THE KIDS AND I WERE PLAYING WITH THE IDEA OF CREATING A THREE-PART SAGA ABOUT A FICTIONAL ISLAND, AS A PART OF THE FOLIO WE'RE COMING OUT WITH BY JANUARY NEXT YEAR.
HERE IS THE PROLOGUE FOR BOOK ONE. Read on if you still got that child in you :)


***

Ezuthyl
BOOK ONE
The Origins: Memoirs of Toshiro

In the beginning, there was darkness. And the Lord stood up and said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. On the day light was created, a firmament was made to delineate the light from the dark. And from there, many earths and many moons were created in alternation – some a part of the other, while others lived in perfect reciprocity with another. In the beginning, there was Ezuthyl.

------------------

In the early days of the beginning, the seed of light was planted on the island’s fertile soil, bringing forth the four elements of life on Ezuthyl – fire, wind, water, earth. Oldest of the four elements was Pyrea, the daughter of light from whom sprung forth the first breed of Ezuthyl’s elementals. Born of fire, Pyreans thrive in the heat of the smoldering volcano of Ezuthyl, Canlaos. With their diamond-covered skin, they have magma flowing in their veins, and the will power to overcome atrocity inscribed in their hearts. They are naturally-born fire-starters.

Second eldest was Aureaus, son of the wind and sky. The most boastful of the four, Aureaus mastered the sky and created for him a breed that lived in the sky islands of Petroa. With invisible wings of air, Aureans hover and fly over the island of Ezuthyl with much gusto and egocentric balderdash that has made them one of the more despised elementals of the island. Living in columned castles in the sky, these winged beings have come to believe that they are the highest of the elementals in Ezuthyl.

Second to the youngest was Aquia. With her flowing hair and gentle touch, she sprung forth elementals that had intellect as their best weapon. Aquians are known for their telepathic powers, summoning both beasts and matter. Living in domes enclosed in bubbles under the sea, these elementals are the life of Ezuthyl, having powers that control all liquids surrounding and within the island, in the Sapian Seas.

Youngest of the brood was Tectonica. Known to be the most bullheaded of all, this elemental is known for his rock-hard abs and kind heart. Tectonicans are known to be the brawnier elementals, and the most down-to-earth of all. They occupy a greater part of the island’s rocky mountain ranges, with huts on top of giant red sequoias and prehensile abilities to use vines. Being the youngest of all the elementals, they are also the most technologically-advanced.

-------------------

PROFILES: AUREAUS

Ashka
Having the ability to muster weapons out of thin air literally, Ashka is the leader of the Aurean Troops. Trained in the way of combat, this telepath is known for his witty side-comments and stern decision-making. Ashka can create swords, wind blasts, whips and any other weapon by gathering gases that surround him and converting them into semi-solid objects in a split of a second. He is the master of the North Wind.

Navil
A weather wizard by birth, this elemental is second in command. He is known for his temperamental
outbursts often leading him to produce violent weather around him. Navil is a poet by heart, but a soldier by training; he controls rain, thunder and lightning, hale and snow, as well as the wind and mists. He is secretly in love with Mikan, and is the Master of the East Wind.

Nova Sky
He is the son of North Star, the current king of Petroa. His father thinks he is a weakling, since his power is mere teleportation, aside from the ability to hypnotize mass audiences (a power he inherited from his mother whom he did not know was Aquian), as compared to his cousin Ashka. He controls the West Wind.

Tora
The most playful and naughtiest of them all, Tora creates hurricanes that whisk away everything in her path. The sister of Navil, she takes pride in destroying families because of her temptress ways, although in reality she is afraid to fall in love because she cannot accept the fact that she has fallen for Tashi. She is the Mistress of the South Wind.

PROFILES: AQUIA

Yumi
Of all the Aquians, only Yumi has the power to control all liquid objects with her mind. Her hydro-kinesis was a gift from the council of elders of the Sapian Seas after graduating at the top of her class in the academy. Uptight and austere, Yumi uses her decision-making skills and heightened senses as she leads the Aquian Guards.

Tashi
The resident merman, Tashi can talk to marine life and ask help from them. He is the keeper of records, and the messenger of the Council. He is aware of Tora’s affection towards him, but despises her because Tora destroyed part of the seas where Tashi used to live – with his wife and children.

Karan
This telepath controls vapors in the atmosphere and can convert water to gaseous elements and then use this to create vapor blasts that either stun or slice through anything. The twin sister of Mikan, she is envious of her sister since she too has feelings for Navil.

