Project 365: Day 57 - Do the stories change when it's someone you know?

We all hear stories of people who have gone to other countries to find their fortune. Sometimes this is a choice, sometimes it's a choice not easily made. We all hear about the success stories, the tragedies and those in between.

Do the stories change when it's someone you know?

He wasn't someone I'd call a friend. We exchanged pleasantries and shared meals one time or another. It's the usual type of interactions you have with people you know through other people. I've seen him come home like a kid, sweaty from a game of basketball. I've seen his mother dote on him and his cousins, one of them my girlfriend, talk, laugh and play jokes on each other.

He went with his family abroad, which is not uncommon. It was harder imagining him serving under the US Armed Forces and being sent to Afghanistan. His family was very proud.

I've been meaning to add him on Facebook like I've done for his brother.

I know people who will miss him dearly.

The stories don't change when it's someone you know. The pain and loss is still there.

You just get to see it up close.

Project 365: Day 56 - In the House of Madness...

okay, things just got a bit creepy

at this point you'd expect to hear children's voices...

or random apparitions

well, at least the place seems welcoming...

WTF! redrum...redrum...

WTF indeed. No, you didn't stumble upon a low budget remake of Pa-Siyam or The Shining. This is my review of  vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR

Yep, that's the name of the restaurant.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is a restaurant in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, run by a guy named Jethro...

Fuck this, I just lost my train of thought.

I was trying to come up with a way to describe this place in a few words. I was thinking of using "Theme Restaurant" and "international cuisine" in there somewhere but I felt that using those was a disservice. A disservice to whom? I have no idea.

I guess that's the best way I can describe this place. I have no idea. Even after reading blogs about this place. Even after spending a couple of hours in the joint, even after eating the food and paying the bill and walking away.

I have no freaking idea what just happened.

Writing a review shouldn't be this hard.

VGIB is a restaurant converted from a town house in QC. The place has a theme (more on that later), it's own set of rules and quirks. The place itself can only hold up to 12 people indoors and Roxane and I had to sit at a table outside. Thankfully the weather was cooperating. Their menu doesn't seem to be set in stone as what's available may or may not be written down. The decor is a mishmash of found objects, old stuff, odd stuff... and stuff that doesnt seem to belong in this plane of existance. Their water dispenser seems to have come from an eerie parallel victorian steam punk era for crying out loud.

and that's not the theme.

The theme for this place is actually there on the name itself. Bi-Polar, or rather famous people who are or are rumored to be bi-polar. Refreshingly, while they do name-drop heavily on their menu items, we are spared from seeing the likenesses of the celebrities themselves. Would you eat something if it had Mel Gibson's or Hitler's face associated with it? Didn't think so.

Yes, Hitler. That's the name of the 4 course meal we had. I'm dead serious.

Going back to the theme, Bi-polar disorder is described as:

Bipolar disorder: A mood disorder sometimes called manic-depressive illness or manic-depression that characteristically involves cycles of depression and elation or mania.

Emphasis on Mania. This place is downright schizophrenic. The music is dissonantly creepy, there are flags and bills stuck to the door along with old knicknacks and teapots. It's charming though. More Luna Lovegood than Charles Manson...except for the murder wall.

urgh, I give up. Let's talk about the food.

Virginia Woolf's Tears

Like I mentioned we ordered the full course meal named after the despot himself. It included soup, an appetizer, a main course, dessert and drink. You have a choice on your appetizer, main course and dessert but again this is depending on whats available. Like any theme restaurant, it was pricey (expect to pay about Php300-600 per person) as you seem to be paying as much for the theme as the food.

And we circle around to the theme again. I don't know how to explain this.

The soup, named after a famous poet who committed suicide, gave us a hint of what's to come. I couldn't place what the soup-base was. Floating on the soup were basil leaves and raw carrots and home-made banana chips(!!!). The soup reminded me of my childhood where I would make soap bubbles with gumamela leaves and flowers. But weirdly enough the soup grows on you. I think it's the banana chips.

The drink was named after Courtney Love. Fruit extracts, ice, mint, cucumber, lemon grass(?) and a cherry. Refreshing, the cucumber adding a neat twist and texture to the drink. Try not to drink too much in one sip though as you'll start tasting leaves again.

