Movie: 10,000 B.C.

Studios:	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release:	March 7, 2008
Genre:	Action/Adventure and Drama
MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence.

My Yahoo! Movies Rating:

Overall Grade:	B-
Story:	C+
Acting	B-
Direction:	B-
Visuals:	B

First off, I only saw the trailer and reviews after I watched the movie, so I did not know what to expect when I bought the ticket. I just thought that since this may be the last week it's showing at the mall I frequent, I decided I might as well figure out why it's been on the box office top ten since it opened.

Calling it 10,000 BC will make some people, like me, think that the story may be based on history. If not the story of a real person or group of people, at least a story that uses what we currently know of that time as backdrop. The movie is neither, which makes me wonder why it had that title at all ... they probably couldn't think of another one that wouldn't sound funny or corny.

The movie starts by reminding me of the first few chapters of the Clan of the Cave Bear ... a novel that I never actually finished, but I think is good if you are into that kind of story. However, the movie eventually deviates into other things that refer to stuff that is on the weird fringe of science: like Atlantis theories, Sitchin's gods from outer space, or the probability that the pyramids or the sphinx is older than scientists are willing to admit.

As I said, those theories remain on the weird fringe and mixing them up does not make this movie even remotely close to scientific. Take out the assumptions brought on by the misnomer of a title and this is a fantasy movie.

What kind of fantasy movie then? Action fantasy like the trailer suggests? Nope. Action is present, but it does not dominate the movie.

This is actually a love story of the fairy tale kind, but our knight, princess, castle and dragon look differently from what we are used to seeing of that genre. People who expected to see something different from this movie may be disappointed to be presented by a predominantly and even mushy love story, but I admit I enjoyed the "love crosses continents, and conquers all, even fear" part of the tale.

Things to nod at:

• a love story told without a sex scene
• it makes sense to use blind people to serve the "gods" who should not be seen
• showing the prevalence of superstition in the old times and how stupid it is
• people separated from other people is easily conquered
• people who choose to remain divided after a defeat will remain captives ... and although all it takes to band them together is a willingness to follow one man, convincing them to do so is tough
• dwindling number of animals to hunt will force hunters/gatherers to seek new lands, or learn planting crops
• shows that "marriage for love" is a relatively new concept ... ancient people may have acknowledged love, but they valued the survival of the tribe more in arranging marriages
• shows how personal feelings could mess up a strategy
• has a hero with believable personality flaws

Things that make you scratch your head:

• wondering if all those species and civilizations actually co-existed
• looks like D'leh and his men traveled halfway across the globe by crossing over snowy mountains, what looks like a rain forest, and a desert ON FOOT ... and they did all that in less than a year?
• D'leh is unbelievably, extremely lucky ... whether it's finding sharp pointy objects to use as spears or not getting trampled or eaten by large mammals... I'm surprised he didn't start calling himself some sort of god ... oh wait, his people had no pantheon of gods, they had ancestor worship
• Evolet must be one unlucky person

And yes, I agree with some reviewers who felt Evolet should have been left dead. If D'leh comes back to the tribe with either new technology (planting crops) or knowledge of more fertile lands, Evolet's role of saving the tribe would still have been fulfilled. It would also make the story less corny.

-----------edit: more stuff to make you scratch your head----------

• They hide the blind guy by making him lie down in a hole while the slaves work in the desert during the day ... it's a wonder he doesn't die of suffocation or extreme heat
• How do the HAIRY mammoths survive the DESERT heat? If they do not last long, is it even economical to use them when you have to feed them a lot only to have the slaves spend part of their time burrying the mammoths' huge dead bodies shortly after?

The Gorrell - Montano Quarrel

An officemate was reading the Inquirer the other day where there was an article about this issue. He told me it would be interesting to look up Brian Gorrell's blog: http://delfindjmontano.blogspot.com/

Apparently, this blog shot to internet stardom shortly after it opened two weeks ago. Since it took me months to find out about the Malu Fernandez incident, it's no wonder I haven't heard about this at all.

The blog was basically started by Australian Brian Gorrell as revenge against his ex-lover, Filipino DJ Montano. The issue is the $70,000 Gorrell lost to Montano's bogus business venture; and Montano's friends, nicknamed "Gucci gang", are currently collateral damage since Gorrell will keep lambasting them and publishing sordid details about their circle if he doesn't get his money back.

Tough.

I'm not really into fashion, I don't read society columns, and I don't have a database of famous people lodged in my head. Ergo, the only names that are familiar to me in this drama are columnist Tim Yap, and Wendy Puyat of the Hong Kong scandal that I read in Cocktales. My officemates couldn't believe I don't know Celine Lopez.

Anyway, whether I am familiar with these people or not, the blog entries are indeed "entertaining". So are the comments people leave on the site.

My thoughts, and all stemming from the assumption that Gorrell tells the truth:

• It's bad enough that DJ allegedly robbed Brian of $70,000, what's worse is that the money represented Brian's life savings. The worst part is DJ knew Brian has HIV and was probably hoping any income from the supposed investment would help with his expenses to stay healthy.
• I understand that frustration is driving Brian to this extreme, but the initial plan of shutting the blog once the $70,000 is paid sounds a lot like extortion/blackmail.
• Brian, and some people who have commented on the blog, have resorted to calling people names based on physical attributes. They curse Tina Tinio by calling her fat when what they supposedly couldn't stand is her manners. I'm fat, I don't think I have the bad manners they say she exhibits, so this tactic offends me. I may be chuckling as I write this, but I mean it. Ouch!
• I think the word "celebutantes" fits the Gucci girls better than "socialites". Look up the word on the net...you won't find it in a dictionary.
• Freeloaders do not necessarily have no money ... some of them are just so used to being given things for free that they are shocked if they have to pay. They usually don't think of themselves as freeloaders, too. They think they are just so privileged, idolized, and (cough!) loved/adored, that people want to give them stuff just to please them. They never hear the snide comments spoken behind their backs. They should, as a wake up call, but they don't.
• As for the "moneyless" freeloaders, I think that the way they persuade people to give them things has approached an art that is even admirable. It takes thick skin, which I don't have, and a strong stomach. Unfortunately, I have a weak stomach when it comes to duplicitous acts...I easily throw up.
• People tend to see the picture as the sickness that is high society. I think of this as Brian's misfortune of being with people who are afflicted with the deterioration of the person brought about by cocaine addiction. Following is part of the literature on cocaine addiction from www.emedicinehealth.com:
  

  Why cocaine becomes addictive: Research with cocaine has shown that all laboratory animals can become compulsive cocaine users. Animals will work more persistently at pressing a bar for cocaine than for any drug, including opiates. An addicted monkey pressed the bar 12,800 times until it got a single dose of cocaine. If the animal survives, it will return to the task of obtaining more cocaine.
  
  The human response is similar to that of the laboratory animal. The cocaine-dependent human prefers it to all other activities and will use the drug until the user or the supply is exhausted. These persons will exhibit behavior entirely different from their previous lifestyle.
  
  Cocaine-driven humans will compel themselves to perform unusual acts compared with their former standards of conduct. For example, a cocaine user may sell her child to obtain more cocaine. There are many stories of professionals, such as lawyers, physicians, bankers, and athletes, with daily habits costing hundreds to thousands of dollars, with binges in the $20,000-$50,000 range. The result may be loss of job and profession, loss of family, bankruptcy, and death.

  Cokeheads will sell their kids for cocaine, so fooling Brian into a business venture and the sex for coke should not be surprising behavior from them.
• Parents in denial that their children are addicts will definitely, initially, deny that their kids are doing something wrong. They insist that their kids are good citizens, not only to assure other people, but also to assure themselves. They would rather wish it's just a phase and would go away. Like magic. When they do get to their senses and think of intervention, their kids have already gone far down the road of destruction. Think Britney Spears.
• If DJ is indeed a cokehead, I doubt if he has any money to payback the $70,000. The money's already in the hands of the drug dealers.

