La Luz Beach Resort 2012

If you are planning to go to the beaches of Batangas, why not try La Luz Beach Resort. It will take you between 4 hours to about half a day's drive from Manila. It is a resort which in my opinion caters to the class A and B market.

Once you arrive, you are greeted with a refreshing drink of ice tea and a face towel freshly soaked in cool water. While this may not sound like much in writing, it is like finding an oasis in the desert after enduring a long drive under the hot summer sun.

The cottages of La Luz are the best aspect of the resort, again IMHO. Simple, but elegant. Furniture is made of bamboo and capiz like shells. Rooms are clean and well maintained. Air condition and hot shower baths are available. No fancy tech stuff though, which I think is intentional, since without TV or computers to occupy one's time, then one is forced to make use of other means of having fun such as reading magazines, playing board games, beach volleyball or frisbee, hiring a masseuse, kayaking, snorkeling, and of course swimming on the beach. This doesn't mean that you can't bring your gadgets. A lot of tourists have their own laptops, phones, and pads - but I think this defeats the purpose of being at the beach. Consider it an opportunity to withdraw from tech addiction.

Digital cameras are a must though, since there are a lot of potential photography subjects available at the resort. You can choose from the natural landscape, to the resort's dining facilities, to the beach chairs and umbrellas, just to name a few. There is even an elevated rock formation from which you can take pictures of a lot of different views of the shoreline. This must be the reason why a couple choose the spot as the venue of their beach wedding.

The sand at La Luz is not as fine nor as pure as the beaches of Boracay. And the beach immediately drops from about 3 ft to 6 ft with just a few strides from the shore. This might be a turn off for inexperienced swimmers, and is probably the reason why not that many children are present at the beach. Life vests are available for a fee, and are usually coupled with snorkeling gear, for those who are not afraid to dive the depths. Floating platforms also act as achievement trophys for the adventorous swimmer.

La Luz offers lunch, dinner, and breakfast buffets along with the facilities. Open-air cottages with matresses are scattered along the shoreline and are free (as long as you've already paid for a room reservation and for the buffet) on a first-come-first-serve basis. So if you are a couple, or a family, wanting to enjoy summer on the beaches of Batangas, give La Luz a shot. A bit pricey, but well-worth it.

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Alteil: Defender of Seasons / Sakon

Sakon seems to have more potential than her counterpart Meltiria. Let's look at the Defender of Season's skills and stats.

As a soul skill, Sakon would probably work well with a Discarder file especially when dealing against Rush files. The grammar may be wrong (1 cards) but you get the idea. For every enemy unit with HP 0 or lower, send 1 card from the file to the cemetery. Its a trade-off between sending a card after sacrificing 2 LP in Lria or sending potentially more cards in Sakon. Of course, if your up against a Biggies, you might not even be able to send a file to the grave. And if you don't have Lria, then Sakon might be a good SS alternative.

For SP Stealing Decks, Sakon's start skill might be of use too. The battle-time night clause might be bypassed by Eskatia (though I've yet to see an SP Stealing deck use her). But Sakon just might create a new SP Stealing type of deck, and along with Mad Priest and Nightmare Given Form, might completely create an SP lock for your opponent.

Sakon is a two hitter (like Winston, Shvara, Folrart Dual-wielders, etc. with a twist. You are penalized an LP if you kill an enemy unit). Now why would a player want that? Must be desperate to use this skill or you want to trigger a certain SS. 

The close skill seems to be aimed as a counter against MAX HP - 60  hate SS and similar effects. But I don't think it is effective against Sergis or Folrart Paladin SS. Perhaps the conditional use should be changed to MAX HP = 0 or lower for wider coverage.

Decent stats for a level 4 unit at 60 HP, and AGI 4. ATK could have been higher, but I guess Aoizakura's DEF bypassing ability more than makes up for the low ATK. Again, similar to Meltiria, it is just strange that the card type does not match the decks that I think this card should be placed in. Still, this card just might see more playtime than Meltiria. I would recommend trying her out to those who can afford buying a set.

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Alteil: Song of Spring / Meltiria

New card boxes are selling for 1000 Gran a pop. If you are a collector and have amassed most of the cards, this will be like shelling 3000 Gran for a complete set. Are the new EX Spring Cards worth it? Lets look at the first one called Song of Spring, Meltiria.

It seems strange to have a new Faerie card for Refess when Faeries are considered Gowen's territory. So this must mean this card isn't really meant for a Faerie deck. And if you look at the soul skill, Treasure hunter is still better since it only returns your cards, not your opponent's.

The open skill, Message on the Breeze seems to be appropriate for Refess rush files. Sort of an alternative to Lavende maybe. But the non-character clause is still icky to me. Would have been great if the non-character clause of the lower than LV 3 clause were removed. Meltiria would have then been useful in Star Dragon files. Perhaps she's supposed to be useful in an Eternal Morning file, but again, Lavende and Brahma seem to be better suited for cemetery recycling in an EM file. Meltiria's being a level 4 card also seems to work against Refess rush files.

