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Cher Prayers For This World Video (2017 Cries From Syria)

Thursday, December 29, 2016

EXCITING! More Details About Cher's New Song Written By Diane Warren -- The Cries From Syria Title Track. It's Coming In January!!!

We recently learned about a new song that Cher has recorded, written by long-time collaborator Diane Warren.

The legendary Closer To The Truth singer now revealed on Twitter that the heartbreaking song is for the upcoming 2017 documentary film Cries From Syria, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky.

"CRIES FROM SYRIA focuses on child protesters, revolution icons, activists and their relatives, and high-ranking Army generals who defected to join the fight of the people. It tells the story of the Syrian people who have never lost hope. This film will take the audience on a unique journey in time, from Syria to Turkey, through Jordan, Lebanon and Europe. We will see the situation from the inside out, and through the CRIES FROM SYRIA."

As Cher stated earlier this month, If I Could Turn Back Time-songwriter Diane Warren wrote the title song for the film. And as it serves as the film's title song, of course, we can expect the track to be entitled Cries From Syria -- although there's a chance it may be something different though similar.

It has been revealed that the film will premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. And as the 2017 Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 19 to January 29, 2017, it means we will get to hear the song next month!

Diane Warren tweeted the following caption with the following photo, back in late November: "In the studio with children's choir for a movie that needs to be seen and a song that needs to be heard. #Criesfromsyria #Prayersforthisworld 2017". -- It is likely that the children's choir is for the Cher song.

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  2. this is gonna be epic I think sirens was 1 of the best songs about pain and suffering and war ever written and cher slayed it it was haunting .

    1. I agree. Sirens is beautiful -- wish it had been a single.

  3. Sirens was my favorite song off her album and I loved her album! This sounds very good!

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Saturday, November 21, 2009

"Taster's Choice" mini tour dates announced! Arizona, Massachusetts, Texas and Washington!

Two men. Four States. Six signings. 32 Days!

Will they be able to keep the pace?

Presenting the Taster's Choice Mini Tour, celebrating the release of the first CHEW TPB, "Taster's Choice" and the release of issue #6, the first issue of the five-issue "International Flavor Storyline."

Tour Dates and times are as follows:

Layman in Arizona:
Atomic Comics
From 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
At the Paradise Valley store

and later at
Atomic Comics
4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
at the Chandler store

Rob Guillory in Massachusetts
Larry’s Comics Comic Book show
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
at the Westford Regency Hotel

Layman AND Rob in Round Rock, Texas, outside Austin:
Rogue’s Gallery
Starting at 7 p.m. until close.

Layman in Puyallup, Wa:
Comics Evolution
(Signing with professional comics douchebags Brandon “The Shield” Jerwa and Mark “Rotten” Rahner)
Noon to 7 p.m.

Layman back in Arizona:
Drawn to Comics
Times TBD
Glendale, AZ

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Holiday Gifts

I logged in today to find some very nice group gifts awaiting me. Holidays are fun and presents are even better. From Hatpins there were two versions of a festive top hat. The red trim matched perfectly with the lipstick from one of Tuli's newest gifts -- a sample of Kalista, the new updated skin line. I really like these face tattoo skins that are becoming popular.

I zipped over to Sn@tch to pick up the newest group gift there. Find it by the lucky chairs. A long skirt version is in the pack. All these lovely gifts called for a really different photo spot. So, I looked in my long list of takeapictureheresomeday landmarks to find this oh so clever giant makeup set at Symphony Skins.

All in all a fun if brief outing. Shown with Juicy slingbacks.

If I don't post again soon -- have a GREAT holiday!

Top of the Morning

Two stops this early morning gave me a whole new outfit - sans boots which are my Lazy Places favs :D

First I went to InSight Eyes @ Amacci where I got some fun new hair, eyes and a great sit pillow which matches my other furniture. Long live orange! I decorated with Fall freebies. No surprise there. The hair comes in this brown as well as blond and black. The pillow is unisex and the eye pack is filled with a variety of styles as well as eye sparkles. There are other eyes and a wild hair there too.

Next on to Samara Studios where there is (sadly) a closing sale going on. This is the goodbye dollarbie from Samara which includes pants for boots and a nice top with embroidery trim. You can find the Peace On Earth hunt gift right next to this dollarbie vendor. It holds the skin I am wearing here.

So two stops and lots of great stuff. A good morning with some relaxing and maybe a good book :D Enjoy!

Out and About in Winter Mode

It snowed where I live today. Pretty but chilly. So bundling up is a smart thing.

Sn@tch has a free outfit called HO HO NO in RED minus snowflakes, Santas and the like. Find it on the wall directly across from the entrance. It comes with a mini skirt but I paired it with some plain black pants (no longer available) and some newish (how did I miss it) Gigi hair from HOH. Sort of retro chic. I like it.

Just out from House of Heart and perfect for that fancy new dress is Goddess. It comes with a choice of three bangs -- each with color change menu. This is statement making hair and not for the faint of heart. You will be remembered (wink). For the moment, Goddess is only available at the Le Look sim. Find the shop in the Femmes section.

There is also a $10 find the different items each day grab bag hunt going on at the HOH main store AND some just out release hair freebies. So check those out.

In a complete turn of direction, we have the new dollarbie hair from MAU's & MEJ's. You can wear it with or without the wispy bangs. There is a long version also. Find them directly in front of the entrance on the far wall.

Eyes by Treasured Vision. Poses by LAP.

HOH - Release Gifts

House of Heart put out some great new hairs for the holidays and beyond. The versions with hats come with a menu driven texture change options and there are TONS of choices. I enjoyed them all, but I made an outfit with the last number, complete with Tekel-li lantern earrings and Nuclear Boutique sweater. I may just live in this awhile. Poses by LAP.

Get these colors free from the release pack vendors throughout the store. Other colors available of course on the walls.

Doc 'n WoE 'n Tuli

It takes a lot to get me to the typewriter these days, but a free holiday sweater from Doc Eldritch will do it (wink). This lovely number is a gift until Christmas eve so get over to DE Designs and get yours. It comes in a variety of OTHER (not so holiday and for later wearing) colors. Find them all at the entrance to the store.

Shown with Tuli's new "unnamed" skin -- one of four group gifts given away recently. Hair is Jordan by House of Heart.

I really haven't done the 350 present Peace on Earth Hunt, but I know many of you have as you picked up MY gift (smile). My only stop so far was to WoE to pick up their gift as I love their jeans. These are no exception and come in a big pack of OTHER STUFF too. Boots are my favs from the Vain Halloween hunt -- a Lazy Places fantastic present. Yeah!

Pose by LAP.

That's my news. Hope you are all having a great time out there in virtual land.

Peace On Earth Hunt: Love Chic

Just a quick post in the "I'll show you mine" vein (wink). The Peace On Earth hunt starts some time Tuesday. With something like 350 stores involved it is a GOOD thing that you have the WHOLE month. The coordinators have asked MANY times for retailers to put their gifts out so they are easy to find. Let's hope that is the case. Since almost everyone is involved, getting stuck may not be too much of a problem. You can always just go to one of your favorite shops and you might be able to carry on from there. Who knows?

So here is my gift for the holiday season with a true wish for Peace On Earth attached to it. It's the earrings of course. Hair is Bobby from HOH. I am heading over there to see if I might just find Allie in the hunt going on. LL LOST one of my FAVORITE hairs (Allie in canapl - this same RED RED color I am wearing). Not likely it will be a dollarbie, but sometimes the stars are just with ya. And who knows what else I might find.