The appetizer was named after Janice Dickenson and I think I know why. The dish looked innocent enough but the first spoonfull was pure WTF. Mangoes and strawberry jam on top of Itlog na pula in a spicy oil.

I really wasnt expecting this dish to taste the way it did and that explains the expeltive. It's certainly not a dish that I would willingly choose if I knew what was in it. Again, weirdly enough, the dish just WORKS. Roxane and I finished both our servings. It was a nice surprise.

The main course is Kurt Cobain's Medieval Chicken. Yes, we basically had the rockstar couple in our menu. The chicken was deeply marinated and cooked till it was fall-off-the-bone tender. I have to give props to rhe chef here as the chicken was made with care.

The chicken was topped with mangoes, and to the side you have strawberry jam, cabbage salad, black mountain rice, cashews and what have you. The banana chips also make a come-back appearance. It's a busy dish.

We forgot to take pictures of the dessert but I have to say it was memorable. Mel Gibson's Darkest sin is a mix of jaeger and german chocolate and walnuts in a shot glass that you had to gulp down. The chocolate and the honey cut down on the burn of the jaegermeister and i really enjoyed it.

During the course of the meal, the host and chef Jethro started moving from table to table talking to folks and telling us whats in the dishes we ordered. The place was packed and it took him a while to get to our table but we were able to hear him give his spiels.

I really dont know if Jethro intended this place to be as tragically hip as it is. For most folks its either an intentional approach or an accidental stumble. The few seconds I got to talk to the guy gave me the impression that it's neither. He's drinking the Kool-aid but its like he's in on the joke too. (- now I know why, he's Bi polar. *smacks forehead*)

Apparently the ingredients used were selected for their mood enhancing and depression fighting properties. Basically, eating the food and drinking the teas supposedly makes you happy. I don't know if I can refute or support that statement though. Roxane and I definitely had a good time talking about the place. Effects of the happy food? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?

Jethro knows.

Hmm... interesting.

La Lune - fitting isnt it?

And I guess that's the word I'll anchor my final thoughts around: Interesting.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is an interesting place. The ambiance evoked conflicting feelings in me. The dissonant, sometimes downright creepy music and the contradicting decor softened by the warm lights put me on edge a bit.

The menu, while descriptive, doesnt give you an idea of what youre getting on your plate.  Reading it, however, made me excited by the idea of trying something new though.

The food is tasty, the ingredients obviously of good quality and the preparation showed skill. There were too many flavors fighting for attention though, too many textures catching you by surprise. There is no "safe spot" in their dishes and Roxane and I were struggling to find that "safe spot" to orient ourselves for a more objective view. Roxane actually had a small condiment dish that she thought had gravy in it. Nope. It's bagoong balayan.

I guess the biggest flaw that VGIB has is that it evokes its theme too well. The dishes swing wildly from one extreme to another leaving you without a cohesive idea of what you just ate. It works for the decor but not so much for food. You really dont know if you enjoyed it or hated it. For that fact alone I find it really hard to recommend the place to other people.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is an experience. You go here for the quirkiness first and the food second. Is that something that we really should be accepting in a restaurant though?

Like this review and the interesting people they reference, vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR is a mess. But it's a wonderful, awkward, unnerving, hip and tasty mess that's worth trying at least once.

vAn GOgH iS bI POlaR
154 H Maginhawa St. Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, The Philippines, Diliman 

Added- VGIB has a facebook account by the way. Upon reading the facebook account Jethro puts forward what could be loosely called a mission statement:

"You’re not here to experience fine-dining service. You have to go to the counter, ring the bell, write down your order, wait for your order to get cooked and then come back for it at the counter when it’s done. You’re not here for good food, either. You’re here for an experience, to understand the life and world of a bipolar…. Here we celebrate our imperfections; here we embrace our flaws and weaknesses. I set this up as a way of sharing my life and my diet. Van is not about me; it’s not about the place. It’s a personal experience about the people who come here"


While that may be his intention for the place, Jethro definitely cannot impose that POV to the people who come looking for his place. I first read about VGIB in a food blog. The place is listed under restaurants in various places. It is with that mindset that I wrote this blog.

