,redefining and strenghtening himself to "move forward"as the song urged. Like a battle cry, an anthem indeed.

"Cebuana" "Hazel eyes".... the song opened. I sing this song to my wife though she isnt Cebuana , although she was what the song meant , she was that way back to reality , to healing , to acceptance that the world can be a better place.

/mended these wounds that once was tearing my heart/till you came along/

It sang to me as well. It reinforced my belief in the world. Plus it has got to be the most romantic dub song I have ever heard next to New tattoo.

/under southern lights the mood is right/ were moving closer together/your lips pressed tight against mine/stay /stay with me/

The imagery I made with that still lingers in my mind. You may have your own so I dare not say mine.

"Evidence" bordered on boy band vocals by Gabby but I forgave him since it was such a great song. The pain of betrayal shone true.Without a swear word. without resorting to cheap tricks.

I wrote these things because I feel alienated by the same band that brought me so much happiness. Its like I never understood them at all.

First was that event with the album launching , the reason they kept it hush hush was to make sure "that only true dubistas" can attend the said event. Hmmmmm

what is that exactly? are those the people who would hang around the band all the time? the people who would hang by their every word? I guess Im not a true dubista then. But I do own all

of the albums and the 2 songs from the Pinoy Blonde andworlds aids day celebration. I get mad when I see a cheap dub burned CD. what does that make me then? I guess Im a great fan of their music and wanted to really see them perform finally. Not all fans can stick around and wait for the announcement , some of us have families and jobs so we can earn money and buy the original CDS.

I would have scheduled a leave to watch them but alas when do I schedule it? I just felt that that could have been handled more smoothly. Im sure a lot enjoyed the hunt for the event. I surely didnt. Time is short and funds are limited for some.

Then came The Apparition , the ghost , and it seems to be an indication of what the band has become... there are really good tracks here like the aforementioned "A Call To Arms" , "Gravity" and "We Kept It Hidden" as well as "The Apparition" , Lala's opening bass line was beautiful as it hooked you right in.

But what was really disappointing is that you feel no energy to the other songs , in some songs like Gravity , Gabbys voice was drowned by the instruments , I dont know if they changed sound engineers but they sure didn't get their moneys worth out of it. My Daughter told me that the album kinda had a halloween feel to it. I'd take her word for it. There were some ethereal elements to it I agree but it kinda sounded misplaced in a Dub album , sure it was a concept album but it just felt flat somehow.

You can feel the lack of inspiration all over , you just know that when someone uses fuck a lot in a song they are running out of steam somehow and need a really long rest to regain their creative juices . Its the same as saying ah or uhm in the middle of a speech.

The first 3 albums were sublime. This last one tried to be in your face but failed over all in that effort. My friend said that he doesnt even feel their presence in some songs , like a ghost as the title said.

Maybe Gabby wanted to sing for Franco more....who knows. But I do agree with my friend. He seems like he wasn't there.

I hope it doesnt mean the end for dub. I dont handle endings all too well especially if its from my favorite band. I didn't take it well when Dicta License disbanded. I'm sure I'm not gonna be happy when Urbandub does the same way I feel.

Ben 10: The Movie----They Shouldnt have...

Yesterday I got to watch Ben 10 the movie , an original production from the Cartoon Network.

I dont know about the original , but everything has been done before to some degree.I know a lot of my friends like the cartoon but I never got into it at all. Lots of better things out there I suppose.

The story involves a former Plumber( what kind of a freaking name is that for an interplanetary police force?) gone rogue and some alien chips that have come to life.

Of course the world is in danger and Ben Tennyson and his crew have to save it again.

This is kinda like MIB...for kids. The antagonists in this one looks like a miniature Swarm from the matrix movies.These ones are the harmless kind though.

You dont believe that the heroes are in any danger eventhough they are swarmed or surrounded by zombies (the chips take control of you and turn you into a walking minion , how original again) whos best offensive move is to get in the way or try to move in closer for a hug. You kinda wish they would bite someone in the end. They just stand there as these Plumbers( just really disgusting name) show off their supposedly alien powers. I was rooting for the zombies and the alien chips but I guess like everything in this movie they were just lame.

The only cool guy( I didnt even bother to get his name because Id probably forget it anyway) in this movie is the one who turns into the molecular constituancy of anything he touches ( God forbid he touches chalk , then you know he is done for) . He provides the best one liners in the movie but he looks like he is trying too hard to be in the next Twilight movie or something. He looks more like a vampire than an alien police.Oh and that guy from Gen13 was way cooler.

Im not sure what the writer of this movie was thinking , that scene where Ben turns on his grandfather just seems wrong to me. I think that sends a wrong message to teenagers. Speak to your elders , defy them , go with your gut on things. Most of the time teens dont know what they want , in this movie Ben was right , but in real life it seldomly turns out that way. I do understand that people need to make decision for themselves but that scene could have been handled much better.

I know people would still watch this for the action and the supposedly slick graphics but dont expect to get much from it than that.