Enjoy the POE hunt. I may post a few of my favorites. I will NOT be getting to all 300 so be sure and share the great find spots with your friends.

It's still Thanksgiving in my neck of the woods. I have a lot to be thankful for even if I don't actually celebrate the holiday. Eleven months at Phil's and many fun times.

Things have been odd of late and you may have noticed my absence. I've been wondering why my enthusiasm has wained these last few weeks. It may be in part that there actually aren't all that many fantastic things to blog, but it is more likely my point of view.

Many of my friends have left Phil's or they are packing there bags as the end of the year approaches. Some because they are angry at the price increases, some simply because they can't pay their rent here and the real life economy doesn't look promising either.

All in all I have no idea how much I'll be blogging in the future. I may get a boost of steam -- or not. Currently I have made 430 posts in ten months -- counting Second Life Colors where I knew very little but had LOTS of enthusiasm (smile). So a good run no matter what.

I might make it to 500. I might not. But I am certainly thankful for the ride.

Holiday Goodies and Maladies

Winter is closing in and the holidays are beginning. Not a bad thing :D Samara Studios has replaced the umbrella dollarbie with a cozy RED (well of course) sweater and pants set. You get pants for boots too. Find it at the usual spot on the wall in the middle of Casuals.

And if you missed the holiday hair from Gurl 6 last year -- as I did -- it's just out again. Tons of colors and three sizes. The hat comes in a nice gray but I recolored it for matching-ness (wink). Find it as you first walk in the door by the new releases.

Click for LARGE view.

Along with all that winter goodness come the colds season of course and if you want your avatar to commiserate with you as you are downing your antihistamines, you can. - RC - Cluster sent out this cute animation and hanky to all of Fashcon (like many many many thousands of folks) so if you don't check the archives often, you might want to (wink).

Shoes by Tesla, top pose by LAP.

Holiday Dollarbie Gifts

Holiday gifts are out at Love Chic. I KNOW we'll all be very tired of Christmas red before the season is over, so I went for something a little less traditional -- my leaf belt lowriders in CRANBERRY. You get both slacks and boot cut versions for a buck. Find them hanging conspicuously in the middle of the room. Top is NOT included :D

And if you are one of the MANY HUNDREDS (hard to believe) that picked up the Fall bangle bracelet, I retextured and recolored it in not too blatantly festive holiday season hues. So gold, antique gold and dark reds are the color scheme. Look under the rotating $1 sign above the table.

Rock Star a Go-Go

Je t'aime
has some fantastic leather pants. Doesn't my butt look fantastic? There are tons of tiny supple creases in these pants. Woot! A tasteful logo is on the pocket. They come with a leather bra type top but the pants are really the star of the show. And you can be too -- in these!

And here I added a warm and cosy FREE sweater from *IW* Centauri. It comes with sculpty bottom, collar and cuffs and is VERY warm and cuddly. Find it on the FREEBIE wall in the back of the store. The prim guitar with animation was there too along with a host of other items I didn't try.

Hair and goggles from Stringer Mausoleum, top pose from LAP, shoes from Juicy.

EXXESS Designs

EXXESS Designs has its holiday gift out already and it is SURE to be a favorite with many of you. It comes with boots, some very cool gloves and earmuffs. Santa's helpers never looked like this!

Pose by Vago from today's dollarbie (earlier post). Hair by HOH. Skin by Samara Studios.

And while I can't get a picture of it as the textures won't load :D -- there is a cute Bristol Cream sherry giver for free at the Hudson Clothing Company. Find it out in the courtyard on the bar. It isn't in a vendor, it is the actually sherry giver. Buy for $0. Great for the holidays. There are also free clothes in the store. Look for the red bows.

Mix 'n Match Saturday

First off as I logged in this morning was a post that Retro-ology was discontinuing its clothing line to turn to accessories. All items are $1-$5. So you might want to join the guys checking this out. I didn't buy anything but the vendor posters looked good (wink). There's still a crowd there I see.

Samara Studios announced new skins called Callie and there is a "limited time" dollarbie skin available. Find it right under the big poster with the picture of several of the skins. Demos are of course available to try out the other skin tones. This is sunkissed. There is also a dollarbie umbrella on the center wall if you haven't seen that yet.

MECHANISM gave out some cute legwarmers to its update and subsribeOmatic groups. They are mod so easy to resize for gals. Here's a tip I just figured out (duh). If you select BOTH legwarmers, then use the STRETCH tool to size them down (shrink) -- they will be the same size automatically. Much faster than how I had been doing it. Then simply change back to position and align them to your legs. These are hefty ones and so they fit easily over narrow -- but not boot -- pants. Handy. Lots of cute detail too.

Vago has a new store and to celebrate there are two very nice dollarbie poses out. Find them in large vendors by the couch.

It's All On Your Head

Hatpins has a super cute group only colored version of the Lady Endora Top Hat for the group members. And when I arrived to pick it up there was ONE minute left on the lucky chair with a "C". Yeah. And so I also scored this very ladylike number perfect for Spring days -- and they are not THAT far away (wink). Dress by Ivalde. Pose by LAP.

Also in the chapeau category we have this cute cap and scarf set from Drama! Fashion. The black and white speckled warmer is sure to go with something in your closet. Here I paired it with a sweater from Sn@tch and some Adam 'n Eve Catwalk jeans.

Pose by LAP.

Hair is Allie by HOH.

Alive and Well - LOL

I know it seems like I've disappeared somehow but I really haven't. I've been checking all my normal sources, but haven't been able to find anything I was enthused enough to show you. So sorry. The feed seems sort of lost of late. That could be my perception or simply that there was SO much going on around Halloween that most folks are taking a breath and getting ready for the Christmas rush which I am SURE will make Halloween look boring. Well not REALLY!!!

Anyway, I did manage to get over to LAP (Long Awkward Pose) to use a bit of my gift card from the photo contest. It was fun. I already had a lot of the poses, but I found some OLD ones that were really great -- and only $25. So if you are in the need of some new material -- even if it is "old", take a look around. This was one of my $25 finds. You'll be seeing some of my other new purchases as soon as I find the next great deal.

So I am still here, not in hiding. Honest! (wink)

See ya soon. And I promise to eventually change clothes :D

Noob Hunt at Blockheadsville

So I went over to the Noob Hunt yesterday -- SPECIFICALLY to look for the AO from Dove. 27 prizes. I found 24. Dove's was NOT among them. Boo - hiss - pout. Oh well.

BUT, the hunt was much fun and extremely clever. The quaint little retro town is simply FILLED with "noobs" -- those perfect man mannequins I expect you've seen around and about. Many are Free to Copy, but SOME of them have gifts inside. The hunt is easy as the prize packs your are looking for are life sized -- literally (wink). Still you can obviously MISS some of them :D

Of the ones I found, these are my personal favorites. A few of the items are repeats from the Ghost Hunt which may be handy if you couldn't find them before. The picture above features an outfit from Bingo and a retro desk set which is so very cute.

Here is a very cute pea coat from iBizarre - just one of many gifts in their noob prize pack.

Oops. I almost forgot to tell you about this super cute purse from E.M.A. You'll need a bag animation for it. You may already have one though. Do a search for "hold" and see if you do (wink).

That's my report. Have a great time at the hunt and enjoy the exploring.

PS. There ARE things for guys here including some shirts and tees. There is also a stunt bike for sale for $0 inside a building with pink and black walls. You might be able to walk into the building but I was camming and found it. It is across the street from the park. Have fun.

