needle in a heisstack

Gizmos | One Piece Pirate Musou Gold Edition PS3

2012-01-31T23:07:00.000+08:00

Sony is releasing another limited edition PS3 in Japan, which will tie-in with an upcoming One Piece game. The One Piece Pirate Musou Gold Edition PS3 is appropriately named, since the unit itself appears to be made of solid gold, except for a white imprint of One Piece's main character, Monkey D. Luffy.

One Piece is certainly one of the longest-running and popular manga series in Japan, spawning an entire franchise that includes anime, movies, and video games. It's mostly about pirates, and it's one franchise that I really have no interest in--I tried watching some episodes of the anime, but I quickly got bored.

The One Piece Pirate Musou Gold Edition PS3 will be only be available in a special bundle that includes the One Piece Pirate Musou PS3 game, and will also include a matching gold DualShock controller. While the gold is actually nice to look at, Luffy looks rather freaky and is something that I wouldn't want on a PS3, heh. This gold PS3 is a Japan exclusive, and will be out on March 1, 2012.

Music | Banderas - This Is Your Life

2012-01-27T12:43:00.000+08:00

Banderas was a female English duo composed of shaven-headed singer Caroline Buckley and musician Sally Herbert. They had a couple of hits during the early 90's before disappearing completely from sight, including This Is Your Life, which is considered as their best single.

While the 1980's were noted for its iconic British bands, it's actually the 1990's that heralded a deluge of truly awesome music, with genres that mixed known musical styles and took them into completely new directions. Banderas had the potential, but was sadly cut down before their prime.

This Is Your Life remains one of my favorite songs from the 90's, and it has aged considerably well, with noteworthy lyrics that actually have substance--this is how good songs were written back in the day, a far cry from the bullcrap we get to hear nowadays.

Two music videos were made for the song--the original had the duo seated in what appears to be a crowded terminal, while another, more sappy version was made for the USA market. I prefer the original version, and it's the one I included here, never mind if it's rather blurry.

TV | Community

2012-01-21T22:36:00.000+08:00

When I was in college, I remember bonding with a group of people that I had really nothing in common with, yet we all eventually became friends and remain very good friends to this day. That's also what happened to many other people, including Dan Harmon, creator of the half-hour comedy series Community--he based the show's premise on his real-life experiences attending a community college, where he connected with a study group composed of people he had nothing in common with, yet ended up liking all of them.

In Community, the main character is Jeff Winger, a self-centered, egotistical lawyer who's disbarred and is forced to get additional credits from a community college. There, he unwittingly forms a study group that attracts several other people, most of them odd. There's Britta Perry, who's a former anarchist and is the group's buzzkill; Shirley Bennett, divorced mom of two and a devout Christian with rage and discriminatory issues; Annie Edison, the studious Jewish girl who's somewhat naive; Pierce Hawthorne, elderly rich guy who's rude and mostly offensive to everyone; Troy Barnes, ex-football jock and closet nerd; and Abed Nadir, the extremely strange pop culture junkie.

The cast of Community

Rounding up the unusual cast of characters are Ben Chang, a bizarre Chinese man who masqueraded as a Spanish professor and is currently head of campus security; and Dean Craig Pelton, who often wears women's clothing. Of all these characters, Abed is the most unique, as his pop culture references often breaks the fourth wall and uncannily relates everything happening to them on the show...as a TV show, LOL.

Community has been consistenly funny since its first season, with brilliantly written scripts and hilarious dialogue that's perfectly delivered with comic timing. It's also a good example of a show that benefits from a cast with excellent chemistry. Through the years it's poked fun at everything, from product placements to The Matrix, to the zombie apocalypse and animated Christmas specials, even mocking that detestable show, Glee, with its very own musical episode--but at least it had original songs, heh. There was even one episode where seven different alternate timelines were shown, an episode that clearly transcended pure awesomeness.

Unfortunately, shows like these don't do well with mainstream audiences, and ratings for the show have steadily declined in the three years it's been on the air. NBC, ever concerned with ratings, did a really shitty move by pulling Community out of its current midseason slot last December; it will return this year, but its future is uncertain. A campaign has been launched by fans to save the show, and I really hope that the show will return soon; I miss those guys already.

Guilty Pleasures | Rouge Gelato Cake

2012-01-11T19:03:00.000+08:00

Ever since it opened inside the Amici chain of restaurants, Cara Mia's desserts have always been a source of really good comfort food for me. I've come back here many times to have my favorites, like their Mango Sans Rival, which is part of their premium line of gelato cakes.

Cara Mia's Rouge gelato cake

They've since added new varieties to their yummy gelato cakes, and one of them has turned into one of my must-have favorites. I've always liked berries of all kinds, particularly blueberries and strawberries, and when they're used prominently in desserts, I simply just have to try them out.

So when I saw Cara Mia's newest gelato cake, called Rouge, I couldn't resist, LOL. It contains layers of blueberry, strawberry, and vanilla gelato, all stacked on a graham crust and topped with grapes plus some chocolate pieces on strawberry sauce. There's also a very thin layer of what appears to be sponge cake with an awesome red and black pattern surrounding the cake's circumference for added measure.

