A Response to Atheists

Anti-religion folk will tout that a belief in God is “backward” and “destructive” for mankind rather than being a source for discovery, creation, and advancement. Such attacks by atheists are largely targeted towards the Catholic/Christian faith. So, were the devout believers of yesteryear hopelessly primitive, backwards-thinking people that kept our world in chains and darkness? Well, not according to history. There have been many notable individuals over time whose religiosity was central to their craft, which manifested into achievements that influence our world today. Perhaps you've heard of some of these fellas:

• Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press: Catholic
• Nicolaus Copernicus, heliocentrist, began the Scientific Revolution: Catholic priest
• Georgius Agricola, father of mineralogy: Catholic
• Roger Bacon, father of the scientific method: Anglican
• Galileo Galilei, father of modern physics: Catholic
• Johannes Kepler, founder of the laws of planetary motion: Lutheran
• Rene Descartes, founder of Cartesian geometry: Catholic
• Blaise Pascal, inventor of the mechanical calculator: Catholic
• Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, father of microbiology: Calvinist
• Carl Linnaeus, father of modern taxonomy: Lutheran
• Sir Isaac Newton, developer of calculus and classical mechanics: Anglican
• Roger Joseph Boscovich, father of modern atomic theory: Catholic priest
• Antoine Lavoisier, father of modern chemistry: Catholic
• Charles Babbage, father of the computer: Anglican
• Gregor Mandel, father of modern genetics: Catholic priest
• Louis Pasteur, inventor of pasteurization, father of bacteriology: Catholic
• Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin: Catholic
• Edward Jenner, inventor of the vaccine, father of immunology: Anglican
• Georges Lemaitre, founder of the Big Bang theory: Catholic priest
• Nikola Tesla, most accomplished inventor in history: Orthodox
• Henry Ford, pioneer of automobile manufacturing: Anglican

What about some of our well-known friends in art and literature?

• Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance polymath, artist and inventor: Catholic
• Michelangelo, Renaissance sculptor, and architect: Catholic
• Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, the first modern novel: Catholic 
• Rembrandt, greatest painter of the Dutch Golden Age: Catholic/Reformed
• William Shakespeare, greatest writer in the English language: Catholic/Anglican
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, prolific classical composer: Catholic
• Ludwig van Beethoven, most renowned composer in history: Catholic
• Franz Liszt, greatest piano virtuoso of all time: Catholic
• Jules Verne, celebrated novelist of the science fiction genre: Catholic 
• J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings: Catholic
• C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia: Anglican
• Fritz Lang, Expressionist director of the seminal film Metropolis: Catholic 
• Alfred Hitchcock, renowned director, pioneer of the suspense film: Catholic
• Jack Kerouac, poet, considered the father of the Beat movement: Catholic
• Andy Warhol, renowned artist of the pop art movement: Catholic

And if that’s not enough yet, I’ll even throw in a few living badasses for you:

• Bill Gates, Microsoft founder turned charity worker: Catholic
• J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books: Christian (Scots Kirk)
• Stephen Colbert, comedic genius: Catholic
• Jack White, modern guitar extraordinaire: Catholic
• Kobe Bryant, 5x NBA champion: Catholic

Not bad company to be in. Heck, I was even generous and left out the all-American badass John Wayne, who converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. What a guy.

Nobody gets the memo anymore that the core and foundation of Western civilization was monotheistic faith. The influence of the Church on Western culture gave rise to the most extensive surge of the arts and sciences in history and it has since become the light and envy of the planet. Nowadays, atheism has become the fashionable thing. So be it. But I challenge anyone to look at the list of names above and attempt to come up with a list of equal brevity of atheists that have collectively accomplished something of the same magnitude. Yeah I can’t either.

Man without faith ceases to be human. Atheism, being a reactive phenomenon by nature, cannot enable a society of meaningful creativity and discovery; it can only stagnate or destroy. The left-wing revolutions in Russia and China that booted their monarchs and traditional faiths resulted in their cultural ruin and the deaths of over 100 million people. The European continent today, as a socialist, secular wasteland, is now a shadow of its former self, no longer a blossoming center of cultural vitality. Nationhood and tradition have been replaced with political correctness and ambiguity. Fertility is low, debt is high. And people still have the gall to say today's Godless world is better than yesterday's. So be it.

Something I miss: video game surveys!

Taken from a hodgepodge of surveys.

