I finally got the model kit of my recent dreams...in a slightly different form. Instead of getting the 1/100 MG Aile Strike, I got the 1/100 MG Strike Rouge. Basically the same thing, only the Rouge is colored pink and red and is piloted by Orb's princess Cagalli Yula Atha.


While I was at Great Toys getting the Z Gundam 6-DVD set, I had noticed the Strike Rouge on the high shelf. The saleslady told me there were still no MG Aile Strike kits. I figured why not get this one instead? Besides, I already had an HG Aile Strike.

I took it home and opened the box. I was amazed at just how many parts were there to cut off and complete. There were 9 main runners of parts, not including the ones for the beam saber blades, the ones for the 1/20 figure of Cagalli, and the huge runner for all the polycaps. I got to work cutting and filing down the parts...and it took me 9 hours of solid work to finish, including the Aile Striker flight pack and the linear-catapult display base. Was it a challenge for me or what!

This early on though I will note some potential problems. The MG kits are best considered true models and not toys. This is evidenced by just how heavy the finished Strike Rouge model is---owing to all that added plastic in its internal frame---and its rather poor foot stability while standing up, compared to its smaller HG cousin. Equipping the Aile Striker makes things rather complicated too---it makes an inherently unstable model back-heavy. I suppose those floppy hinged feet are the primary reason why the display base was thrown in. The base has an adjustable arm that plugs into a slot in the Strike Rouge's crotch area for in-flight poses.

As a project and as a whole however, this kit is stupendous. It certainly met 90% of my expectations. I'll be looking forward to making at least one more MG model in the near future.
===

Since I mentioned Z Gundam, I might as well talk about it. I watched all 50 episodes in a semi-marathon and watched all the events of UC 0087 fly by me.



Let me get one thing straight: the subtitling on these DVDs frustrated me. A Taiwanese company did the Chinese and English subs on these DVDs, so I suppose they concentrated their efforts on their Chinese audience. On the first DVD a frustrating number of instances can be seen where the subs were nonexistent. Fortunately things do get better, but some later episodes and even the final DVD have "bastardized" names. Camille Bidan turns into "Jiameiyou" while the ship Guwadan turns into "GuFada." The English itself used on these episodes also gets turned into an irritating mishmash which would probably make better sense when spoken in Mandarin. Really irritating. I paid PhP2400 for this?! Where's the consistency in good subtitling?

As for Z Gundam itself it's pretty good. I've read reports that this series was very dark---they were not kidding. As early as the first episodes Camille's parents get killed right in front of his eyes. The writers take every opportunity to convince us that the Titans government of the Earth is atrocious and worth hating, yet in the trademark Gundam way, the AEUG rebels aren't really that heroic either. I'll shut up about the rather shocking ending.

The animation surprisingly doesn't take a very big leap from the quality of 0079, however, and that might be a pain to watch for newer viewers used to the slickness of Gundam Wing and Gundam SEED.

I admit I didn't enjoy this one as much as I would have, simply because of that subtitling. If the subs worked however, I feel I would prefer the original 0079 over Z Gundam. Zeta seems a bit too serious and fast-paced. Up to now I think I had lost track of the progression of the plot simply because every episode is packed with action and new plot directions. It's as if 50 episodes were not enough to contain its story. Still good though.
===

A 9.0 quake in Indonesia recently triggered a major tsunami that affected the coastlines of 8 Asian countries and killed thousands of people. Damn.

I've been thinking about how the Philippines would survive one. I bet if one had hit Manila, we'd be an instant bowl of seawater that won't drain away. You can't really predict when a tsunami's going to hit; besides if you could, what would you be able to do within 15 minutes? Where would you go? Panic's surely going to set in.

Makes me wonder how vulnerable we actually are to nature. As long as we reside on earth, we are hapless subjects to its tantrums (earthquakes) and acne (volcanoes).

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!
===

Looks like that trip to Puerto Galera isn't pushing through. No one's contacted me about it yet. Gotta assume I'm staying put.

Oh well. At least I can look forward to my coming Z Gundam DVDs. I'll finally be able to buy that crazy MG Aile Strike Gundam model kit too...once I can find a kit lying around somewhere.