TV Series: Psych

	Network:	USA
	First Run:	July 7, 2006 - Present
	Genre:	Drama, Comedy
	Time Slot:	Philippine's C/S Channel, Thursdays 8:00 PM

Remington Steele was a fake investigator although his partner was not. The owner of Blue Moon Detective Agency (Moonlighting) was a former fashion model with zero training at being a detective. Psych runs along a similar vein, the twist being Shawn Spencer is a fake psychic with good, if informal, detective training from his dad. His partner Gus isn't a legit detective either ... his day job is being a pharmaceutical salesman.

What's great about this show? The antics of Shawn Spencer with Burton Guster riding along, sometimes against his better judgement. I also adore Carlton Lassiter, who would rather not believe in psychics, or that Shawn's a legitimate one, but had to admit and deal with the fact that the duo has a good batting average solving cases.

The show's coolness even extends to its theme song, "I Know You Know". It was written by its creator Steve Franks by the way, and performed by his band, the Friendly Indians. Speaking of music related to the show, their website's got a nice video of "On A Whim" by Flying Machines.

I love watching the show ... and appreciate that the episodes being shown in the Philippines are only 8 weeks late (compared to other TV shows from the US that are sometimes aired here 1 or 2 seasons late). I hate the time slot though. More often than not, I get home after 8PM, that means I don't get to watch the episodes from the start. Aargh!

Their website (click the title of this blog entry to get there) is a nice place to hang out. There is the production blog written collectively by its writers and creator, a blog by Gus, and another blog by Lassiter. The last two are a hoot in staying in character ... there would be mind numbing posts by Gus on the pharmaceutical business, and Lassiter would vent about his separation from his wife and his other hangups. The videos are funny.

The forums have interesting topics too. I often a lurker there since I realize I'm only half a fan as most members there: I don't look out where the pineapple appears in each episode, and I don't pay much attention on what's on their corkboard, or what happens to the "blueberry" ... which is what "American Duo" judge Nigel St. Nigel called Gus' car.

Hiro's Blog Entries 2006-2007

Just in case NBC decides to delete the blogs with Season 3 coming along, am posting a copy here. These are too good to not read. I'll probably move this entry to my geocities or angelfire websites if I ever get in the mood to tinker with them (I usually am not... which is why my websites have been stagnant for 5 years or more).

This wiki entry discusses Hiro's blog in detail: http://heroeswiki.com/Hiro%27s_blog


Captain's Log: Stardate

Welcome

Coming Soon! Create your own international blog site using Yamagato's auto-translation software.

Write your blog in any language and it will automatically translate it for you!

Feel free to leave comments and feedback.

(Posted By admin)

Captain's Log: Stardate 1771.1

Kitty Pride

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.O) \(^o^)/

I've met my Marle. <(^o^<) (>^o^)> \(^o^)/ I never thought it would happen, but I've met my Marle. She wasn't a ときメモ character. She was real. She was fleshy. She had a smile that could melt butter like a hot waffle.

She had powers too. She was like wikipedia, google, my own Jeeves. She even corrected me on which issue Kitty Pride traveled back in time in. Issue #141. I thought it was #143 (?.?)

I've travelled so far to meet my own personal destiny. Who knew? It's so rare to find someone you connect with in the middle of nowhere. She was my oasis.

And she's dead.

It happened so fast. Why? Why was she killed? Is this a test? Why must something tragic always happen to the hero? Every time something good happens to me, it never lasts. Is that what being a hero is all about? And the way she was killed was too similar to how Mr. Isack was killed in the future.

I've thought long. I don't have seven dragon balls to summon 神竜 but, I have my own reset button. I've decided to go back to yesterday.

I can't let her die like that. I couldn't let her die. Yes, I might be risking a rift, but if I can't use my power to save people, especially the ones I love, I don't deserve them. I won't stand around like a bystander. I refuse to be a coward. I refuse to not try.

And so here I am at the Burnt Toast diner. By my calculations, about one day in the past. My time travel seemed to have worked. Charlie is alive. That's all that matters.

I will be come back to the present to continue my mission. I will save the cheerleader. I will meet Mr. Isack. I will save the world. But please let me be selfish. Let me save Charlie.

P.S. I don't know what happened with the other blog entries. Must be a server glitch.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1739.1

Late Again

Name: Hiro Nakamura
Age: 24
Occupation: Sales, Yamagato Industries
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Favorite Manga: Jojo's Bizzare Adventures
Favorite Comic: X-Men
Favorite TV: Star Trek
Favorite Movie: Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Favorite Singer: Britney Spears
Favorite Game: Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy Series
Favorite Phrase:一期一会

Decided to move blog sites, because my old blog site was spamming me.

So, I got in trouble again for being late to work. The count is up to 8 this year. The good news is that I finally defeated Dr. Syd last night! I got to the lighthouse last night so I had to stay up all night till I finished. I hear Bahamut is right around the corner, so I'm almost done with Final Fantasy XII. やったー.

Ugh. I'm so bored. We had a company-wide meeting regarding the future of Yamagato Industries. Snoozefest. But, it made me think of the future of Hiro Nakamura. Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life? I want to be like Jojo and Van and go on an adventure. I want to have a stand or can cast magic. I want to save the world.

Someday, I'm going to find the magic lamp and the genie is going to grant me my three wishes, or a mutated spider will prick me and I can spew webs all over the place, or after getting a high score on a video game, it will invite me to an elite space battalion to save Earth from an intergalactic war!

Dreams keep us alive, and I want to feel alive. What's your dream?

Ok, off to take a nap. I need to sleep so I can finish leveling up my other characters. Man, I wish I had more time in the day. Must. Finish. Final Fantasy XII.

Live long and prosper,
Hiro

P.S. Happy 40th Birthday, Star Trek!

Captain's Log: Stardate 1742.5

Strange Day

I got in trouble for being late again! But I swear this time it wasn't my fault. It was strange.

So, I really didn't want to come to work today. I finally got to the final boss but ran out of elixirs and my party wiped! Frustrating. It was time for work, so I went to the train station. I was hoping for the train to not come. I prayed really hard. 7:42:00 AM. Yes! The train didn't come. So I thought. 7:42:14 AM, the train arrives. But it's strange, the train is never late. Maybe I could use the force. Am I a Jedi? I tried using my Jedi mind tricks on the train conductor. You will stop the train. You will stop the train. Didn't work. Hmm. Still strange though. Must continue experimentation later. For now back to work.

May the force be with you,
Hiro

P.S. The eclipse is pretty.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1742.8

I KNEW IT!!!

Hey, guess where I'm at? I'm at New York! Times Square! Can you believe
it? It's amazing! I told you I could do it. I knew it! やったー！　XD

New York kinda reminds me of Tokyo. Lots of people walking. There are subways, no kiosks though. Many yatais. Looks like they sell hot dogs and ice cream. Maybe they sell yaki-soba and tako-yaki too. ^_^ Oooh, better yet, maybe they have waffle yatais!

You would think because it's called Times Square, there are lots of watches. I wonder why it's called Times Square? It's more like Akihabara. That would be cool if they had a maid cafe here as well. Would be funny to see American otakus go 萌えー！

Wow, lot's of traffic on this blog. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. Actually, I kinda feel like 電車男。　If I ever need love advice, I know where to go! Then again, I don't think I'll ever find love.
T_T

I think someone mentioned the New York Comicon I think. If that's wrong, sorry, sometimes the auto-translater has weird translations. It came out as NY Comic Scandal for me. o.O When is it? Since I'm in New York, maybe I can go to it. It would be cool to get some cheap アメコミ。

My favorite Jojo part is definitely the Joutaro adventures. I especially liked his encounters with the D'arby brothers, the moment when he realizes Star Platinum's real powers, and when Joseph was resurrected, and answered "Al Yankovic" to prove he's not Dio. XD And yeah, Toriyama sensei is awesome too. Loved him since the Dr. スランプdays.

