Casting Call - Ultimate Avengers

Joss Whedon will be directing the new Avengers movie. This is great news for comics book fans and Dr. Horrible geeks. But I'm a little bummed out about the cast. Robert Downey is too old to be Iron Man. Chris Evans is too young to be Captain America. Samuel L. Jackson is too annoying to be Nick Fury. So I took the liberty of casting my own Avengers -- based on the Ultimate Avengers comic book.

Captain America - Jon Hamm

I started watching Mad Men in February and knew right away that John Hamm IS Captain America. If you forget about brown hair, you'd see it too. He's got the presence, the build, and the deep voice of authority that Cap needs to lead his troops into battle.

Iron Man - Dean Cain

I know what you're thinking, "Dean Cain?? Come on!!" I know for a fact that 99.9% of everyone who reads this will disagree with me about this one. "Dude, Robert Downey Jr is the perfect Iron Man." I know, I hear it a lot. But from the impression I took from the comics, he's not. Tony Starks is charming, but not funny. Dean Cain's got the charm and he looks young. But what makes him perfect for the part is that I dislike him as much as I dislike Tony Starks.

Thor - Viggo Mortensen

When you think of Thor you either think of flowing blond hair and steroids, or Star Craft 2. For the longest time I had the image of this dutch body builder with long blonde hair, but I finally got rid of that image and *poof* had an epiphany. Mortensen would be perfect because he's got fight in him (LOTR, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises).

Ant Man/Giant Man - Aaron Eckhart

I actually have no idea who Henry Pym/Yellow Jacket/Ant Man/Giant Man is. I just know he's a scientist with wavy hair. But I can picture him playing Ant Man in the comic book Identity Crisis. He seems like he could play the tragic part. I don't know what else to say.

Wasp - Carey Mulligan

Everything about her screams Wasp: her appearance, personality. I'm also just making this up. But I can totally see her as the Wasp.

The Hulk/Bruce Banner - Steve Buscemi

Both Hulk movies ruined the image of Bruce Banner for me. Bruce Banner is a scientist, a peaceful, awkward introvert who blows up to become the Hulk when angered. Steve Buscemi's got the scientist look, and he can act peaceful, awkward and introvert all at the same time.

Nick Fury - Avery Brooks

(skip to the 1 minute mark)

The obvious choice was to choose Samuel L. Jackson, but he's a pain in the butt. So I looked for someone else who had presence; someone who could lead SHIELD and make tough decisions. It took me a while to look for a guy with Nick Fury's look beside Jackson, but I luckily found Avery Brooks. He's unheard of, but maybe you've seen American History X . . . Or maybe a few episodes of Star Trek. If you watch a short portion of the video (skip to the 1 minute mark) you'll see that he's got what it takes to be SHIELD's commanding officer. You just need to dye his beard black.

Black Widow - Sienna Miller

I defaulted on this one. I only chose Sienna Miller because of this image. If you dyed her hair red she could easily pass as the black widow, hands down. When I watched the crappy, pirated version of GI Joe on a field trip, I was like, duh . . . Black Widow.

Desperate Blogging

A few days ago I broke my key in the kitchen door. This is the second time that has happened to me since I’ve moved into this compound. We can deduct one of two things (or maybe both). Either the key I was given (both keys) were made out of cheap, malleable material OR I’m uber-strong like Hercules. The second theory is obvious the one you’ll side with, but that’s the not point I’m trying to make (or IS IT?)

I think Filipinos overstate the idea of safety whenever the topic is brought up. We bar our windows, double lock our doors, and line our walls with poison-tipped spikes. Living in the city, we’re scared that thieves will come and take away the things we love – in my case my stash of Stick-O Chocolate Wafer Sticks… which is hidden in the best-est of hiding places: between my Xbox and TV (lies).

What we sacrifice in the meantime is convenience and front yard aesthetics. Who wants to wall off their compound? Who wants to be met by a black gate on returning home from wherever? Who wants to daily face the hassle of unlocking three sets of doors to get into your room? Not me, that’s why I never lock my door. Anyone can waltz in and do a little dance in the center of my room while I’m in the shower and I wouldn’t even know. But by leaving my door unlocked, I save five precious seconds when I get home from long outings and I’m dying to relieve myself (it also helps that I don’t have a sister to “call” the bathroom).

So what exactly is my point? Am I proposing that we shouldn’t lock our doors? Definitely. Am I proposing we remove the poison-tipped spikes that line the walls of our compound? No, the idea is totally awesome. Am I saying you should waltz into my room and do a little dance while I’m in the shower? Only if you want to me see naked when I come out. Okay, I didn’t really have a point in writing this – other than to say that I’m uber-strong like Hercules.