Does this mean she's supposed to be used in a Refess level 4 and above file? Time of Budding again seems to contradict this too because you can only return a card of level 3 or lower to the unit you healed. And again, the non-character clause seems to rule out Meltiria's usefulness in current Refess metas like TGC, Toromea, and even Alphonse-Annarose.

Perhaps Meltiria is supposed to create a new Refess meta file. Can't wait to see players in Folrart create one.

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Tim Cone Now with B-MEG

I was surprised to see Coach Tim Cone with a new team. I always thought that he would coach Alaska until he walked away from the game of basketball. Coach Tim Cone for me is the Phil Jackson of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), and him, together with the Alaska Teams of 1996 and 1998 would always be my childhood sports heroes.   Johnny Abarrientos, Jeffrey Cariaso, Bong Hawkins, Poch Juinio, and Jojo Lastimosa would be the epitome of a Philippine Team running the Triangle offense. Kenneth Duremdes would fill the athleticism much needed after the departure of Cariaso in 1997. And now, 2012, I see Abarrientos and Cariaso still teaming up with Cone as coaches in B-MEG.

Coach Tim Cone brings the much needed leadership to a young team like B-MEG. I've watched them place second to Talk and Text last conference. While they have the hunger and passion of most young teams, they lacked the fire power to match the almost All-Star like team of Talk and Text. I'm really surprised the Talk and Text team was able to afford all those big names on their team. Doesn't the PBA follow rules on salary cap? Or have these big named stars sacrificed salary for the opportunity to win championships. And Talk and Text is lucky to have Coach Chot Reyes, (probably my second favorite PBA coach ever since he showed how he could turn around a bottom-rung Coca-Cola Tigers team during the early 2000s). Reyes is a protege of sorts to Cone, and now is a formidable coaching rival. And last season, B-MEG did not have a leader that could match Reyes, nor the big-named stars that could match Alapag, Peak, Carey, Castro, Fonacier, etc. At least now, they have a mentor in Cone, and a star in Yap, and another offensive threat in Bowles.

Perhaps the need for a balance between stars and role players is what is making B-MEG successful at this point. The triangle offense seems to thrive under this formula too. Placing too much emphasis on stars, like the 2003-2004 Lakers team (Shaq, Kobe, Malone & Payton), can be as disastrous as a lack of stars. Having a high-profile coach in Cone allows B-MEG to have better influence on referee calls. Lets see how it all turns out as 2012 Commisioner's Cup comes to a close.

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Regine Velasquez: Never Give Up

Listen to this video. Regine is great, as always, but one has to appreciate the guitar accompaniment in this song. Respect to Amy Holland, but this new rendition fits the songs message and mood, IMHO.

Just attempting to place chords that might have some semblance to the guitar accompaniment, but I know its nowhere near nor as good. Still, there apparently are no tabs available for this song or even the Amy Holland version.

If you want to help me out, please give me a link to better tabs.

Regine Velasquez: Never Give Up


Standard Tuning


Intro
D - Asus - D - CM7 - Bm7 (Repeat)

Stanza Pattern:
Em                       CM7
I can tell it's gonna be

         B - BbM7 - A
Another night alone

Em                                CM7
And I don't have the energy
      B   -  BbM7    - A
to go out on my own
  CM7           Bm7
When you're gone,
 CM7 Dsus D G
I just want to hide
Em         Bm7
I can't go on,
Em         Bm7        CM7 - D - Dsus - D
All I doubt here inside

Chorus:
G                                  Em
But I will never give up, I'll never give up
CM7                        Dsus4 D - Dsus4 D5
I'll never believe that love just fades away
G                    Em

Never give up, I'll never give up
CM7
I'll never give up
 Dsus4 D - Dsus4 D5
I'll never give up

(Instrumental
EM7 C#m7 F#m7 B Bsus B D
EM7 C#m7
Am7 - Bm7 - C - D (Repeatable)
Am7 - Bm7 - C
F - G Gsus4 G Dsus Dsus D )

Stanza Pattern:
In the middle of the night, I wanna reach for you
I'm so uneasy when you're gone
I don't know what to do
It's so hard just to go downtown
I'm not happy
'Til I'm home safe and sound

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Columbine Student's Father 12 Years Later

This letter was forwarded to me. I hope you too can be blessed by it.

Columbine Student's father 12 years later

 

Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness...

 

The following is a portion of the transcript:

" Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.

> Your laws ignore our deepest needs,

> Your words are empty air.

> You've stripped away our heritage,

> You've outlawed simple prayer.

> Now gunshots fill our classrooms,

> And precious children die

> You seek for answers everywhere,

> And ask the question "Why?"

> You regulate restrictive laws,

> Through legislative creed..

> And yet you fail to understand,

> That God is what we need!

" Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge...Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen again.

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