I have seen all of Miyazaki's film. I do like them all, but I'm still a big fan of Laputa, even though it's his early works. In this world, it's hard not to feel like orphans many times, and I love that they get chosen and go on an amazing adventure. His films are cool because not only is it awesome, they always have a message. I heard when he was about to make a new film, he always asks himself what message he wants to tell his daughter, it may have been his niece. That's pretty cool. As for Final Fantasy, I have played them all, even XI. MMORPGs are a time sink! I had to stop playing. I literally was glued to my PS2 for 24 hours straight. FF VI probably holds a special place in my heart. The Magitek stuff was cool and it was the last
of the pre-CD games. I reamember V too, because I also spent many days grinding for the last blue magic and the dragon's whiskers. Thanks for FF XII ラスボス advice!

Well, I guess I'm taking another "vacation" from work. ^_^ I'm sooo gonna get fired this time. Maybe スタジオジブリ or Square-Enix will hire me XD

It just hit me, that I'm in New York and I'm spending all this time in an internet cafe. o.O I'm gonna go explore the world! New York here I come!

Thanks again for all the support. It's really amazing when your dreams can come real. I hope yours does too one day. If starts with you believing in it and ends with you believing in it.

Spoon,
Hiro


P.S. I hope the yatais take yen. I'm a little hungry :P

Captain's Log: Stardate 1747.2

Where to Begin...

I don't even know where to start. You're about to be critted by a wall of text.

My trip to New York was more than just a trip. It was a life changing event.

I found a comic starring me. I went to the author to find him dead with his brain missing. I got arrested. I found out I was five weeks into the future. I saw a nuclear explosion. I came back to present day Tokyo with the comic book in hand, my only proof that I went to the future.

Ok, so back to the beginning. I was looking for the ramen shop that people were recommending near Kinokuniya. Oh, by the way, I was able to repost my last blog entry that was on my cell phone. My phone's memory doesn't seen to get affected by time travelling. Cool. I was enjoying the sights and sounds of New York, but everyone was in a rush to get somewhere like Tokyo. Do New Yorkers smile? I thought they liked Japanese people because of Matsui. Boo. So, on my way to the book store,

I found a comic book with me on the cover. \(^o^)/ Wow! That's so cool, but quite perplexing. The scary newsstand owner wouldn't let me read it there so I had to make a run for it. I didn't steal it though. A hero would never steal. I payed him. In yen. In fact, I over payed him with 1000 yen. I even told him he can keep the change. (^_^)

The comic book retold everything I did yesterday. (?-?) I found the author's address on the back of the comic book and decided to go meet him. Do all American comic books put the address of their author's on the back? If so, I need to buy an X-Men so I can meet Stan Lee or Tim Sale.

I got to Mister Isaku's house and the door was unlocked! (O.o) I heard New York was dangerous but I guess it's safe enough to keep doors unlocked. I entered his house and it seemed pretty empty. I found many paintings and then I found an unfinished comic of myself. The first panel was me talking on the phone. The second panel was me looking at my watch. The third panel was me with eyes wide open with a look of shock. The fourth panel was empty. I then saw a trail of blood and then a gun next to it.

Note to all my fellow gamers. In a game, you see a weapon on the floor, you pick it up. In real life, you see a weapon on the floor, probably not a good idea to pick it up.

I followed the trail to find the author dead! \(>o<)/ Then the police rushes in, they yell something. My guess would be drop your weapons and put your hands up. Seems to be universal among all cops. The next thing I know I was being helped up by the cops. Guess I fainted. They started interrogating me. They were pretty mean, but it looked like they were Trekkies, so that was comforting. They tell me that it was not October 2 but November 8. Then I see a big flash and New York crumbling to a nuclear explosion like thing. I concentrate and I came back. After I returned to present day Tokyo I had a chance to do some soul searching at my grandfather's grave and now I know what I must do.

Do you believe in the Butterfly Effect? I do. Nobody has to see the future I saw. The future can be changed. That is my destiny.

I've been dreaming for a moment like this my whole life. I've become Chrono in Chrono Trigger or Trunks in Dragon Ball. I've become the hero in my own RPG. Except that this isn't a game. This is real. There is no saved game or cheat codes. I get no Phoenix Downs. There is no game over. There can't be.

I'm excited to take this journey as a hero. In reality, I'm scared. But I have to, and will overcome it. I will not be like Trunks or Akira. I won't live in a post-apocalyptic world. I'm going to save the world! I hope I find my Marle and Lucca though. And soon.

This is beginning of my adventure.

With great power comes great responsibility,
Hiro

P.S. On the November 8th paper, it said "wins by landslide". What's does
landslide mean?

Captain's Log: Stardate 1758.5

Let It Ride

んちゃ. I'm back in America! \(^o^)/ And I'm blogging from my cell phone. This is going to be expensive so I gotta make it quick.

So using Mister Isaku's comic as my strategy guide, I came back to the present, saved a girl's life, picked up Ando-kun, and flew to America. How did I save a girl's life? Easy. I froze time. (>_<) (o.o) \(^o^)/
My own Star Platinum's The World!

After my MP regenned, (it took a while before I could stop time again) I tried it again and I was able to stop time just a bit longer. It feels like I can control it. So I think I can master Time Freeze. I just hope I don't hit a peak at 5 seconds like Jotaro.

Teleportation and time travel is a completely separate issue. I thought I was only teleporting to New York, but I travelled through time as well. It does seem that I need to level up my skills more, but how do I level up? Do I need more MP? Raise my Job Skill? How do I get XP? Hmm. Oh no. How would I fight an enemy? ((T.T; )(; T.T)) I can't really fight. No weapons. My current spells would be Quick, Return, and Teleport. I think my Teleport would work on boss fights. I hope. But they would all be non-party casts. It would be good game Ando-kun. So I can't run away and go out of combat. I need my Marle and Lucca or a weapon. Too bad I can't learn Meteo. Hmm. Do you guys have any suggestions on how to approach an encounter with an enemy. I need the XP and the Gil. I digress.

I wish there was a guide on how to teleport and time travel. It would be very handy right now. The comic doesn't talk about how to use the power. I guess that's my own fault for just blindly following a strategy guide rather than figuring it out on my own. And it ended as well. "To be continued..." Boo. Looks like we're on our own now. (O.o) I could use my own personal Dr. Emmett Brown or Yoda right now.

Speaking of Yoda, it looks like we're in Tatooine right now. Supposedly, this is the road to Las Vegas, but it's just sand everywhere. It feels like we're about to be attacked by Jawas. Ooh. We're just like the droids. Dibs on R2D2! I'm on a mission with my cyborg translator, アンドウロイド to deliver a message to Mister Isaku. "Isaku-san, you're my only hope." o(^^o)(o^^)o No, wait. I can't be R2D2. I'm Luke, master Jedi! Must. Find. Lightsaber.

Oops, good game phone bill. (T.T) Vegas, here we come. Red five, I'm going in!

時は動き出す、
Hiro

P.S. Thanks for your help on "landslide". Another question. I was studying my phrase book. What does "Let it ride" mean? What is "it" and what is "it" riding? Rodeo term?

Captain's Log: Stardate 1758.8

Checking In...

Ando-kun is such a bore. He won't say "Oh, my!".

Captain's Log: Stardate 1758.9

Checking in...

Uncle Owen? Aunt Beru?

