Ramblings

Well, I'm back.

Went on holiday with [identity-protected] to the province during the Lenten break, something that I like to describe as the ultimate 'road trip'. Nominally, this would entail driving for nine hours straight, resting for a day or two at our destination, then driving nine hours again back. Since it was a long weekend, there was a lot of traffic on the road with people either going home or on their way to the beach. The summer heat was intense, with a little rain raising the humidity level up a notch. However, though the trip sounds gruelling, I love the drive.

Still, I suppose I'm feeling my age as I had a harder time recovering afterwards this time. As they say, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Also, I admit missing seeing the metro reduced to a ghost town with nary a traffic jam in sight. Oh well...

Anyway, something for your edification:

You ever wonder about the biology of those B-movies you watch on screen? Well, wonder no more because someone's answered all the questions here. For example, remember the Incredible Shrinking Man's fight with the spider? Well:

Certainly the spider has a wicked set of poison fangs and some advantage because it wears its skeleton on the outside, where it can function as armor. But our hero, because of his increased metabolic rate, will be bouncing around like a mouse on amphetamines. He wouldn't struggle to lift the sewing needle--he'd wield it like a rapier because his relative strength has increased about 70 fold.

(Of course, FYI, the above movie was based on book written by horror writer Richard Matheson, he of I Am Legend, What Dreams May Come and A Stir of Echoes fame, books that were also turned into their own movies.)

If you're not bothered by stuff like reality, you can always check this page out and know why us cats are destined to rule the world. I mean, with a name like Kitten Kong, you'd either be squashed to death or be cutified to... er, death anyway.

Likewise, here's an interesting article by noted editor Gavin Grant (founder of Small Beer Press and co-editor of the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror anthologies) on how to start a small press. I'm currently wondering if setting up a small press is applicable locally. I mean, look at how Dean, Budgette Tan, Gerry Alanguilan, and the rest have managed to promote the growing Philippine independent comic scene. I, for one, admit being a regular reader of Culture Crash if only for the high quality work done there.

Lastly, I was reading the comments at Making Light when someone made a reference to a haunted Stitch doll on eBay. This in turn made me check out eBay, plus reminding me of the famous haunted painting and the artist who created it. Made me think that as haunted items go, is there a natural law that says someone has to buy a haunted item for the hauntings occur?

Wala lang.