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.

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

Website: Philippine National Bank

A sneak peek at the new look of our company website which was launched yesterday, Feb. 11.



I have at least 3 changes to make on the Treasury pages, but they didn't make the cut-off date.

Hey There, Hubbard

L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology (CoS), died January 24, 1986.

An odd way to commemorate this death anniversary is an all out attack on the organization by a group calling itself Anonymous.

And it all boils down to CoS using its legal muscle to remove the leaked videos of Tom Cruise on YouTube where he talks about being a Scientologist. Lots of people took offense, and war was declared. I guess the idea is to vigilantly "expose" CoS in response to CoS' vigilance to protect its name, reputation, and if you believe their detractors, protecting opportunities to make more money by requiring people to be paying members before they have the right to see the Tom Cruise video.

The clip is basically an interview with the latest winner of the CoS Medal of Valor (Tom Cruise, who else?). I could paste a link to the video here, but it would be a waste of effort since I'm pretty sure that link will be gone in 24 hours courtesy of the CoS patrol. If you want to watch Tom Cruise ramble, use a search engine like Google to find the latest upload of the video.

I'm not kidding ... Cruise just rambles in that clip. It's precious for the tiny bits about CoS that Cruise mentions, but generally yawn-inspiring. Ofcourse if you idolize Cruise, you're welcome to drink in every word. CoS will probably be glad to have more members in the Philippines.

Oh yeah, Scientology has already reached this Land of the Morning. We keep inviting David Pomeranz every year to hold Valentine's Day concerts here ... it was inevitable he would not only bring his music, but Scientology as well. Scientology registered as a religious organization in the Philippines in 2003. I think their local center is somewhere in Greenhills. The government has welcomed their assistance in helping out with illiteracy and drug problems. The group doesn't believe in psychology or psychiatry as we know it, and thinks itself a better solution to the psychs, but I guess the government takes what works especially if given for free - including a series of pamphlets based on the Scientology handbook.

Funny, huh? A controversial organization such as CoS who would sue the pants off of anyone who divulges its "scriptures" to the rest of the world is actively distributing a handbook in a third world country.

-----edit-----

Holy S**t! Pages on the official Scientology site were not available or disappeared one by one from the moment I started writing this post. And now the site is totally down ... again! Anon's work, definitely.

Developments on this would be fun to watch.

Bits and Pieces

Milk

A movie about California's first openly gay elected politician, Harvey Milk (picture on the left), is in the works. Milk will be directed by Gus Van Sant and will star Sean Penn (picture on the right) in the title role. Reportedly playing Daniel Nicoletta is Lucas Grabeel. Ah... so now you know why I'm writing about this movie.

To know more about Harvey Milk, read Time's profile on the man: http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/milk01.html

Danny Nicoletta started as a clerk in Harvey Milk's Castro Street camera store in San Francisco. When Milk ran for office, Nicoletta worked on his campaigns as well. After Milk was gunned down, Nicoletta and other friends of the politician formed a group dedicated to preserving Milk's legacy. Apart from keeping the memory of Milk alive, Nicoletta is also a well known photographer specializing in documenting the gay and lesbian community of San Francisco.

Young Daniel Nicoletta	Daniel Nicoletta now	Lucas Grabeel

James Franco is rumored to play Milk's lover, Scott Smith, while either Matt Damon or Josh Brolin will play Milk's killer, Dan White.


OK Magazine

OK magazine just published an interview with Lucas Grabeel too, with a companion write up on its website. The topic is High School Musical, the fame that came with it, and working on the movie Lock and Roll Forever.


Monique Lhuiller

Her website: http://www.moniquelhuillier.com/

Nice and simple, but I totally hate having to turn off the music every time I go back to the homepage. This Filipina has done well. Like Vera Wang, Lhuillier has made a name creating wedding gowns of Hollywood celebrities, and she has branched out to evening wear and RTW. Her gowns have been worn by actresses strutting the red carpet on award shows. Lhuillier has also designed a line of dinner ware. There are rumors that she may come out with her own line of fragrance.


