Chill

It's been really cold here in the city for the past several days now. The air is cool and somewhat nippy, and it gets really chilly at night, making sleep a restful, blissful experience. This is exactly the kind of weather that I love--it's cool and comfortable, and most important of all, not wet and damp.

This type of weather just makes everything perfect; it's great to walk around outside, even during the afternoon. As I was going through the GMA-7 MRT Station on the way home from work at about 3:30pm, a light, icy breeze was blowing, reminding me of Hong Kong's Kowloon weather around November. It's great, as one rarely gets to experience this kind of weather here, since most of the time it's humid, uncomfortable, and unbearable--or even worse, windy and stormy, no thanks to the typhoons that make this country some kind of airport terminal.

Currently it's about 24 degrees Celsius outside, and getting colder. Perhaps the only bad thing I can think of about this fabulously chilly weather is that it gets really difficult to take a shower or bath, as no matter how hot you make the water, you're hit with a freezing blast of air once you leave the bathroom. But that's something I'd gladly endure instead of sweltering in the heat. It's best to enjoy this time, as we're approaching February, which means that all this wonderful cool weather will soon be a thing of the past. Damn.

TV | Sony Robots Now I Feel Commercial

Sony launched their "Now I Feel" corporate commercial last December 2006, featuring primitive-looking clunky robots that remind me of probable prototypes for Star Wars' C3PO. The robots walk around in a city, and one particular robot observes people using various Sony products: a Bravia TV, PSP, VAIO laptop, HandyCam, Cybershot camera, and finally, a Walkman MP3 player, where a girl places her earphone on the robot, and it morphs like one of those Pin Art toys, finally transforming it into a human.


But wait a minute...something's wrong here...one high-profile Sony product is conspicuously absent from the commercial--where's the PlayStation 3? or PS2? The ad agency probably didn't have a PS3 to work with during the filming, which took place long before the official PS3 launch. But I think Sony should've provided them with one, even an empty shell, just to make their product line complete.

Personally, I found the commercial excellent just for its striking visual concept, never mind the blatant plug for Sony products (it's their ad, after all). The commercial is about one minute long, and was developed by the Singapore branch of noted advertising agency Young & Rubicam Brands. Also noteworthy was the music used in the ad, which was a track titled "Electric Road" from the cool Hong Kong-based electronica group called Celestial, who specialize in chill-out and downtempo music.

Cuisine | Yoshinoya

I'd heard so many good things about Yoshinoya's famous Gyudon, or Beef Bowl, that when the franchise was brought over locally from Japan I decided to try it. I think the first branch opened at the Robinson's Galleria, but since I rarely visit that place, it remained out of reach.

When a Yoshinoya place opened at SM Megamall, which was conveniently located along the way as I head home from work, I finally got the chance to taste it. It was great--pieces of thinly sliced, almost shredded beef, topped over a steaming bowl of rice with sauce and onions. The taste is kinda hard to describe, as it's somewhat sweet yet not that sweet. I loved it, and was instantly addicted.

I've eaten Gyudon lots of times in many other Japanese restaurants, but Yoshinoya's version is the best for me. Now I know why the Japanese are fond of Yoshinoya and their Gyudon, which was intended to be "cheap, quick and yummy." The Gyudon was even popular enough to be the subject of a PlayStation 2 game, heh.

My Mom and I are fond of Japanese cuisine, and I've taken her and an aunt to a Yoshinoya place that opened in Greenhills sometime last year. They both tried the Gyudon, and agreed that it was really good. Yoshinoya also serves other dishes, but I never really give them a second thought, as I only go there for the Gyudon. At about 70 Pesos per bowl, it's definitely worth it, and the serving is just right, so I always go there whenever I have the chance.

Gizmos | Transformers Masterpiece: Optimus Prime

I don't think any other robot toy series have become as popular as the Transformers. Sure, we had the Japanese robot anime and toy invasion during the late 70's, and while they had their own fan following, they didn't become as ingrained in pop culture like the Transformers did.

The original, Generation One (G1) Transformers toys released during the mid-1980's cost a small fortune nowadays, and you're lucky if you can find one in mint condition. But they were kinda clunky, stiff, and hardly looked like their cartoon counterparts as compared to the newer, more articulate robots available now.

