I am Satan, bitches! I will eat your soul tonight!

One of my Facebook friends posted this video and described it as "kinda scary". The title is a bit interesting "Beyonce, The Super Bowl, Sasha & Satan". With the "kinda scary" in mind, I immediately thought that it's one of those videos talking about celebrities worshiping Satan. It's not the first time it happened. Lady Gaga was once a trending topic in twitter-verse. So I decided to watch it and... I was not wrong.

At first, I thought it was a satire. I mean the narrator does not really sound like he's serious about it and is obvious that he's reading it from a script. But I looked at the description and the name of the uploader and I was like "okay, that explains a lot". And because this video is in YouTube, one does not simply watch a YouTube video without checking the comments section. It's freakin' hilarious. It's like they are all rejoicing that this "revelation" was made but at the same time it seems that their "victory" is so volatile that one small blasphemy would trigger them to panic. If you look at the comments, the ratio of rational people to blind bible freaks is probably 10:1. One critical comment would be bombarded by several other comments about Jesus, god and some verses from the Bible. If you're not in the mood for some lulz, then you will surely facepalm.

Now, let's see these so-called symbols that made Beyonce a "satanist". These symbols are originally not intended to be symbols of evil but as we all know, the Church smeared them in order to gain more followers and to "defeat" those who dare stand against them.

First, the Eye of Horus. The Eye of Horus or Udjat or Wedjat is oftentimes attributed to the All-Seeing Eye. The All-Seeing Eye is supposedly the eye of Lucifer and the symbol of the Illuminati. But, the Eye of Horus is an Egyptian symbol for power, health and protection. The All-Seeing Eye or the Eye of Providence on the other hand means that "god watches over mankind". So now they are saying that the ancient Egyptians are also worshipers of Satan. LMFAO!

Second, the Inverted Pentagram. The Inverted Pentagram is supposedly the symbol of Satan, with the two points representing the horns. It is also regarded as the symbol of Baphomet, a figure of Satanism. However, Baphomet is intended to be the symbol of divine perfection, a union of all the things that exists in the cosmos. And the Inverted Pentagram is a symbol of male and female, with the point on the bottom symbolizing the male penis and the two points up symbolizing the female vulva. The female symbol is at the top giving respect to women with their roles of being a mother.

Third, the Hindu Goddess, Kali and the Hindu Supreme God, Shiva. Supposedly, they represent death (Kali) and destruction (Shiva). Modern retelling of their story seemed to have confused them with the other gods, Agni and Rudra, giving them their ferocious and fierce persona. But they symbolize Mother Earth (Kali) and the Universe (Shiva). Oftentimes, they are depicted with Kali stepping on Shiva's body. It is said that it means nature is above everything for if there's no nature, the universe will not exist.

And lastly, the Gemini. The video obviously gave it their own meaning, with the Gemini supposedly symbolizing "full-blown demonic possession". Gemini is Latin for "twins". And as we all know, they are widely used in astrology, being the third sign. Not much can be said about the Gemini really, except they are for "full-blown demonic possession". LMFAO!

There are more hilarious content in the video such as Beyonce' costume, all these edited quotations from her and Jay-Z, Beyonce being possessed on stage by her alter ego Sasha Fierce and Beyonce "looking like a man". I'm sure the last one will make the internet community laugh. Beyonce's Super Bowl pics went viral in Facebook, Twitter and humor sites such as 9gag.

Regarding the video itself, I'm not really a fan of Beyonce. I know she can sing really well and she can dance really well but that's just it for me. The problem is these kind of people that made this video is not really doing public service. They are scaring people by spreading fallacious information like this. I mean, let's say that Beyonce is really a Satanist. Is Satan real in the first place? And they didn't even made any effort to contact Beyonce and clarify these things. What can she say about this? Is it true that she worships Satan? Really? Seriously?

The only real problem I have about her (Beyonce) and most of the mainstream female performers is their skimpy outfit and it's effect to teenagers and kids. Not that I'm complaining because I don't like them. Hey, I can have a few minutes of my life get spent just to see Katy Perry's boobs. Well, I guess it's a marketing strategy or showmanship. Buuuuuut.... it's an entirely different topic.

So yeah, we have other problems in the world yet we find the time to criticize Beyonce's "Baphomet-inspired outfit". We, as humans, always ask what is the purpose of life yet we waste our time worrying about trivial things such as this. Maybe there's no purpose. Maybe we just need to enjoy it, who knows. I enjoy my life. I am happy with my life. Are you?

I am Satan, bitches! I will eat your soul tonight!