Past, Present, Future

I once punched a guy in the stomach my freshmen year in high school. He was bigger than me, but he was one of those goofy, gentle guys who had a reputation for being a teacher's pet. Even now I can clearly picture my Chinese teacher patting him on the head saying something like "乖乖." But he didn't have a chip on his shoulder, didn't look down on anyone else. He was a great guy, but I still had to punch him.

One day after class I had to call home, but I didn't have my cellphone. With my two 1NTD coins I made my way to the payphone when I accidentally dropped one of the coins. This guy picked it up and tossed it to his friend. We started playing monkey-in-the-middle, and I was the monkey. Clearly I wasn't happy with the situation, so I did what any young, impatient, angry kid would do in that situation. I stuck my clenched fist in his gut and watched him tumble. It was my first victory in a physical fight -- though looking back on it I wouldn't call it a fight. It was clearly one-sided, and I clearly had a cheap shot. I guess you wouldn't call that a victory either.

The funny thing is, years later we both clearly remember the incident. I remember him casually commenting that he wouldn't want to fight me because I punch hard. His compliment bolstered my ego, but it helped remind me that some things are hard to forget. They may not continue to hold grudges against us, but in the back of their heads they'll have the knowing instinct that Yes, this guy sometimes lashes out unexpectedly. Beware

I apologized three years later. They say you should forgive and forget, but you can't forget unless you forgive. And I'm sure that neither of us have forgotten. Being the chill guy that he was, he told me to not worry about it, it's fine, etc. But now, I look back on the incident with both pride and guilt. I'm proud because I know I can throw a punch that could drop a guy twice my size, but I feel bad because it was uncalled for.

Why exactly am I bringing this up? The other day I lashed out at someone, not physically but verbally. I was angry, not at that person, but with everyone and everything. I wanted to burn down establishments and I wanted to put numerous people in sleeper-holds and leave them by the side of the road. I was angry at God and I was very angry at myself. Like the impatient self that I was seven years ago, I lashed out and I hurt someone.

It was one incident and it'll probably not happen again in the next seven years (I hope), but it's something hard to forget.

[Now I'm going to be less serious]

I probably made the moment more memorable and indelible by writing about it and posting it on a public forum. This might come back to haunt me. I can picture it now, seven years from now my job interviewer will google my name and find my blog. He'll read this post and check the calendar, Seven years have passed? He'll probably lashed out again, soon.

And the guy I wrote about at the beginning of this blog will read this post and the forgotten memory will come streaming back. He'll start holding a grudge against me, fantasizing about burning down my house, putting me in a sleeper-hold, and leaving my body by the side of the street.

These online confessions will be the end of me . . .

On Another Island

My parents went to Kenting this past Holy Week for a Missions Conference. My dad sent my siblings and me some photos he took and now I'm homesick. These images capture what I miss about Taiwan. Miss you Papa and Mommy.

Monologue

I just finished re-reading the graphic novel Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and illustrated by Alex Ross. (The artwork is utterly amazing. It's done in gouache, giving it a nostalgic feel. I think Alex Ross is my new favorite comic book artist.) The story revolves around the Justice League of America (JLA) twenty-some years from now, where the superheroes we're familiar with today are retired and hiding, and the new generation of superheroes storm about with a fraction of the ideals and responsibilities of their predecessors. In the future superheroes are justified in killing bad guys; in the future collateral damage is inevitable for securing "peace" and "justice." Society gave up on superhero ideologies and embraced the ideology of results, thus blurring the lines of good and evil.

I don't want to spoil the story, but the ending is epic and every page is a visual treat. If you have a chance pick up a copy, even if it's 14.99USD. It's something you can return to every year, or if you don't have the luxury of time you can tear out its pages and plaster them to your colorless walls. It'll give your room personality, and it'll make geeks fall in love with you.

One of my favorite things about Superman is how straight he is. So much so that it becomes one of his faults. Batman, on the other hand, is willing to cut corners if it's for the ultimate good (and without breaking any of his golden rules). So I was thinking, is God super straight or does he cheat a little bit for the greater good? Or is there even that distinction? In the past I've seen God use terrible situations to get someone's attention, or to get someone to repentance, but doesn't that seem like cheating? God once tried to exterminate evil by flooding the earth, wiping out most of creation. Was man so entirely and inheritantly (<--- not a word) evil that it was okay to destroy them? Am I asking dumb questions? I feel guilty for brining this up, because I'm hinting that God isn't entirely good (He is good.) I'm just wondering where you draw the line, or if a line should be drawn at all.

I'm guessing that someone's going to rebuttal by saying that Jesus changed all of that. His death and resurrection nullified evil's significance so that Christians now have no record of evil. And it's our duty to spread the gospel so that everyone can have that same luxury, that same gift of grace. I have a feeling that someone will say we shouldn't judge others, because we never know who will change their mind about God and His son. Instead we should give everyone a chance.

Did I just answer my own question?