Michael Copon

I didn't watch Power Rangers, and neither do I watch One Tree Hill, therefore I haven't seen or heard about Michael Copon till I read his name being mentioned in the same paragraph as Monique Lhuillier and Vanessa Hudgens. Googled him and he's quite the hunk. This Filipino/German-American's current project is starring in the latest Scorpion King movie: Rise of the Akkadian. The movie is based on the video game of the same name.

Duwayne Johnson passed on the chance to reprise his role.

Copon is also starring in another movie: The Kentucky Fried Horror Show.

Speaking of Scorpion King, the movie that started it all, The Mummy, will also have its own sequel this year. Brendan Fraser has reportedly agreed to reprise his role. Fraser being one of my favorite actors, there's no question that I will watch this movie.



Scream

Keri Hilson and Filipino-American Nicole Scherzinger is featured in Timbaland's "Scream".

The audio's not that good in this video, but the beat is still good. Song's currently stuck in my head.


Raisin in the Sun

Sean Combs aka Puff Diddy is promoting the movie made for TV: Raisin in the Sun. Raisin in the Sun is a 1959 play that was revived on Broadway in 2004, during which a couple of cast members won Tony awards. Sean Combs is part of the 2004 cast that performed the play in Broadway. Got to hand it to Sean Combs for his decisions on WHERE to branch out. Music label, clothing line, scents, and now acting. By the way, this is the first TV movie to be accepted to the Sundance Film Festival.


Ready, Set, Don't Go

Miley Cyrus's songs as Hannah Montana are definitely teen pop. Bubble gum pop. This duet with her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus is a refreshing change. One of those lovely country songs.



Wicked Guitar work

John Mayer trying out the interlude of "I Think She Knows":

Amazing Race Asia and Blog Pet Peeves

Watched the replay of Amazing Race Asia - again. Started watching it around 3 weeks ago. I usually don't watch Amazing Race but an officemate kept referring to it and my friend Sam asked me on the phone why the hell didn't I ask an autograph when I had my picture taken with Marc Nelson during the ICAP Charity Day. Needless to say, their interest in the show made me curious enough to watch an episode. I haven't become a fan, but it's entertaining enough that when it's on and nothing else better is being shown on other channels, I watch it.

Marc and Rovilson have so far managed to retain the #1 spot in this week's episode, and I like watching team #2 try their best to displace them. The fighting couple are still last and it's amazing they haven't been kicked out after having placed last for the last two legs of the race. Kinda scary to think the couple fight that way and that often when not in a stressful situation like this race.

--------

Been reading blogs today and I must say that I totally hate it when the embedded music starts playing when I open the site. Would be helpful if the mute or music off button is easily located. Oftentimes, blogs have a lot of widgets that I have to scroll down a lot of them before finding the music off button.

--------edit--------

He he he! Looking at blog posts about Amazing Race Asia (TARA 2), and although most Filipinos are rooting for Marc and Rovilson, it looks like a lot of non-Filipinos have pure hatred over the two. A number of females from other countries find them "hot", but the men just want them out of the race. Now THAT is funny.

Today's Dose of Randomness

Ricky Carandang's recent blog post discusses his thoughts on the recent Iowa caucus. It's a nice read ... especially his observations on discrimination in USA.

The Metro Manila filmfest is finally over, which means that movies released in the US during the filmfest time will finally be shown in local cinemas. Looking forward to seeing National Treasure. I know the plot/story will be as silly as the first one, I'm watching it for the thrill ride.

Can't help but notice that Crank That by Soulja Boy is going back up the Billboard Hot 100 chart again. It's now #5, being in the 11th spot the previous week. That's one resilient, addictive piece of music.

Saw A Knight's Tale on cable yesterday. I't a fun film to watch. I actually have a DVD of the movie. I still have the opinion that Alan Tudyk's character could pass for a grown up Ron Weasley (a Harry Potter book character). The short fuse, the loyalty to his friend despite knowing he will get into trouble, the red hair ... that's Ron Weasley.

