Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
the big picture
The very recent relevation that the voice supporting the very cute performance by Lin Miaoke is not really hers has sparked much public outcry and debate.
Much of this indignation and in some cases anger, seems to be attributed to 2 reasons:
1. that another young 7 year old(Yang Pei Yi) was 'passed over' as she was deemed not as presentable due to her slightly crooked teeth
2. that the impeccably delivered "Ode to the Motherland" that touched us during those first few moments feels so much like a sham now, very much similar to the after-knowledge that the handwritten note from our lover that drove us to tears was actually done by his best friend...
with respect to the first point, many have asked what kind of sick society china must be to permit or even purposely engineer something like this. here is where i feel that too much china-bashing, individualism and even self righteousness have taken over. indeed if you were to ask me if i would have make the same decision as the executive in the same shoes, i would have to say yes. and before the world rush to 'judge' and even 'convict' China again (if they have not already done so already), i think they would do well to understand the merits of such a decision.
one can easily identify the 'whatever it takes' and 'at all costs' attitude that have brought us the quality attained during the opening ceremony. and like everything in sports, in life, it involves very much teamwork, selflessness and definitely some form of sacrifice in order to achieve the greater good, or deliver a outcome that is as perfect as humanly possible. should one put up a image of a potentially 'less than perfect' little girl with an amazing voice? should one put up the angelic face that captures the imagination of the millions of viewers all over but knowing she may not deliver the best voice there is? the officials has chosen teamwork. the officials have chosen to try to deliver the best they can in terms of appearance and voice and i applaud that decision.
and yes, one can say it involves sacrifice on the part of little 'Yang' but she herself knows what she is capable of and she knows her contribution in the whole process ("Asked by a CCTV journalist whether she was sad to have missed the opening ceremony, she replied: "No, my voice was there.") she seems to have understood how the world functions much better than many adults!
i believe that's where this individualism and self righteousness comes in. many of us felt so much for 'Yang' being passed over because we cannot imagine ourselves being in her same shoes. we cannot tolerate the injustice we would feel if our child was also 'passed over'. but isn't that kind of immature and not living in the 'real' world? how many times have we (and going to) be snubbed or passed over or sacrificed in our lives? the important thing is to get over it and continue to believe in ourselves. no one can take that away from you.
yet i agree more recognition should have been given to Yang. perhaps that was what the music director was trying to do after the ceremony in sharing this fact during the interview.
and getting to the 'real' reason why we are really mad in the first place. i believe we were really offended to know that we have been duped.
that's really it, isn't it?
however, to put some perspective to it, we need to agree in the first place that we are being fed visuals and images every single day of our lives, from the music we hear, the ads we see, the news we read, which are not totally authentic. in fact, i would challenge the reader to ask himself, if he/she is involved in a little bit of that. we all wear masks and roles to different people at different times because it is appropriate in specific situations. is that really authentic, i would say no...
so my question is this. what is the big deal? a good or even great show has been performed and we should acknowledge that. why do we continue to pick at this or even go so far to say that it has ruined everything?
let me end with a example from a recent show i watched. in 'The Dark Knight', the city needed a hero. someone to take the fall, someone to sacrifice himself, as a certain madman wanted the Batman. the DA offered himself as a bait, so that the real Batman continued to stay under wraps in order to finally captured the Joker.
i remember when the reporter asked Batman why he could allow for something like this to happen? how could he allow the DA to take the fall for him?
my answer to her would have been simply because you just do not see the big picture.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Eventide Prerelease - Day 1 Report
Here is a quick review of Eventide Prerelease Day 1!
Game 1:
Basically my opponent played a pretty degenerate BRW weenie enchantment deck. It proved to be pretty strong because of this card - Scourge of the Nobilis.
Its pretty sick when placed on any red-white creature. Just one hit by a pumped creature would useful throw the game beyond reach due to the life gain. My removals just refused to appear. Especially my psuedo removal tempo card.... Flickerwisp...
Even though Doomgape appeared 2 times, it was never enough to swing through to deal enough damage.
Here, my deck fired on all cylinders. My true stars showed up in a pretty quick 2-0 win.