Speaking of model kits, Bianx gave me two 1/144 FG kits: a Mobile DINN and a Zaku Warrior from Gundam SEED Destiny. Finished both in less than two hours. I'm now uploading their pictures.
===

One popular joke flying around these days:

"In this season of joyous excess, please remember: Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator."

The excesses of the season are sure getting to me. Be careful out there, guys. Drink plenty of tea and eat lots of fiber. It's for your own good. :D

In a strange twist I actually went back to lifting weights after years of not even touching my dad's barbells set. I don't really know what came over me. I suppose it's just that I'm kinda sick of not being able to do anything to address my weight gain from my previous relationship, and great sport as it is, badminton won't do much on its own.
===

My sister and I went shopping yesterday...basically a last-ditch effort to buy gifts and to buy some stuff my mom forgot to ask me to buy the last time I went to the supermarket.

This was another opportunity to go down to Goldcrest and look for Great Toys. I was surprised to see a mom there talking with the sales lady. She seemed to be one of the regular customers, seeing how she actually knew most of the merchandise very well. Pretty cool.

After she made her exit, I inquired the friendly saleslady about the recent deliveries of the MG Aile Strike Gundam I had wanted so badly. Unfortunately all two of the shipment received had already been reserved (damn!). Oh well. I suppose that can wait. Besides I already did buy an HGUC Zeta Gundam kit. I decided to lay down some money for reserving the Z Gundam DVD box set for 30 days instead.

If that MG Aile Strike doesn't materialize by the time I have enough money to spring for an MG kit once more, I'll just get an MG Wing Gundam ver. Ka instead.
===

While having lunch at Taketori and waiting for more course cards to come, my friends hatched plans to go to Puerto Galera in Mindoro island right after the Christmas weekend. I was game. I really wanted to spend time with my blockmates far removed from the requirements and stresses of school work. Besides I wanted to make up for not going to Tara's house party last week.

I hope those plans push through. It'd sure beat staying at home bored to death.
===

I'm beginning to regret ever having joined Gundam Board.

The moderators there simply shove their opinions down everybody else's throat. It's an insult to other people's intelligence, really. From now on I'm only going there to check up on the model-making section.

MechaPinoy meanwhile is okay...it's just that the forum seems so lifeless. Often I'm the only one who's online at any given time. Sigh.

Today was a good day.
===

I passed ECONTRI, garnering a 1.5. Better than I hoped for, although all my classmates got 2.5s and up. I guess I have no right to complain.

All my 3 marketing major subjects got me a 3.5. Add to that the 1.5 from PROJCO2 (Comm Arts thesis) and the 2.0 from PARTCOR and I get a 2.68 term GPA. I used to obsess about getting at least a 3.0 GPA, but this reminds me that I'm just human and I'm probably becoming a little more well-rounded as a person. And that grades are ultimately just numbers.
===

Went to Great Toys in Goldcrest today, on the advice of new acquaintances at MechaPinoy.com, and looked around their more exotic merchandise.

They're selling the PG Strike Gundam for PhP7,900---cheaper than I thought for a Perfect Grade kit. Also on sale was the MG Wing Gundam ver. Ka, for PhP2,350. Not bad! Some saving up over the coming months will certainly get me closer to owning that glorious MG kit---and I'm no Gundam Wing fan either. Hajime Katoki's restyling of the Wing Gundam is just so gorgeous.

Still no MG Aile Strike though.

Their "Kidou Senshi (Mobile Suit) Z Gundam" DVD box set is also cheaper than in other shops; I was quoted PhP2,400 for the whole TV series on DVD---almost half the price at Comic Alley in SM Megamall. I'd like to get one of these for Christmas. *hint hint nudge nudge*
====

While I was in the vicinity I paid off my outstanding debt portion to Aaron, our thesis video editor at Lightbox Multimedia at Cityland Pasong Tamo Tower. Nice guy, that Aaron. Really helpful. When I have video editing needs he's the first guy I'll be looking for.

My japanese name is 松尾 Matsuo (tail of a pine tree) 雄大 Masahiro (big hero).
Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

I'm generally not too happy these days.

Aside from thesis defense being graded so ridiculously low, I also stand the big chance of flunking ECONTRI. This I realized within the two hours of the final exam last Wednesday. I couldn't get a straight answer for most of the questions---most embarrassing of which was a 20-item enumeration part about market structures' advantages and disadvantages that I could have simply copied onto my formula sheet. Because I failed to do that, I lost out on a major opportunity to make up.

