It's Great To Be A Kid, It Sucks To Be A Parent

Earlier today I was going around the Shangri-La Plaza mall, just looking at shops with toys and games. I normally avoid going to these places before Christmas since they're mostly packed with stressed out shoppers, but now is a really good time since there are considerably less people than usual.

I wasn't surprised at the items that I saw and their corresponding bloated prices. I mean, it's almost a given with shops in upscale malls here that most of the merchandise will be overpriced. But I still wondered at the suckers people who would actually pay to buy these items. I saw that LEGO Winter Toy Shop selling for almost P4,000--who on earth would buy a seasonal LEGO set for 4K? Only a die-hard collector would--or a harried parent.

And yet that 4K LEGO set was nothing compared to some of the sets I've seen, with prices going for more than 20K. In comparison, a tiny set consisting of bland 16 pieces will net you about P300, which is quite sad, really.

I also saw some action figures from the movie Tron: Legacy, which all light up. Some figures even have small video clips of the actor's faces projected on the figure's head, which actually look cool, until you see the price: almost 800 bucks. Yikes.

It's not just the toys though; it's the same for games. Those classic board games I used to enjoy playing before videogaming won me over completely now cost almost a thousand pesos and more. Somehow, I can't ever imagine buying Monopoly or Clue for that much money, it's just too ridiculous.

Kids today have it easy; they're living in an age where technology has made almost everything so amazing, resulting in some awesome playthings that we never even dreamed of back then. And yet, everything's so darned expensive. While it's great to be a kid in this era, it's absolute hell to be a parent, especially during the Christmas season.

With an all-out, unrelenting assault of toys, games, merchandising tie-ins and God Knows What Else being shoved by the media to most of the ADHD-addled kids out there, it just sucks to be a parent, mainly because they're the ones who reluctantly have to part with their cash. Be ready to say goodbye to your funds and credit card limits, and brace yourself for the fallout of bills in the months to come, LOL.

LEGO | Christmas 2010 Sets

LEGO released several Christmas-themed sets for this year. Leading the pack is the Winter Toy Shop, a village scene set with 815 pieces and 7 minifigs. The Toy Shop itself has a viewable detailed interior, complete with cash register, and the tower window lights up, courtesy of an included lighted brick.

The LEGO Winter Toy Shop Set

The Winter Toy Shop also has a vintage streetlamp, and a nice, large Christmas tree, along with the usual LEGO evergreen trees. Overall this set exudes that perfect Old World, festive holiday charm, and is a must-have for those who collect the seasonal sets.

LEGO's Winter Village Bakery makes a great complement to the Winter Toy Shop, but it's a great holiday set in its own right. The actual bakery features a detailed interior with display table and a huge oven, plus a LEGO Power Functions brick that lights up the interior when you push it.

The LEGO Winter Village Bakery Set

Consisting of 687 pieces, the Winter Village Bakery also includes a frozen pond, horse-drawn cart, 7 minifigs, and the usual assortment of evergreen trees. It looks very rustic and festive, the kind of village you'd want to spend Christmas in. Hopefully LEGO makes more village holiday sets for next year.

In addition to the Winter Village sets, LEGO also released smaller, more compact sets with a Christmas theme. The biggest of these is the Holiday Building Set, with 85 pieces that's enough to construct a Christmas tree and fireplace. Next in line is the 71-piece Santa with Sleigh Building Set, and a Snowman Building Set with 64 pieces.

Top: Santa with Sleigh Building Set. Bottom left: Holiday Building Set
Bottom right: Snowman Building Set

With a smaller number of pieces, these Building Sets don't really look that good--the standard LEGO evergreen tree looks even better than the Christmas trees built with these sets. And since the figures aren't actual minifigs, they look clunky at best. The Snowman looks more like a chair, and the figures look like they have cupcakes on their heads, LOL.

[edit] The Winter Toy Shop was actually released in 2009, not 2010; LEGO releases one Winter Village scene at a time, so this year's release is the Winter Village Bakery. Thanks to everyone who pointed that out!

Music | Nightnoise - The Wexford Carol

'Tis the season once again to listen to really great Christmas songs, and this is one of my favorites. The Wexford Carol is one of the oldest European carols, originating from Ireland in the 12th Century. The lyrics of this wonderful traditional carol says it all, as it tells the tale of the Nativity of Jesus, which is what Christmas is all about.


