Changeling Roun draft Chapter 11 Done! And some other stuff. · 10:51am Sep 30th, 2014
First off, Changeling Roun draft Chapter 11 is done. Just getting a few proof-readers on it, and it'll be up for reading. 2,793 words, it's a bit of a prelude before a clop chapter, Chapter 12. Sorry for the delay guys. I have been busy with life, love, and other stuff.
Life is unfortunately kicking me down. At least when it comes to finding a job. So far, I've been spectacularly failing interviews. Well, I say spectacular. I have no idea how badly I did fail because this isn't school where the teacher tells you where you fucked up. Instead, they tell me with a smile that I didn't make the cut. Well, at least most of them did. One just gave me a cheap printed paper telling me that they got someone else.
Don't know which one felt more weird.
Yes, I know rejections will come and go. I'm not feeling bitter about that. I am feeling a bit desperate because of money. I now have two cats to support (I was given a Siamese cat, and named him Drake. He and my female Persian, Nala, are either the best friends or the worst enemies. Cats are mental), and I'm surviving thanks to a newly-found gasoline station that sells cheap premium gas for my car. I've also replaced the fanbelt of my engine, and fixed the broken-off stabilizer at the back.
As much as I love my car, I am looking at the new Isuzu MU-X with loving gaze.
Diesel engines are always a temptation for me. It's uses cheaper fuel than gas, and modern engines more or less consume almost the same mileage as a regular car. My Yaris Verso gets along 11-13 km/liter. The MU-X goes for 10-12 km/liter. And at almost PhP10 difference per liter of gas (around $2.5), and with the new state of flooding in the area, I believe I found my next car.
I'll probably get a second-hand in like 3 years, if I find work. Yay! 
Of course, a lot will ask me why am I am going for Isuzu when Ford and Chevrolet are cheaper by far. Their pick-ups are EURO IV rated engines (compared to the EURO II of Isuzu), and have higher horsepower (thanks to the bigger 3.0 liter engine size compared to MU-Xs 2.5). For me, I'm not an off-road guy. The MU-X drove like a car, and feels like one. It's torque is pretty good, and that's what I look for. I need a good spacious car that can seat more than five, and I do love the feel of the interior of Isuzu cars.
Other than that, I watched the third Rurouni Kenshin film, subtitled: The Legend Ends. I found it entertaining enough, but as a anime and manga fan of the series, I felt that film fell a little short on the story-telling of its characters. Aoshi's backstory and addition was a little tacked on with little development. Sanosuke's own training didn't really come to play and his final fight with Anji, which was reminiscent of Sano's own fistfight in the first movie.
It was funny, however.
In fact, Kenshin got most of the development, which was okay with me.
Even with almost no character arcs, Saito (my sister calls him Yosi Samurai, with yosi meaning cigarette), was another favorite of mine. The two characters were close enough to their manga counterparts that I had no problem with them.
However, the bad guys got the shaft. Really. Only about four of them got any backstory, and it was done via conversation that consisted of two to three sentences. Really. But then again, cramming two movies from an arc that consisted of 34 epsiodes is asking a bit much. What the movie does excellently is the fighting scenes, even if they toned down from the more superhuman aspects from the manga.
One of the biggest examples of that is Kenshin's second fight with Sojiro. In the manga/anime, Kenshin won the fight by making the kid feel emotion other than happiness (from annoyance, to anger, to rage). In the movie? Kenshin aimed for the legs so Sojiro couldn't outpace him. Realistic, and very well done. I also like the fact that they kinda toned down the whole debate between them. It makes for a nice story, but pretty much boring to watch in action. I still think Sojiro was overselling his whole craziness though.
In the manga/anime, he was able to travel to find a new path. In the movie, he was left crying on a burning ship, with no word whether he escaped or not. Yikes. Uncertain Doom, hopefully?
Another good example is the way the Hiten Mitsurugi moves were adapted for more believable ways was how Kuzu Ryu Sen was used. Well, I think it was the Kuzu Ryu Sen. Instead of attacking the nine vital parts in a blink of an eye, it was put in a combo ending with a forward stab. The Ama Kakeru Ryu no Hirameki, the ougi (ultimate) technique of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu was also done in a combo, which I think makes more sense than what was done in the manga/anime. One weakness of the ougi was the fact that it was a one-hit kill attack (with an option for the second, and more powerful blow if it missed or was blocked). At least, when done in a combo, it was more of a 'final attack'.
And only used once! Thank God. Seriously, Kenshin, the ougi is a last resort move. You don't use it nilly-willy every time you face a hard enemy. In the manga/anime, he used it against Aoshi, Sojiro, Shishio, a Black Knight, the other student of Hiten Mitsurugi (who happens to be a Japanese Christian), and even against his ex-lover's little brother, twice.
However, that isn't to say the fight scenes were ultra realistic. The final fight between Shishio, Kenshin, Saito, Sanosuke, and Aoshi was a visual feast. They kept Shishio's flaming sword, which had me wowed and glued to the screen as the scenes played out. In the end, I was satisfied by the action alone. The story itself, while needed work, wasn't too weird or off. Worth every peso I paid for it.
So, anyway, that's my life for now. Laters.
The blog post pointing out a fellow Canadian.
Hello
2495764
Hey. And no, I'm not Canadian, unfortunately.
Hmm... Metric and using the dollar, Aussie then!
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Filipino. But Aussie is close enough, I guess. If I was whiter. And had a more interesting accent.