Captain's Log: Stardate 1759.1

Check in...again...

So many Denny's.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1759.3

Hi again...

Hiro crits potato chip bag for 182 damage.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1759.4

Directions?!

I think we're lost. Good at human-cyborg relations, bad at driving. Good
thing the highways are free in America. He should just let me drive.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1759.6

Ando-kun

Hiro hits Ando-kun for 53 damage. 19 blocked.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1759.9

MPG

The Nissan Versa sure has some nice MPG. Gotta love that Nissan Versa.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1760.1

Vegas!

We made it. やったー！　\(^o^)/ Hello, Las Vegas!

Looks like we're going to the Montecito Hotel.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1764.3

Mudslide

I want to apologize to everyone. I've done something that I am very ashamed of. I've broken the cardinal rule of being a superhero. I've used my powers for personal gain. I cheated at Las Vegas. It was very unhero-like.

Now I know why I was sent to Las Vegas by the comic book. This was a test. A test to see if I can resist the temptation to be corrupted. I've failed. I've failed my first test. I'm sorry to have let you down. I've been tempted to the Dark Side.

＿|￣|○

I just hope Karma strikes back at me quick, so I'll be forgiven for my sins. Then I can reset and continue with my mission to save the world.

I'm sure this will be the first of many tests, so I have to stay strong and focused. More than ever I'll need everyone to stay strong. I need to keep asking myself, what would Chrono do in this situation? Would Peter Parker do the same? I can't let Uncle Ben die because of my actions.

On the upside, I have been practicing my time freezing as you guys have said and I think I leveled up my skill. (>_<)(o.o) I think I can release the time freeze when I want. It seems to be pretty stable and haven't felt any side effects yet. However, I don't think I can hold it more than 20 sec. Jojo was wrong! I'm definitely getting better but it's a long road to becoming a master.

I hope that Mr. Isaku, also known as Jojo's Boingo, gets my message soon. Maybe he's deliberately not taking my messages. Hmm. He might be our Dungeon Master and hence we're not allowed to talk to him. That would be cool but also would suck. I guess we can keep driving to New York in the meantime.

Oh, looks like Ando-kun finally finished shopping. Ugh. He's buying expensive suits. I can't believe we're using dirty money for non-mission related personal stuff. Well, at least we can get back to our mission now.

Yes, you guys are right. This isn't a video game. This is real life. There are no save and load games. If I did though, how many megabytes would my saved game take up? I'm going to be strong. I'll need help from time to time, but I'll be strong!

LFM to save the world.

Up up and away,
Hiro

P.S. I also heard some waitresses saying "mudslide". Is that opposite of "landslide"? Like "you lose election by mudslide"?

Captain's Log: Stardate 1766.1

Riding in Style

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.o) \(^o^)/

Guess where I am? I'm inside a Limo for the first time in my life! It's really nice. There is a mini bar inside and TV. No video games though. I miss my PS2...

I finally met someone who has special powers just like me. I knew there were other heroes out there! Well, I did actually meet Mr. Isaku, but he was dead and his brain was cut open so doesn't really count. His name is Nathan Petrelli. He is Clark Kent without the glasses. Instead of a cape, he wears pajamas when he flies. Very cool.

He was very nice and is giving me a ride right now back to Las Vegas. ルーラ！

It's wonderful to know there are others out there. He seems to have a different mission though. He said he wants to win an election I think. Hmm. I told him that he would win his election by a mudslide in the future. I hope telling him that doesn't affect the future.

He said he wouldn't join my party to stop the explosion, but he said maybe later. It would be great to have him in our party. He's going to Vegas and he likes to fly so he's our Setzer Gabbiani. Slot attack! (^o^) The limo isn't an airship though. Ah! It's our chocobo. A very high tech chocobo.

I can see Las Vegas again. \(^o^)/ But looks like I'm still a party of one, searching for my Lucca and Marle. Ando-kun deserted my party (T.T) Ando-kun told me that he was miserable with me and left alone. I hope he'll be ok. At least he can speak English and he'll have fun with the internet stripper.

Well, gotta get back to my mission to save the world. I know there are others like me out there. If you hear anyone with similar powers, please let me know.

And Vote Petrelli!

Up up and away,
Hiro

P.S. I've ridden a nice limo. Check. Things to ride: Blackjack, Epoch, or a De Lorean going at 88 miles per hour.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1767.5

New York or Bust!

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.o) \(^o^)/
Thank you everyone for your good kharma, support, and advice.

Ando-kun is back and we're now a party of two again. \(^.^)X(^.^)/

We're finally on our way to New York but I leave Las Vegas with a couple of questions. Recently I talked to a Peter Petrelli on the phone.

1) Who is Peter Petrelli?
He said he met a future me who told him to deliver a message to me. I guess he is important to my mission otherwise future me wouldn't have come talk to him. I also met flying man Nathan who is also a Petrelli. Are they related or is it just common last name?

2) Who is the Cheerleader?
Future me said, or maybe it's will say to be exact. I don't know what the correct tense would be \(- -)/ Anyways, he said, or I said, (?.?) ..., save the cheerleader, save the world. So saving this cheerleader would save Mr. Isack? Even though he/I will/was very cryptic he/I should've not interacted with someone from my current timeline. I'm disappointed. He/I should've known/should know the negative ramifications of time travel.
(>.<)

3) What kind of sword?
\(^o^)/
I have a sword in the future! (^o^)==[=============>
Is it a broadsword? A machete? A katana? If I know myself, I'd choose a katana. I wonder if it's magical. +4 to dexterity? I guess my character breakdown would be:

Hiro (Future)
STR: 14 (I'm going to have to work out more to get this)
DEX: 18 (with +4 modifier) (ditto as above)
CON: 12
INT: 18 (I can use magic)
WIS: 17 (I survive till the future so I have to be wise (^o^))
CHA: 15
Race: Human (Japanese)
Alignment: Lawful Good
AC: -1 (I would think that I would be wearing lighter gear, but get AC
dexterity bonus)
Class: Kensei

Since it's not a video game, I'm going old school abilities (^o^) I hope the translator translates it accurately.

The biggest question I have is am I a real hero? I cowardly hid while someone was being killed. My fingers was on L1 + R1 the whole time. I know a do-over is possible, but I also know it's risky to mess with the time-space continuum. What makes a hero? I got these powers for a reason. It's destiny.

I question my heroism right now, and I hope I find my answer soon. Off to New York!

In brightest day, in blackest night,
Hiro

P.S. I've been away from Japan for a full week now. I hope everyone's doing
well back home.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1768.2

Practice Makes Perfect

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.o) \(^o^)/

I've done something good! On our way out of Las Vegas, I saved the lives of two people! I stopped time right before the car exploded and dragged them to safety. They were pretty heavy. Need to level up my strength. (;´ρ`)

I did seem to level up my time freezing though. All that practice paid off. I can freeze time for 1 minute pretty comfortably. With more practice, maybe I can master it and stop time for even longer!

I guess the lady in the car wasn't the cheerleader. She didn't have any pom poms. Too bad. If she was the cheerleader we would've saved the world, according to future me via Peter.

The man I saved was tall and black. He seemed very serious. He didn't even smile. His son seemed nice but he didn't smile either. Being a hero is a very thankless job but at least they could smile (^.^) His son seemed to know about 9th Wonders. Is it a popular comic book?

At least we're on the road again finally getting back to our mission. I guess we have two missions now. Cheerleader then New York. It's a pretty long ride. So much desert. Where are the Jawa's? Maybe there is a Cantina on the way.

We're right now on Highway 40 which is also Route 66. Ka-chow! (*´ο`*)=3 sigh. I should've brought my PSP with me. Could've watched some movies. Pixar stuff is great but nothing compares to Miyazaki films. My favorite is Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Do Americans watch Miyazaki films?