Daio
A morpher, this Aquian can copy the looks, voice and mannerisms of any being. This she does by touching water and using the surface tension to envelope herself in a thin film which she then manipulates mentally to create the image of the being she is mimicking.

Mikan
The twin sister of Karan, she controls gaseous elements surrounding her and condenses these telepathically into solid ice. This she then manipulates into ice crystals, knives, blasts and, snowballs. When she holds hands with Karan, they combine they mental abilities to create powerful ice and vapor blasts. Mikan has a crush on Navil.

PROFILES: PYREA

Mitsuki
The daughter of Camros, the late king, Mitsuki is the queen-to-be of Pyrea but she denies herself of the crown because she wants to first make amends with Kimo, whom she was friends with during their childhood days. A pyro-kinetic, Mitsuki can craft weapons with a flick of a finger, and her favorite is the fire whip.

Kitsune
A trusted friend, bodyguard and a secret admirer of Mitsuki, Kitsune creates fire balls and explosions with his hands. A blacksmith by training, and a skilled marksman, he is a master of archery, and tips his arrows with fire blasts.

Kiere
The spriteliest of the team, this teenager is a fire dancer, mustering fire animals whenever she needs to defend herself. She is the bastion of joy, but the nastiest of enemies given her ability to produce countless beings at one time.

Tilah
The most hard-headed yet the most passionate of all Pyrean Legionnaires, Tilah can create fire storms with her fingertips. Often quiet, she is a songstress who mesmerizes men through her melodic voice. She has a thing for Kitsune, but stops herself from indulging into the feeling because she knows of Kitsune’s affection for Mitsuki.

Aru
The last of the Drakkos, a race of dragon morphers, Aru can shape-shift into a dragon and breathe fire. He is known for his hefty appetite, and his rambunctious humor. He is Kiere’s half-brother.

PROFILES: TECTONICA

Oona
A playful nymph by heart, yet a satyr by birth, he uses his abilities to control both flora and fauna to create fabulous flower arrangements, and dangerous Venus Flytraps. He calls on animals, birds and plants to do his bidding.

Kimo
Voluptuous as she is, Kimo has a heart of stone. She has the ability to transform parts or her whole body into highly crystallized pure granite. A skilled fighter wielding the sword, bow and arrow, and the spear, Kimo can also manipulate the molecular structure of anything she touches and turns them into stone. She holds a grudge against Mitsuki, after witnessing how Camros murdered her father, Achiean, during the Great Wars of Ezuthyl. She leads the Tectonican Army.

Damnun
A nocturnal being likened to a mole, Damnun has razor-sharp claws made of diamonds which he uses as a weapon and for digging holes underground. He is the most lovable of the Tectonican Soldiers.

Random
With the ability to create and mimic camouflage for him and whoever he touches, Random is the think-tank of these elementals. Combined with Kimo’s decisive moves and strategic plans, this second-in-command is a formidable ally. Random is also the head of the Tectonican Institute for Ballistics and Weaponry, and teaches freehand combat to kids during weekends.

Katrix
An orphaned child found by Oona in the forests of Ezuthyl, Katrix grew with a dark disposition in life. Blessed with the ability to create sonic blasts by clapping her hands, and shaking the ground with 9.0 magnitude earthquakes when she stomps violently on the ground, Katrix is a seven-year-old upstart who has more powers than she thinks she has.

-------------------

And the saga begins.

I got to realize a couple of things when I realized I was turning three decades old:

1. Have done so many bad things, I lost count.

2. Have seen things I shouldn't have, but glad I did since i'll be blind soon anyway.

3. Have made people laugh, cry, swear, grunt and run amock for no apparent reason. Glad I did.

4. Haven't achieved one life-goal: gaining a PhD. Pakshet.

5. Haven't grown older, just wiser. I think.

6. Have met people i never imagined I would. Great knowing you all.

7. Have loved, lost and found love. More than a couple of times.

8. Have sworn never to lose self-respect, and still lost it several times.

9. Have taken advantage and been taken advantaged of a couple of times - enjoyed every minute of it.

10. Have seen people at their best and worst. Happy I did.

How 'bout you?

***
still here.
hey.

i has been ages since i dropped by this blog.
i hate myself for that.