List your Top Ten All-Time Favorite Video Games:
1. Sonic Adventure (DC)
2. Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (PCE)
3. Pilotwings 64 (N64)
4. Soul Calibur (DC)
5. Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)
6. Snatcher (MCD)
7. Shenmue II (DC)
8. Ico (PS2)
9. Metal Gear Solid (PS)
10. Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram (DC)

Favorite male game character: Ashley Riot (Vagrant Story)
Favorite female game character: Azel (Panzer Dragoon Saga), Maria Renard (Castlevania: SOTN)
Favorite game company: Sega, SNK, Konami
Favorite game mascot: Sonic
Favorite game system: Sega Dreamcast
Four favorite game series: Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, King of Fighters, Dragon Quest
Favorite fighting game: Soul Calibur
Favorite RPG: Dragon Quest VIII
Favorite adventure game: Snatcher
Favorite side-scroller: Dracula X: Rondo of Blood
Favorite party/multi-player game: Bomberman
Favorite racing game: OutRun 2
Favorite puzzle game: Mr. Driller: Drill Land
Favorite survival horror game: Resident Evil 3
Favorite game storyline: Dragon Quest V
Favorite game intro: Metal Gear Solid
Favorite game ending: Ico
Favorite game music/soundtrack: Chrono Cross, DKC2, Sonic Adventure 1 and 2
Favorite game song/tune: Theme of Laura from Silent Hill 2
Favorite game villain: Death from Castlevania
Favorite movie based on a game: Mortal Kombat
Favorite game for Xbox 360: Deathsmiles
Favorite game for PS3: Metal Gear Solid 4
Favorite game for Wii: Endless Ocean
Favorite PC game: StarCraft
Favorite Arcade game: Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3
Game you're waiting for to release: Dragon Quest X
Did you own an original Gameboy? Yes, still have it too
Favorite Mario game: Super Mario World
Sony or Microsoft: I prefer neither over the other. Sega and SNK need to come back.
What do you think is the most over-rated game?: GTA, Bioshock
Game you'd like to see be made into a feature film (animated or live action): Animated: Xenogears, live action: Killer Instinct
Game series you want to continue: Starfox, Banjo
Game series you want to end: Call of Duty
Game series you want revived: Shenmue, Fatal Fury
Game you'd like to see rehashed with new graphics and features: Burning Rangers
Import game you wish was translated and released in your respective country: Sakura Taisen 2
Game you can play for hours, on end, without ever getting bored: Pilotwings 64
Game character you'd shag if he/she/it were real: Mai Shiranui
Game character you'd use as a punching bag if he/she/it were real: Kefka from FFVI
What do you think is the hardest game ever? Super Empire Strikes Back for Super NES
You're going to be sent to a remote island for six months, and you can only take one console and one game. What will you take? Sega Dreamcast with Sonic Adventure

Feminism is bullshit.

Feminism is bullshit. It's brain poison. Run it into the ground as much as possible.

Feminists want "equality" with men. What kind? To what extent? Just where do you draw the line?

Let's say we make all sports gender-less, making all women play alongside men in football, rugby, hockey, the whole shebang. Would this be a satisfactory example of gender equality? If that's the case, I better not hear a feminist complain that their male opponents "hit the women too hard".

Feminists want equal pay with men. This is probably their biggest outcry, that women are discriminated against in the workplace. Really now? I've lost out in many job positions to young pretty women even though I was more than qualified, and I'm not complaining one bit. All in all, feminists are missing the big picture. Men are just biologically programmed to work more and make more money. Why? Because men do it for WOMEN'S sake. Yes, that's right feminists, women DO have some power.

Men and women will never be the same. EVER. Gender differences exist. Accept it. One gender isn't superior to the other, they're just biologically DISTINCT. The more people understand this, the better off we all would be. There will always be things that each gender is more adept at than the other. Feminism corrupts this natural order and does nothing but make the lives of both genders miserable.

Throw feminism in the gutter forever.

Movie Review: The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu)

I watched The Wind Rises on its first wide release day in the US. I've been looking forward to it for months and, having watched it finally, here's my review.

So how do I feel about it? Well I must say that Miyazaki has stretched out his message and themes as far as they could go. Therefore, this is the perfect going-out film for him, since it's the best time for Studio Ghibli to begin handing over its reigns to fresh directorial blood. The torch needs to be passed and now is time.

Okay, so the main character Jiro loves airplanes. It is his dream to design airplanes and is very much influenced by Italian aircraft and the pioneering designer/engineer Giovanni Caproni. Images and dream sequences of Caproni lurk inside Jiro's imagination throughout the film, acting as a mediating conscience as he navigates his life through turbulent times. While pursuing his dream of creating beautiful flying machines, Jiro is faced with a changing world with World War II on the horizon, calling for engineers to design fighter planes meant for killing and destruction.

Unavoidably there will be talk of politics and Japanese nationalism here and there, but Miyazaki has always been a neutralist and mediator. The main subject here is about love of aircraft and Japan's ability to design and fly them in a time when the nation was finding a way up. We see Jiro being the spearhead of Japan's first step out of squalor and into a prosperous future, but it must come with some sacrifices and influence from the West.