My test grades aren't that good, my project grade is questionable. The only assurance I have now is the automatic 12% from never being absent and submitting the project ahead of time. I doubt that's enough though.

Four years of not flunking anything and now this. Sigh.
===

In the afternoon I went to Glorietta to watch the DLSU Pops Orchestra concert, hoping to take pictures. Blunder number 2: I brought the wrong lens. I had forgotten to bring my usual 55mm Micro-Nikkor and left home with the 20mm wide-angle Nikkor instead. This meant taking pictures with my camera was hard, as I had to get very close to the stage to get any half-decent shots. I should have just brought my heavy 70-210mm Vivitar, but perhaps that would have been too heavy for shooting hand-held pictures. I would need a tripod; I would also need approval from the Glorietta administration.

The concert was fine though. Pops jammed along to recording artists such as Nina, Jed Maddela, Divo Bayer and Sheryn Regis. The latter was my pick of the night: she had a great voice and even though some of her songs fouled up, she carried her mistakes in stride and carried on, even poking fun at herself. Now that's good showmanship.

Note I said "fine," not "great." The concert was plagued with a lot of errors: some from the recording artists, others from our own vocalists, still others from a confused Rhythms section. That can be blamed from lack of practice and bad timing as the concert happens smack dab in the middle of finals week. It was okay though. Mr. Aniceto from PARI still had good words about us, and people still trooped to the Glorietta activity center in droves, so I guess despite the foul-ups it was a successful concert nonetheless.
===

Because I arrived early, prior to the concert I spent my time looking around. My first stop was Lil's Futaba in Park Square 1, where I saw the same old Gundam model kits being sold (I swear, this shop really has the slowest inventory turnover of any I've been in). Even saw a very old MS-14 Gelgoog kit---straight from the 1980s I believe.

Looked through the Tamiya car model kits and found a couple of old WRC ones: the Lancer Evo VII WRC and the GC8 Impreza WRC. I might spring for those next time when I've built up my workbench materials.

Having done research on paints, panel lines and other preparation tips for plastic model kits, I decided to take a look at their paint shelf. They didn't have primer on sale, although they did have a full selection of acrylic paints. No good as I don't have an airbrush, and I didn't have any idea of where to look for one. I also saw some Gundam Markers, both for panel lines and painting. The paint ones were being sold in groups of 6 at PhP750 each. The thin ones for panel lines I read weren't so good.

I decided to buy an X-Acto knife instead. This little pen-shaped knife is extremely sharp and is ideal for removing "flash" (excess plastic bumps from the trees/sprues/grids that carry the parts of plastic models). The knife cost me PhP210, and replacement blades were PhP150 for 6. Not bad. Besides it's the coolest looking knife I own---it looks like a freaking surgeon's scalpel.

Decided to look for something to test this knife on.
===

My next stop was Toy Kingdom at SM Makati. This place has changed considerably. In the 1980s it was a straightforward department store for the longest time, but after its recent gentrification (wow, that's a retail marketing term!) it's become a real mall with 4 floors, a basement and an annex to the Ayala MRT station. Not half bad!

Took me a while to look for the Gundam model kit display, only to stupidly miss out on the big RX-78 Gundam standee. (*smacks hand on forehead*) Frustratingly there was still no sign of the MG Aile Strike Gundam, anywhere. More Gundam SEED MSV kits were available though (Dreadnaught Gundam, 105Dagger + Gunbarrel), and the Big Scale 1/60 Freedom Gundam kit was on sale too. Probably not worth the price of PhP4,000, as the newly released MG 1/100 version has a lot more detail and a proper internal mechanical skeleton at PhP700 less. But hey, there's no PG 1/60 Freedom yet, so if you really have to have a 1/60 Freedom...

This was the first place where I saw the 1/400 White Base spaceship model from the original series, Gundam 0079. The box itself is HUGE and very heavy, and you can probably guess the price was HUGE as well (PhP9,000). But I imagine it'll be a blast for serious plastic model-makers, particularly the bigger fans of Gundam 0079.