Takara of Japan changed all that in 2004 with their Transformers Masterpiece series. This new line of Transformers are a bit bigger in scale and highly detailed to match their animated versions, with the first release being the greatest of all Transformers, Optimus Prime.

Packaging for the Japanese TF Masterpiece Optimus Prime is on the right,
while the tacky, Barbie-like USA packaging is on the left

Optimus was initially released in Japan without his trailer, which came out separately, but a complete version that included both Optimus and the trailer was released later on. Standing almost 12 inches tall, this is the ultimate toy version of Optimus Prime himself, with lots of die-cast metal, points of articulation, and even a light-up Matrix chamber.

Japanese version of Masterpiece Optimus Prime (vehicle mode) is on the left,
USA version is on the right--notice the ugly short smokestacks of the USA version

Masterpiece Optimus Prime vehicle mode with trailer

In the USA, Optimus was released as "Optimus Prime 20th Anniversary Edition" and had awful "battle-scarred" colors, but the biggest gripe of them all were the shorter smokestacks on the vehicle. Something to do with American Child Safety laws, Optimus's smokestacks were whittled down to almost nothing in the final version, and boy, it looked really ugly. As always, avoid the USA version and get the Japanese version instead.

The big guy himself in full robot mode; check out the awesome details

[Photos are from the always excellent seibertron.com galleries]

Gaming | The Best of 2006

2006 was an incredible year for gaming, at least for me anyway. There were so many good releases for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS that eventually I didn't have time to play them all.

While the big gaming news of 2006 was the release of the nextgen consoles, the PS3 and Nintendo Wii, I really couldn't care less about them yet, as their prices bordered on the ridiculous, making them essentially beyond my reach for now. As usual, the games are what counts for me, and none of these nextgen consoles had games that appealed to me right now, so they can wait.

One of last year's highlights was the Nintendo DS Lite, a sleeker, brighter version of the Nintendo DS. It was definitely an improvement, as I always hated & despised the clunky design and formfactor of the original DS. Now it's great, but the only downside is that GBA carts stick out about half an inch, which is a pain whenever I want to play any of the Pokemon games for the GBA.

But back to the games of 2006; a good number of really good games was added to the growing DS game library, and the PS2 also enjoyed some great releases during its final year. For me, my best games of the year were the ones that I spent the most number of hours playing on the PS2 or DS--games that were either so addicting that I had to play just one more time, had gripping storylines that made me want to finish them just to see how it all turns out, or were so unique and innovative that they defy categorization.

My best games of 2006, in order:

1. Okami [PS2] - my Game of the Year
2. Suikoden V [PS2]
3. Final Fantasy XII [PS2]
4. Electroplankton [DS]
5. Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria [PS2]
6. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 [PS2]
7. Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra [PS2]
8. Cooking Mama [DS]
9. Tales of Legendia [PS2]
10. The Sims 2: Pets [PS2]

Bitten

A little over a year ago, just around after midnight of January 4, 2006, my cousin Yelane's dog Nemo bit the back of my head. Nemo's a mixed breed Labrador (see photo at right), and while my cousin insisted that he was part German Shepherd, his large muscular form and shape always reminded me of a Doberman Pinscher. He's not really as gentle and friendly like real Labradors, but he can be pretty playful, and we love him just the same.

Every night I'd go out and stay with Nemo while I walk around the garden/garage area. On this particular night, I saw Nemo getting something under the parked minivan in the garage. Nemo left, and I took a peek under the van. It was a big mistake, as I suddenly felt Nemo's jaws clamp around my head, and actually heard a sickening chuk! sound as his teeth punctured the back of my head. If it weren't for that stupid minivan (which wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place), I wouldn't have been bitten.

I rushed back inside the house, called my Mom, Yelane, and my aunt, who checked the wound at the back of my head and told me to go the hospital immediately. I wasn't worried about rabies, because Nemo always had his annual rabies shots, but that deep wound needed to be treated. My Mom was ill during Christmas and New Year and was still recovering, so I didn't want to leave her, but I had no choice, and she assured me that she'd be all right, so off we went.

