question (3 of 100)

Q: If a genie gave you the power to create new Rules concerning love that would be implemented worldwide immediately and followed to the letter, what would your Rules be?

A: This kept our group up for hours. Instead of just my own answers, here, collectively, are our 6 Rules:

1. Dean: Color-coded Love – We set a default color, like blue, for the deepest truest love. People in love can then see exactly where they stand and vice versa. It may be painful to wake up everyday and see your lover’s hue shifting slowly away from blue, but at least you know. No need for lies. I’d write a story based on this premise about 2 completely white (non-blue) people staying together, with their children.

2. Mike: True Love Waits – Every body is guaranteed true love in their lifetime. You will not die until you find your ideal one who will love you for everything that you are.

3. Marco: The “Kiliti” Rule – Everyone will have a kiliti (weakness) that can be exploited if you know what it is. When the kiliti is used, the person will helplessly love you. The flaw, of course, is this scenario. Person A exploits Person B’s kiliti, so Person B loves Person A. Person C exploits Person A’s kiliti, so Person A loves Person C, and so forth in a possibly very long (daisy) chain.

4. Jason: True Love Allows Second Chances – At your deathbed, you can go back in time and correct one circumstance when you foolishly (or otherwise) let love pass you by.

5. Carl: It’s About Timing – People in a relationship fall out of love at exactly the same time. In this way, no one is left behind.

6. Nikki: Love Leaves No One Behind - In the case of true love, the death of one partner triggers the death of the remaining partner. Tragic. But when you combine it with Marco's Rule, it could spell the end of the world.

Bonus: Love Songs Are True – Every love song’s lyrics are true even when contradictory. Therefore, love is a many-splendored thing, but hurts; love makes the world go round (literally) but is a battlefield; love changes everything, but is evergreen and will tear us apart. And of course, to conserve energy, love lifts us up where we belong (hopefully to the office and back home).

flim comments

Flim called me to say how he enjoys reading my blog. What a nice thing to say. I’m glad you’re entertained, my friend. But the credit for the lovely design (in Kestrel’s purple motif) goes to Ate Cyn (and the odd little images are copyright by all their creators where apropos). Anyway, he also asked about Nikki’s wedding gown in the context of his filming of Gerry’s Wasted. We’ll see about that (the last thing I remember is that she threw it onto the roof or something like that, or maybe that happened before the wedding). I told him how much I enjoyed reading his blog, in an unabashed example of mutual masturbation.

singapore fears terrorist content

Or at least that’s the response Jason got from a Singaporean publisher when he pitched the idea of Machine Merlion X, because of a page or two with exploding buildings. While we cannot fault people for their opinions and sensitivies, don’t you think it’s hard to write a giant robot comic without collateral damage? More here (with his casting call for Baylans too). Anyway, we spent time thinking of new stuff to pitch and really, I must tell you how difficult it is for me to think of a happy series with no conflict, tragedy or dramatic build-up - even my reviled Evangelion had all of that, and the giant mecha. Over dinner at Basilica (or wasa it basilisque?) along Amber Drive, we threw ideas around with Dino happily offering the tropes of a the sports story as an alternative to perceived terrorism by giant robots. Poor Jason zoned out when conversation turned to space and space operas.

work

Sometimes I feel trapped by circumstances. The time has come for an unwanted decision to be made and executed and of course I’m the one to do it. But it boils down to determining why I’m in business – for myself or for others. Sadly, the answer is for myself and my partners. The market environment necessitates drastic measures and I’m not looking forward to when I make certain announcements. I wish I could just write a letter, but I can’t. Part of my responsibility is telling people exactly how things lie, what we’re going to do, how we’re going to do it… and who does it with me. More when this is done.

Sagewatch

We took Sage to the doctor’s today and found that even while she was sick, she gained some more weight (I thought the opposite was true). We’re discontinuing some of her medication, but will be using Ventolin nebulas (thank goodness for Jolet’s nebulizer on loan) for her. Hopefully, she’ll be fine when we need to return the thing or we go out and finally buy one of our own. Her scheduled shots were also delayed until next week when she’s better, in preparation for our trip abroad. Mike, one of her loving godfathers, bought her funky animal socks made by the people at Lamaze (apparently, they expanded beyond natural child bearing technique books and stuff), which I’m sure Sage will love. Nikki selected the kitty cat as Sage's icon henceforth, because she calls her "kitten". I call Sage, rather inexplicably, "banana girl". I have no idea why.

a promise fulfilled

Yes, we finally ate something at Chow King, to make good on a vow Nikki and I made last December. At the premiere showing of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” last year, Nikki and I were bored to tears by the long wait inside the theatre for the film to start. In addition, we were bombarded by the constant repetition of Chow King’s radio ad: “Dito kumakain ang masarap kumain”. So we pleaded with the gods for the ad to stop and the film to begin – in exchange we’d patronize the damn fast food. It took us 9 months, but today, we did at last. How was it? Blah. But our honor remains inviolate.

kestrel plans

Over the next couple of months, I’ll be positioning Kestrel Studios’ strength in content development, creating new products that I’ll market to government agencies, NGOs and corporate entities. Think custom chapbooks, cost-free magazines and you’ll get the idea.

stuff to read and view

Picked up some comics: the latest issues of JSA and Grendel: Red, Black & White, plus Morrison’s X-Men: Imperial TPB. Got to chat briefly with Ramon and told him about Mignola’s story in Happy Endings. When our talk got to Moore, he confessed that he hadn’t read Miracleman (to my shock, because Ramon is one of the self-professed devotes of God ), so I told him I’d lend him The Red King Syndrome (which was saved from the termites by Flim, and now shockingly retails for over US$200!).

Also, after chatting with Suvi, the guy who sells anime VCDs at CQ, he kindly gave me 4 Ranma OAVs – for free. Now that’s nice.