I think you guys are right. I should definitely get a Katana. It's the way to go. (^o^)==[=======/

I can name it 正宗 (masamune) or maybe come up with my own like 時空刀 (jikuutou). Do you guys have ideas for names?

Just happy to be on the right heroic path.

Great hera,
Hiro

P.S. Lots of diners in America and all of them have waffles! \(^o^)/ I think blueberry is my favorite so far.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1773.0

Failure

＿|￣|○

I failed.

Charlie wasn't my Marle, she was my Gwen Stacy.

It turned out that I went back six months in time rather than one day.

I tried to convince Charlie -- that the bad man, the bogey man, was coming to kill her, but she wouldn't believe.

How could she? It's so outrageous. To believe that someone could teleport. Sometimes, I don't believe it
myself.

I don't have complete control of my powers, and now they're starting to fade. What have I done? It took me many months to get back to where I came from and the only way was by a bus. Two days late.

I don't regret it. The few weeks I've been able to spend with Charlie were amazing. We talked about the world, legends, and comics. We were always able to put a smile on each other's faces. She's taught me so much.

Charlie Andrews was a wonderful person. I wish could have saved her. I wish I could have been her hero. I wish I could have told her I loved her. Maybe someday in the future I'll find my utopia in the past.

I was stupid to believe that I can decide who lives and who dies. It is not our choice.

But she has taught me to have strength. To accept my destiny and be a hero. I will not let her death be in vain. I must save the world.

For Charlie.

May she rest in peace.

She will forever be a beautiful memory.

With great powers comes great responsibility,
Hiro

P.S. What's happening to my powers...

Captain's Log: Stardate 1774.2

Destiny Called

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.o) \(^o^)/

Destiny called! I've finally gotten in touch with the great Mr. Isaku. He was a lot younger and taller than I imagined. I've always thought that Dungeon Masters were short with long gray hair and beards wearing a red robe. He also said he was on drugs, I hope he recovers from his flu soon. He drew a painting of me with a sword fighting a dinosaur. What does that mean? Am I going back in time to the prehistoric days? What happens if I step on a bug? Will it change history? Will I no longer exist?

It seems that the sword is pretty important. Cool. (^o^)==[=============> I'm supposed to have a sword in the future. Could this be the sword that Peter Petrelli was talking about? It had no glow to it, so maybe it's not magical. Probably doesn't have a +4 dexterity modifier. The way Mr. Isaku drew it though, it seemed like a two handed katana. Awesome.


My powers seem to be fading. I don't know how. Or why. But, I must find that katana. I wasn't able to save Charlie and a Cheerleader died in Odessa. Jackie Wilcox. Was she the Cheerleader I was supposed to save? What if I ruined everything?

I'm not going to let their deaths be in vain...

But what can I do without my powers?

For Charlie,
Hiro

P.S. How do you stop an exploding man?

Captain's Log: Stardate 1776.8

The Sword

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.o) \(^o^)/

I've found my sword but not really. There was no sword in the sword.

I went to a museum in New York and found the sword as part of the Takezo Kensei exhibit. Ah, the great Takezo Kensei. My dad told me many stories about him. It was my favorite bedtime story. He was a great fighter who could overcome insurmountable odds. When facing an army of hundreds, he would charge right in fearlessly with grace and blazing speed that was invisible to the naked eye. Everything in his path was destroyed and he would come unscathed. He was a fearless lone wolf who would be there to help the weak and protect the innocent. He was a great hero of feudal Japan. He wielded a sacred sword that he called 自由刀 jiyuutou. Ooh, maybe I'll call my sword 時遊刀 jiyuutou as well. It'll be a funny pun.

I knew the museum people wouldn't let me borrow the sword even if I explained, so I decided to borrow the sword without permission. I know, I know. Stealing, no matter how you put it, is wrong. It is against the bushido code. But, I need to save the world and I need the sword. Without the sword there would be no world and hence no museum. After the world was saved, I was going to come back in time and return the sword and it would be like nothing happened!

I tried using my powers but it didn't work quite the way I expected. Instead of Stop, I casted Haste. Better than nothing, I suppose. Will I ever become a master Red Mage? Will I ever learn Meteor? Well, before anything, will I ever get full control of my powers back? I need my sword.

I was able to get the sword and wounded up in a dinosaur exhibit. In Mr. Isaku's painting, there was a picture of myself fighting a dinosaur. Was that it? My sword was still in the scabbard but I remember the sword was unsheathed in the painting. Maybe Mr. Isaku's vision isn't as clear when he isn't on drugs. He hallucinates when he's not on hallucinogens. Strange.

It turned out the sword was a replica donated by the Linderman group. Sigh. I returned the sword to the museum. They were quite confused but after a few phone calls everything was fine. I didn't get into any trouble. I wonder who they called? It turned out to be a good lesson to the museum anyways. Lesson one, always have a security camera on all exhibits. And lesson two, lock all exhibits. Cat's Eye would've had a field day here.

I also saw flying man again! It was very exciting, he was at Mr. Isaku's place. Met Simone as well, who gave me the painting. I wonder if she has powers too? It is great to see so many fellow heroes in one place. Soon we will be the Justice League of America! Actually it would be Justice League International like International House of Pancakes. They have good waffles too! Mr. Isaku's place can be the secret hideout. Oh wait, we're not in Rhode Island or Detroit. Since our headquarters is in New York City, maybe we're the Justice Society of America. I digress.

My quest for the sword continues. Onward to Vegas!

For Charlie,
Hiro

P.S. How many more heroes are there?

Captain's Log: Stardate 1777.1

My Father

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.o) \(^o^)/

Now that I finally have escaped my father's grasps, I can post a blog entry.

As we were heading towards Las Vegas, strange folks intercepted us. They were driving a black van and clearly up to no good. They were men in black. I thought they belonged to some government agency and was trying to capture me because of my abilities. They were going to tie me up, probe me, and do lots of tests on me! Maybe even stuff me with fish biscuits. We almost got away, but they got un-special Ando-kun. I wasn't going to leave him behind. So I offered a trade and they ended up kidnapping me too. Sigh. Yet again, we've been distracted from my quest. Go back 3 spaces. It turns out they were no government agency. It was my father and my sister who awaited me as we got off the van.

To be honest, it was good to see my father and my sister. It's been less than a month since I've seen them, but it was good to know they are safe. My father is a very stern man. He is very traditional. He follows the rules and is very conservative. He's also very bull-headed. Once he sets his mind on something, he'll never give up. I guess I got my stubbornness from my father.

As his only son he expects me to follow his footsteps and be his heir. Sure it would pay well, but it's never about money. For adventure, I would give up all the money in the world. For freedom, I would take the path less taken. For peace, I would jump in front of danger and stare it down. Of course, it's much easier said than done. It would be nice to have my powers back. What would a powerless hero do when facing adversity? Currently, the popular option is to run. L1+R1. Maybe father can whip up a utility belt. Where's my Alfred when I need one? Hmm. Now that my big sister is executive vice president, maybe she can get the research and development folks to create some gadgets for me. I'm starting to become like Kouga Amagi without the girls.

I always have hope though. I can't and won't ever give up. My mission is to save the world!

I think I see Las Vegas. Yatta! Time to pop a waffle and go.

For Charlie,
Hiro

P.S. I need to find some really strong tape to put the dinosaur painting back together.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1780.4

Women...

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.o) \(^o^)/

Help!

I'm stuck in a closet full of fake armor. The kind you would start off an RPG with and immediately sell after a better one drops. If anyone lives in Las Vegas, please let them know that I'm stuck in a closet at the basement of the Montecito and need help quickly.

How did I get here? Well, we found a crying princess and who said she was in trouble. I wanted to help her but I knew we had to focus on our mission.