***
i wrote this poem for a cousin, who needs a filipino poem for his class.
the things i do for family LOL

minsan aking namamasdan
mga manggagawang pulos pawisan;
naghahakot, inuutusan
tagapaypay, taga-ugapay.

kasambahay, kargador
piyon, istibador.
sari-saring hanapbuhay
hanap paruo't parito ng pantawid-buhay.

masalimuot man, mahirap
buhay nila'y kay layo sa pngarap
trabaho nila'y taglay ang dangal
walang bahid-dungis ng hangal.

bawat butil ng pawis
sa lupa'y pumapatak
katumbas ay hapis ng pamilya,
luha, tawa't galak.

kaya't sa susunod na may makita ka
manggagawang aba't maralita
init at hirap binabata
ipaalala sa sariling maging sila

may karapatang umasa
na guminhawa.

***
ineng was being naughty this afternoon while she ate pancit that i cooked.
she would ask for a spoonful, then barf them at the doorstep.

i called her attention, and said "gusto mo ng palo (you want some spanking)?"

she approached me all puppy-eyed and said "love lang ni daddy si carla ha (daddy would just love carla ha)?" that was the end of my bitch-fit. i burst into laughter. my daughter knows how to manipulate her dad. brilliant.

***
i went to iloilo and guimaras a few weeks ago to deliver a paper. i was hoping the fox would see me off before i left manila. but i guess the fox was just too busy.

(he promised, though)

***
i am still checking scripts. tons of them.
around 18 bundles more to go. each manuscript has 4 scripts that run for an hour each. i have to read all the scripts. and check the runtime. f***, i hate myself for things like this sometimes LOL

***
i just found out that the recruitment agency i am talking with now is a hoax. f*** that's the second time around.

good thing i haven't sent money for processing yet.

***
going to manila on sept19 for TRIBUTE TO TEACHERS. meeting batchoy for coffee - after two years LOL

been a long time, man.

***
still here.
are you?

i am getting overly tired over the kids just talking the walk and not the other way around. i am so pissed.

***
"Magaling kasi ang convincing powers ko, sir."
- Project Head, GB

***
last friday, a meeting with youthvote philippines and the SK councils of tanauan was set by the juniors. due to the heavy rains though, the meeting was cancelled; the kids re-scheduled it for today, monday. call time, apparently, was set at 8am since the coordination revealed that all the supposed attendees confirmed for the monday rendezvous. the project head was confident that the meeting would push through monday, since PAG-ASA advisories indicated that monday would be as sunny as it could get.

last night, he even SMSed that additional people were attending the meeting, which was in preparation for the campaign they plan to launch on july31. he also raised concerns because apparently, he forgot to reserve the venue for the monday meeting. i told him that according to the monthly schedule of facility-use, the venue was available. he promised to be at the venue by 6am. although i didn't fully believe him, i said great work, and slept.

lo and behold, arriving at 6.45am, i found myself alone in the venue. the kids were arriving one at a time. i said, okay. we still had time. as frustrating as it got, no one from the supposed people who confirmed attendance arrived. even worse, the project head arrived at 9.30am. lucky for him, none of the guests arrived. worst of all, by 10am when the postponement was announced, only a little over half of the juniors arrived- which leaves me the question, "ARE THEY UP FOR IT?".

***
TIME AND AGAIN, i get frustrated over kids who promise to deliver, but fail in the end. i know i shouldn't have assumed anything, but these kids were getting praises from the dean and their former professor in INFOCAM, from which the project was an off-shoot.

i think the project is too big for them. and they can't step up the plate. but they're too INTO the project that they can't get out.

***
SERVES ME RIGHT FOR TRUSTING THESE KIDS TOO MUCH in projects that are way above their heads. puro hangin. wala namang maibuga.

nakakapag-dalawang-isip na ito. hindi mo malaman kung talagang may natututunan sila sa akin. tapos tawanan pa sa foodcourt na parang walang nangyayari? bakit? do i have to do everything for them? what am i? their maid?!

***
being uberly pissed, i would like to take the opportunity to say, "konti na lang, kapag napuno na ako, bahala na kayo." you have less than 30% of my patience left.

i don't think i can trust the juniors with another big project. not after making me realize they don't deserve it. masyado silang mahihina; matatalino nga, ang hihina naman ng loob. one year of building character was such a waste of time. dahil hanggang ngayon, THEY are ALL weaklings. i'm starting to think, feel, believe that i couldn't do anything about it anymore. because i have exhausted my energy, and i'm starting to lose hope.

MUKHANG WALANG MAG-OJT SA MAYNILA. KASI ATTITUDES PA LANG, BAGSAK NA. DAGDAG PA SILA SA MGA PERSONAL PROLEMS KO. DOESN'T ANYTHING TURN OUT RIGHT THESE DAYS?!

