The Artemis Fowl Files

I just finished reading "The Artemis Fowl Files" and have translated page 77 of the Fairy Code

When a fairy is trapped above ground without magic it is best to avoid contact with humans. Hide in the shallows of a river as humans especially children do not wash themselves. Drape yourself with the skin of a sheep or goat as humans are often not clever enough to notice. If you are cornered by a human slap the ground with the flat of your hand as this will often frighten the mud men away. If this is unsuccessful admit that you are a fairy and humans being cynical creatures will think that you are a friend in a costume trying to make a fool of them. If all this fails then ask the human if you could possibly borrow some money and the mud man will flee with great speed and never (a)sk you out again.

I put a () to the "a" since there wasn't an "a" in the code. I'm guessing it's a typo in the book though. Some parts of the interviews in the book are:

What was your most embarrassing moment?
I once scored a mere ninety-nine percent on a mathematics assignment. I was mortified. I had forgotten to round up to the third decimal place. Imagine my embarrassment.

--Artemis Fowl II

What is your favorite book?
I don't have much time to read. Artemis's schemes keep me on my toes. Mostly I read helicopter manuals and keep an eye on weather reports and current affairs. If I do have a moment to myself, I do enjoy a good romance story. If you tell a soul, I will hunt you down.

--Butler

What advice would you give a young dwarf?
Firstly, always chew your rocks before swallowing. They pass through easier that way, and your teeth need the roughage. And secondly, never eat the same dirt twice if you can avoid it.

--Mulch Diggums

I think every Artemis Fowl fan should buy the book and read it! It really is great! Oh, and here's the code at the end of the book that gave me the idea that this book was made before Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception.

Don't miss the next thrilling adventure on the Artemis Fowl series
Artemis
Fowl
The Opal Deception

Low Cost Restaurant-looking food

Okay, so it's been a long time since I've cooked, and my friend, Micah, stayed at our apartment last Saturday. Since she also liked cooking, we decided that we had to cook something that night. We were all tired from buying our grocery at Trinoma, and we just got back. The things we bought were nothing special, and we don't have any kalamansi to marinate our chicken with. We decided that we can only fry the skinless longganisa. It's really nothing special, but with our skills, we were able to make these:

With Garlic Topping (Mine and Micah's)

Chocolate Topping (my sister's)

The three plates

I think that even with very low budget (how much is a skinless longganisa anyway?) and creativity, anyone can make great meals which look like expensive stuff! They taste great too! :)

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea [崖の上のポニョ]

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea [崖の上のポニョ] also known as Gake no Ue no Ponyo, is Ghibli Animation's newest movie written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki-sensei. The movie was released in Japan last July 19 ,2008 to 481 screens. However, production started since October of 2006. As far as I remember, the movie was the reason why Hayao Miyazaki-sensei could not direct Tales of the EarthSea. That's why Goro Miyazaki, Hayao's son, directed that particular film which caused them to fight. After the release of EarthSea, the two have settled the argument and are in good terms with each other.

The film is the second film by Ghibli which was made by water colors, the first being My Neighbor Totoro.

I have to admit that I have yet to watch the film, but judging from the good reception from audiences, I think this one would be a great movie! I also saw the trailer and it reminded me of My Neighbor Totoro, and being a kid.

I'm a great fan of Miyazaki-sensei's works, and of course, of Ghibli as a whole. I have high expectations from the movie. Judging from the art, the feeling is of that of a little kid. Even the art sets the mood for the story! It makes you think of magic and miracles, of fairytales and innosence.

The movie takes place in a rural part in Japan near a cliff. A mermaid/fish, Ponyo, decided that she wants to be a human being. Near the cliff, she is found by Souseke, a 5-year old kid, who lives near there.

Apparently, the character of Souseke was based on Goro Miyazaki when he was at that age. As a father, you can see how Miyazaki-sensei was really fond of his son. I can't wait to watch this! I promise to make a review of the film when I finish this. I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

Go here to download the torrent of the movie subbed by Momo. I'm sorry I couldn't find a link of momo's website. I've just heard of the group.

Suna no Shiro and Stage Storm

I had nothing to do again, so I checked out the NCIS website for new releases. Then I saw it. The title was Suna no Shiro, but the weird thing was, NCIS only released the 2nd chapter! Click here to download it.

Anyway, I tried finding the scanlators or team who released the first chapter. The group's name was "Stage Storm". Looking through different websites, I found out that they had NO forum, website, or even an IRC channel for their releases! So where was I supposed to download the first chapter then? They already released around 20 chapters, so how come you can't trace them? It was really peculiar how they did their distributions. Maybe they just uploaded their scans to sites with manga viewers, or just contacted the people who host their releases? Who knows...

Finally, after searching and trying hard to find out where to get a chapter, I saw the first chapter in a free server uploader! Click here to download the file. It was quite a hard search, just to find one of their release. I wonder why they won't have a site or even an IRC channel to release their projects. That way, their fans won't be hassled. Or maybe that's what they want us to do? To really make an effort just to read their projects?

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the manga. I think it's great even if it's really old and the art is bad. The storyline is just so interesting! I'll keep you updated with its releases, if NCIS would continue to do it or not. I hope Stage Storm would make a database for their projects though... hehehe

EDIT: As I mentioned, chapter 3 of Suna no Shira has already been released by NCIS through mIRC (#ncis). I uploaded it at savefile for your convenience. Click here to download.

EDIT (2): Stage Storm actually has a forum! Click here to go there. Thanks Anonymous for the heads up! ^__^

Mac vs. PC - Transformers Version

A while ago I was browsing Google Reader and looked through the RSS feeds I got. This is such a great video, that I just had to share it with everyone! You have got to watch it, especially if you're a mac or PC fan!



I have to say that I like PC better than macs now.... It was different before though! hehehe Go PC!!! Global Domination all the way!!!