The Wexford Carol has been covered by many artists, mostly Irish musicians. The best version for me is by the Irish ensemble Nightnoise, which was included in Windham Hill's fourth compilation of holiday music, A Winter's Solstice IV. Nightnoise's version is an instrumental, and while it starts out somber as the song was meant to be sung, it eventually breaks out into a more joyous tone, one filled with uplifting holiday spirit and cheer.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find an actual video performance of Nightnoise playing The Wexford Carol anywhere. I did find a still video that plays the Nightnoise version in the background though. Even though the video has no moving images, enjoy the music just the same.

Merry Christmas!

Film | Tron: Legacy

I remember watching the original Tron movie years ago. I was already heavily into video games--mostly arcade games and home computer games, and Tron was mostly viewed at the time as the first movie that incorporated cutting edge computer-generated imagery. While the CGI might have been considered as sophisticated during the 1980's, the movie was boring as hell and I didn't think that much of it.

And now, almost 30 years later, the sequel to Tron is here. Appropriately titled Tron: Legacy, the movie stars two of the original film's actors, Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner. While Boxleitner has aged well, Bridges now looks like a craggy, bearded hermit--but they managed to preserve his younger self by generating a full CGI version of him in the movie.

Tron: Legacy has been hyped like there's no tomorrow in most of the marketing and publishing media. Was all the hype worth it? In a way, it was. In terms of visual imagery, this new movie teems with dazzling eye candy, with a look and concept that's unlike any other movie--except the original, of course. They actually pulled it off in updating and polishing the neon-lit elements of the first movie and made it even look better.

Unfortunately, all that spectacular CGI in 3D overwhelmed the entire movie. The story, while slightly better than the first film, isn't really that compelling. Most of the other key elements from the original Tron return here: the disc-throwing thing which I found ridiculous the first time around, and the light cycle racing that's actually just a rehash of the old Blockade game--and which eventually evolved into that annoying Snake game for mobile phones.

One of the worst moments in Tron: Legacy takes place in some club owned by what appears to be a flamboyant David Bowie impersonator. Why on earth would a high-tech, "perfect system" composed entirely of programs have a club--with a bar, and drinks? I guess they're bored, but still...

The CGI version of Jeff Bridges was described as mostly "creepy" by those who've seen the film, but I thought he was okay, and a testament to how far technology has advanced during the time between the two movies.

Overall, if you want awesome eye candy, Tron: Legacy got it right. If you want a profound, substantial plot and storyline, go watch a different movie. And prepare for the inevitable copycats that will duplicate that "tronified" look just to be cool.

Pokemon | Pikachu

I'll just go ahead and say it: Pikachu is my favorite Pokemon of all time. 13 years ago, I saw a news report on CNN about a cartoon in Japan that caused hundreds of children to experience seizures. That was probably the very first time Pikachu made his appearance on an American news program, but that very short glimpse was more than enough to get me interested in Pokemon, almost a year before the game was released in the USA.

National Dex # 025 Name: Pikachu Classification: Mouse Pokemon Type: Electric Evolves from: Pichu Evolves into: Raichu Native Region: Kanto Availability: All games except Black & White Design/Look: Unsurpassable Cute Factor: Unsurpassable Overall Rating: Unsurpassable

One of the 1st Generation Pokemon, Pikachu is undoubtedly the most famous Pokemon of them all, being the official mascot of the Pokemon franchise. Pikachu is an Electric Type Pokemon, and gets its name from a mix of two Japanese words, Pikapika and Chu, which means "sparkle" and "squeak" respectively.

Modeled after a mouse, Pikachu was designed by Ken Sugimori, who was responsible for creating most of the well-known Pokemon. The main concept for Pikachu involves electricity, hence its abilities and lightning-shaped tail. And while it's not really confirmed, it's really tempting to compare Pikachu to a Pika, a small mouse-like hare that emits a rather high-pitched cry.

As proof of Pikachu's enduring popularity, Takara Tomy has released lots of Pikachu variants for its Monster Collection PVC series, with many figures in different poses released through the years, the only Pokemon achieving this honor. The 2010 MC figure looks every bit as adorable as Sugimori's illustrations, and a new Pikachu figure should be expected by next year.

Pikachu's most distinctive features are its bright yellow color, red spots on both cheeks, rabbit-like ears with black tips, and a tail that resembles a lightning bolt. Overall, Sugimori hit the jackpot with Pikachu's design, as the combination of all those elements resulted in one of the best and cutest character designs ever made for a game series.

While other Pokemon that came later on tried to copy Pikachu's features, particularly the cheek spots, none have achieved similar greatness, and as far as the cuteness factor is concerned, none could match the original. Not even Pikachu's pre-evolution and evolution forms, Pichu and Raichu, could duplicate or surpass Pikachu's inherent appeal.