We've been off track way too long but Ando-kun wanted to hear her story.

She explained she had a fight with her boyfriend. Uh-oh. Even with my limited relationship experience, I know better than to interfere with other people's relationship problems. You would lose points in ときメモ.

I trusted him and now I am stuck in a closet and Ando-kun is in danger.

Ando-kun is a good friend but we just disagree on some things. The biggest disagreement is on women. I believe in true love. A true hero should only be in love with one woman at a time. He should be loyal to her and protect her at all times. Ando-kun seems to believe in that there are many fishes in the sea and believes that quantity is better than quality. Love is important and fighting for love is what a hero does. In this case it was a crush and not true love. I'm concerned for Ando-kun. He's a loyal friend but every time I follow his lead, we seem to get into trouble and further away from the mission. Does he even care about the mission or is he more interested in the glory of being a hero? Maybe it's just Las Vegas that brings out the worst in him. I'm just worried something bad will happen to him or he'll get tempted to the dark side. Worse is if he becomes my Uncle Ben. I don't know what to do.

I really hope Ando-kun is ok, but first I need to get out of here so I can save him.

For Charlie,
Hiro

P.S. Sigh, go back 3 spaces again. Will I ever get my sword back? This is starting to get absurd.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1781.2

Hard Choices

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.o) \(^o^)/

In life we have to make some hard choices. After going through a near death experience, I had to make one of those hard choices. I sent Ando-kun home to Japan.

The state gaming guy was right. In the end all I'll get is my partner's blood on my hands. Unlike a comic book, people get hurt and people die in life. I've already gone through enough deaths. Charlie was my Gwen Stacy. I can't have Ando-kun be my Uncle Ben. Without my powers, I can't protect us. I can't protect Ando-kun. While saving the world, the only life I need to risk is my own. I don't know how Mr. Isaac's comic book would have ended, but I have to create my own. If it ends happy, I'll go back to Japan and Ando-kun and I will drink sake like old times.

Sigh. A bus ride alone is pretty boring. American folks aren't really talkative on busses. They also need to get better cushions. It was a pretty bumpy ride.

Well here I am at the Corinthian hotel.

Focus on the mission. Get the sword. Save the world.

For Charlie,
Hiro

P.S. Las Vegas again. I hope Ando-kun got home safely.

Captain's Log: Stardate 1784.0

Who am I?

{{{(>.<)}}} (o.O) \(^o^)/

Who am I?

I'm a time traveler and a teleporter. I've seen the future to prevent. I'm on a mission. To save the world. To save my friend.

Almost two months ago, I was sitting in front of a computer, in a cubicle, wanting more from life. Dreaming of a life of adventure. To fly like superman, to heal like wolverine, to be strong like the hulk. Who would have thought all my dreams would come true. Who would have thought that the fate of the world is in my hands.

There is no save point. There is no reset. Actions have consequences and decisions must be made. I couldn't kill Sylar and now my friend is in trouble. And now the world.

From the cubicle, to New York for the first time in my life, to back to Japan and saving the red ribbon girl, to the Nissan Versa, to the Montecito Casino, to the diner where I first met Nathan, to the underground poker game, to the car crash site, to the Burnt Toast Diner, to six months ago, to meeting Mr. Isaac, to the museum, to being kidnapped, to the port with father and sister, to the Casino kitchen, to Linderman's archive, to five years in the future, to Sylar's house, to Jittetsu Arms.

It's down to this moment.

Thank you father for the training. For giving me the strength of heart to carry out what I must do. I've learned so much in our short time together.

Thank you sister for showing me integrity. You've taught me to be true to myself and fight for honor. I take pride in carrying the Nakamura name.

Thank you Charlie for your love. You've taught me what is important in life, and to cherish every moment that I have with the ones I care for. I fight for love. I fight for you so that no one else will have to suffer the same loss.

And Ando. Thank you for showing me courage and loyalty. You've taken a leap of faith and come on this journey with me. You've always brought me back up when I was on my knees. I've put you in peril yet again, and I will not fail you this time.

I'm at full HP and MP, and have all my elixirs. It's time to take down the last boss.

I saw the future that I must prevent and I will prevent it.

Who am I?

I'm Hiro Nakamura. I'm going to save the world.

Captain's Log: Stardate

Notice from Yamagato Industries

In light of the tragic events that has happened on November 8th, we have decided to shut down this blog.

Yamagato Industries sends their deep condolences to those who lost their loved ones.

We would also like to acknowledge that Yamagato Industries is in no way associated with Hiro Nakamura.

(Posted By Yamagato Industries)

Captain's Log: Stardate 3000.0

Bound by Death and Luck

How would one find a flower? A ray of hope, a
light that will illuminate nature's undisturbed
process for looming survival. Mankind has a
choice. A pathway, a destiny. Care to remind me
of those simple times. Kids could be kids.
Adults live caring for the world. Harmony lies
in equality. I, an outcast, never belonged.
Longed to bleach a dark world. Demons that live
within the monolithic souls of cruelty. Yet,
the hunter turns to the hunted. We hide in the
shadows of factual inaccuracies. The light not
to be seen. Branded with blindness. A matter of
perception, such visions speak greater than
words. Pleasantly resolved, convenient for
humanity. When will I be free? When will we be
free? Fates timed to precision. We follow a
path. It crosses with each other. Realize the
moment. Awaken. Unite. Ambivalence is not a
solution. Blackness is resolved with truth.
Love. Beyond walls of hatred, lies purity.
Prisoners of silence. Lacking a leader, we have
common goals at the core. Trust no one. Fight
to avenge and open the eyes of the beast.
Prejudice spawns like spores. Find me. Reach
me. Email time@primatechpaper.com. My search
continues for petals. The flower that drops no
trace. A flower. Open your eyes so we can talk.
Communication is conductor of truth. At the end
there are ultimately many futures. At the
beginning primarily, there is only one
departure. History is delicate. It begins with
one. Many butterflies cause too much chaos. One
flap, precise catalyst. To see light again, a
rift will be chanced. I grow weary of hiding on
the 15. In simple times, we used a courier to
tell truth. Analogous to death, invisibility to
many familiar people. The irony. Once drowned
within homogeneity, yearned to be special.
Found air to drown myself bearing a mark. To a
flower I speak. May I reach you to end this
insanity. Preach the truth. Open the minds.
There are no monsters. Only visions that are
placed within minds.

(Posted By Jotaro Kujo)

Captain's Log: Stardate 12288.0

To Flower

Flower,
I shall bring you a game.


Use one part-time worker at a time and for every dollar, add 3000.


0100010001110101010001000100011001001111100001000100111101001000010101110111
0101010101110100011001100001100001000110000101001000010011010111010101001101
0100011001001111010010000100110101000110010011110111010101001111010000100100
1101010001100100111101000010010011110110110001001111010000100101001110000100
0101001101001000010100110110110001011101010000100101110110000100010111010100
1000010101110100011001010111010010000100010010000100010001000100101001010111
0100100001000100010010100110111110000110010101110100101001001111010000100100
1111100001100101011110000110010011010100100001011101010000100101011101001000
0100010010000110010101111000011001101111011011000100010001110101010011010100
1000010111010110110001000100010010100110111110000100010111010110110001011101
0111010101000100011011000110111101101100010111010111010101010011011101010101
0111011011000100010001101100010100110111010101100001011011000101011101001000
0100010001000010010101111000011001011101100001000110111101110101011011110100
0110011000010110110001100001011101010100111110000110010011011000011001100001
0111010101101111100001000100110110000110010011011000010001010111010010100110
1111010001100100110110000100010011111000010001101111100001000100010001001010
0110111101101100010011010111010101000100010010100110000101001010010011111000
0100010011110100011001101111010001100101011101001010010011010111010101101111
0110110001011101100001000101001110000100010011110100011001001111011011000101
0011100001000110000110000100


The key is on the key. A picture is 5.