Quillspike and Beillergent Hatchling proved to be a very sick combination which my opponent had no way to handle.
I noticed later that whenever my Flickerwisps appeared (I had 2 in my deck), I win. The disruption to their tempo proved lethal.
Game 3:
My opponent was playing a blue-red retrace deck. Retrace is definitely very powerful in this format. Check out this card staring from my opponents graveyard -
I managed to draw my removals. But it just wasn't enough to keep up with that card in the graveyard. Also, my Flickerwisps just refused to show up. It proved heartbreaking because I was so close to killing him in game 3 when he topdecked a last card to kill me.
Sianz...Down 1-2.
So what are my thoughts? I think Quillspike plus any of the Hatchlings is very powerful. Flickerwisp is definitely a all-star. Soul Reaps proved to be more useable than I thought...seems that there isnt that many green creatures anyway...
wish me luck for my game tomorrow!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Taiwan - Alishan Cherry Blossoms Apr 08 - Part 2
6th April 2008
alishan sunrise
compared to my previous trip at a tender 17 years of age, the morning chill did not feel as rude to the just woken body at 5am this time. maybe it is a sign of the body having been through many more such cold mornings (i.e. older).
the journey from the hotel to the viewing point took close to an hour as the car cruised over the undulating and winding side of the mountain. slowly but surely you can see the skies almost eerily change color from pitch black to a dark blue as the sun creeping up behind the mountain range slowly pushed back the darkness….
the glorious rays of the sun peered strongly over the mountain ridge just moments after the car arrived at the viewing point. a familiar but yet compelling sense of awe and anticipation had me transfixed, unable to peel my eyes for even the briefest of moments away from the magnificence of the rising sun…
it took a couple of minutes before the whole experience was over but it was one of those memories that stays etched forever in the minds of those who have seen it.
the trip back to the hotel was eventful as the car stopped at various viewpoints and visited some of the key sights which even include monkeys! :)
cherry blossoms the morning after
the crowds were out in full force to take in the views and pictures as the sakura awashed in the alishan park looks totally different in the morning light.
against the bluest of skies I have seen in a while, one can almost imagine the delicate pink and white blossoms being the softest and most delicious of cotton candies floating atop the forth of the sea…
the time passed quickly and it was soon time to make the way back to check out from the hotel.
the journey downhill was not quite as pleasant as the driver forgot to pick up a couple and only realized it halfway downhill. it was impossible by then to turn back due to the fact that there was so much traffic in the area. It was so crowded that there were signs everywhere to encourage people to stay away from alishan…
still, the whole incident worked itself out as the couple made their way down themselves as we were delayed for more than an hour.
will be back
in spite of all that, the whole trip was enormously gratifying.
maybe it is the reminder of the beauty of the simple things we take for granted, maybe it’s the grandeur of the mountains changing colors as the sun breaks through the clouds, maybe it’s the significance of a new beginning with a new day, i can’t quite articulate what makes people come back again and again in spite of the traffic and long travel hours to see the blooming of the flowers or the rising of the sun.
as for myself, i will definitely be back again.
compared to my previous trip at a tender 17 years of age, the morning chill did not feel as rude to the just woken body at 5am this time. maybe it is a sign of the body having been through many more such cold mornings (i.e. older).
the journey from the hotel to the viewing point took close to an hour as the car cruised over the undulating and winding side of the mountain. slowly but surely you can see the skies almost eerily change color from pitch black to a dark blue as the sun creeping up behind the mountain range slowly pushed back the darkness….
the glorious rays of the sun peered strongly over the mountain ridge just moments after the car arrived at the viewing point. a familiar but yet compelling sense of awe and anticipation had me transfixed, unable to peel my eyes for even the briefest of moments away from the magnificence of the rising sun…
it took a couple of minutes before the whole experience was over but it was one of those memories that stays etched forever in the minds of those who have seen it.
the trip back to the hotel was eventful as the car stopped at various viewpoints and visited some of the key sights which even include monkeys! :)
cherry blossoms the morning after
the crowds were out in full force to take in the views and pictures as the sakura awashed in the alishan park looks totally different in the morning light.