I believe Paul Bettany was initially noticed by Hollywood in this film. Hard not to notice an actor who walks into his first scene naked. His acting wasn't bad either ... he actually won the London Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actor because of "A Knight's Tale".

The movie's plot is silly to start with, but it is a glaring oddity that the character of Chaucer is Ulrich von Liechtenstein's herald, and that Ulrich's men were betting against Frenchmen that an Englishman will win the jousting tournament in Paris. It was in the context that the French knew Ulrich and his men were English. If Will the thatcher's son is bent on keeping his disguise as Ulrich, wouldn't he be careful about discrepancies such as being English when you're supposed to be from another country?

Actually, the title von Liechtenstein from Gelderland should be glaringly bogus to any character in the movie. The current principality of Liechtenstein is near Switzerland (I once came across a brochure from its embassy - the place has high quality of living by the way); while Gelderland sounds Dutch. Let's say Liechtenstein is a relatively new principality ... I should think that any reference to older Liechtensteins would still locate them near Switzerland or neighboring countries like Austria.

Ignoring those bits of info, the movie is enjoyable because of its characters and the music.

Andy Swan took down the latest "Unauthorized" Gubler video. Wonder what made him change his mind. Would he post the future videos on http://www.bankruptpictures.tv/ only instead of YouTube?


--------edit---------

Passed by Portkey.org's forum. Read nothing interesting to give me reason to log on. My last post there was months ago. Harry Potter discussion is basically dead. The only reason I signed up there was because my friend, a moderator on that board, asked me to. Nothing much going on in lg.org either simply because most of Europe and North American tweens are not yet online (sleeping or in school).

Not in the mood to visit TWOP. One may find the most hysterical/funny discussions there, but members on that forum can be mean critics. Not much into negative vibes now. Need to find another forum to hang out in...

A-ha! Ashley Tisdale's website is a barrage of stuff that I realized only now that it actually has a forum.

I'm a Sharpay Evans fan, so ofcourse I signed up. Liking it ... simply because there are members my age in there, and not just tweens. Ha ha ha! I'll probably start hanging out there more as the topics of discussion are more varied. As usual, you'll find me in the "other topics" area.

Random Updates

Writers' strike = off time for actors.

Jay Leno got some flak for resuming his talk show using his own scripts ... the issue is that Leno is a member of the writers' guild and therefore shouldn't be writing. Doesn't matter if he's writing for his own show. Rules are rules.

Matthew Gubler and friends made use of their spare time digging up footage and finally posted a new "unauthorized documentary" on YouTube.

It's the first of "Season 2". Can't wait for more. Love Gubler for his sense of humor. Hoping he gets more and better projects, not only in acting - but in other aspects of the business. He has already directed a music video for a rock band. He has promise: his film projects in college are good, and considered noteworthy by his school ... although his stuff, if you find them on YouTube, leaned towards the bizaare.

Hate it that Studio23 isn't showing new episodes of Criminal Minds yet. I keep tuning in every Friday at 9:30PM, hoping to see an episode I haven't seen before. No such luck. At least they're not showing the same episode two weeks in a row ... which is what C/S is doing with Heroes Season 2. Aargh!!!

Was asleep on the bus ride home, as always. Still, the following entertainment news registered ... Jennylyn Mercado is 6 weeks pregnant with Patrick de Guzman's baby. Well, at least she's already 20 and not 16 like Jamie Lyn Spears. Speaking of Spears .... saw Britney on TV laid out on a gurney, rushed to the hospital for OD. Oh yeah, it's not all the time that I use words that rhyme, if I keep this up someone would accuse me of committing a crime.

I logged onto YouTube to see the amusing shibashi video by Sr. Mary John Mananzan. Saw this in my subscription box:

That would be the Marc Blackwell that everyone in LG.org is familiar with, plugging his photography business. He could do better in my opinion... he rarely looks at the camera in this clip. What I find amusing is that the fangirls at LG.org have now added his voice to their discussion. Tired of discussing Lucas' boxers, socks, tongue/teeth and his other body parts ... the girls have lately ventured onto discussing Marc's facial hair. When I first saw that thread, I found it creepy yet hilarious at the same time.