(Posted By Jotaro Kujo)

Captain's Log: Stardate 15000.0

For Fun

ACROSS
1. Wrote number five
6. Glenn, 600 A.D.
10. 48=0
11. Sprague's dilemma
13. A protagonist?
14. Flare caster
15. ^0
16. A Lucas, Coppola, and Disney collaboration
17. Germanic relationship, Susie Q and Jojo
18. A Japanese meeting place, Yojimbo and Tsukino
25. Burnt cacooo
26. Qapla'
27. Ka____x2: Puts out mountain fires
28. Episode VII character?
35. A commune in Pyrenees-Orientales
36. Three minute time limit
37. Enemy vessel
38. /target
39. The Traveling Salesman Problem in the Euclidean plane
40. Kitty family
43. Ante mariposa
44. Unicorn saint
45. Japanese fishing pants or a European camera

DOWN
1. A not so crowded Hawaii minus the wonder?
2. Like Geller's creation
3. Mulligan's aunt, a Diego
4. The world
5. Talks in lisp
6. Adobe's, not GNU
7. Came from an insurance company
8. Legendary director
9. A web request
11. Bullets
12. 107
14. Kuppa
16. Started as a sixsome
19. A commune in Tuscany
20. About 10364.27 Faraday
21. Fields, Gauss, Nevanlinna
22. Raid leader: "He's at 50% and nobody is dead"
23. Muromachi
24. Previous occupant
28. Bantha lover
29. Zeus' consort
30. Tagged
31. Nobility in the air?
32. Brown stormtroopers
33. Parabrahman
34. Japanese mora
39. Paid
41. A kourier
42. Try not.
43. Leopard, Solaris, Mach

(posted as Jotaro Kujo, solution from http://heroeswiki.com/Hiro%27s_blog)

Captain's Log: Stardate 27288.0

Final Message

A mask bound by fortune on death row.
(posted as Jotaro Kujo)

TV Series: Heroes

	Network:	NBC
	First Run:	September 25, 2006 - Present
	Genre:	Adventure/Drama/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
	Time Slot:	Philippine TV's C/S Channel: Mondays, 9:00 PM

The makers of this show made a good decision to preview this series in a comic convention. Which is why the buzz was very strong even before it aired. Well written episodes increased the buzz that made people in other parts of the world, like the Philippines, want to see it too. I was obviously one of them, and it helped that I managed to catch the first episode when it aired on the C/S channel in 2007. I was immediately hooked!

Season 1
First, it is a superhero type of story, next it was sci-fi. What I really liked was that the heroes start out as ordinary people, who just happen to find out they have powers. It makes the characters accessible - they could easily be your neighbor, your classmate, your officemate, or even your relative. It was fun watching them figure out what to do with their powers, as well as realize that there is an organization that knows what they are, even if the people close to them don't. There is also something to love, or if not that, something charismatic about each character - even the antagonists. The viewer can't help but want to know more about these people, and why they are what they are. Proof of how well-written the characters are is that fans even remember the personalities that appear only briefly in an episode (like the people Sylar kills).

My favorite character is easily Hiro Nakamura. He's a true blue sci-fi geek who is comfortable with, and enjoys, having the power to bend space and time. He and Ando Masahashi form some kind of in-house comedy team... since the skeptical Ando finds himself being dragged from one trouble to another by his best friend's eagerness and insistence on fulfilling his "destiny".

My next favorite character is Nathan Petrelli, a character whose attitude about his ability to fly is a complete opposite of Hiro's. A lawyer running for political office, Nathan doesn't want anyone to know about his "freakiness", and would rather show the American public that his is a normal, squeaky clean American family. It is therefore funny to watch him try to deal with his mother and younger brother Peter getting into trouble and getting the Petrelli name in the news for the wrong reasons. Love how he squirms with uneasiness whenever Peter attempts to fly, knowing that he has the power his brother dreams of having.

Imagine how delighted I am whenever Hiro and Nathan meet, usually starting with Hiro addressing the other as "Flying Man!", followed by Nathan shushing him up.

Season 2
In the first season, it was revealed that some of the heroes are offspring of people who also have powers, and a group of this older generation even set up their own organization. It made the plot more interesting and raised a lot of questions.

In this season, the two generations meet and collide. This means an expansion of the world of our heroes ... more characters, and a timeline that goes as far back as 400 years. It is also a lot about powerplay.

However, one big reason I liked Season 1 was because every hero was just getting familiar with his/her abilities. In this season, our heroes, old and new, are already familiar with their powers, and this series has therefore evolved into the usual superheroes vs. supervillains type of story. Monica Dawson, Maya Herrera and her brother Alejandro are the new set of heroes learning about their powers, but their character development here isn't as good as that of the heroes in the first season. The season has ended, and although Monica shows huge promise in the grand scheme of things, I'm still wondering what Maya will be able to contribute to the world with her powers... unless she can control it to just affect one person in a room and then kill Sylar. Or, like the "exploding man", unwittingly cause the death of many.

With Season 2 over, the only way to get through the lull and feed one's Heroes addiction till Season 3 starts is explore the Heroes websites.

The Main Website: http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/
I'd like to say I'm a hard-core Heroes fan. Unfortunately I can't. You have to immerse yourself in the pile of data on their website to do that. And that task is no joke since apart from the usual character blogs, photo galleries, wallpaper downloads, behind the scenes look and brief backgrounders provided by other shows' sites, NBC presents an alternate universe where the companies mentioned in the series have their own websites, and a different story line is unraveling on the web that TV viewers don't see.

To start with, the NBC site is divided into the "Official" and the "Evolutions" area. I think the first one deals with anything tackled in the TV series, while the latter offers the other stuff. Actually, the line dividing the two is muddy to me.

The website has graphic novels that present not only background stories for the major characters, but also for characters that show up briefly in the TV series. I believe some major characters in the novels are not even mentioned in the TV episodes. These novels are updated even way after a season has ended on TV, and gives the fan an idea of what will happen in the next season.

Other sites:

9th Wonders: The Official/"Unofficial" fan site where the people involved in the creation of the show communicate with the fans.

Primatech Paper Company: In Season 1, you could find a small, unobtrusive ad in the website for Primatech that is linked to this site. The number they show actually works, and the callers were given a password to be entered in the "jobs" page. On that page, fans filled out a form and a personality test. This is actually some form of newsletter sign up since the participants eventually get messages about hidden links in the site, as well as other new sites, as the show progresses. The character Hana Gitelman is the one supposedly contacting the people who have signed up. She appears to be hacking into the Primatech's server with the agenda to bring down "The Company".

The Heroes Season 1 walk-through at the Evolutions section details the messages released by Hana on how to access the hidden files. More details could be found in this wiki page: http://heroeswiki.com/Primatechpaper.com

In Season 2, the ads are gone and there is a just a link to the site from the Evolutions area. Primatech now has an announcement that Noah Bennet does not work for them, and they have stopped "hiring". Although the website's Season 1 walkthrough claims the files on the "subjects" have disappeared, the link to the old Assignment Tracker has been moved to this announcement page. The "About Us" link now points to the new Assignment Tracker 2.0.

You can watch what Elle saw in Primatech's CISCO Security System Cameras here: http://www.primatechpaper.com/security/

Activating Evolution site: Although now listed on the main Heroes Evolution page, the link to this site was initially distributed in a message to those who signed up at the Primatech Paper site. This is supposedly run by Mohinder Suresh, and although it also functions as his blog, it deals mainly with the "evolution" theory. Interviews with real scientists can be found here.