against the bluest of skies I have seen in a while, one can almost imagine the delicate pink and white blossoms being the softest and most delicious of cotton candies floating atop the forth of the sea…
the time passed quickly and it was soon time to make the way back to check out from the hotel.
the journey downhill was not quite as pleasant as the driver forgot to pick up a couple and only realized it halfway downhill. it was impossible by then to turn back due to the fact that there was so much traffic in the area. It was so crowded that there were signs everywhere to encourage people to stay away from alishan…
still, the whole incident worked itself out as the couple made their way down themselves as we were delayed for more than an hour.
will be back
in spite of all that, the whole trip was enormously gratifying.
maybe it is the reminder of the beauty of the simple things we take for granted, maybe it’s the grandeur of the mountains changing colors as the sun breaks through the clouds, maybe it’s the significance of a new beginning with a new day, i can’t quite articulate what makes people come back again and again in spite of the traffic and long travel hours to see the blooming of the flowers or the rising of the sun.
as for myself, i will definitely be back again.
Taiwan - Alishan Cherry Blossoms Apr 08 - Part 1
A glimpse of such scenery is like the fleeting expression of a baby - so precious one scarcely dares to blink...
5th April 2008
the hype
was going up to taiwan early april 08 and realised that cherry blossoms are in season at alishan for those same few weeks! i was up there on an exchange program almost 14 years ago (i must clarify that i am not as old as you think in your mind now...) and i could recall waking up at some painfully early cold hour to squeeze into a totally packed train to watch the sunrise...still, in my very vague recollection, i remember i was blown away by the sight of the rising sun.
coming back to 2008 for this trip, i did some googling before i left to see what the big deal was about. i was really hyped up by this paragraph...
"From the second half of March, a mountain full of cherry blossoms marks the beginning of the Alishan Cherry Blossom Festival. A variety of cherry blossoms show their beauty in a dazzling floral display that satisfies visitors until mid-April. Delicate Yoshino white cherry blossoms contrast beautifully with the blue sky, while slightly-larger Oshima cherry blossoms are innocently white. The varying shades of Azumahiga, Yaebenishidare and Fugenzo cherry blossoms push the beauty of pink to its limit. A glimpse of such scenery is like the fleeting expression of a baby--so precious one scarcely dares to blink... "
sounds pretty awesome huh? :)
(anyway for the full article, you can go to http://www.taiwanfun.com/north/taipei/articles/0304/0304Diversions.htm)
alishan railway
you had a few options to make your way up to alishan but undisputedly the most interesting one would be to take the alishan railway from chiayi. The railway train itself dates back to 1906 and weaves and turns through the most unbelievable route as it is built along the contours of the mountain.
check out the route on the back on this train ticket, doesn’t the messy blob on the lower left corner remind you of a mass of spaghetti on a fork?
after hours of winding up dizzying heights offering breathtakingly and vastly different views of the mountains(depending on the side you are on), at times going through the clouds., at times worming through small tunnels dug into the mountains, you reach alishan just before night falls…
alishan evening
alishan gave me a markedly different impression this time. maybe because everyone was there for the cherry blossoms, it felt quite a bit more crowded then last time. still, the human masses are not enough to distract you from the gorgeous hues of the exquisite blossoms against the spectacular mountains…
it felt exhilarating to be there surrounded in the cool mountain air but at the same time, a sense of urgency and almost poignant loss as it certainly felt like there was just not enough time to capture all the breathtaking beauty…
high
after dinner it was time to go up the dark corners of the mountain searching for (and finding!) the fireflies in the bushes…. can’t miss them as they flying right next to you, lighting up your face in the cold darkness... guess the kid in me still gets a tremendous kick holding them in the hand and freeing them (if they don’t get crushed in the process)…
dotting the skies above were thousands, millions, or maybe even billions of stars (in short countless!) sparkling in all their brilliance….
in all possible applications of the word, the day certainly ended on a high.