If  VGIB was listed under "Educational Tours" or something I might have approached this review in a different way :)

Project 365: Day 55 - The WBC: The Next Generation

I fear for the kids.

more here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/jaywolfe82#grid/user/8BB4ED7ACC5E4763

Project 365: Day 54 - Anonymous and the face of evil...

Anonymous does it again:



Now THIS is exactly why I say God has the suckiest PR ever. If the folks who rally under your banner are folks like the WBC... do you even wonder why people walk the other way?

No one who smiles like that can be good. That is the face of evil, folks.

I am monitoring the developments of this Anon vs WBC debacle closely.

Project 365: Day 53 - Epic Kaya - The End

About a year in, five straight losses. I think its time...

sleep well...
sable will touch your lips again

Project 365: Day 52 - Druid Wilder WIP - Part 1

Here's the  Druid Wilder from the priming video way back. I drybrushed the metals and worked on the skin and the hair.

I'll complete the face before work on the rest of the model. I usually leave the face last but I'm still deciding whether I paint this in my druid color scheme (blue) or keep it in the studio color (green).

What do you think?

Project 365: Day 51 - Paint...

crusts, chips, rings...

anyone know how to prevent this? seems like such a waste.

Project 365: Day 50 - Lapu Lapu - Lvl 15 Warchief

I just found Lapulapu's entry too

Epic!

Also, Juan Pajota

Project 365: Day 49 - Badger, badger, badger...

MUSHROOM MUSHROOM!!

Badger, badger, badger...

" But the Honey Badger doesn't give a crap – he comes across a puff adder that is eating a rat, and his first instinct is to run up, grab the rat out of the snake's mouth, carry it a few feet away, and then eat the rat right in front of the snake just to show the adder that he's a bitch.  After eating the stolen meal, the Badger than decides, "Screw it, now I'm going to eat this damn snake too."  This really takes being an asshole to another level, which is something I can appreciate. "

The Honey Badger

A SNAAAAAKE, A SNAAAAAAAAAAKE...

Project 365: Day 48 - A Touch of Evil - Finished!

I'm finally getting these figures off my table. The shots kinda came out a bit funky as I'm using Roxane's digicam. I'll try to fix that sometime.

C&C much appreciated.

Edit:

Better pics here:

Lucy Hanbrook

Adrianna - my first attempt at painting dark skin

Valeria the Eternal - had to fight myself from painting her in a paler skin tone as the character has a more hispanic skintone

Captain Hawkins - I had to google some colonial officers uniform to get the color of the pants. I had a hunch it would be white from some of the movies I've seen but I wasnt sure.

The Scarlet Shadow

Inspector Cooke - a better picture this time. I think I'm getting addicted to OSL

Brother Marcus - I'm really happy with how the OSL came out for this one.

Eliza the Witch Hunter

Harlow Morgan the Inventor

Harlow - another angle. I really should study how green light affects objects as I just cant seem to get the shadows right

Project 365: Day 47 - How I lose as blogged by other people...

So yeah... Two folks have posted battle reports of my matches with them. Both games happened on the same day, with me using the same list and me pretty much getting my ass pasted both times. Theres a third game I played that night and that didnt end well either.

By my count, that's  a 5 loss streak for eKaya. Oi.

On the upside these losses do give me some badly needed blog fodder.Click on the links below for detailed reports.

Wolf's Redoubt

My thoughts on the game with Wolf: He pretty much laid it as it happened. Actually he's being kind and left out the stupid mistake I made early in the game. We were playing Killbox that night (or as we like to call it: Assassination) and at the bottom of my turn i positioned Kaya so that I wasnt completely within the killbox costing me the game. As it was a casual game, Wolf and I just continued with it.

I went second and  knowing Strakhov's feat I was really worried about eating a feat fueled charge either from the Kayazy (Gang) and Doomreavers (weaponmasters with reach on a charge! holy kamote). My list relied on getting a good alphastrike and repositioning for a follow up next turn. I popped the feat too early and earned little. I tried to go for the assassination run as I knew the feat was coming the next turn and i wouldnt survive that. I was able to wound Strakhov but couldn't finish the job.