Hopefully Marc doesn't get stalked. When Billy Boyd's website still had a forum, his friend and the web administrator then, "Steelso", had a creepy experience of one fangirl actually stalking him. Dunno if the girl already lived in Scotland, or if she lived in another country and just went there to see him. I really don't know the details.

Ah, bb.net. I miss that forum. Of all message boards related to the Lord of the Rings movies, bb.net was the friendliest, which is why I hung out there a lot. LG.org is close ... but I easily get tired of Lucas talk, and most members are tweens. In bb.net, members range from 10 to 40. I usually hung around threads that discuss LOTR and anything about Middle Earth. I participated more in threads that talk about other stuff not related to Billy Boyd or LOTR though. The bb.net forum closed shortly after the last LOTR movie came out. The members created substitute forums, and I joined a couple of them. The atmosphere weren't the same as the original however, so I stopped logging onto those forums.

Back to the clip... Marc mentions that Lucas will work on his own project, "Beauregard", after "Lock and Roll Forever". Speaking of Lucas... an RSS feed alerted me to the new, official website of the independent film he shot: The Adventures of Foodboy.

On another HSM star: Vanessa Hudgens is on Seventeen's February issue ... AND she consents to talk about the unfortunate nude pictures incident.

HSM3 will start filming soon. Wonder what the movie will be like. When it comes to musicals though, what I'm really looking forward to is the movie adaptation of the play Mama Mia! ABBA may have been popular during my sister's "time" (she's 20 yrs. older), but I still like their music.

Another movie I'm looking forward to is Hancock. It's a comedy about a superhero in crisis. Starring one of my favorite actors: Will Smith. I know I'll enjoy this movie because Will Smith is in it. I was already watching this guy when he was just the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Serious karaoke guy

I mentioned in my Orangeade blog that EA has jumped on the social networking wagon with The Sims Onstage site. I also mentioned that my favorite area there is the karaoke section. The guy in the video below just made me realize how serious some of the members are when it comes to the karaoke. With his earphones and mike, it's like he's in a sound studio. Ha ha ha! He's made quite a number of recordings on the site that had high scores. I myself give him a 5 for this one ... not only because he carried the tune, but mostly because I found it hard to keep up with the lyrics onscreen and sing R.E.M.'s Stand, and he did it! He he he!



Ofcourse, if you're reading this entry from my Multiply blog, you wouldn't know from which blog you read about the Sims Onstage site first. Multiply gathers all entries from all my blogger sites. Nice feature.

Cocktales

A supplement to my reading the news is Victor Agustin's "Cocktales" blog. I find it easier to go straight to his blog than find his article in a newspaper site. His column is where one may find some rumors in the business circle that won't see print as news stories.

Having been axed by Inquirer, I do notice that he has a particular interest in reporting anything "bad" about that newspaper. He's also obviously pro-GMA. His pet peeve these days is the "Black and White" movement. He's recently called the people behind the group as gays, angry old maids, and closet autocrats. If you're not aware yet, "Black and White" movement is currently one of those groups attacking Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's way of running the Philippine government.

Once you have sifted through his biases though, you'll sometimes find the rare juicy industry news... ahem, I meant rumor.

Ricky Carandang's Blog

ANC News reporter Ricky Carandang keeps a blog. If you watch the news as much as I do (apart from news feeds from Reuters and Bloomberg, we've one TV tuned in to ANC and one tuned in to CNN), there's nothing new to read there really. What amuses me are the comments. Take this excerpt from a comment by TDC on Ricky's post on "Abalos Takes One for the Team":

One by one, they are falling by the wayside (either by divine intervention or by scandals…)in 2007.

1)Claudio(Resigned due to delicate operation)
2)Lolo Gonzales(Kidney transplant)
3)Abalos(ABCZTEFG)
4)Miriam(foot in mouth disease)
5)Neri(cowardice)

It's the "Foot in Mouth disease" that had me and Rey laughing.