5th April 2008the hype
was going up to taiwan early april 08 and realised that cherry blossoms are in season at alishan for those same few weeks! i was up there on an exchange program almost 14 years ago (i must clarify that i am not as old as you think in your mind now...) and i could recall waking up at some painfully early cold hour to squeeze into a totally packed train to watch the sunrise...still, in my very vague recollection, i remember i was blown away by the sight of the rising sun.
coming back to 2008 for this trip, i did some googling before i left to see what the big deal was about. i was really hyped up by this paragraph...
"From the second half of March, a mountain full of cherry blossoms marks the beginning of the Alishan Cherry Blossom Festival. A variety of cherry blossoms show their beauty in a dazzling floral display that satisfies visitors until mid-April. Delicate Yoshino white cherry blossoms contrast beautifully with the blue sky, while slightly-larger Oshima cherry blossoms are innocently white. The varying shades of Azumahiga, Yaebenishidare and Fugenzo cherry blossoms push the beauty of pink to its limit. A glimpse of such scenery is like the fleeting expression of a baby--so precious one scarcely dares to blink... "
sounds pretty awesome huh? :)
(anyway for the full article, you can go to http://www.taiwanfun.com/north/taipei/articles/0304/0304Diversions.htm)
alishan railway
you had a few options to make your way up to alishan but undisputedly the most interesting one would be to take the alishan railway from chiayi. The railway train itself dates back to 1906 and weaves and turns through the most unbelievable route as it is built along the contours of the mountain.
check out the route on the back on this train ticket, doesn’t the messy blob on the lower left corner remind you of a mass of spaghetti on a fork?
after hours of winding up dizzying heights offering breathtakingly and vastly different views of the mountains(depending on the side you are on), at times going through the clouds., at times worming through small tunnels dug into the mountains, you reach alishan just before night falls…
alishan evening
alishan gave me a markedly different impression this time. maybe because everyone was there for the cherry blossoms, it felt quite a bit more crowded then last time. still, the human masses are not enough to distract you from the gorgeous hues of the exquisite blossoms against the spectacular mountains…
it felt exhilarating to be there surrounded in the cool mountain air but at the same time, a sense of urgency and almost poignant loss as it certainly felt like there was just not enough time to capture all the breathtaking beauty…
high
after dinner it was time to go up the dark corners of the mountain searching for (and finding!) the fireflies in the bushes…. can’t miss them as they flying right next to you, lighting up your face in the cold darkness... guess the kid in me still gets a tremendous kick holding them in the hand and freeing them (if they don’t get crushed in the process)…
dotting the skies above were thousands, millions, or maybe even billions of stars (in short countless!) sparkling in all their brilliance….
in all possible applications of the word, the day certainly ended on a high.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Top 25 Stand out cards from Eventide
4 more days to the pre-release for Eventide and here is a listing (and brief analysis) of the pretty cool cards based on the 150/180 spoiler i read today.
also i put my finger in the air and make a bold prediction to the value to the cards as well...
so here we go!!!
White -
3. Light from Within
comments:the new glorious anthem. fits into kitkin. only thing is that it doesn't power token creatures. need to test. it is almost always better than anthem, but the drawback of being one turn later could render this unplayable.
fair value: $2
Blue -
comments: almost permanent land cycling ability for 3 blue mana. pretty cool.
5. Sanity Grinding
comments: we discussed this before. not totally convinced with the no of playable high blue(or blue hybrid) mana-ed cards in the set for this to work effectively. on average i think it should remove between 5 to 10 cards for 3 mana.
fair value: $2.5
Black -
7. Necroskitter
comments: a fairly decent card to power the grim poppets, wither decks. what's more gratifying than collecting all those persist creatures from your opponents for your own use?
fair value: $3.5
8. Soul Reap
1B Sorcery
Destroy target nongreen creature. Its controller loses 3 life if you've played another black spell
this turn.
Common
comments:decent removal. probably works only in sealed. it also happens to work against kitkin, fairies and merfolks and elementals in constructed. too bad that usually for those creature types, the creature you destroy is probably not going to be very big (barring the nova chasers).