Late Nights - Early Morns

Did you miss me? There have been a lot of late nights and early morns in my life of late. When I finally logged in (yes, again early) I was greeted with a review pack of eyes from Treasured Visions. If you were at the red shoe hunt at the Oz sim, you have undoubtedly been to Treasured Visions even if you didn't realize it!

I now know -- from the notecard -- that most of these eye series take 6-8 hours to complete as they are all hand drawn with no photosourcing. There are a large variety of styles and colors available. The ones shown above in the dark night are called Clubbing: Bloody rust and while they live up to their name, they also have an incredible shine of watery depths. They are indeed my favorites!

Here are a couple more shots -- close ups and better for your viewing.

These are called Envy :D

And these not so basic brown beauties are called abduction. Lovely.

And the winner is?

Doing my little happy dance on the way to spend my LAP gift card and a bunch of dinero to boot. This is my first contest win -- if we don't count the last minute honorable mention for the green shoe picture long ago.

It was great fun doing this shot even if it did take many hours of searching to find a barber chair. Where are the good props when you need them anyway?

Shown here is of course a LAP pose -- this one from the Oz sets. Remember those red clickable shoes?

The rest of the outfit has been blogged before but as a recap we have the great clothes from Illuminati from the Cutting Class adventure in Pulse, hair from House of Heart -- Sweeney Todd of course, and razor from Silent Sparrow long ago -- I NEVER discard a possibly useful item (wink).

There is a LAP contest each month. At least I think that is still the plan. Just join the LAP Flickr group and wait until the theme is announced. Its hard work, but a lot of fun too.

PS. As I went to the LAP pool I noticed a new post of AOs for under 30 day old folks. These look GREAT. So if you know any new kids on the block, let them know.

Edit: I just went to check the feed and say a post from Dove about that great looking AO set. I think this is excellent news. From her post:

I know some people would like to have this, that are not new residents, so as a hint, they will be available for a limited time during a certain hunt (coming up very soon, keep an eye out!), that will be the ONLY time EVER that you can get these without being a total noob.

A Whole New Color Scheme

OK. I admit it. I am ready for Halloween to end. Don't get me wrong, I LIKE Halloween. I'm just ready to move onward. Still, when I heard that Tekeli-li had a dollarbie out -- I am THERE. One of my favorite designers for sure with so much imagination and skill -- how could I not go.

So off to Hollow Earth and that is where these photos are taken. You can jump down into the abyss and ride a canal boat (or fly) and have a great time.

The gift is the great hat I am wearing and as you might have guessed it is immensely changeable with leather, metals and gems all having the ability to change into new colors. It's easy. Several sizes and attachment points are included. Don't miss this.

On the way to Hollow Earth, I stopped by Moontan who was having a hunt (well not REALLY as pumpkins are big and in the open. There is also a witches broom in case you are in need. Shown here are some pretty unHalloweeny thing (sigh of relief as my inventory is popping with LOVELY things I have no time to wear).

So, cute little bear to wear on a belt or wherever....

Little girlie necklace for the most feminine of us .....

And a more mannish leather number which would go with lots. Other items too -- these are only some. So stop by.

Shown with HOH and Bewitched hairs from the latest hunt and LAP poses.

Bewitched Hunt

Just a quick update after I zipped over to the Bewitched part of the great hair (and more) hunt going on. While I am not going to give you too many hints, I WILL say that -- for me -- the Bewitched part of the sisterhood held more favorites. And, for those of you who really like those "old" textures (and I am certainly one) you can get them here. I found at least five favorite styles including Doll shown in the Bewitched "mahg" version of mahogany. The dress is from the pumpkin in the Alpha Male shop. Pose by LAP.

It's getting laggy now but the hunt will be for for awhile, so enjoy.

Last of the Pumpkins

Deviant Kitties is having a hunt. You may have heard. I went over to take a look and while I really love the goggles I found (I so love goggles it seems), I do have to say that this is a DIFFICULT hunt. The pumpkins are tiny and after 45 minutes I had found three. So, I can't show you the whole outfit as I didn't find it, but I hear there are some great boots in the mix.

BUT there are some nice gifts just out in boxes including these HUGE but very cute (some of you like huge I know - wink) boots with lots of detail. They are mod but don't shrink down. They likely fit guys too? Good chance. Also in the freebies is this cute little Rufus with hold animation.

Also starting today there is a hunt at both Bewitched and House of Heart. Larger pumpkins (but not big) and easier to find -- for me anyway. Some are $0 and some are dollarbies. This was my favorite hair of the HOH group. I have this already in reds so nice to have a different color.

Poses by LAP, skirt by Samara Studios. Location? Samara Studios new courtyard where I just set up a shop. I ramble around a lot from place to place, but the main shop stays put -- for now anyway.

Ghost Busters: Reflections

While I was chatting with some of the other retailers last night in the Grid Wide Hunt group, I KNEW how I wanted to wrap up this world wind tour and gift hunt. Many of my readers won't recognize the humor here, but this Callie Cline rainbowa from the hunt is a sister to my famous -- or not so famous 15 minutes of glory. Later that same photo got me spot 11 if I recall correctly in Sexy Seconds magazine.

So when I had a chance to do a photo shoot with another bright feathery accessory, how could I pass it up? Boa by Callie Cline and hair by Truth (both from the hunt). Shoes by Juicy and pose by LAP.

I enjoyed the hunt immensely. I am most likely one of the very few people who experienced it from so many viewpoints -- retailer, hunter, photographer and blogger. As I retailer I sold a lot of dollarbies and a few of my most popular halter tops. And hopefully I made a few happy shoppers for the future. As a gatherer I enjoyed the challenges and sometimes the frustrations of the hunt. As a photographer I was thrilled to find a few more visually rich locales for photo shoots to come. And as a blogger, I am actually ready to move onward to new territory - LOL.

I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I enjoyed showing you some of the sights.


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Saturday, October 25, 2008

Chicken Sausage Paella

This recipe is from Cooking Light and is one of our favorites. We made it for Big Ron's visit and Mom and Granny's visit.

4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

* 2 3/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
* Cooking spray
* 2 ounces Spanish chorizo sausage (or a similar turkey sausage)
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
* 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 8 ounces)
* 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Combine broth and saffron in a small saucepan over low heat; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chorizo to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove chorizo from pan with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Add onion and pepper to pan; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add rice; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine and paprika; cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in broth mixture and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in turkey, peas, and parsley; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Nutritional Information

297 (30% from fat)
9.8g (sat 3.3g,mono 4g,poly 1.6g)

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Monday, November 30, 2009

One Road, Unfinished

I'm having trouble believing that it is almost December! These past few months have simply flown by for me. It's now clear that I haven't accomplished all (or even most) of the things I've been working toward this fall, which leaves me feeling discouraged.

For one thing, while I attempted NaNoWriMo, I didn't quite make it to the 50,000 word goal. I made a lot of progress, but just couldn't cross that finish line for a variety of reasons, none of which make me feel any better about not getting it done. Today, though, I have no choice but to smile and recognize that there's always next year. Which got me thinking....

With only one month left until the new year arrives, I figure it's time again to start thinking about what I need to do to kick myself into gear. Over the years, I've found that spontaneous New Year's Eve proclamations about what needs to change in my life have a tendency to stay in effect for about... a week.

I'm hoping to hit 2010 with a running start. Which means that now is the time to start planning, and beginning to build the routines that I want to stick to in the new year, and beyond. I've read that it takes at least twenty one consecutive days of repetition before a new behavior becomes a habit. Yikes!