***
downright frustrated. hey.

i don't know why i always start with "it's been a while" these past few blogs. maybe because, it has.

***
i think i am alone now. *sigh*

***
my daughter got into an accident a couple of weeks ago, where she got second degree burns from having been spilled with hot noodles. he skin literally fell off, from the whole chest area to the tummy, much to my dismay (it was my wife who accidentally spilled the bowl at her). we spent a week in the hospital, with the bill amounting to close to 50k give or take. glad to know the health card works.

but carla is traumatized; she scratches, and calls her scar "sugat" everytime she shows us her tummy. she is still recovering from the accident.

***
we held the 2009 calabarzon communication convention last june26. the guests: prof. chi-chi robles of ADMU; cong. ruffy biazon of muntinlupa; gilberet remulla, formerly of abs-cbn; mariz umali of gma7; ralph quijano of de la salle zobel; and fr. nonie dolor of the social communication foundation of the archdiocese of lipa.

we had ten schools from around calabarzon - a couple of whom had high school students.

***
my dad has finally done the last draw. my wife has had it, and she decided to leave the house and go back to her house in pangao. i can't stay with her there because it's too far for me, since i have 7am classes. the result: i won't be seeing my daughter that often - once a week. once a week!

you don't know how hard that is for me. kagabi pa ako umiiyak.

***
barely here. hey.

UPDATES! UPDATES! UPDATES!

carla has started to memorize four books that one of my cousins gave her for her 1st birthday. she is nearing completion of memorizing the books. cool.

she knows so many words. i am amazed by the rate she acquires new words. makes me wonder if i learned as fast as she did when i was a kid.

carla started talking when she was around six months. she did not start talking in gibberish. she said "nang-ni" (ninang said backwards) straight-tongued.

***
i am off to nasugbu tomorrow, april 26 for the ocular visit and BOT meeting of the philippine association of communication educators, for which i am a board of trustee and head of the research committee.

***
Philippine Association of Communication Educators Foundation
Office Address c/o AIJC at Room 802/902, Annapolis Wilshire Plaza,
11 Annapolis St. Greenhills, San Juan City

Communication Research Seminar Workshop
“Conquering Frontiers in Communication Research: Beyond Mindsets and Paradigms”
DLSU Charles Huang Conference Center, Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas
May 19 -22, 2009


“Imagine a world in which all individuals are recognized as productive, educated citizens and as potential agents of change. Imagine a world in which universities embody democratic values, make strong connections between head, heart and hands, and recognize that their institutional goals go beyond the generation of wealth and the advancement of self-recognition."

---Peter Taylor, Reuben Aggor, Debbie Bell, Peter Boothroyd, Grace Bunyi, Pirom Chantaworn. Myles Clough, Shafik Dharamsi, Margo Fryer, Jingjai Hanchanlash. Fernando Kleiman. Shelley Jones, Alice Ndide, Margot Parkes, Sheldon Shaeffer, and Juliet Tembe.

“Conquering Frontiers in Communication Research: Beyond Mindsets and Paradigms”

Higher Educational Institutions, Colleges and Universities embrace a spirit of collaboration in designing research, curriculum, and innovations in instruction and extension services as sites for social engagement. It is in this milieu that the Philippine Association of Communication Educators, (PACE) Foundation, Inc embarks on retooling its members in collective efforts designed to restructure and reinvent processes and interventions through dynamic research activities geared towards societal development.

In active response to a need expressed by its member-institutions at a recent National Conference in Manila last November 2008, PACE Foundation, Inc. reiterates its commitment in developing responsive and effective alliances as it reexamines the importance of relevant and meaningful researches.

A 3-day live-in seminar-workshop on communication research with the theme “Conquering Frontiers in Communication Research: Beyond Mindsets and Paradigms” scheduled on May 19 - 22, 2009 at DLSU Charles Huang Conference Center, Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas.

Objectives:

1. reflect on the role of academics as key collaborators in national development;
2. update and retool participants on the current issues and trends in qualitative and quantitative communication researches;
3. impart skills transference in participatory/ action research proposal making; and
4. encourage collaborative endeavors among member-institutions in the landscape of a transformative community of learners, teachers, thinkers and actors.

***

i am attending a national conference of the philippine press institute on april 27-29 at the manila diamond hotel.