Toy Kingdom branches seem to carry a huge selection of MG 1/100 kits. Of course the much-maligned MG Zeta Gundam model was there, still at PhP2,200. I swear I'm going to get one of these MGs, even if I have to buy an RGM-79C Space GM kit or an MG-1.5 RX-78-2 Gundam kit to start off cheap. Don't have the money yet though.

I was about to give up the hunt but I decided to look at the HG kits just for curiosity's sake. I saw the HGUC 1/144 Zeta Gundam kit and immediately became curious. I had heard good reviews about this kit---at least it was deemed better than its infamous MG brother, especially with its transformation to the famous Wave Rider (WR) jet mode, where the MG version flopped around incessantly. After the concert I went back to the store and bought it for PhP1,100.
===

I finished constructing the kit after two days. I used the X-Acto knife liberally for this kit, removing plastic flash and filing the remaining little bumps down with my steel nail file, and that took much of the time of making the HGUC Zeta. The result of all this flash removal and sanding was a cleaner-looking and more realistic model. That X-Acto knife is never going to leave my side.

Here's the thing: Bandai actually did away with the transformation ability with the HGUC Zeta kit. You construct the Zeta Gundam mobile suit and its weapons first, then you construct a "secondary frame" which becomes key to WR mode. You then remove the upper torso/chest, wing binders, rear and side skirt armor and legs and connect them all to the WR secondary frame---with the shield, of course. Technically speaking, you're pillaging parts from the mobile suit and putting them all on the WR frame. The end result however is a solid, wiggle-free Wave Rider, which people say is worth it. At least it's not as flawed as the MG version, where the mobile suit itself is floppy due to all the transformation mechanisms.

The HGUC Zeta is surprisingly restricted in its movement, having been used to the HG Gundam SEED line. Because of this general unyielding nature, it actually feels a lot older than the SEED kits I have, despite the HGUC line being a recent re-issue of the Universal Century model kit line. Personally I think the true knee joints are too stiff to bend properly, and the legs and feet make the kit a bit harder to pose. I've taken to bending the "false" knees instead for poses as they're a lot easier to manipulate. The high-heel feet are too small in my opinion, and look like they've been designed with looks and not vertical stability as a priority.

The rest of the kit is quite good though. Shoulder armor allows some sideward arm movement because it's articulated at appropriate points---a plus in my book. Arms are standard HG fare: 90 degrees of forearm movement. Zeta's head itself seems huge compared to the heads of the SEED kits I own (Strike, Duel, Aegis) but it's proportional to the rest of the model.

The weapons are this kit's party piece: both the beam rifle and hyper mega launcher (that's really what it's called) are HUGE and have extending/retracting barrels, supposedly true to the Z Gundam anime where their barrels retract in Zeta's compact WR form. There's a third hand with an attached unpainted beam saber, its rather large hilt being held by fixed fingers. The "hand grenade" launchers are supplied but they don't open; they're essentially added bulk you can attach to the Zeta's forearms.

The hyper mega launcher is really something special. I suspect this is where Gundam Wing's famous colony-destroying Buster Rifle got its inspiration. It's taller than the Zeta itself even when retracted. It has three grips (two on the sides and a standard one below with the trigger) and all have swinging covers. The upper side of this huge weapon has slots for the WR mode's landing gear. Basically this means the Wave Rider has to have the hyper mega launcher attached to its underside for "landed" stationary poses. The surprising thing is that despite its size, the weapon is very light and the Zeta has no trouble carrying it in its arms in a pose, once you work out the idiosyncrasy of fitting the hands over the grips.

I just took pictures of the HGUC Zeta this afternoon to finish off the roll of film I used for the Glorietta concert. I'll be uploading them soon enough.
===

If you want a fully transformable, solid all-around Zeta Gundam, you'll have to spend PhP11,000 or so on a 1/60 Perfect Grade kit, and I'm not willing to spend that much. I have seen pictures of a finished PG Zeta, however, and it is AWESOME.

Some Italian dude made his two years ago and he detailed the procedure on this site (just look for the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam link). He dedicated 8 or so pages to the Zeta and its construction, even featuring sequential photos of its transformation to Wave Rider mode (see page 5 of his Zeta Gundam pages). This was where I finally understood how the Zeta "crunched up on itself" as a plane. The finished kit is simply remarkable.