Barangay Samurai

My thoughts on the match with Kim: To be honest I was pretty confident going in. I knew Sorscha's feat and I knew how the rest of Kim's army was going to work. I went second again and that helped me position myself to take advantage of my feat. I couldn't kill a lot of his stuff but I did manage to lessen the threat of his heavy hitters during my feat turn. I even planned around surviving Sorscha's feat by surrounding my warlock with large bases and made sure that I'd have a good counter attack in the event that Kim does pull the trigger.

I just didnt know that putting Sorscha on an inch of elevation would allow her to bypass my screen attempt and still render me frozen.

Well that teaches me to go read the rules better in the future.

My thoughts on eKaya: 5 loss streak. 5 consecutive losses. And I know its not her problem but mine. I realize I've been playing her much like I've been playing her when it was still MKI. I kept trying to pull off assassination runs when I shouldve have been positioning myself for better alpha strikes. This is the exact opposite of my experiences with Kromac lately as I found that how I imagined playing Kromac is how he's designed in MKII. Whereas during MKI I had a real crappy time putting him on the table. I should start working on capitalizing on her strengths and forget how I used to play her

after both games I had another game with SJ which also ended in defeat. It did however help me come up with the conclusions I mentioned above. I also realized that going for an eKaya assassination without having a flanking beast is just plain dumb.

To sum up, the day was again filled with good folks playing good games. It's always a pleasure chucking dice with these folks.

PS: even with the loss streak, I wont be abandoning eKaya. I will, however, take the time to strip her down and repaint her.

Maybe with a brakefluid bath i'll be able to wash away the suck.

stay tuned.

Project 365: Day 46 = Love, hugs and pixie dust

I look at the world around me and I look at my own country, and I realize I still have it good. I'm still free to chuck dice and play with friends, I can still come home late without being arrested, my internet isn't regulated (YET!) and I don't have to dodge bullets everyday.

Maybe one day that'll change for the worse.

But if I don't pray and hope and work for the best right now I might as well just put a bullet through my brain and get it over with.

Giving up is easy because you've allowed yourself to move on and leave the problems behind.

Having faith and hope for your country, working for it, even while under retarded leaders and surrounded by apathetic Filipinos-by-convenience... well that takes effort.

Faith, hope and country = love, hugs, and pixie dust?

Try blood, sweat and tears.

Project 365: Day 45 - Brain 404 of the Day

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/177963#ixzz1ELQ78Bd1\

Coconuts? REALLY?

Project 365: Day 44 - I'm way behind on this blog

I swear I'm not neglecting this blog. I'm just getting some things out of the way, also I dont have a camera to take pics for the update. Once I solve those problems though, I'll be updating this mofo fo sho! ... good gravy I feel dirty for saying that.

In the meantime, here's something i stumbled upon. Now normally, I wont be watching these kind of videos and the voice alone made me want to stab an xacto into my ear...but a minute in and it turned golden :)

enjoy

Project 365: Day 43 - Misery. Furry, furry misery...

Getting lots of stuff done but nothing worth posting on the blog so far. Real updates soon.

Hopefully.

Project 365: Day 42 - Yeah...thats me.

Have you ever been excited about something but no one in your immediate vicinity can understand much less relate?

... you lie!

Anyway, I found this video online and starting at 00:30 would be pretty much how I reacted as well



Holyshit! What is this?!
Forged in God's very flames
Do mine eyes, tell me lies?
A new Elder Scrolls game?

Awesome animation and voicework by Harry Partridge. Check out his Youtube channel.

Bonus:
This one im just linking to because...well... yeah

Avatar

Project 365: Day 41 - Dear Universe...

stop trying to trying to turn me emo

seriously

quit it

Project 365: Day 40 - Lost the wind in my sails

It's been quiet here lately and I mean to fix that.

This post was supposed to explain the reasons behind the delay but thought better of it. You can't fight negativity with negativity.

Battle Reports, painting updates and more soon.

Project 365: Day 39 - Painting Miniatures - More ATOE

More "A Touch of Evil!"

Lucy Hanbrook:

Man, those details are TINY!

Project 365: Day 38 - Painting Miniatures - Second Chances

It's very rare that we get second chances.

Dialing down the drama a bit, I'm talking about getting a second chance to paint a figure you traded off.