***
keep me posted when you can aight?
hey.

i believe mr. chao can go f*** himself in a corner.

to denigrate a race is foul enough, to rub it in, is even more abhorring.

what of chinese in hong kong? have they not been puppets to the british at some point in your history? and up to now, you are tried up with the european union, and the US in some form or another. that makes you a servant according to the core-periphery model of wallerstein. geez, why don't you use the vernacular when you write your articles? you use english to get your messages across? you are a slave to the language, so i pity you because people don't understand chinese.

he has a name that sounds like a box of noodles fried in chicken oil that people order through the phone.

anyway, the name speaks of how dastardly raised this man is. his valor and love for country blinds the fact that mao actually destroyed chinese culture - he is actually a prisoner of a belief system that "murdered" the beauty of chinese thinking, epitomizing mao in the same sense as confucius but not realizing that the only reason he had the "cultural revolution" was to find a way to dominate the then-feeble-minded and high impressionable chinese youth.

i pity you mr. tsao, because you have to belittle other people to get media mileage.

i assume your parents and grandparents did the same (since the fruit does not fall far from the tree). i guess they had no audience as well,or at least had pea-brained, impressionable kids to listen to them - pretty much like you, mr. tsao.

in reality, mr. tsao, as my friend said while she read the blog i wrote for you, you're just f***ing insecure.

_______

EXCERPTS FROM MR. TSAO'S ARTICLES.
poor guy. sick bastard. f***ing idiot.


The War at Home
"… But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.

Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.

Oh yes. The government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout “China, Madam/Sir” loudly whenever they hear the word “Spratly.” They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, “Long live Chairman Mao!” at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I’m not sure if that’s going a bit too far, at least for the time being."

The Vintage Year
"Inspired by the poisoned milk powder scandal, a friend of mine is planning to import a wet nurse from the Philippines. His wife has just given birth to a baby, and he is, most justifiably, extremely worried about anything made in China…

But why from the Philippines? Why not recruit a wet nurse from China? I asked my friend who until recently had whole-heartedly loved his motherland. “No,” he explained, “How can you be sure that a Chinese wet nurse is not going to be fake, with something like a Bangkok ladyboy-style plastic bag filled with artificial milk made from poisoned powder?”…

So allowing Hong Kong families to import Filipina wet nurses would be an innovation. And not only for babies. What else would be as impressive as a status symbol than when you are visiting a billionaire for lunch and you and dozens of other refined guests are offered a glass of fresh milk to toast everybody’s health, instead of a glass of Chateau Rotschild Lafitte? You would be told that the troop of in-house wet nurses all hail from remote villages in Luzon or Mindanao, instead of the polluted city of Manila, transported to Hong Kong only minutes after they gave birth to their babies, jetfresh, to guarantee the best vintage…"

it's been a couple of months since i actually blogged (what's new). i got some updates:

1. carla can say a lot of things now- upo, tara, karga, baba. dede, hatchu (sneeze), lola, lolo, ate, kuya, lots of animal sounds, sings "old mcdonald had a farm", and knows the part of the body (both in english and filipino). she also answers basic questions like: gusto mo ng ______?, liligo ka na?, sinong love ng baby?, sinong bunso ni daddy/mommy?, anong sabi ng mama? etc. she also mimics sounds (pano kapag umiyak ang baby? e kapag tumawa?)

2. i am six subjects away from dissertation. no plans of enrollment for the summer though. they're not offering the subjects i need. grr.

3. i'll be handling a lot of stuff this summer- three language programs (BAC, incoming freshies, HRM/TOUR). i will customize modules for each one too. darn it.

4. there's the ASTRA FM training modules this May.. may i have the strength LOL

5. i have a communication conference this May 19-22. naman. LOL

in the words of a senior trainor in a local BPO here in Lipa, "ah, carlo, have you ever heard of the word 'rest'?"

hehe. still here.
hey.

"-so how is..
-do you really wanna talk about...here's one. how's...does ... know you're going out tonight?
-(ditto)"

***
closure is a funny word.
at least for me. i find it hard to fit anywhere in my vocabulary.
i'd like to think that it doesn't exist.
because at the end of the day, every person who comes into your life leaves some part of him with you when he goes out of the door.
that's more comforting for me, i guess.

***
"you texting back, and seeing me.
that was worth the hot choco and fries
(didn't matter if the fries were stale)."

***
it's cold here in lipa. weathermen are saying its gonna be this cold and windy till the end of february. nice.

***
mind's a mess. at least trying to be.
i'm starting to hate thursdays.
wednesdays are just around the corner.
haay...

***
still here. floating (MSC BG UP AND UNDER: HULING EL BIMBO)