Sector Seven at Second Life

I know it's been over a month since Transformers the movie was released. I have just decided to try recreating the Sector Seven headquarters in Sims 2, which means I have to go back to http://www.sectorseven.org/ (password is "deceptibot") to get the building's supposed schematics.

Hours later, when I've cut and pasted the images in a Powerpoint document (it's easy to manipulate images there than in Word or Excel), complete with annotations, I realized I have to figure out how it should look from the outside. After all, it is supposedly inside the Hoover Dam. Sectorseven.org doesn't have that on their site.

The next stop? Second Life - that virtual world where even advertisers have a presence. I don't hang around Second Life. I think I've been there only around thrice ... twice because of sector seven, with the second visit being today. Second Life has little appeal for me, but the account I opened out of curiousity has come in handy when I wanted to visit promo sites... like the Sector Seven region.

How do you get to Sector Seven in Second Life? Search for "Sector7" in the map in order to teleport there. Once you get to the area, you'll find yourself on "Hoover Dam".

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

You take the stairs leading down into the dam.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

You'll find yourself in a tunnel. Follow it.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

The end of the tunnel is perpendicular to another passage.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Ignore the door on the left. It doesn't open.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Go to the right.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

You'll see blue rays go off when you enter the portal. That's because this is supposedly the "X-ray scanning area".

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

The passage way continues on the other side of the portal.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Although you may find another door at the end of this tunnel

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Don't bother going there because it won't open either.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Go back to the big steel door. This is the elevator. On the left is a button you may push to wait for the elevator to open.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

However, it may take forever waiting for the elevator to open. It is best to use the teleport pad.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

If you wait too long, you may see someone who looks like Bumblebee come along. He's a guide.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

This guy will hang around just in case you need help.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Once you've taken the elevator or teleported, you'll find yourself at the bottom level of the structure. That's the only level you can explore in Second Life.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Just outside the elevator is another billboard that encourages you to join the Sector7 group. You'll find the teleport pad beside the elevator door again.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

This is a very wide passageway.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Best navigated when flying.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

There's not much to see in this area. So it's best to just fly to the end of the hall where you'll find the "round tunnels".

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Don't enter the tunnels just yet because near it you'll spot a box.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

You can get free Transformer t-shirts for your avatar by "buying" the item.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

After collecting the t-shirts, you can enter one of the tunnels. They all lead to the same room so it doesn't matter which one you take.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

You'll next find yourself in the "Megaman" hangar where Megatron is cryogenically frozen.


You can lounge in the seats in the room. It even has a window.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

On the side opposite the window, you'll notice a door. But let's go in that later.

By jingfrey at 2007-08-22

Nearer Megatron are two more boxes.

One box gives you a Bumblebee avatar. The other box gives you a Barricade avatar.
.

You can best appreciate Megatron up close by flying upward.


Let's now enter the door we saw earlier.


You'll find lots of equipment here.



This is the machine where they tested the All-spark.


You'll find a stack of boxes with documents. Amongst them is a box with more free t-shirts for your avatar.


Looking around you'll find that this corner has an opening leading to a flight of stairs.


This room is full of shelves stacked with "classified" documents lining the wall.


Looking down from the top of the stairs, notice that the design on the floor is Sector Seven's logo.


At the foot of the stairs, you realize that this area is a gallery of posters and stills from the movie.





More sofas to lounge on.


Nearby is a another flight of stairs.


Just more "classified documents" lining the walls here.


When you climb up the stairs that led into this room, you'll see there's a door leading out to the Megaman hangar.


You realize that's all that can be seen. To go back out, you exit the hangar.


You don't need to go back through the "round" tunnels though because near the tunnels there is a teleport pad.


This pad teleports you back outside the elevator at the upper level ... the one near the X-ray scanning area.


This is the end of this trip.

I did realize that the interior of the dam is different from the Facility Map available from sectorseven.org.