Red -
1R Enchantment
Chroma - 2, Sacrifice a creature: Fiery Bombardment deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of red mana symbols in the sacrificed creature's mana cost.
Rare
comments: very cool. i like this especially with persist creatures.
fair value: $4
10. Hotheaded Giant
11. Thunderblust
Green -
comments: very big body with trample...my top pick for the set for now... still, watch out for those pesky mirror-weaving kitkins...
13. Nettle Sentinel
14. Cauldron Haze
comments: sweet. happens to be in the same colours for wrath/damn. it also saves your teammate's ass as well...strictly better then graceful reprieve.
fair value: $1.5
15. Divinity of Pride
comments: not quite the same power level as exalted angel but more than halfway there! if u stick "edge of divinity (i.e. +3/+3)(not to mention loxodon warhammer)" on this baby , it is easily a sick life-linked +11/+11!!!
fair value: $5.5
16. Pyrrhic Revival
comments: wow! not sure if it is good enough for weenie, graveyard decks. but well worth a try.
fair value: $4
17. Unmake
comments: cos of the mana requirements, not as good as crib swop but decent still.
18. Dominus of Fealty
comments: It is nice to be able to steal planeswalkers as well!
fair value: $4.5
comments: I like this clunky combo card...can power the engine with a "turn to mist" every turn to abuse the comes into play effect (think pandemonium) and even recur the disintegrates, titan's revenge or poison the well or pyroclasm or browbeats. still, need quite a lot of mana for this to work...more casual, will probably not see tournament play...
20. Canker Abomination
comments: very cool beatstick esp in sealed! the ability to choose an opponent in multiplayer can also make this a very quick turn 3 6/6!!!
fair value: $1.5
comments: another cool trampling big ass! black is a nice colour to be in for additional protection. fair value: $7
25. Fetid Heath (and the rest of the opposing colour mana producing lands)
also i put my finger in the air and make a bold prediction to the value to the cards as well...
so here we go!!!
White -
1. Archon of Justice
comments:pretty awesome, esp with a graceful reprieve or mannequin.
fair value: $6
fair value: $6
2. Endless Horizons
comments:Works amazingly with retrace in mid-late game...
fair value: $3
comments:Works amazingly with retrace in mid-late game...fair value: $3
3. Light from Within
comments:the new glorious anthem. fits into kitkin. only thing is that it doesn't power token creatures. need to test. it is almost always better than anthem, but the drawback of being one turn later could render this unplayable.fair value: $2
Blue -
4. Oona's Grace
2U Instant
Target player draws a card.
Retrace (You may play this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Common
comments: almost permanent land cycling ability for 3 blue mana. pretty cool.
5. Sanity Grinding
comments: we discussed this before. not totally convinced with the no of playable high blue(or blue hybrid) mana-ed cards in the set for this to work effectively. on average i think it should remove between 5 to 10 cards for 3 mana.fair value: $2.5
6. Wake Thrasher 
comments:i can see this guy becoming very big very fast for merfolk rejeerey decks.
fair value: $4
comments:i can see this guy becoming very big very fast for merfolk rejeerey decks.fair value: $4
Black -
7. Necroskitter
comments: a fairly decent card to power the grim poppets, wither decks. what's more gratifying than collecting all those persist creatures from your opponents for your own use?fair value: $3.5
8. Soul Reap
1B Sorcery
Destroy target nongreen creature. Its controller loses 3 life if you've played another black spell
this turn.
Common
comments:decent removal. probably works only in sealed. it also happens to work against kitkin, fairies and merfolks and elementals in constructed. too bad that usually for those creature types, the creature you destroy is probably not going to be very big (barring the nova chasers).
Red -
9. Fiery Bombardment
1R Enchantment
Chroma - 2, Sacrifice a creature: Fiery Bombardment deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of red mana symbols in the sacrificed creature's mana cost.
Rare
comments: very cool. i like this especially with persist creatures.
fair value: $4
10. Hotheaded Giant
3R Creature - Giant Warrior
Haste
Hotheaded Giant comes into play with two -1/-1 counters on it unless you played another red spell this turn.