Right now it's the stuff my dreams are made of. I can't imagine how I'll be able to piece it together though. All I've worked with are rather simple and small 1/144 HG kits. Oh well, if there's a will, there's a way.
===

Tonight I'm supposed to be at a party at Tara's house: basically a reunion of sorts and a simple affair to celebrate the end of the school year. I noticed we were basically seeing each other in school everyday without talking about much except school work.

Yet I'm at home. I don't know. I've been feeling I probably don't deserve to party especially as my ECONTRI fate is unknown. I also owe my body a huge debt, being out of energy and sleeping late all the time. At the time I was considering asking for my dad's permission, I actually napped out and lost my chance as I woke up pretty before dinner.

Oh well. There will be other times. I'm particularly looking forward to watching "Ocean's Twelve" early next year with the gang when it premieres January 6. I miss them terribly and I just want to be with them without the hassles of school.

I've pretty much had it with school anyway. Let's just say I feel discouraged and have lost all self-confidence in academic matters. At least my marketing major subjects look steady.
===

Fernando Poe Jr. died recently from a stroke that left him in a permanent coma.

Frankly I don't care whether he lives or dies. I just don't want to see that overplayed postmortem tribute to him all over the evening news. My goodness. There are more pressing matters than that---that's why news is called NEWS. Why does his funeral have to hog the WHOLE HOUR of the primetime news?
===

KC de Venecia, Congress Speaker Jose de Venecia's youngest daughter, died last night. She got burned alive in her own house because of faulty Christmas lights setting fire to the place and wrecking the whole second floor of their house.

I'll pray for her soul. I know how the de Venecias feel: I myself spotted our own Christmas tree ablaze from faulty Christmas lights.

Tip for all of you reading this: Don't put Christmas lights at all. You'll save on electricity and save the possibility of making yourselves your own unintentional arsonists.

The three of us felt like idiots waiting to be slaughtered by the panelists. It wasn't a great feeling. Pretty much the entire movie was blasted to bits---plotline, character development, production design, technical problems. And the worst part about it was that I agreed with all the comments. (But damn, those plotline comments hurt. I practically conjured it all in one magical night. Perhaps it wasn't so magical after all.)

Ours was an ameteurish movie at best, done in a campus that was expecting excellence. Up to now I have a bitter taste in my mouth, my heart regurgitating regret about not having had more creative control over production. Sigh.

Oh well. I guess this just means I'm not cut out for moviemaking. I am just semi-glad that it's over. I can bid farewell to all these finicky teachers, boring lessons, rejections upon countless proposal rejections.

I'm just semi-glad I'm finished with AB Communication Arts.
===

I'm grateful to all the people who helped us finish "Uninvited."

Shout-outs go to Geraldine Tan, Mrs. Grace Tan, Reggie Curley, the Batac and Melendres families, Aaron David and everyone at Lightbox Multimedia, my sister and all her friends, Dr. Mike Rapatan, LC24, LR31, Mom, Dad and all my friends for believing in me.

I hope I did you proud.
===

I have PARTCOR finals later at 6pm. As much as I'd like to watch the other groups do their defense, a part of me strongly opposes. I haven't really studied all that much and I'm sure I'll need the legal knowledge, as my PARTCOR grades aren't really that high. Borderline acceptable, if I were an accounting student (which I'm glad I'm not).

"Ignorance of the law excuses no one."
===

Now I REALLY want to spoil myself.

I want a Master-Grade 1/100 Aile Strike Gundam model kit...NOW.

That's the one with the fancy fully articulated internal mobile frame, the sickening detail on all the parts, the fancy full-jointed fingers, the Hajime Katoki-style appearance.

I want to paint it properly and add all the little panel lines with a 0.001 mm pen, before I get out my Swiss Army knife and cut and smooth all the parts from the plastic sprues. When I'm finished I want to mount the Strike on its linear catapult/display stand and pose it for all the world to see.

This kit will keep me busy for hours, maybe even days. I just want to get rid of my frustration by literally doing something constructive. This is probably better than having to contend with a noisy selfish girlfriend...and I'm glad I don't have one right now.

My main problem is money...I'm having second thoughts on blowing the PhP2,700 needed just for the kit. Sigh. I'm pretty damn close to broke.

But cripes I want one of these so bad.