Reminiscing The International 2

Arguably the biggest Dota tournament to date, The International 2 was one of the most anticipated tournaments of 2012. With a huge prize pool, it's expected to see the world's top teams bring out their A-game to get the grand prize of $1M. And it did not disappoint. The whole tournament was filled with tension, drama and excitement.

I have started following the EU competitive Dota 2 scene right after The International 1 concluded, having watched Na'Vi versus EHOME. I have loved Na'Vi ever since.

Na'Vi didn't have a good early run. Seeing them get crushed through the group stages made me feel a bit sad. They are the defending champions and it would be shameful if they didn't reach at least top 4. Of course, no one can deny that the top Chinese juggernauts like iG and LGD will dominate but I didn't expect to see Na'Vi to play bad during these early parts of the tournament.

Then lo and behold, coming out of a 2-6 slump, they managed to make it to the upper bracket with a record of 8-6. And the excitement didn't end there.

During the eliminations, they were to face DK in the winner's bracket. DK is a strong team as well and I had bad feelings about the match-up. I was not watching it live because I'm at work so I just check joinDota from time to time to verify what the results are. Na'Vi defeated DK 2-1. It was a good day.

Their next opponent is Invictus Gaming. One of the top 2 teams in China, the other one being LGD. The streams are live and I was checking the comments of the viewers. Game 1, 16-min GG from Na'Vi. It looked bad, really bad. A few hours had passed and I checked the game results. I thought that even if Na'Vi lose, they can still make it up to the grand finals via loser's bracket. Albeit a harder path but there's still hope. The results were out, Na'Vi defeated iG 2-1. They made a comeback and won the last 2 games. I literally slammed the table in celebration. I took my lunch with a big smile on my face.

So it is time for the winner's bracket grand finals. Standing in their way is LGD with 0 losses. They have not dropped a single game. At the back of my mind, I was thinking that it seems impossible for Na'Vi to defeat them and I was trying to cheer myself up by thinking that they still have the loser's bracket. Again I was checking the comments and LGD won the first game. I was sad. Again, after a few hours, I checked the results. Na'Vi defeated LGD 2-1. They did it again, winning the last 2 games. They fucking did it again, I said to myself. They're going to the Grand Finals! It was a glorious day.

Grand Finals came. iG managed to beat LGD and grabbed the final slot. I was hoping that Na'Vi wins again but at the back of my mind, I said they've done enough. I was pretty sure iG will not let Na'Vi defeat them again. iG won the $1M and defeated Na'Vi 3-1.

I was happy that Na'Vi managed to defeat the Chinese teams. They were the last hope for the western teams and seeing them bring the challenge to the Chinese teams is already a big achievement. And I thought that getting to the grand finals is one hell of an achievement already. It was enough and it's time to take a rest.

After the tournament was done, I still go back and watch the matches. Haters will hate and fans will rejoice, but they can't deny that Na'Vi brought the drama and excitement that made TI2 the best tournament of 2012. They were the last hope for the EU scene and they had to carry that scene on their backs. It's not just the outcomes that made it memorable, it was the plays as well. The teams are so determined to win and become world champion that they had to push their limits. LGD against Na'Vi Game 2 is so fun to watch because of lots of epic plays, especially LightofHeaveN's Enigma. And who would forget Na'Vi's counter to iG's Song of the Siren + Vacuum + Ravage combo.

I have followed Na'Vi's path from the group stages to the grand finals and it's like watching your favorite superhero get beaten up only to become stronger. Na'Vi definitely shown that when they're on top form, they can take on the Chinese giants.

Up until now, when I don't see any match that interests me, I either watch the International 2 Documentary or re-watch the other TI2 matches that I missed. And when I watch Na'Vi's matches, I still get excited. The commentators, the plays, the crowd, everything is just epic and overwhelming. Even though I was not part of it, I felt a certain type of connection with them. And like what they said, I am with them in spirit. LOL!

And at the same time, I felt this huge and overwhelming happiness inside me. I feel that eSports can be as big as this. Yeah, it's not like The Olympics but it can be as an awesome event that a fan could ask for.

There are a lot of good tournaments for Dota 2 but The International 2 will always have a special place in my heart.

Emma Watson is Windrunner

If ever there would be a Dota movie, then we know who will play as Windrunner.

A New Dawn for Natus Vincere

It has been announced. Finally.

I kind of feel sad because Ars-Art is such a great support. His Lesrach stuns, Jakiro Ice Paths and overall support skill has been excellent. He's, as others put it, Na'Vi's unsung hero.

But there seems to be some kind of conflict between him and Puppey and him leaving is probably good for the team.