The movie is well-made, and has that familiar look and style we all know, but I wish it was more. I wish Miyazaki ventured out of familiarity for once and took more expressive risk with the animation medium (like Takahata has). But the main problem with the film for me was Jiro. I couldn't get into his character. The film spent a lot of time with Jiro and his obsession with airplanes, but it was hard for me to care or relate to him about it. In fact, it was difficult for me to get into any of the characters. The romance between Jiro and Naoko wasn't very believable. I was very interested in the Naoko character but unfortunately she was never fully developed as anything other than a slight distraction to Jiro's hard-ons for planes.

Also, those who know Ghibli's catalog quite well know that Miyazaki's movies are thematic retreads of each other in some way. The Wind Rises is no different. The themes in The Wind Rises have been done before in Porco Rosso and Howl's Moving Castle, just like how Nausicaa and Mononoke are thematically similar, as are Kiki and Spirited Away. I couldn't help but think of how great Porco Rosso was (my personal favorite Ghibli film) while watching The Wind Rises. Porco Rosso has a certain charm and mystique about flight that The Wind Rises lacks. I shouldn't be too surprised, as Miyazaki's films, in my opinion, have been going down in quality since Spirited Away (his magnum opus). After all, that's a tough film to try to outdo.

The best thing about the movie was its musical score (Jo Hisaishi is the man). Other than that, The Wind Rises is just a well-done animated film and a decent, modest swansong to Miyazaki's illustrious career. As a longtime fan, though, I wish Miyazaki would've gone out with something extraordinary instead of more of the same.

RATING: 6/10

The real reason why Filipinos suck

Filipinos, as a people, nation, and culture, have an identity crisis and an inferiority complex.

There, I said it. Anyone who thinks or says otherwise is either clueless or in denial. Herein lies the problem: it is a cowardly society where nobody takes accountability for themselves.

For a group that hasn't much to show for itself, it sure is so loud and proud. Filipinos put their nationality and origin ahead of everything else, including their own individualism. For a big shiny example of this, look at the Miss Universe 2013 competition. The final ten contestants each gave a solo video speech about themselves. Miss Philippines was among them. And out of the ten remaining ladies, Miss Philippines was the ONLY one who did not talk about herself. Instead, she talked about the COUNTRY, highlighting its natural beauties and beaches or some shit like that.

This bothered me to no end, and is very indicative of how most Filipinos think and conduct themselves. Their sense of self takes a backseat to some macroscopic idea that simply having their own nation validates their existence as people. Rather than let the world know who Miss Philippines is as a person, she cowers behind advertising the Philippines instead. Way to be charming and relateable. Could you imagine Miss Japan dodging personal questions to brag about the beauty of Mt. Fuji, or hearing Miss Italy prattle on about how great her country's food is? It would seem so arrogant and pretentious, wouldn't it?

The irony is that Filipinos rely so much on "being Filipino" for their identity as if to give an impression that Filipinos have this sense of community as a people and culture. Reality check: there is no sense of community among Filipinos. Filipinos hang on to each other and band together only when it's convenient to. But on a normal given day, Filipinos will be vindictive, covetous, insecure, judgmental, and looking to one-up each other. Jealousy, self-entitlement, and crab mentality run really deep and it permeates every level of society, even within families. I get no sense of togetherness when in public, even in America, Filipinos cut each other in line and don't care to do simple courteous things like saying thank you for holding a door open.

So you're proud to be Filipino, but do you really care to make Filipino society better? I doubt it! And it's that culture of inaction for why the country will never improve. Face it: "pinoy pride" is a lazy state of mind that Filipinos can take with them anywhere without having to actually do anything.

I've never seen Japanese or Koreans posting their flags so visibly in public for everyone to see. I've seen Filipino flags and stickers on cars, on caps and shirts, pins on bags, even tattoos of the flag on arms and necks. What's with the overflow in shameless pride? It's obnoxious and unwarranted. Modesty and humbleness only comes with confidence and security, which are traits Filipinos do not possess. Filipinos rely on things above their own selves to feel validated. They have to make it clear to the whole universe that they're Filipino first before their own individual voice and personality. No personal accountability. Cowering behind national pride is the easy way out.

Oh, one thing I have to get out to Filipinos: stop bandwagoning. It's embarrassing and shows how insecure and pathetic you are. Jessica Sanchez does not represent you Filipinos. Stop claiming her as your own. She was born and raised in America became successful under the American system. She is not entitled to owe anything to the Philippines. Her achievements are not achievements of the Philippines or its people. She's not even full Filipino. There was an outcry when Jessica lost. Well, she was simply not the best overall contestant in the competition. Get over it.