Christmas is just around the corner. Shucks. Haven't finished my shopping yet.
===

Thesis defense---erm, the premiere screening of "Uninvited"---is at 10:20 am tomorrow morning. Damn, I am nervous. I still can't imagine how I'd be able to answer the panel's questions (which there will surely be a lot of).

Wish us luck, guys.

Because of this damn thesis I haven't been able to study Partnership and Corporation Law. Our final exam's at 6pm, tomorrow as well.
===

One notable occurrence: Dups delos Reyes wrote me a couple emails regarding my humble "sales career." Sent him a pretty long reply.

In all honesty, this was the last thing I expected to appear in my mailbox. A welcome surprise though.
===

I feel like a vegetable. I'll write again tomorrow.

I hope.

Things might just actually work.

Everything is due on Friday, fucking December 10. That's tomorrow. But it seems I'm on my way to finishing 80% of it. We've shown Bro. --- I mean, Dr. Mike our rough cut thesis film and have gotten his consent for defense; I've finished most of the ECONTRI take-home quiz; Nicole and I have finished 99% of the ECONTRI paper (which I have to print tomorrow); I've finished my contribution to the MARKOST retail plan...I'm actually wary of feeling too relaxed as I think some more bullshit will crop up.

Now the only thing I have to get started on is a 10-page MARKOST position paper that I haven't even started. This is going to take a long while.

Sigh.
===

More to the point I'm grateful to Dr. Mike for allowing us to defend. We're actually going to be able to graduate!

I'm not happy with the way some things are turning out lately.

First and foremost is thesis. It was a shock for us to realize that we needed to have an original soundtrack for the film---meaning the songs should not be composed by mainstream artists. There go our song ideas. We're trying to work around it now. Later this afternoon we'll be editing our film professionally at a former batchmate's.

Also I'm a bit jittery at how Bro. Mike is going to approve us for defense. We haven't been able to show him a rough cut of our finished work yet and I guess he's justified in not letting us defend on Monday the 13th, if ever that happens. Sigh.

Nicole and I have made some progress in our ECONTRI final project but as it turns out our computation and data are woefully incomplete so far. Because of the latest crop of storms trashing the country we haven't been able to meet up a second time to finish it.

MARKOST is also another bugbear. By the end of the week I'm supposed to submit and defend a position paper on Philippine global brands and how they're faring. Plus we also have a final paper too, regarding a store we'd bring into the new mall Market! Market!.

The only consolation is that I got finals only for PARTCOR and ECONTRI. Sigh. I wonder how I'm going to get through this term in one piece.
===

We had our pre-Christmas concerts at Shangri-la Plaza mall on two separate weekends and they've been pretty good so far. Next stop for Pops is the Glorietta Activity Center on December 15, 3 pm. We'll be rubbing shoulders with established recording artists there as this concert's being sponsored by the Philippine Association of the Recording Industry (PARI) against music piracy. The concert series is titled, appropriately enough, "NO FAKES!"

The jitters are rushing through me.
===

The Freedom Gundam is being offered in an MG model now, and I saw one being sold in Comic Alley in SM Megamall last Saturday. PhP3,250.

I don't know about you but that's broken through my psychological price barrier. I was thinking about getting the Freedom instead of the Aile Strike in hopes that they'd have the same price (PhP2,700) because I already have an HG 1/144 Aile Strike. Oh well.

In my model-browsing weekend adventure I came across some Perfect Grade models as well. A PG Wing Zero Custom costs PhP9,500. A PG Gundam Mk.II Titans version costs PhP10,000. A PG GP01/Fb Zephyranthes costs an eye-popping PhP14,000. Great goodness.

Intriguing finds galore at Toy Kingdom Megamall. Lots of older MG models there including the notoriously flawed MG Zeta Gundam, priced rather cheap at PhP2,200. Lots of MSV HG 1/144 kits from Gundam SEED too. Most intriguing was the Astray Gold Frame Gold Mecha Version 1/100 kit, selling for PhP2,800 in an unassumingly small gold-colored box.

Right then I was really ready to buy the MG Aile Strike kit if I saw one. As I didn't find one in Shangri-la or Megamall, I think that was a blessing in disguise.
===

I'm plagued with a persistent cough that doesn't want to go away. The phlegm sometimes just doesn't get out of my throat and I keep coughing and coughing to no avail. Sigh.