One good byproduct of NaNo, for me, was getting in the habit of writing a certain number of words every day. Clearly, I didn't fully succeed in the endeavor, but every morning that I hopped out of bed and put fingers to keyboard marked another step toward a new great habit. I may not be destined to be a sprint writer, but those were someone else's rules to begin with. I'm not giving up on the marathon. I can't think of my NaNo attempt as a failure. It's just a road I started down, but haven't yet finished walking.

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

It may be wrong that I found this funny.

Binkie in:

Blinkie out:
Cause and effect, big guy.

Chelle said...

You are too funny. That cracked me up. What a cute little guy.

Jen said...

Nope, I found it funny too. :)

Jennifer said...

Not unlike my little Julian...the paci is a necessity around here too!

Jen said...

I think this is the biggest reason I still have to keep Jillian swaddled. Until she learns to take her pacifier out AND put it back in, she's an unhappy camper.

Ruth said...

Heh heh heh.

That's a bit of cause and effect that I wish WB had figured out.

sukeyknits said...

He's just so cute. Love the little bugger. With or without the binkie


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Portrayed By:

Edan Gross

First Appearance:

Child's Play 2

"Eat dirt, Tommy."
--Chucky burying Tommy.

Tommy is the Good Guy doll at the Simpsons' household.

Child's Play 2 (1990)Edit

When Chucky sneaks into the Simpson's house to get to Andy, he finds out that they have another Good Guy doll that looks exactly like him: Tommy.

Chucky knocks it to the ground, causing Tommy to malfunction, and he then proceeds to destroy it with a glass figurine. Tommy is buried in the backyard under the swing set, and Chucky poses as it to watch Andy. Later on, Kyle discovers the ruined doll under the swing set.

  • He is named after the director of the first Child's Play film, Tom Holland.

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Chiller Sales and Design

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This page was last updated on August 20, 2017

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Monday, April 13, 2009

Hercules -- Adoptee

The Easter Bunny placed a Hercules DVD in Maya's basket (she likes the "Zero to Hero" song that appears on a compilation DVD we have and Hercules was on sale at Target for $4.75!), and the girls and I watched it last evening before bed (why I didn't get to see Extreme Makeover: Home Edition).

I took my nephew to see it when it first came out, but I'd forgotten the plot details and certainly don't remember much of my Greek mythology from middle school (assuming the Disney version bears any resemblance to actual Greek mythology). In a nutshell, Hercules is the son of Zeus and Hera, but is stolen from them and turned into a mortal. He can't return to Mt. Olympus because of his non-god status, so Zeus and Hera leave him with the family who found him abandoned on their doorstep (Disney's synopsis calls them his adoptive parents, and IMdB calls them his foster parents; at Anti-Racist Parent, Jae Ran Kim of Harlow's Monkey lists him as "son of gods transracially adopted by humans!").

As a teen, Hercules feels that he doesn't fit in, doesn't belong. He sings that he'll go anywhere to find where he belongs. When his adoptive parents tell him he is not their biological son ("Your mom and I have been meaning to tell you . . . " sheesh!), he goes off in search of answers ("You're the greatest parents anyone could ever have, but I gotta know . . . ").

Lots to say about the adoption themes, searching for self, reunion (maybe one of the worst reunions in adoption history!), but I really just wanted to share what Zoe had to say about it all and wanted to fill in the back-story for the 3 people in the world who haven't seen or don't remember the movie!

Just after his adoptive parents give Hercules the necklace with the symbol of the gods found with him as a baby, and he says he'll go to the Temple of Zeus where there will surely be answers, Zoe pops up to say, "That's not fair! He can find his birth parents and I can't!"

Wow, how quickly she related it to her life! Of course, we had to stop the movie and talk about searching, what we know and don't know about her and Maya's birth parents, how it helped that Hercules had a clue to start with, what was found with her (we have no information about what Maya was found with). But what she DIDN'T want to talk about were emotions -- feelings of not belonging, of being different . . . . When we veered into that territory, she zapped the movie back on as fast as she had zapped it off.

And through the whole thing, poor Maya just wanted to get back to her movie!

Steve C. said...

The problem with Disney films is that they distort the truth or the actual legend to tell a story.

The actual Heracles legend has nothing to do with adoption. Heracles was the child of Zeus and a mortal woman who raised Heracles along with his semi-twin brother.

Rather than his mythical biological mother, Hera was Heracles' enemy who tried to prevent his birth and kill him as a child.

Wendy said...

Thanks Steve. My husband and I were having the Disney conversation today and what you are saying is so true. Actually, the reason Disney films are not really kid friendly is that they are not made for them. My grandmother was Walt Disney's secretary for many years and none of the films were created for kids--the reason why adults "get it", they were looking for alternative genres and ways that adults could get to see films (bringing their kids). We are hard pressed to find one appropriate for our daughter, the sad thing is that the Disney of today portrays themselves as kid and family friendly while contining to allow bigotry and inappropriate themes in their shows and movies.


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AFRICOM Willing to Work with China

The U.S. ’s relatively new African Command, or , has expressed an openness to working with China’s , should the opportunity arise, says its commander. Stars and Stripes has a rundown of AFRICOM, China’s role in , and areas where those might overlap or be incompatible:

Despite the U.S.-China rivalry — and different approaches toward the continent — the new U.S. Africa Command might see fit to eventually work there with China’s military, or anyone else’s, according to Gen. William E. “Kip” Ward, the AFRICOM commander.

“There’s work being done by many nations on the continent of Africa,” Ward said. “Whether it’s the Chinese, the Indians, other European nations, other Asian nations — clearly to the degree that we can cooperate in reaching common objectives, we want to do that.

“And there’s enough work for all, to be sure.”

As U.S. policy makers sort out the palatability of working with China, others ponder the common ground on which their militaries could operate in Africa.

While Stuttgart-based AFRICOM advertises humanitarian motives, critics condemn resource-poor China’s business-only approach toward buying oil from Sudan, minerals from Zimbabwe, and vital resources from other African nations.

June 29, 2008 2:57 PM
Posted By:
Categories: China & the World


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Two Jokes About Current Events

Two jokes are currently circulating in Chinese cyberspace which take on current events:

The first one refers to recent tensions over the East China Sea.

[Diaoyu Islands belong to which country?] Answer: Bring a laptop computer there. If you can open Twitter, they belong to Japan. If you can’t open Twitter, they belong to China!

The second one references a recent order that homes, temples and schools in Tibet must display portraits of China’s leaders.

Cadres went from house to house to ask: Have you hung all the leaders [portraits]? They all answer: Hung, we hung them all!*

* The word 挂 (gua) literally means to hang, but is also online slang for “dead.” So the double-entendre is: “The leaders are all dead!”

January 30, 2012 11:46 PM
Posted By:


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Censorship Vault: Beijing Internet Instructions Series (10)

In partnership with the China Copyright and Media blog, CDT is adding the “Beijing Internet Instructions” series to the Censorship Vault. These directives were originally published on Canyu.org (Participate) and date from 2005 to 2007. According to , the directives were issued by the Municipal Network Management Office and the State Council Internet management departments and provided to to by insiders. has not verified the source.

The translations are by Rogier Creemers of .

9 March 2006

Concerning reports on the reform of the Beijing area, please do not reprint matters, where they are already reprinted, please immediately delete them. Forums are also not to discuss this matter.