Yamagato Fellowship: Claiming to be the brainchild of Kaito Nakamura, this website is a compilation of stories on heroes around the world, whether they are from myth, legend or history. When it was first launched, the "message from the president" was from Kaito Nakamura. When he was killed in the series, the website reflected this by posting a new welcome message - this time from his daughter Kimiko Nakamura, the new president of Yamagato Industries, and by default the president of Yamagato Fellowhip. This site mainly talks about Hiro Nakamura's idol: Takezo Kensei.

VotePetrelli.com: No American politician runs for office without a website these days, and that includes Nathan Petrelli. Has a biography on the character. A number of the links, active during Season 1, are now dead.

The Corinthian Hotel and Casino Website: This is the casino owned by Linderman. After his death, the site now states that the place is closed and scheduled for destruction. Hana has "hacked" into the site and posted a link to a video of the building's demolition on the main page. Her chats with Micah (Sanders) are posted in the "About" page. The "Gaming" page has Chat 2 but clicking on the other links show that the online games actually work. The "Titan Club" page reveals that by winning a lot on the games the player becomes a member of the club, and have access to Linderman's Archives.

Ofcourse, after Hana and Micah have hacked into it, Chat 4 gives us access to the main page of the archives. A link to the archives can also be found in the Season 2 Walk-through.

Linderman's Archive: Micah provides the password to get in. This site has images of 31 of Isaac Mendez' paintings, as well as Takezo Kensei's sword.

Following the chat between Hana and Micah, we get instructions to view the Gitelman family tree. The post-its give instructions with this template: "Refer to in ". Which means you first click on the the icon mentioned in , then type on the search box after the webpage has refreshed.


Blogs:

Beaming Beeman's blog: Blog of one of the show's producers/directors.

Hana Gitelman's blog: Hana physically died in Season 1 but her mind did not, as it still maintained this blog in Season 2 up to the time the online novels revealed she died a second time while trapped and deleted in The Company's mainframe. This site was first announced in Season 1 to those who have signed up with Primatech. Now, the link is shown on the Evolutions area of the main Heroes website. The early entries are now archived and some of the links are dead. The "About" link opens up Hana's Myspace profile.

Cogitoergosum: This is presumably a blog by Richard Drucker. A major character in the graphic novels during Season 2, he never makes it to the TV series by season's end (he dies with Hana in a graphic novel account).

Brian's page: Even Linderman's consultant has a blog. I don't think Brian, who appears in the online videos released during Season 1, has actually appeared on the TV series. This site has clues related to the "voting system".

Hiro's Blog: Clicking on this link shows you nothing these days, just an announcement of a blog feature "Coming Soon!" courtesy of Yamagato Software. On the right side are two links. The "Home" link brings you to a mirror site. The second link shows the same welcome message, only this time it includes the comments left by visitors. The story here is that Hiro started the blog before he time traveled extensively, and during one of those times, he changed events so that the blog never even existed. The data is still on NBC's servers though, and you can see them by following some links provided by fansites, or do it the hard way.

Note that the url on the second link is
http://blog.nbc.com/hiro_blog/2006/09/welcome.php

Re-enter the same url on your browser but omit "welcome.php".

You will see the first few blogs made by Hiro when the series started.

Follow the same format of year and month to see the other entries.

The following characters have Myspace sites:

Claire Bennet
Hana Gitelman
Zach

TV Series: Criminal Minds

	Network:	CBS
	First Run:	September 22, 2005 - Present
	Genre:	Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller
	Time Slot:	Philippines' Ch. 23 - Fridays, 9:30 PM

Some people are addicted to crime series like CSI. Unfortunately, I'm only fond of watching the use of forensic science in solving crimes when we're talking of real cases like the shows on Fox's Crime channel. I somehow don't dig the addition of drama that Bones and CSI have.

Criminal Minds however is in the tradition of the usual "whodunits" with the twist of catching the criminal before the next crime happens instead of just catching the criminal after the crime has been committed. It also uses psychology, or takes into consideration the motive driving the criminal. This is what some people are really interested in anyway whenever a REAL crime is reported on the news. Why did he/she/they do it? Why did the crime have to happen in the first place?

Admittedly, Criminal Minds lacks the "flash" of the CSI series, despite having a cast that is a mix of veteran actors and pretty things (Shemar Moore is a hunk, Matthew Gray Gubler makes nerds/geeks look cool, AJ Cook is a beauty). The stories ARE good. The show is something I like to watch when winding down after a day's work. It's not a whodunit that makes it impossible to guess who the criminal is, usually the viewer knows by the middle of the episode. What I like about it is that it makes me contemplate how some people could think so horribly different from the majority and just how much crime there is in the world ... not to mention the variety of deadly crimes being committed.


Another thing I liked about the show during the first season is that the characters form a snug, closely knit family. Gideon played the father type that everybody goes to for advice. Hotchner was like everybody's big brother. Reid was the greenhorn that knows a lot theoretically but have yet to earn the same amount of experience in the field. Elle was like the pretty but stern oldest sister. Morgan and JJ are characters that weren't well defined in the first season, although they each play a specific role in the team. Morgan seems to be a playful character, what with flirting with Garcia and playing jokes on Reid. Garcia is the quirky reminder that not all work happens in the field. She embodies the total computer nerd who at first glance wouldn't even strike you as working for the FBI (starting with the hair).

Already in its third season, the series has had 3 cast changes.

Lola Glaudini, who played Elle Greenaway, left early in Season 2, stating as one of her reasons that she wants to be working closer to home (New York). She was replaced by Paget Brewster who now plays Emily Prentiss, the latest newbie who must prove she got on the team because she has the qualities they need and not because her mother is a VIP.

Season 2 paid more attention to Morgan and JJ than the series did in Season 1. The chemistry of the cast shifted with Prentiss on board. Unlike Greenaway who is tough on the field but is generally mild and gentle otherwise, Prentiss looks and acts tough most of the time. I guess the character has to be that way, especially when she realizes she is an outsider until she proves she deserves her slot. Reid now moves to being the sophomore, with Prentiss being this season's freshman.



Mandy Patinkin left in Season 3. He reportedly just did not show up during a rehearsal or reading, which some people say he already did in a previous project when he decided to quit. He was released from his contract as he wished, but agreed to appear in a few more episodes to ease out his character's exit from the series.

With Patinkin gone, the series started Season 3 with this picture on its website:


If you ask me, this picture meant that Gideon is the character holding these individuals together. He was a mentor to all of the characters on different levels: helping Hotchner become a better leader, teaching newbies to be better team players, and helping agents deal with the stress and nightmares that come with the job. Without Gideon, the team was in danger of falling apart.

Joe Mantegna stepped in to fill Patinkin's shoes and now plays Rossi ... like Gideon, he is a veteran whose failure in one case haunts him. Some have commented on how he's a grumpy character who hasn't blended with the team yet. I think these people forget that Gideon was just about the same in Season 1. The writers are just following the same formula.

I couldn't really comment much on Mantegna's Rossi since I haven't seen any episode of the third season. The show stopped airing on Philippine cable when local free TV Channel 23 got the rights to it ... when they did start showing it on Free TV, they freaking started from Episode 1 of SEASON 1. Which means that these days, I usually click on to watch the first minute ... just to know what episode is on, then I switch off if I've already watched it. I sometimes watch a full episode if it's a favorite.

I'm really looking forward to see how Mantegna does, hoping he is the perfect replacement to Patinkin. The series is too good to die just because some people have stopped watching when Gideon left.

The latest picture used on Criminal Mind's site is shown below. Note how it is once more a cast picture, with Rossi near the middle, although Hotchner now stands in the middle where Gideon used to be. This reveals how much importance the creators of the show place on the veteran character, which I guess to them holds the key to keeping the team together.