A part of me though, is happy to see Funn1k joining them. I am a big fan of Empire, especially Funn1k. With his exceptional Batrider and Clinkz play and seeing him join the ranks of Na'Vi makes me more excited to see how Na'Vi will do this time. I hope they can redeem their recent slump and get back in shape to defend their Starladder crown.

I do hope that they retain Lost. There seems to be more roster change since ZeroGravity said that this would be their "first" announcement. Rumor has it that Kuroky will be replacing him.

I hope it's wrong.

Na'Vi back in TI2.

UPDATE:

Well, it has been finalized. Kuroky will be joining Na'Vi as Lost goes Inactive for 2 months.

New Na'VI lineup:

 Clement "Puppey" Ivanov (c)
 Alexander "ХВОСТ" Dashkevich
 Gleb "Funn1k" Lipatnikov
 Daniil "Dendi" Ishutin
 Kuro Salehi "KuroKy" Takhasomi

Square-Enix's Guardian Cross

I'm not really a fan of mobile/handheld games. I like a few iPhone/iPad games like Jetpack Joyride, Temple Run and Paper Toss and I play them just to be able to kill some time.

Until a few days ago, I decided to check if there are some games made by Square-Enix. I was quite surprised to see that indeed there are and they look pretty cool. I saw Guardian Cross and the description got me.

I'm a sucker for good artwork and a big fan of SE's artworks, particularly from Final Fantasy so I decided to download it. Plus, it's FREE! :D

I thought it was just some application that lets you view artworks of all the Final Fantasy summons, eidolons, aeons, guardian force or whatever you like to call them. But turns out, it's a full online game.

From the Square-Enix site:
"Guardian Cross is a creature-based card game that features a fully unique battle system in which players take on the role of “tamers” who capture, raise, and control powerful beasts known as “Guardians.”In addition to quests to unlock the secret of why the Guardians have woken after a millennium of slumber, other features include a coliseum system that allows players to challenge other tamers from around the world in head-to-head combat."

I tried it and immediately got hooked. As always, SE made a game that looks excellent. The game reminds me of Magic: The Gathering. I was glad that a game like this exists on the iPhone. I did some googling and found out that there's even a fan forum about it. I've been playing it for just 2 days but I already love it.

I was just casually playing it at first, just enjoying the pretty artworks, shooting some guardians, got some rare 3* cards that made me more excited and got some rare 4* cards from friends.

Then I tried out the colosseum and had 5 winning streak when all of a sudden my Level 10 Fast Angel was eaten alive by a Level 55 Jormungandr. That made me more excited. I immediately thought that people are playing this seriously and that there's some serious metagaming going on. That's what prompted me to search for guides and tips and found out about the forum.

For now, I'm keen on getting a Valkyrie and will level it up. I will continue leveling up my player and will see if I can fare well on the colosseum next time I enter it. Need to stack up some GP and Silver Slimes.

She Took An Arrow in the Knee (Life is Such a Great Troll)

It was a great birthday. My girlfriend agreed to come home with me to the province over the weekends. My brothers will be coming home as well. My mother will cook pasta and barbecue. She rented karaoke so we can sing our lungs out while drinking beer and getting wasted. My cousin will be there too, to sing and drink with us. We also planned to fly some skylanterns come nighttime. I received a present from my brothers. I see a good weekend on the horizon.

But then, Life got bored and decided to troll me. First, my cousin got attacked by asthma (or maybe from too much singing). He can't breath properly, thus can't drink and sing anymore. He decided to go home and just rest shortly after we started the "party". We wanted to fly some skylanterns but the wind was blowing hard. It is dangerous because it might get caught in a tree or get blown towards some of the neighbors' house and start a fire. So we dropped the idea. My brother is suppose to take a medical exam the next day. We learned that he can't drink because he might fail the test. With a few more bottles, we decided to just call it a night.

The next day when we were about to go back to Manila, my girlfriend tripped over a small fence at the door. It's a small fence that acts as a barrier so that our dogs won't go inside the house.

She got injured and had to get 3 stitches just to close the wound. So of course, she's having a hard time going up and down the stairs and all of the usual stuff that requires leg movement. She can't bend her knees fully because the wound gets stretched and it's painful for her. Even riding a cab is a chore.

I feel sad to see her having a hard time moving around. If only I can just take it away, of course, I will. But I can see her enduring it and fighting it. And I thought that it's better that way, let her handle it and let it make her stronger. That's one of the things that I like about her, she's strong.

But despite all these things that happened, I am still happy. I am an optimist. I know what happened was bad but it could've been worse. Worse than opening a fridge with an angry gorilla inside. That was random.

Best Birthday Ever!

Refer to title :)