Gizmos | Carnival Colors PSPs

Sometime during the end of last January, Sony announced 4 new colors for its new series of PSP handhelds, the PSP-3000 (also dubbed the PSP Brite). Called the Carnival Colors line, the new colors include Radiant Red, Vibrant Blue, Bright Yellow, and Spirited Green.


The new colors look actually good, particularly the yellow and green models, but maybe they should've come up with a better name than "Spirited Green"--since when did green become spirited? I just don't get it, heh.

The Carnival Colors PSPs will be on sale in Japan starting March 5, 2009. While I applaud more colors for the system, I'd really like to see more games--new and noteworthy PSP releases seem so few and far between this year as compared to last year.

Music | Living In A Box - Living In A Box

Living In A Box was one of those British bands that mostly dominated the music scene during the 1980's. While they weren't as popular as groups like Culture Club, Duran Duran, or Spandau Ballet, they had a particularly unique sound that I liked--something like heavy R&B with booming, thumping baselines, which was kinda strange coming from an English band with members who wore simple, clean-cut suits.



This was one of my favorite songs of the 80's, and it sounds every bit as great now as it did then--it doesn't even sound outdated, unlike most of the songs from that decade. I always enjoyed the way this song was introduced in those countdown shows on the radio back then: "From the album Living In A Box, here's Living In a Box with Living In A Box." Heh.

Cuisine | Fish & Co.

Sometime last week, Joyce, our Department Head, suggested that our group do some kind of pre-Valentine event, and we all agreed to have lunch at some fine dining place. So earlier today, on a Friday the 13th, we headed over to Fish & Co. at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

My friend Marga introduced me to Fish & Co. years ago, when their first branch opened at Shangri-La Plaza. The place is essentially a specialty restaurant that serves seafood dishes in shiny aluminum skillets, hence their slogan, "Seafood in a Pan."

Fish & Co.'s Best Fish & Chips in Town

One of their specialties is called "The Best Fish & Chips in Town", and while I'm not really into seafood that much, Fish & Chips is one of my favorite seafood dishes, and Fish & Co.'s version is a huge, lightly breaded fillet that's served with lemon butter and fries. I've eaten lots of Fish & Chips before, but this one truly deserves the title of the best Fish & Chips in town--the fish practically melts in your mouth as you eat it.

That single dish is enough to keep Fish & Co. in my list of favorite restaurants, never mind if I don't bother to order anything else every time I eat there. A downside of the place is that it's somewhat expensive, so just having that one dish isn't only easy on the appetite, it's easy on the wallet as well, LOL

Gaming | The Best of 2008

2008 was a very good year for me with regards to gaming, particularly with handheld systems. I was actually playing more handheld games than console games, which certainly wasn't the case in the previous years. So why is this list late? Because I was still playing some of last year's games as of this writing--that's how good most of them are.

1. Patapon [PSP] - My Game of the Year for 2008; I don't really like strategy tactics games, and music rhythm games are just meh for me, but Patapon combined them together into something new and unique that I enjoyed immensely. As far as original concepts go, Patapon wins hands down, and that relentless pon-pon-pata-pon drumming became drilled into my head for months afterwards.


2. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 [PS2] - The swan song of the old but still reliable PS2 system. Playing Persona 4 reminded me of the glory days of RPG gaming on the PS1, with a very appealing cast of characters and a superb mystery storyline set in the Japanese countryside.

3. The World Ends With You [DS] - Square Enix gambled on a completely original premise, and completely won with this title, which puts a whole new spin on role-playing, as ultra-hip teens play a deadly game of survival in Japan's trendy Shibuya district.

4. Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee [PSP] - I've always liked golf games, and this game became a constant favorite that remains in my PSP to this day. The characters might be chibi, but the golf engine used is by far one of the most sophisticated that I've ever seen. A winner.


5. Star Ocean: First Departure [PSP] - Finally, an honest-to-goodness old school RPG for the PSP; a reminder that 2D gaming still delivers when done properly. Sure, it's riddled with cliches, but it's a fun ride all the way.

6. echochrome [PSP] - Mind-bending puzzles with solutions that are in plain sight and literally staring at you in the face--all you have to do is change your viewing angle. One of the few noteworthy downloadable titles from the PlayStation Network.

7. Bangai-O Spirits [DS] - Quick and simple, but gets downright nasty as you reach the higher levels. A visual delight as well, showcasing the DS's ability to generate so many moving objects at the same time--all of which are after you, LOL
8. flOw [PSP] - Originally a Web Flash game, flOw isn't really a game, but more of a simulation, where you just guide a swimming creature through multiple levels, while going through awesome-looking stages of evolution. Relaxing, ambient music rounds up the entire package in this highly recommended downloadable title from the PlayStation Network.

9. N+ [DS] - Another Flash game converted to handheld format, and it works well. N+'s simple premise--guide your ninja to the exit point--can be frustrating as you wind your way through fiendishly designed levels where one mistake leads to your death, then you start all over.

10. Professor Layton and the Curious Village [DS] - One of the most beautiful-looking DS games to date, with its clean, simple lines and illustration style. But looks can be deceiving, as the more than 100 puzzles in this game will eventually drive you insane.

St. John Bosco Church

Last Saturday, I attended my niece Raya's Confirmation at the St. John Bosco Church in San Lorenzo, Makati. Since I was a Sponsor, we had to be there early, at least before 8:00am. The Church wasn't filled with people yet when we arrived, which gave me the chance to snap some photos.

The St. John Bosco Church altar
I'd only been to this Church once; the first time was when my cousin Yelane got married here sometime during the 90's. This being the second time, it sure looked the same, but somewhat smaller--or maybe I'm just imagining that it looked smaller, since it's been more than a decade since I last set foot in here.

The St. John Bosco Church was built in the late 70's; I'm not sure who the architect was, but I read somewhere that it was Jose Maria Zaragoza, who used a type of thin-shell concrete dome. The highlight of the structure is the huge wooden altar sculpture, which resemble leaves in a star-shaped arrangement.


Another view of the St. John Bosco Church altar
The Church is light and airy, with excellent acoustics due to the impressively constructed waffled ceiling. It was also pleasantly cool because of the many airconditioners that line the church's circumference, as well as the numerous electric fan "trees" mounted on the side aisles.


The waffled concrete ceiling of the St. John Bosco Church; an electric fan tree can also be seen
Commonly referred to by many as just the "Don Bosco Church", it's located near the Don Bosco Technical Institute, and also near the site of the original Amici restaurant, which used to be run by the Don Bosco priests.