Reports on the university student Wu Yujie being imprisoned for engaging in ticket scalping activities, are not to be discussed. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

9 March 2006

Please speedily delete “Man Leaving Crime Scene Beaten to Death, Bystanders Seek Help from Police Without Response.” Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

9 March 2006

News Notice (Fan Tao): Please make “Yujie” (personal name) into a keyword, filter all articles about this person.  Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

8 March 2006

News Notice (): Yesterday, after minister of foreign affairs organized a press conference, put forward an impertinent protest against us, websites are requested to strengthen management, do not disseminate information or comments about this matter, forums, trackers, blogs, etc., are not permitted to carry discussions of this kind.

9 March 2006

Please delete reports on the matter of serial murder of children in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang as soon as possible;

The text “The Chinese Communist Party Must Know How to Control the New Bourgeoisie” must not be permitted to appear on websites;

If there are online articles smearing the Lei Feng Spirit, especially the text “The Truth about One Corrupt Element: Lei Feng,” they must be firmly deleted;

If there are blogs set up by the earlier China Public Opinion Supervision Net leading person on your website, please delete them;

For reprinting the case of the only daughter of a professor being throttled to death by a public transport ticket seller, please wait for our notification, do not reprint anything before then.

6 March 2006

Network Supervision notice: Focus supervision and control points from 4 March until 10 March:

(1) Online information trends concerning the national “”;

(2) Clues on activities of a number of retired military personnel, bank personnel “bought out of seniority,” households moved away because of confiscation, house owners and other groups planning, organizing and linking up for petitioning and “rights defense” activities, etc.;

(3) Domestic and foreign hostile forces playing up the “relay fasting activity” started by and other situations.

(4) Pay attention to finding and dealing with the “Online Publication of an ‘Open Letter’ Incident” of People’s Policeman Wu Youming from Huangshi, Hebei and corresponding information;

(5) Pay attention to finding and dealing with information related to “the incident of HuiHan clashes in Xinzheng, Henan,” as well as “Terrorist Suitcase Bomb Construction Plan.”

Explanation: the first item is a focus target for attention, delete negative reports on and attacking content concerning the Two Sessions! Items 2-5 are to be immediately deleted when found.

6 March 2006

Please delete the articles on Premier Wen opening a blog according to requirements.

6 March 2006

News notice:

(1) The matter of “serial killing of children happening in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang,” please do not put it on the main page of websites or the main news page. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

(2) Please remove surveys stating that 67% of citizens believe that the current amount of civil servants should be reduced from front pages and main news center pages of websites. Please acknowledge receipt, thank you.

Attention: if it is not on the front page, it may be reported.

6 March 2006

Network Supervision Office notification: Articles on Wang Xiaoya having a dubious relationship with some high Ministry of Public Security official, Minister Zhou or Minister Zhou Yongkang may not be issued without exception, existing ones are to be all deleted.

4 March 2006

Information Office notice: Everyone, the Political Consultative Committee member Wu Bowei stating that receiving read envelopes may make doctor-patient relations more harmonious, no website may report this without exception, existing matters must be deleted as soon as possible, it may also not be discussed in forums.

3 March 2006

Please immediately delete the following content:

(1) Police ban unlicensed dispensaries creating havoc for villagers in 200 villages, villagers state unlicensed dispensaries’ prices are reasonable;

(2) A batch of improper professional personnel is to be repatriated during the Two Sessions period;

(3) Shenzhen deals with ringleaders unlawfully gathering crowds.

3 March 2006

Recently, a piece of news has circulated on the Internet, entitled “Beijing Railway Station Traffic Police Inspect Driver Violating Regulations Are Blocked – And Kneel Before 70 Year Old Lady In Street.” The said new has had great repercussions in society. Some have seized the opportunity to slander Beijing police, vainly attempting to play up this matter, and creating an opposing situation between the masses and the police.

On the instruction of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau director, your company is requested to strengthen supervision strength, and news or comments related to “Beijing Railway Station Traffic Police Inspect Driver Violating Regulations Are Blocked – And Kneel Before 70 Year Old Lady In Street” are to be deleted without exception.

2 March 2006

Information Office notice (Chen Hua): In the case of four students jumping off buildings in the Huanan Agricultural University in , websites are no longer to reprint reports and copy on this, existing copy is to be transferred to the back stage, forums and trackers are no longer to track this sort of posts

2 March 2006

Concerning the dispute  of Qiu Chengtong with professor Tian Gang, no online reporting is to occur without exception.

2 March 2006

Grasp the few matters needing attention in online forum discussions concerning Chen Shui-bian “ending his term.”

(1) Forums and other interactive columns must be strictly grasped according to relevant principles and policies of the Center on Taiwan, ideologies and actions are to be unified around the spirit of the Center, it is necessary to let the broad masses believe the Center has the determination, the capacity and the ways to smash “Taiwanese independence” forces’ plotting to split the motherland, and move the grand cause of reunification of the motherland forward.

(2) Online discussion must fully reflect that the realization of peaceful unification of the two shores, and stimulate the grand rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, is the common wish of the sons and daughters of China inside and outside the country, including Taiwan compatriots. The malicious nature of “Taiwanese independence” causing quarrels in the peace in the Taiwan Straits and causing stress in the relationships between the two shores must be deeply exposed, and it must be put forward that the line of Chen Shui-bian in insisting on “Taiwanese Independence” completely instigates opposition and conflict within Taiwan and between the two shores, and can only bring disaster to Taiwanese society.

(3) Interpretation of the important statements of our Party and State leaders must be strengthened, fully and deeply propagate the principles and policies of the Chinese side well.

(4) Declarations of foreign governments and overseas personalities that are beneficial to us must be timely transmitted.

(5) Discussions of netizens on “military unification,” “sending soldiers,” etc., must be earnestly grasped, they are not to be excessively concentrated, this sort of posts may not be more than two on the main page of forums and trackers.

(6) Articles or posts seizing the opportunity to attack or censure the Party and government, or attack the Central principles, policies and uniform deployment concerning Taiwan must be firmly blocked or deleted. Discussions seizing the opportunity to incite uproar or destroy social stability may not be encouraged to be signed or passed on online, illegal activities may not be encouraged.

(7) Strictly implement requirements on the scope of reprinting, do not gather news yourself, corresponding VIP interviews must be approved.

2 March 2006

Please inspect whether or not the content “Complete Notes and Pictures on the Appalling News of Cannibalism in Guangdong” is present on your website, if it is, please delete it. Furthermore, please notify the full-time public opinion officers to receive a message in his own mailbox, if they do not understand, let them contact us. Thank you.

“男子搬迁现场被打死 旁人向警察求助无回应”请迅速删除。收到请回复，谢谢。

新闻办通知: 各位，政协委员吴博威称收红包可令医患关系更和谐的消息，各网站一律不得报道，已有的要尽快删除，论坛中也不得讨论。

2、网上讨论要充分反映实现两岸和平统一、促进中华民族伟大复兴，是包括台湾同胞在内的海内外中华儿女的共同心声。要深入揭露陈水扁恶意挑衅台海和 平、制造两岸关系紧张的”台独”本质，指出陈水扁执意推行”台独”路线，在台湾内部和两岸之间全面挑起对抗冲突，只能为台湾社会带来灾难。

These translated directives were first posted by Rogier Creemers on on November 17, 2012 (here).