St. Luke's Medical Center was supposed to be one of the country's finest hospitals, with the best in facilities and hospital care. Their Emergency Room wasn't anything like that on that night, as one of their interns was asleep with her mouth wide open right at the front desk. They made me wait a long time before some doctor checked my wounds and then told me again to wait until they called me. At that point I yelled at him: "Aren't you going to treat my wounds??!!!" Shit these people--blood was trickling down my neck and they were gonna let me wait some more?

That hospital is seriously fucked up; I guess it says a lot when an ER has a humongous cashier counter right in the center of the room. Come to think of it, the entire hospital has numerous cashiers scattered everywhere--a perfect example of this country's medical care system that can be conveniently summarized in one line: if you don't have money, you die.

I'm probably just not over the trauma that my family and I went through when my Dad was confined in this hospital for a heart bypass, which turned into a months-long nightmare as he gradually deteriorated, and his 12--count 'em--twelve fucking doctors couldn't even tell us exactly what was happening, except to constantly spew some bullshit that nobody could understand.

After unleashing my ire on that stupid doctor, he called an intern who then proceeded to dress my wounds. Thankfully, no stitches were needed, but it turns out I ended up with several puncture wounds just above the neck area. I was given 3 injections first, but then freaked at the cost of the 4th injection, which they said would cost around P24,000! However, my aunt (who was a doctor) recommended that we go to the San Lazaro Hospital, who specialized in treating animal bites, and have lower costs. So we decided to skip the 4th shot at St. Luke's, and went to San Lazaro.

We arrived at San Lazaro around 3:00am; at first the hospital scared me, as it looked unreliable. But looks can be deceiving. Inside, the doctors and interns were all attentive, and checked on me immediately; they even redressed my wounds. While they might not look as modern as St. Luke's, the staff at San Lazaro was infinitely better. Oh yeah, and the cost was much, much less than St. Luke's was charging for the 4th shot--I think it was around P2,000 only.

I was given a skin test to see if I won't get any reaction to the shot, and their interns kept checking on me every 30 minutes or so to see how I was doing. When the skin test turned out okay, they advised me to get something to eat, as I should be injected with a full stomach. So my cousin and I went to one of the Burger Machine kiosks parked outside. There I was, eating a hamburger at 4:00am outside a hospital somewhere in a part of Manila that I wasn't familiar with--it was so surreal.

Just a little before 5:00am, I was given the 4th shot, right in the butt area. It was freaking painful--a pain so deep and indescribable that despite all my willpower, tears started to stream down my cheeks. I usually can take some pain, but not like this; I never want to feel that kind of pain again in my lifetime. After giving us the schedule for the next round of shots in the following weeks, we finally went home around 5:30am.

Over the next four weeks, I continued to have antirabies vaccine shots at San Lazaro. I only have good words for the doctors and attendants there, as they really know what they're doing. And Nemo? We're still friends; I still spend time with him outside every night--of course, I always make sure now that my head doesn't go lower than his, just to be safe, heh.

2006 was the Year of the Dog, and I got my first dose of it during the first week; some friends told me that after this, everything would be better, as I already experienced the worst that could happen to me. And they were right--because the rest of 2006 became an really good year for me.

Now & Then

More than a decade ago, around June 1996, I published my very first web site, a personal site with the same title as this blog. Only a handful of people knew it existed, but it was there just the same, only very difficult to find--hence the name, "needle in a heisstack."

Looking back, I realized that the "site" was actually more of a blog than a site, as it recorded most of my thoughts on everything that I liked around that time. Funny how technology evolves--what were personal sites back then eventually paved the way for the blogs of today.

The original needle in a heisstack site had a rather dark retro design, with bright primary colors for the buttons, links, and borders around photos. Hey, it was the mid-90's, where web page design was still in its infancy, and colors were all the rage. I had not discovered designing with html tables yet, so the formatting was crude, yet the pages maintained a clean, minimalist design, a hint of things to come in my future design projects.

Content was divided into 4 main parts: audio, which posted the music that I was listening to at the time; video, which listed my favorite TV shows, all of which are no longer being aired (heh); print, which listed my favorite reading material, most of which were turned into movies, and well, I no longer read anything now except stuff online; and whatever, which were other personal accounts, like a trip to a theme park or pictures of visiting friends from abroad.

It all seemed petty at the time, posting personal & trivial stuff online, and yet that's exactly what most bloggers are doing right now. So I guess it feels just right to return to the fold, and see where this takes me. ^_^