4/4
Common
comments: usually a turn 5,6 card. pity it takes 2 cards to work. so probably only in sealed.
comments: usually a turn 5,6 card. pity it takes 2 cards to work. so probably only in sealed.
11. Thunderblust
comments: finally you are back! however, it is still a inferior ball lightning/creature removal card. can see many neat combat tricks e.g. with scar.
fair value: $5
Green -
12. Primalcrux
comments: very big body with trample...my top pick for the set for now... still, watch out for those pesky mirror-weaving kitkins...fair value: $8
13. Nettle Sentinel
G Creature - Elf Warrior
Nettle Sentinel does not untap during its controller's untap step.Whenever you play a green spell, untap Nettle Sentinel.
2/2
Common
Nettle Sentinel does not untap during its controller's untap step.Whenever you play a green spell, untap Nettle Sentinel.
2/2
Common
comments: nice. i like this more than the maniac. and it is a warrior. question is which elf's slot will it replace?
Multi-colored Hybrid -
Multi-colored Hybrid -
14. Cauldron Haze
1(WB)Instant
Choose any number of target creatures. Each of those creatures gains persist until end of turn.
Uncommon
comments: sweet. happens to be in the same colours for wrath/damn. it also saves your teammate's ass as well...strictly better then graceful reprieve.
fair value: $1.5
15. Divinity of Pride
(WB)(WB)(WB)(WB)(WB)Creature - Spirit Avatar
Flying, lifelink
Divinity of Pride gets +4/+4 as long as you have 25 or more life.
4/4
Rare
comments: not quite the same power level as exalted angel but more than halfway there! if u stick "edge of divinity (i.e. +3/+3)(not to mention loxodon warhammer)" on this baby , it is easily a sick life-linked +11/+11!!!
fair value: $5.5
16. Pyrrhic Revival
3(WB)(WB)(WB) Sorcery
Each player returns each creature card in his or her graveyard to play with a -1/-1 counter on it.
Rare
comments: wow! not sure if it is good enough for weenie, graveyard decks. but well worth a try.
fair value: $4
17. Unmake
comments: cos of the mana requirements, not as good as crib swop but decent still.18. Dominus of Fealty
comments: It is nice to be able to steal planeswalkers as well!fair value: $4.5
19. Nucklavee
4(UR)(UR)Creature - Merfolk Wizard
When Nucklavee comes into play, return target blue instant card from your graveyard to your hand.When Nucklavee comes into play, return target red sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.
4/4
Uncommon
comments: I like this clunky combo card...can power the engine with a "turn to mist" every turn to abuse the comes into play effect (think pandemonium) and even recur the disintegrates, titan's revenge or poison the well or pyroclasm or browbeats. still, need quite a lot of mana for this to work...more casual, will probably not see tournament play...
20. Canker Abomination
comments: very cool beatstick esp in sealed! the ability to choose an opponent in multiplayer can also make this a very quick turn 3 6/6!!!
fair value: $1.5
21. Deity of Scars
comments: another cool trampling big ass! black is a nice colour to be in for additional protection. fair value: $7
22. Doomgape
comments: what? another soulstoke target? :) def less vulnerable than mr nova chaser. just don't get mirrorweaved.
fair value: $6.5
comments: what? another soulstoke target? :) def less vulnerable than mr nova chaser. just don't get mirrorweaved.fair value: $6.5
23. Sapling of Colfenor 
comments: cute carddrawing. fun card. :)
fair value: $4.5
fair value: $4.5
24. Overbeing of Myth PRE-RELEASE CARD
comments: feels like a slightly weaker aeon chronicler replacement when that rotates out...
fair value: $5
fair value: $5
25. Fetid Heath (and the rest of the opposing colour mana producing lands)
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
(WB), T: Add WW, WB, or BB to your mana pool.
Rare
comments: no one can complain if they open one of these lands...
fair value: $8
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
(WB), T: Add WW, WB, or BB to your mana pool.
Rare
comments: no one can complain if they open one of these lands...
fair value: $8
So which are my top 3 most wanted cards?
3. Archon of Justice
2. Diety of Scars
1. Primalcrux!!!!
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