I painted a set of figures for the A Touch Evil boardgame some time ago and I traded them off. I was experimenting with OSL at that time and I'm sad to say that my attempt with it was a bit heavy handed. So when Rolf,  the person who eventually got the figs asked me to paint the figures from the expansion set, he mentioned that he wasnt happy with the OSL effect I used. I jumped at the chance to repaint the fig for him. 

After three hours of painting, here are the results:

First attempt: Neon explosion!

Second attempt

So, what do you think?

Project 365: Day 37 - Painting Miniatures - Priming Video

The video supplement for my Priming article.

The Miniatures hobby is intimidating enough for anyone observing, it is also overwhelming for those just starting out. While there is a wealth of information out there on the web to help us along, most of us Pinoy hobbyists had to substitute, adapt or do without some of the tools and materials available to other gamers abroad. One of the goals of my hobby blogging is to localize some of the tips and tricks of the scene.

Enjoy. C&C much appreciated.

Project 365: Day 36 - So I was supposed to be working on stuff tonight...

..then ADHD kicked in and decided I'd check out something that EJ told me about over the weekend.

I now place this curse upon you:

http://www.focusandfury.com/forum/index.php?topic=1919.0

http://yesthetruthhurts.com/2011/02/talking-about-warmachine/

http://yesthetruthhurts.com/2011/01/yes-im-talking-about-you/

http://www.focusandfury.com/forum/index.php?topic=1592.0

There are a few more links but I'm afraid it'll suck you in more and you wont be able to come out unscathed.

For those who cant understand, you have no idea how lucky you are.

For those who do... God help us all.

Please do note that this is NOT a 40k vs WM/H clusterfuck. Lets get that out of the way right now. This is not about whats the better game. What this is about is some guy who thinks he can apply his 40k epeen status and knowhow to a different game system.

"Why is this a bad thing?" I hear some of you ask. Aside from the obvious apples vs oranges dealie, you have a guy who:

* expects to translate his 40k success to WM/H

* draws conclusions, parallels and opinions on a fundamentally flawed understanding of WM/H (umm getting hit by a -2 def  debuff is a BIG thing in WM/H)

* refuses to acknowledge the second bullet point :p

Whats worse is that he has a website of his own and can preach his gospel to millions of people. Ouch.

I could go on but I already lost a few hours keeping up with this guy. It's morbidly fascinating.

Project 365: Day 35 - Painting Miniatures - Whats on the table?

 Been missing on posts lately, hopefully thats not going to be a trend. But whats good is I've been getting some games in and getting some painting done :)

if you remembered the last post I finished 10 Spacewolves for Felix and I have 5 more in the works. I also picked up a couple of jobs from different people and myself:

My Druid Wilder from Privateer Press. I'm so happy this thing didnt have to be assembled. It came in once piece :D

Jeff's Bilbo...err ... I mean Harlan Versh for his Cygnar army. Again this guy is from Privateer Press. Harlan is a badass on the table able to get 4 shots off and really hates the undead. he looks like a hobbit for some reason. I pinned his sword and drilled out his gun barrels

Rolf's figures for the A Touch of Evil expansion. He asked me to paint these because he now owns the figs i painted from the core set

The figures from the core set of A Touch of Evil. I painted these when I had the board game. Unfortunately I didnt have anyone willing to play the game with me so i traded it off, which eventually found its way to Rolf like i mentioned above.

 So I'm hoping to polish off most of these by the end of the week. I'll update you as I go along :)

Project 365: Day 34 - Painting Miniatures - Spacewolves !

The Spacewolves from last post are done:

Armor was a 50/50 Mix of GW Shadow and Spacewolf Gray. I just hit the areas where youll be able to see them,

Gold areas were retouched with GW Shining Gold, fur areas were drybrushed with P3 Bastion Grey, Trollblood Highlight and Menoth White Highlight respectively.

Faces were a progression of GW Bestial Brown, P3 Khardic Flesh and P3 Ryn Flesh.

I spent just a little more time on these two faces than others:

So there ya have it :) Spacewolves at Tabletop Quality. Took me a total of 4 and a half hours to finish ten models all in all.

Comments and Critiques much appreciated.