I could continue on for literally another 10 paragraphs about this, but I'm tired. Let the flaming commence.

Iron Man 3 sucked.

What the hell did I just watch? I believe it was a movie that was about some butt-hurt scientist that made a career change to terrorism. Wasn't clear to me what the big payoff to that plan was. Oh, and the Mandarin made a sorta-but-not-really-cameo appearance in a dumb plot twist.

What to say? Okay, the visual effects were good as usual, if not a bit tiring by now. Can't think of much else. Maybe that's the problem: nothing surprises us anymore. What's left is the plot to deal with, and the plot sucked. Instead of getting to see Ben Kingsley kick some ass, I spent over 2 hours in the theater watching some petty hotshots exercise their self-esteem problems.

I suppose any movie that starts out playing Eiffel 65's Blue is going to be crappy.

What's with the 'bad guys' in this film? Suddenly everyone is Johnny Storm from the Fantastic Four. Bleh, boring. Aldrich even shot a beam of fire out of his mouth a la Godzilla. Why stop there when you could also have him chuck bouncing fireballs like Mario?

Superhero movies need to go away for a long, long time.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5.0

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was a piece of shit.

Gamespot's review for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword received tons of backlash from fans. I actually thought their score of 7.5 was TOO generous. Sigh, Zelda fanboys. They're like the Apple community. They're like Michael Jordan jockers. If you have any experience with these types of people, you know what I mean.

Man, I thought Twilight Princess sucked hard. I couldn't imagine Nintendo making more crap out of their flagship series. I was proven wrong with Skyward Sword. My goodness this game started out slow. SLOW. Only to set you up for one of the most irritating game experiences in the history of the medium.

How can you bozos out there think that Skyward Sword was a masterpiece? So apparently to many of you, a perfect 10 game is one where your hand is held all the time, everything is repeated at least twice by an annoying sidekick, "exploration" being mandatory repetitive fetch quests and backtracking for petty reasons, frustrating motion controls, and tedious traveling mechanics. Wow, sounds like buckets of fun! NOT.

Let's look at the "masterful" gameplay of Skyward Sword: "Ah, motion controls! A gaming novelty that forced me to spend $30 on a new controller just to play this game. ::Enemy approaches:: Die! (wack wack wack) Oh wait, THIS swing will work.. (wack wack) ::enemy dies:: Aw, no hearts, no money? Up yours. (plays more) Okay, my arm is tired, I don't want to fight anymore. ::Another enemy approaches:: Okay go away, swinging this damn controller is getting exhausting and old. Gah, I miss actual buttons now! And I wish there was some kind of real payoff to all these repetitive, tiring, unrewarding battles! ::Yet another enemy approaches:: Okay these stupid mindless fights just keep interrupting the game, I just want to get on with the main quest already. But the power-off button is feeling more of an attractive option at this point..."

The same feeling goes with the stupid dowsing sections. I reach an interesting-looking area that I want to look into more, only to be forced to do some long-winded favor for some NPC I don't care for. Awesome: not only does the actual game halt for a while (which happens again and again), I know I also get to engage in MORE tiring fights. You Zelda jockers find this shit fun? It's not fun, it's WORK. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't play video games to do work. By the time I reached the 3rd area of the game, I was already feeling the grind. If I wanted to do chores, I would've signed up for a slave labor camp.

But wait, there are NEW features in Skyward Sword! Like.. ::drumroll:: ..the STAMINA METER! Big whoop. I was sure Nintendo will place idiot-proof areas throughout the game that will allow (force) you to use this tacked-on feature to effortless effect. And of course I was right: "Hmm, it appears that Nintendo cleverly designed this cliff to give you enough room so that the stamina meter won't entirely run out on you. Brilliant!" Not. Then Nintendo decides it was a lovely idea to put upgrade-able items in the game. Great, MORE work. Nice way to pad up this piece of crap title even more.

If repetitive, padded, idiot-proof play mechanics wasn't enough, there's Skyward Sword's disjointed overworld. I'd rather mindlessly sail and shift winds for 30 straight days in The Wind Waker than put up with Skyward Sword's ridiculously choppy travel system. There's no convenient flow to getting around in the game and the overworld design is just illusory vastness. And do we HAVE to keep doing activation swings with the controller just to get around? Considering the number of times the game forces you to travel.

It's hard to enjoy yourself in this game. Something is always blabbering away, something always needs a motion control, something always needs to boss you around to do trivial shit, something always gets in the way and interrupts any flow that will possibly save this trainwreck of a game. Having sex is an infinitely better option than to play Skyward Sword.

One of the worst video games I've ever played. Goodnight.