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10th to 12th DECEMBER, 10:00 - 18:00
Dubai World Trade Centre

Browse Exhibitors & Products

Connect With Exhibitors Before The Show & Secure A Meeting On Site Use the multi-lingual platform to communicate with suppliers, Make your Exhibition Visit More Meaningful With Pre Arranged Meetings

Xiamen Ebei Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd.
"Xiamen Ebei is an eco-friendly products supplier from China, we are focusing on bamboo products for more than 8 years, we have wide range of bamboo products including furniture and home decor, kitchenware and tableware, bathroom accessories and office supply, gardening and gifts etc. We are able to combine bamboo with metal, ceramic, glass, acrylic, stone to get a better combination on functions and colors. Apart from our existing range products, we can do OEM designs as well. We have good experiences in export business and customer service which ensure good cooperation with foreign customers. We had successful experiences of helping customers to develop ideas, concept, with prototypes, drawings, and mock-ups into marketing merchandise. We have experienced quality control people to ensure the quality. Meanwhile, we can act as a purchase agent for foreign companies in other products development, products sourcing, quality inspection, factory audit, production follow-up, container consolidation and so on. We have established good relationships with customers from all over the world. We are dedicated to helping our clients by providing them with a range of good quality eco-friendly products at reasonable price. Our slogan is: ""Go Green! Back to Nature!"" Our idea is to offer better service to our customers as well as to make people's life environmental. We are looking forward to establishing ECO business relationships with you in the near future."

World's Largest Chinese Sourcing Expo Network

DUBAI 8th edition with over 2200 exhibitors

LARGEST China Sourcing show in the Middle East

PRODUCT launches, special offers and more

10,000 + visitors from Middle East, Africa and Asia

SOURCE direct from manufacturers

MATCHMAKING program with FREE Translation

  • partner
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  • org1
  • ae-org
  • Meet Face to Face Top Suppliers

  • Meet Leading Machinery Suppliers

  • Source Suppliers Online

  • Source Suppliers Online


text:
10th to 12th DECEMBER, 10:00 - 18:00
Dubai World Trade Centre

Browse Exhibitors & Products

Connect With Exhibitors Before The Show & Secure A Meeting On Site Use the multi-lingual platform to communicate with suppliers, Make your Exhibition Visit More Meaningful With Pre Arranged Meetings

Shenzhen Zesen Printing Co., Ltd.
Shenzhen Zesen Printing Company Limited was established in 2007, it is a printing, design, packaging,logistics one-stop service printing and packaging company. It has more than 20 sets of modern production equipment, 15,000 square meters plant and an outstanding team of 80 elites in R&D, supervisors, managers, sales, customer services and over 500 employees.

World's Largest Chinese Sourcing Expo Network

DUBAI 8th edition with over 2200 exhibitors

LARGEST China Sourcing show in the Middle East

PRODUCT launches, special offers and more

10,000 + visitors from Middle East, Africa and Asia

SOURCE direct from manufacturers

MATCHMAKING program with FREE Translation

  • partner
  • partner
  • partner
  • partner
  • partner
  • partner

  • org1
  • ae-org
  • Meet Face to Face Top Suppliers

  • Meet Leading Machinery Suppliers

  • Source Suppliers Online

  • Source Suppliers Online


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Saturday, October 24, 2009

The studio...

or lack thereof!
Let's just say "the world is my studio", or more accurately, our entire home is my studio! I tend to spread things out so I can work on them where ever I may be at the moment. This translates to multiple dedicated locations around the house- a work desk for jewelry design and pendant scanning in the office, on a nice day it might mean glazing on the patio (yes that is a dog back end you see behind the sofa), a closet of beads and various supplies (also in the office), kilns (and storage of all ceramic supplies) in the garage,a work bench (for soldering, metal sawing, oxidizing) in the garage, glazing tray on the dining room table in the evenings (so I can "watch" tv or just be with hubster and the pup), The sofa where I sit with my laptop cropping pendant pictures and listing things on my website, and a drying slab of pendants in the kitchen (so I can run in during commercial breaks or between chapters of a book to obsessively pat the drying pendants down so they don't warp).I usually just work with the background noise of the tv, I tend to pretty much tune everything out while I'm working with clay so even that isn't necessary!

So that is the "studio" tour. Living in Southern California means no basement to convert into a studio and although I keep all my ceramic supplies in the garage (one that does not also house a car thank goodness!) I would never call it my studio as I usually move everything to where ever else I want to work that day. Someday I hope to have a dedicated space where I can have everything together, but I suspect that I would continue to work in the same way... all over the place!

Be sure to visit again at 3:00 EST (12:00 PST) to see the next giveaway! While you're waiting, why not swing by and check out my necklace auction post? I'm participating in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure next weekend- 100% of the proceeds from the auctions go to the Komen Breast Cancer charity.

See the other BOC participating blogs at:

  1. No basements here on the east coast either! Thanks for the tour and I'm glad I could finally put a picture to the face, lovely lady! Good luck with sales today!

  2. Thanks for the sneak peek into your studio. It's nice to "meet" you:) I've heard the name of your shop before, but haven't really explored. I love your textures and colors, so vibrant! Beautiful work:)

  3. this is great! thanks for sharing...

  4. Love it Mellisa! Although I have a studio space, I do tend to move things around the house. The dining room table is only visible when we have company to dinner. The oven? You need to put the oven to use to dry things.

Thanks for stopping by to chat! I love comments and if you have your email enabled in your blogger profile, I would love to be able to keep the conversation going.


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Saturday, March 29, 2014

More Blue Giant updates

I've reached a point where I can't proceed with the development of the game without changing half of the game's design and looks. Having discussed with my teammates we've decided that I should take a break from Blue Giant and enjoy my perfectly-timed call-up to serve my country (ugh... 25 days "reservice" is killer).

For a period of a good month the rest of the team will continue working on the project following a very rough discussion we've had prior to my reservice (I think). Perhaps I'll be able to see the project in a different light after 4 weeks of physical work in the name of serving my country (hahaha... right).

For the moment I'm "kinda" working on Futile Hunt as much as I can on a nightly basis.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Blue Giant's Direction

We've spent quite a bit of time building up the framework for our Blue Giant project, and it has reached a point where our original vision of the project no longer seem feasible, given our limited resources/time. After a good discussion with jon I think we have a good direction we're heading towards.

Basically, we are to

  • Greatly increase the pacing of the game (emphasis on time limit), which leads to ...
  • An increased emphasis on action
  • Reduce the scale of the game world
More details of the design to come over the weeks.

For now, I'd like to share a few renditions of our main character, named Dave.

This was the original sprite, kinda looks terrible to me now. Dull colors, stiff animation.

This was the sprite in our 0.0.1 build of the game. This was after victoria worked her magic on the existing sprite.

This was an experiment. I created this new sprite to explore new possibilities for the project (Notice the huge gun in his hands). We eventually deemed it (and its accompanying changes to the game design) too far a departure from the current systems that we have implemented.

This is the latest one I have. The way the sprite is drawn borrows a lot from a soon-to-be-released game called "Super Time Force" (which looked amazing). The original 0.0.1 design, with the bold outlines, was a little too difficult to animate (the stiffness in the animation is apparent). Given that our character needs to move fast in our new design, I had to adopt a style that allows me to animate the character more fluidly. I chose this style. We just might stick to it.

How I feel half the time.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Blue Giant on IndieDB

Hi ho, we've added a basic game profile page of Blue Giant on IndieDB here. We'll be adding some details and uploading a really early build of the game (just keep in mind that a lot will change in the final product) in a moment.

3D-glasses-wearing skeleton donning Link's tunic and is set against a rainbow-colored background

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Sequel please.