In the Pokemon anime series, Pikachu is clearly the star, having appeared in every episode and movie since its initial run, and is Ash's only Pokemon that he brings with him no matter which region he travels to. Pikachu in the anime is the definitive Pikachu that most Pokemon fans have come to know and love, which includes me, LOL.

While I do collect other Pokemon, it's Pikachu that I have a tremendous fondness for, maybe it's because of its irresistible cuteness or maybe because it was the first Pokemon I saw in that CNN news clip. In every single Pokemon game that I've played, I went on to finish it using a Pikachu as my main Pokemon. Most of the Pokemon stuff that I have consist of Pikachu-related items, from the Takara Tomy MC variants to talking Pikachu figures to diecast cars, hehe. My only regret? Not being able to get that superb Special Edition Pikachu GBA-SP, but who knows? I might just get one yet...

Pikachu illustration by Ken Sugimori copyright © Game Freak, Creatures, Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
Pikachu PVC figure from the Takara Tomy Monster Collection series

Film | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Of all the books in The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is easily my favorite, mainly because it starts as a road trip of sorts that eventually turns out to be a deep and meaningful journey for most of the characters involved.

So I was really looking forward to the third movie in the series, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This was a film that almost wasn't made, since Disney abandoned the series after the disappointing results of Prince Caspian. Good thing FOX took over the reins and continued the partnership with Walden Media.

But was it worth it? To me, it was; Voyage of the Dawn Treader exceeded my expectations and brought back that sense of wonder missing from Prince Caspian. It's a straightforward movie, just a series of adventures as the characters move from island to island searching for the Seven Lost Lords of Narnia, with no real main villain--just like the book.

True to form (this is Hollywood after all), some parts of the book were changed, but the movie retains the book's spirit, with the main plotlines remaining exactly the same. It's also one visually stunning film, with the easternmost ocean and islands of Narnia never looking so breathtaking as I imagined them from the books.

The level of detail used in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader is amazing, from Aslan's visage intricately carved into the ship's wheel to the interior of Coriakin's mansion. Seeing Lucy, Edmund, and Caspian all played by the same actors but slightly older was like meeting old friends, and new addition Will Poulter was perfectly cast as Eustace Scrubb.

And then there's Reepicheep, now voiced by Simon Pegg, who did an excellent job. Reepicheep is my favorite Narnia character next to Aslan, and he's superbly portrayed here in the movie, acting and emoting exactly as he did in the book. Voyage of the Dawn Treader is actually Reepicheep's spiritual journey to Aslan's Country, and they nailed it in the movie, which made me happy.

Appearances of Peter, Susan, and the White Witch, which were not in the book, made more sense in the context of the film, since they provided a sense of continuity with the previous movies. It's also great to know that the actors who played these roles were again willing to appear in this movie, even though their screen time don't even last 5 minutes.

Overall, I really enjoyed Voyage of the Dawn Treader; even though it got lukewarm reviews and average box-office results. It's a bit sad to read bad and scathing reviews from people who just don't get the meaning behind the books; in this Generation-ADHD era, where most younger people's attention span don't really last that long, the Narnia books are often dismissed as "boring crap."

There's no confirmation that a fourth movie is on the way, but the producers have placed a lot of foreshadowing in Voyage of the Dawn Treader that could tie-in nicely to the next book, The Silver Chair. Me, I'm just glad that the movie was made, and it's always good to hope that a fourth movie will be announced soon.

Gaming | Moleskine Pac-Man

As far as video game icons go, Pac-Man has been having a really great 30th Anniversary so far. Honored by almost everything from a playable Google doodle to an awesome Championship Edition DX game, 2010 can be said to be the sturdy yellow dot chomper's best birthday year ever.


Moleskine, famous for its classy notebooks, celebrates Pac-Man's 30th Anniversary by coming out with a Limited Edition series of Pac-Man notebooks, from small ones with pixelated imprints to a large Volant set with slipcase. The notebooks also include mini-stickers, and the Volant set has an embossed Pac-Man on each of the 4 colored notebooks.

Except for the pixelated icons, the notebooks look quite ordinary; the only thing that stands out is the paper band that wraps around each notebook, which looks even better than the actual notebook. It's a great idea and marketing campaign though; Moleskine even made an awesome commercial to promote the Pac-Man notebooks, and you know you've made it when you're immortalized in a series of Moleskine notebooks, heh.


Talk about posh--I'd never thought I'd ever see something like Pac-Man on Moleskine notebooks. But at almost a thousand bucks per notebook, I don't think I can bring myself to spend that much; I never did understand why these notebooks are too damn expensive. Besides, at those prices I wouldn't even attempt to ruin them by actually writing on them, LOL.