2495788 That so was my next guess... Not really but I'd have gotten there eventually.
Yeah I know how the job search can be disappointing. When I got out of college I couldn't even and an interview despite about 100 job inquiries. I've had to take up a job training program as a last resort and even that won't guarantee me work when it's done. I guess all we can do is keep at it. Well that's what everyone says anyways.
2495794
I would have accepted 'Asian' as your next answer.
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Or know people.
I'll get a job eventually. Will I get a new car? We'll see. XD What I do know is that my draft is finished.
Which I just announced.
Finally! Between you and Firesight, I'm going crazy waiting for updates. Life and love are overrated!
Well okay life is sort of necessary to keep living, but you get the idea.
Sorry to hear the job hunt isn't going well. I lost my job back in '09 during the height of the American Great Recession and I only just got a job in time to keep from falling behind on my mortgage, car payment and all the rest. Ate up my entire savings.
I'm going to go catch up on Changling Roun.
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Lol new car. I'll be hanging on to my old one until it finally fails completely. But yeah life. Some good some bad.
Isuzu? Don't get me wrong but last time I saw an Isuzu I was arguing with my dad over whether a 1980s Lada is better or not
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Heh. We pick ourselves up.
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And a little bit of both.
... yeah. Can't get Guardians of the Galaxy out of my system.
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Isuzu isn't popular in America, or other Western Countries. They have the biggest market in Asia. I still remember when I first went back to the Philippines after staying in Argentina during my early years, and the first car I ever saw was a Isuzu pick-up. I still see that car running.
2497055 Surely there are better cars around tho?
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Yeah, I'm pretty sure. However, I'm not looking for the best cars as it's rated. If it drives well, feels good, and has cheap spare parts, I'm good with that. A lot of 'better' also means a lot more money to spend. Even if I won the lottery, I still would try to limit my spending.
2497190 Hmm fair enough, here if I wanted a crossoverish type car of that type it would be basically have to be a Mazda CX-5 because all the Ford and Vauxhall 4x4/crossovers suck so bad (especially the Antara, "it’s hard to think of a single reason for choosing the Vauxhall Antara" says it all really lol).
Also I just realised you mentioned flooding so that makes a lot more sense now.
Have you seen the CX-5 or is it not available in your country? The CX-5 in the UK is a little noisy, not massively refined though not horrible by any means and the interior is a bit drab but the space, kit etc are class leading by absolutely miles and so are the emissions, and the engine is also very nice indeed (brand new for this new gen of Mazdas I believe). I mean even with it's flaws it's the only crossover the the UK which earns 5* on Whatcar which is the only trustworthy mainstream car site in the UK. Even one of the best looking too.
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Yeah, it's present here. It's only gas engine though, and gas consumption is about 8-9 KM/liter on city, which is a bit of a downgrade from my Yaris. With the traffic situation here, I can't use the extra power for anything more than night driving on a highway. Plus, the seating isn't as comfortable as the other cars I've driven.
KIA Soul was another car that I had my eye on. It has a diesel engine with a consumption of 14-17 km/liter. I'm still unsure whether that's city only, or both city and highway driving, but I was lucky enough to test drive it. If I didn't have my Yaris Verso, I'd probably have gone for that. But it has the same problem as any car: flood situations and passenger capacity.
2497245 here its diesel only main selling point being its 2.2d lol how odd
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Not really. As much as I'd love to spout poetry of my love for the MU-X, it was first sold in Thailand, October last year, and in Austrailia, with a 3.0 liter engine. MU-X in the Philippines is going to get the under powered brother, which is the main complaint of car enthusiasts.
Philippines has an odd sort of relationship with auto-makers. Diesel is stuck in EURO II rating, with just a few selling EURO IV rated diesel. Companies are trying to figure out what to sell to us. Gas is a big business here, so if they can put a gas engine instead of a diesel engine, they'd do that. It didn't help that our diesel fuels were utter crap five-ten years ago, and the environmentalists were having a go at it. Gasoline engines were the way to 'go', and that still shows even with marked improvement on fuel quality.
In a way, Filipinos are kinda getting screwed.
That is a smexy Isuzu. I always kind of liked them, the sad thing is that all of them (here anyway) get the shit beat out of them. So the not-new ones are always run down.
I wonder if that 'MU-X' (they have different names in the states... and they dont even sell Isuzu small trucks here anymore) is related to a Chevy. Almost looks like a traverse.
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There was a rumor that Chevrolet diesel is actually Isuzu engine-based. But yeah, it does look like the Trailblazer.
2497286 Damn that sounds like a pain
2498354 It wouldn't be at all surprising if it was just an Isuzu diesel. Most of the world's car companies have... inter-company relations. So to speak. Chevy has dealt a lot with Isuzu, many big Chevy trucks here are just rebadged Isuzus. And a lot of Isuzus from the 90s and 2000's have GM parts on them (the mass air flow meter especially). Hell, in the 2000's they even made an Isuzu variant of the Trailblazer called the Ascender. They also had a Saab Variant, but GM owned Saab at the time. Mind you, American car model names can be different from other places.
Lookie
Hell, my Chrysler LeBaron has a Mitsubishi 3.0L V6 in it. Chrysler licensed it in the late 80s until the early 2000's.
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We get cheaper spare parts, though. I guess that's something.
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God, I wish it was a 3.0 engine. Bigger engine, more robust, and more power. However, since I'm just looking for a car to drive around the city, I guess I can make do.