The Magique Blog

VOCALOID

Just a little over a week after VocaFusion, the first VOCALOID-centric event in the Philippines, I still can’t get over the good music and the good stuff that I’ve experienced despite not being a fan of songs made using the VOCALOID software. Well, the music was amazing. That’s what made it awesome.

They had amazing guests and amazing performances. To those who have performed during that event, you guys did a great job of entertaining the people! Shout outs to the guests of NicoNico fame, Osamuraisan, Rerulili, and That! As respect to these three and the rest of the NicoNico artists, I won’t be sharing any photos of them here. I left links on their names in case you want to follow them on Twitter.

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Comparison: A Parenting Problem

The thoughts of being compared with another person just bugged me last week. It made me remember some of the typical Filipino telenovela scenario when a parent tells his or her child something like this…

“Tignan mo ‘yang si A, ang galing sa ganyan. Bakit hindi ka maging katulad n’ya?!”

“Look at A! He/She is so good at that. Why can’t you be like him/her?!”

It doesn’t just happen at home. It can also happen in the office, at school, or any place that has some sort of a hierarchy of sorts. Let me share an office scenario that some of you might be familiar with. I think this would hold true for other scenarios, actually.

“If he/she can do it, so can you.”

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Jack of All Trades; Master of None

There have been some people who told me that I play a lot of the 2D fighting games. I have to thank you guys for reminding me about that, because I wanted to write something about it. Yes, I know how to play a lot of the current 2D fighting games. Well, except the doujin games. Currently, I’m playing The King of Fighters XIII, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Street Fighter x Tekken, and Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition 2012. Whenever I get the chance, I also play Soul Calibur V, Melty Blood Actress Again: Current Code, Skullgirls, and Mortal Kombat 9. Oh, and some old ones like Capcom vs. SNK 2, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2, too.

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Twin Popsies

This is definitely the perfect post for the current season, and for the latest number of the Reminiscing Stuff series. I just had Twin Popsies the other day; shared one with a friend. It brought back a lot of childhood memories; those memories of being such a thrifty person looking for someone to share Twin Popsies with before actually buying it; those memories of losing that last bite; the memories of the sticks that you collect to get a certain prize.

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Weaknesses

Ever since I started playing fighting games, I thought it was all about the combos. I never did play to get the most damage in a single combo; I played for the sake of seeing swag.

Despite that principle in playing fighting games I have these weaknesses. Before I share ‘em, I actually thought of using “elegance” instead of “swag.” I suddenly thought of Super Street Fighter 4’s Hakan, and it’s pretty hard to relate elegance with him. I know some would disagree, but… You get what I mean. Anyway, here goes. I guess I’ll be sharing some tips on how to work around these weaknesses as well.

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A Letter to Jose Rizal

Dear Philippine National Hero,

Okay, I know you’re not going to be able to read this, but in case that you do (which is a long shot), I just want to say something about a famous line that you’ve once said back during the days of your youth.

The youth is the hope of our future. Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.

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Cats

I grew up in a family who loves dogs, and have been fed with kiddie material wherein cats are the enemies. Remember Tom and Jerry? Because of that cartoon, I hated cats. To the point that I kicked a cat back when I was a kid. Well, it’s not totally because Tom and Jerry fueled my hate for cats. It’s because my sister was bitten by one. But as I grew up, I realized that I did something wrong, and the cats didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. Yes, one bit my sister, but that doesn’t mean that I should hate ALL cats. Thanks to http://cvcl.mit.edu/ for the picture at the top, by the way!

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Be you angels?

Nay. We are but men.

Thanks to thederosh @ WordPress.com for the image!

If you know where those two lines are from, you have an amazing taste in music. Anyway, the pet peeve I’m going to share to you today is somewhat related to those two lines. I’ve seen a lot of people complaining on my social networking timelines about this, and I think we share the same sentiments on this one.

Bosses, supervisors, managers, superiors, or any other leader figures that think we are miracle workers

This is going to sound a little bit “against” the religion, but I guess it’s really appropriate to say this because He’s the only one who has performed miracles. We’re not Jesus! We can’t turn water into wine. We can’t multiply fish and bread. We can’t die and resurrect after three days. People aren’t capable of doing that. Well, normal people, at least. I know that you can name some people who can perform miracles, but they’re not us.

Okay, I think I’m going to hear some people say the “if they can do it, why can’t you”-line. Person A isn’t the same as person B. In science, even those who are born as twins aren’t completely the same. I mean, seriously. If you’re managing a team who writes good stuff, and you tell that same line to someone who doesn’t have enough skill to reach that level of good writing, then you’re stupid. That isn’t motivation. I call that demotivation.

Clearly…

My brain is full of you know what.

I’ve been a bit too busy lately. I’ll be writing something simple for this week. It’ll be about prayers.

My Prayer

I studied in a Catholic school ever since the elementary level up until I finished college. There’s one thing that those institutions have taught me that I will never forget, and that’s the “formula” of a prayer. Some of my friends know that I like a bit of Math, but this isn’t about numbers. It’s actually how “Our Father” was made.

If you’re going to look into it, the formula goes like this:

Praise -> Thanksgiving -> Asking for Forgiveness -> Wishing for something

Well, those aren’t the exact words that were taught to me, but it does look a bit like that.

Now, from that formula, here’s what I pray every Sunday before the Mass ends. I don’t pray for myself. As much as how this would make me look like I’m begging you to be my friends, I always pray for the people who are close to me; the people who actually make every single day of my life so awesome.

Lord, I praise and glorify You.

Thank you for everything that has happened to us these past days. There are happy moments, and there are sad ones; there are the good moments, and there are the bad. But I know You’ve planned all of these for the good.

Forgive us for all the sins that we’ve committed. I know that we’ve committed mistakes, but I’m happy that You’re still there to guide us to the right path. I’m also happy that You still consider us Your family.

I hope that all people will find the love that they need for them to be happy. Amen.