If there's an Ubisoft game that I love, it's Beyond Good & Evil.
Sequel please!!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Random Pixel Art #01

I think I'm going nuts working on Blue Giant non-stop, so I shall take a 10-minute break and show some of the random pixel artwork I've worked on for fun.

A chicken sprite I made for a random runner idea that we could implement in a few days. This chicken is supposed to "fire" explosive eggs from its rear - a move that destroys enemies and serves as an air-jump. Talk about killing 2 birds with one stone.

Another runner idea, this time featuring a man running from a horde of zombies as he runs from building to building. Think Canabalt with zombies. Never did finish the prototype. (A modified version of this sprite was used in Day X).

Lately I've taken a liking to going for a minimalistic presentation, such as the sprites above. These are for a game tentatively titled "Futile Hunt" (I've posted a few entries about it). I'm been working on this title on the side for a couple of weeks now (like about a few hours of work per week) - it hasn't gone very far as of yet, but I'm interested to see how this idea turns out.

This is actually the first complete project Jon and I worked on (saved for school projects). I had an idea to make a "Karateka" with guns. The end result is a relatively fresh idea - but a somewhat boring game. We did not release the title; instead, we intend to improve upon it before releasing it.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Dear Sis,
If I had known what was really happening, I would have talked to you more. I have so much I want to share with you - like my struggle with starting an indie games startup, my various school game projects, my views on "Evangelion" (even if we've already briefly discussed the series). But it's a little too late now, because I'm an idiot.

About a few years ago I started to find you a tinny bit more distant. At first I thought it was because of my ill-expressed remark on your Facebook page that led to a mildly heated exchange with your peers. Then I assumed you were just building some distance between yourself and the rest of us (the gang) in order to be considerate towards Adrian. I never thought to ask. I thought I should respect that "distance". I'm sorry, I should have talked to you and understood the situation. I guess a part of me was afraid you were angry at me for causing that commotion on FB. But of course, you weren't. If only I had asked, I would probably have a better understanding of what was really happening.

If HY hadn't invited you to our little whatapp group just a few months back, I'll probably never get to have a proper conversation with you. I'm grateful to have chatted with you about your work, about Evangelion, and about how I shouldn't prioritize career over finding my other half. But if I had known that would be the last few times we get to talk, I'd have shared a lot more of my experiences, or asked you more questions about... anything at all.

I guess I just want to say that I'm really happy to have been your god-bro; and, as your god-brother, love you dearly. There is nothing I wished more than for these words to reach you somehow.

Goodbye sis, I'll miss you dearly.

-Your brother.


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Saturday, October 14, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #25

Working on a boss character! Here's how it looks:
Perhaps I'll write an entry detailing how the worm was implemented.

Musing again

A potential publisher we've been in contact with decided after some months that they wouldn't be working with us on Fates & Constellations after all - it's a bummer, but not altogether unexpected. After all, their SDK does not support GameMaker, which is the engine we're using. I'm somewhat disappointed they didn't feel the need to build a Gamemaker version of their SDK but this just mean they don't think F&C is worth the extra work. For shame.

There's still a lot to be done to make the game accessible, and what with the need to further tweak the graphics, it doesn't look like F&C will be done anytime soon. Being the only person in the team championing the game at the moment, it does get a little tiring, and I feel in need of a break. As such, I shall be scaling back the amount of time I spend on F&C to set aside some time to work on a new prototype to pitch to the fellow mages. I'm thinking a game with an isometric view - perfect excuse to give Unity a(nother) go. That shall be the arrangement until I get my groove back so I can finish F&C for real.

This thus far has been a year of delays for Rotten Mage, on all ends. Quite frustrating really - I really need for Rotten Mage to become sustainable soon and not have to entirely depend on the unstable income from my part-time jobs. Pressure from my parents only amplifies the urgency to make things work out. Partly thanks to that, I've been treating my personal side project more seriously as a form of potential income. Serious Scramblers, which was an extremely fun project to work on, looks to be >50% done. Its more simplistic nature and smaller scope, combined with the fact that I get to make all decisions without any restraints or worries about disapproval, likely means that it'll get released before any of our current projects in Rotten Mage's pipeline.

All these may sound pretty gloomy, but I'm really quite eagerly anticipating Spacejacked's eventual release on consoles - it's been a dream of mine to make games for consoles and I very much want Spacejacked to find an audience on those platforms. I suppose I just need to be patient and use the time to prep the marketing materials.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #23 - Tracking progress

Did a couple things for tracking progress in the game.

Clicking on individual world node will result in the displaying of the number of levels completed in that particular node, as well as the number of stars collected. I will probably have to change the layout thanks to iPhone X's design.

Also made changes to the level selection screen so it now reflects which exact levels have been completed.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #23

Not a lot of time to work on Serious Scramblers this week, so I set aside a little time to add in this tiny detail.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #22 - Quick catching-up

Progress on F&C is admittedly on the slow side for the past month, but it isn't at a standstill, I'm still progressing, albeit rather slowly. Part of this has got to do with the fact that my recent tasks are all very UI-heavy, and programming and designing UI is my bane - it's not particularly fun(for most part) and at times is mind-numbing mundane. Still, work is work.

Another issue that has cast some uncertainty on the direction of the project is surprisingly, our choice of game engine. We're currently in talks with a publisher and was at one point close to signing a contract - until we're told that they don't currently have a GameMaker extension to their SDK. Thanks to that we're all kinda in an uncomfortable position of having to wait and see how things turn out. Quite worrying - because I was banking on advice from a publisher on how best we can monetize the game.

What I can do now is to keep updating the game and keep the the publisher updated(which reminds me, I still don't have a presentable build since starting work on the progression system). We'll see how this goes.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #22

After a couple people pointed out how difficult it was to follow the player amidst all of the visual clutter, I've decided to remove the debris and opt for the more subtle smoke particles.

Monday, September 4, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #21

Added a new obstacle that continuously fires bullets in one direction. Made the choice for all of the spawners to fire the bullets at the same time - that way players will be better able to anticipate the bullets and have an easier time avoiding them.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

This is one of those post where I absolutely need to pen out my thoughts and not hold it in any longer.

I have, on multiple occasions, ask my teammates about how they think our future releases would do, and get responses that indicates a severe lack of confidence, or worse, absolute indifference. Now, I understand everyone's badly burnt by Spacejacked's abysmal financial performance, but it should be an experience for us to learn from. Spacejacked's poor sales figures is largely a product of our lack of marketing and community building, and we should do our utmost not to repeat the same mistake. And yet, it feels like everyone is somehow content with the status quo, despite thinking that the games wouldn't sell. It's almost as if everyone's just going through the motion because no one wants to be the first to quit.

Compared to the times when everyone was working on Spacejacked to the best of our abilities, these days everyone just seems like they can't be bothered to:-

- Communicate any issues faced to the team
- Communicate with crucial partners
- Work

It is absolutely torturous having to pour blood and sweat into a project and feel like no one else have their hearts in it. Or maybe it's just me.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #19 - New flying pattern

Added a new variation of the flying enemy type - they'll continuously move left and right!

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #21 - WIP World Selection Screen

Here I am testing out the very much still-in-development world selection screen.

We've decided upon separating the levels based on the mechanics introduced, as well as the difficulty in general.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Friday, July 28, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #14

Added variation to platform length after the player has progressed far enough!

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #20 - Revamped art assets

Finally got around to integrating the new art assets by Victoria.

Also added functionality to scale do-dads!

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #19 - Different split angles

Testing out a new splitting angle. The intention is that we'll have a central hub in the game that acts as a world selection, and each world could potentially have a different splitting angle - level progress is something I've yet to work on; I'll have to get around to it once I'm done replacing the current artwork in the game with Victoria's art assets.

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #12

Figured I should start tracking the number of coins collected during a play-through. So here it is!

Monday, July 3, 2017

Applying for DEJUS Rating

One of the more mundane task that I found myself having to do for Spacejacked is the administrative side of things. In order for the game to be eligible for distribution in the Americas, we have to apply for the appropriate game rating. CS already got us the ESRB rating, which thankfully is recognized by almost all countries in the region saved for one - Brazil. I'm writing this entry to document the steps I took to apply for the Brazilian game rating - I'm mighty forgetful and I can't read Portuguese.

1) Go to
2) Click on "Classificação Indicativa"
3) Click on "Procedimentos"
4) Click on "JOGOS E APPS"
5) And there we have it, the explanations on the page from this point on should be obvious.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #11

Runs on iPad too! Accounted for the difference in aspect ratio by erecting two walls on both ends of the game area.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #10

Still can't get my GMS 2 to detect iOS devices using my current laptop. Had to switch to an older laptop before it works. Here's the game running on an iPod!

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Annoying issue

Welp, this is a real annoying issue and I have no idea what I should do about it.

Monday, May 8, 2017

Drawing a line in Construct 2.0

I was quite recently asked how a match-3 game like Tsum Tsum can be implemented in Construct 2. Thought this could be a good chance to check out how Construct 2 is like.

I figured I'll first implement a line drawing functionality, then have whatever "gems" it intersects be destroyed.

I'm sure there are better ways to implement this, but at such short notice, and without any prior experience with Construct, this is what I have for now:

Essentially, the line is just a series of short line segments each created with a scaled sprite. The original sprite is 1px by 4px. With 4px being the thickness of the line. Each segment is rotated and has its width set based on the touch position.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Another Spacejacked Update

Been adding waves to the second endless mode. Here's one more!

The blue giants are a lot more durable than the red ones, so it's essential to chip away at their health as much as possible when they are still in the upper arenas!

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Friday, April 14, 2017

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Today I learned #02

  • The ref keyword differs from out in that ref requires the corresponding argument be initialized first before being passed into the function. (C#)

Monday, April 10, 2017

Today I learned #01

  • I can't apply an access modifier to a method in an interface, they're public by default. (C#)

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Spacejacked Update

Working on a new variation of the red giant. Introducing... blue giant (lol)!
So, this blue version is faster on its feet, but takes a lot longer to recover from landing and turning. It's designed to emphasize the importance of building turrets in the higher arenas.

Friday, March 31, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #03

Managed to find some time to add in a few things.

Coin collection:

Also, here's the title!

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #02

Haven't had an update in a while (no thanks to having to teach a holiday camp).
Anyway, I managed to spare a little time to add drop-shadows to the various entities. Here's how it looks!

Next up: collecting coins

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Devlog: Serious Scramblers #01

Lately, much of my time is spent working on Fates & Constellations (and to a much lesser extent, Spacejacked). That said, I've managed to sneak in a couple hours of development a week on a small project based on a game called "Rapid Roll" on my low-end Nokia phone.

The objective of the game is simple - moving your way down elevating platforms and avoid getting pierced by the spikes.

So far I've gotten a prototype up and running (seen above). There's still much to be done, as there isn't any form of level progression at this point. Please look forward to future updates!

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #18 - Split label removed

Each level in the game is to be cleared within a certain number of splits. Till now, we have been relying on displaying a number on the top-left corner of the screen to communicate to the players the number of splits remaining - it proves to be fairly ineffective (few people notice the label, much less read it while solving the puzzle).

Consequently, we're trying a different approach to displaying the split counts, as featured below. We'll need to test this.

In other news, our artist who's previously worked with us on Spacejacked has offered to help improve the looks of the game. Early mockups seem promising. It may be a while before we're done with the graphical upgrade, but we look forward to showing it to everyone once it's ready!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #17 - Tweaks

Before proceeding on to adding more content, I thought it'd be a better idea to address some of the feedback we received during playtesting.

One of the minor changes we've made was to reduce the size of the nodes hoping it'd look better.

Before & After:

Another change we added is even more subtle. It has to do with the amount of time you have to wait for the lines to reach the edge (after the final split) of the game area before the level restarts. To fix that, we gradually speed up the line after the final split.

Here are the gifs for comparison:

Friday, February 24, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #16 - Particles!

Added some particle effects to emphasize the cutting of lines. The tiny particles seem to work well enough with the glow =)

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #15 - Glow

Finally added some glow to the constellations. Still got to tweak this further - the glow makes the white nodes look like balls of fuzz, so we'll probably have to change how they look. Also, jon fixed up the lines so they now look smoother, good bye aliasing!

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #14 - Post-processing

We thought it's time to finally do some post-processing to spice up the look of the game and to break away from the somewhat flat color tone. There was much experimentation, and we eventually settled on changing the hue and saturation towards the bottom of the screen so it looks like the landscape is reflecting light.

Here's the comparison (before & after):

We try to keep the effect subtle in order to not draw too much attention away from the puzzle. In fact, we're thinking of making the constellations stand out more by implementing glow - so that's something to look forward to! =D

While implementing the shader I came across a weird issue on iOS - unlike its Windows counterpart, which gave the above result, the iOS build had weird graphical glitches (flickering white dots, black colors turning white, etc). As it turned out, the issue was caused by floating point imprecision. More specifically, for GLSL (ES), precision qualifiers are a thing. (Much thanks to my teammate jon for fixing this!)

For some reason, the float variables in the shader were of mediump (medium precision) and is unable to represent a value as small as the following:

float e = 1.0e-10;

Consequently, e becomes 0 and resulted in a division by zero in the implementation, thereby causing weird graphical artifacts.

The following links greatly helped us in the implementation of the post-processing fx.

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #13

Work-in-progress level selection screen. Here's a look at some of the levels we've made!

Friday, January 27, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #12

Quick update!

After attending my first local indie get-together and showing a bunch of people the game, it became quite obvious that the level-restart transition is confusing to a lot of people. Here's how it looked:

Terrain rotates to the right on restart

Here's the updated version:

Hopefully it's now a lot clearer and doesn't look like it's going to a previous level.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Devlog: Fates and Constellations #11 - Tools

Last week has been about building up our tools. As the number of levels we've made increases it becomes increasingly tedious to have to cycle through other levels to get to the one we want. As such, we took some time to build a crude but functioning tool to preview and reorder levels:

It's also become pretty obvious that sorting through all the levels by difficulty without some form of automation would be a less-than-enjoyable and time-consuming task, so we also wrote a tool to help us sort the levels by difficulty. It works by presenting the user(that's us), a series of questions asking which of the 2 presented levels is harder. By the end all of the levels would be properly sorted by difficulty (files are numbered in the gif below for testing purposes).


text:
13th DIMENSION – Interview with CHIP KIDD on the Brilliance of Marshall Rogers’ #BATMAN

  • date
  • January 25, 2016

If you head on over to the 13th DIMENSION website the Editor Dan Greenfield has just posted Part 3 of his interview with Chip Kidd. In this episode they discuss the complete and total brilliance of  the legendary BATMAN Comic Book Artist Marshall Rogers.  Also, if you’re a fan of this artist’s work then the post there has a lot of delicious eye-candy to enjoy. To check it out, just CLICK HERE!

© 2016 Chip Kidd

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