This gelato cake is superb enough when taken as is, but it ventures one step further into the realm of pure awesomeness when paired with a strong, black cup of brewed coffee--it's the perfect combination! My friend Noe tried it out when we ate there recently, and I've returned several times since then to have my regular fill. Looks like Rouge will be one of my tried-and-tested, reliable desserts from now on, heh.

Gaming | The Best of 2011

2012-01-09T22:09:00.000+08:00

Just when I thought that I'd limit my gaming to consoles for the entire year, I actually ended the year playing games on the Nintendo 3DS, heh. In a year filled with detestable shovelware knockoffs made for the smartphone gaming market, I still choose gaming on dedicated consoles & handhelds; besides, I hate games that require me to partially cover the screen with my fingers while pressing fake, drawn buttons. Where's the fun in that?

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [PS3]
It's no surprise that this is my Game of the Year, as it was developed by the same creative team that did my GOTY of last year, Fallout 3. Hyped almost to death before its release, Skyrim can be best described as the fantasy-medieval version of Fallout 3, and it's everything that it was hyped about, and more. Taking place in a huge, open world that's a joy to travel in, you can practically do anything you want in Skyrim--hell, you can even skip the main storyline altogether and just travel from place to place, meeting people and undertaking what appears to be an unlimited number of sidequests, with more promised as forthcoming DLC. There are companions to befriend, evil creatures and people to slay, and best of all--dragons!

2. DC Universe Online [PS3]
The chance to be a unique superhero in the DC comics universe was just too irresistible for me, so I went ahead and bought this, which included a free, one-month subscription. It's the usual stuff you do in most massive, multiplayer online games--level grinding and participating in endless battles to earn experience points, sometimes along the iconic DC superheroes like the Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. But teaming up with other, real players online is a thrill, particularly when you have to defeat a band of evil villains. Recently, it became free-to-play, but bonuses have been retained for those with paid subscriptions.

3. Limbo [PS3]
A previous release for the Xbox 360 system, Limbo is a perfect example of a simple game that transcends into pure awesomeness with its concept and execution. Consisting of stark, black-and-white imagery that are mostly silhouettes, Limbo's story is compelling and truly hard to put down. The graphical look alone is worth it, with superb use of lighting and ambient sound. Limbo is proof that a 2D game with simple controls and no dialogue can still make a game stand out on a next-gen console.

4. Dead Nation [PS3]
I always need a zombie-slaying fix, and Dead Nation provided it in spades. It's brutal survival horror at its best, seen from a top down perspective and oozing with enough creepy atmosphere to make you literally jump at the shadows. And when the undead hordes attack in what seems like a nonstop frenzy of advancing evil, you'll be glad that you have an arsenal of weapons to choose from. Partnering with someone online is even better, and is highly recommended.

5. Pushmo [3DS]
At first glance, Pushmo looks like a rather simple puzzler, where you push and pull blocks to create steps that let you ascend to the top. But appearances can be deceiving, as it can be fiendishly complex, even in the early levels. And yet, it's so endearing and fun that it's difficult to quit playing. There's even an editor where you can create and share your own puzzles, as well as getting a virtually inexhaustible supply of new puzzles to play by scanning QR codes on web pages.

6. Okamiden [DS]
The sequel to Okami, my 2006 Game of the Year, is every bit as enchanting as the original game. Taking place months after the events in Okami, the game introduces Chibiterasu, the child of the first game's lead character, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Chibiterasu is rightfully named, as he's probably the cutest and most adorable godling in white wolf form ever created for a game. Okamiden retains most of the first game's unique graphical look and control scheme, and using the Celestial Brush has never felt more right using the stylus.

7. Dead Rising 2: Off The Record [PS3]
More zombies, but this time they're swarming in a busy Las Vegas-like area, complete with shopping plazas and casinos. Dead Rising 2 originally was released with a different lead character, but players wanted the return of original protagonist Frank West, so he was brought back in this enhanced version, complete with photography bonuses. Even better, there's a sandbox mode that dispenses with the time limit, so you can just run around and slay zombies everywhere without hesitation.

8. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors [DS]
This is actually a 2010 release, but I didn't have the time to play it until last year. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is an adventure mystery that's quite rare nowadays in a crowded market of first person shooters and action games. The plot unfolds gradually and becomes more gripping and complex as the game progresses, with one simple objective: as one of 9 people who were abducted and brought to a strange location, you must work together to escape alive. Hard to put down.

9. Professor Layton and the Last Specter [DS]
The Professor Layton series continues with this latest offering of the usual puzzles and problems, but I didn't get this to solve puzzles--it's the bonus game included, called Professor Layton's London Life, that made me buy this title. London Life is a wonderful 2D, top-down RPG-ish game that lets you live out your life in Professor Layton's world. It's also rendered in the same charming 8-bit style as the Nintendo classic RPG, Earthbound, which happens to be one of my favorite games of all time, so getting this was a no-brainer.

10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky [PSP]
The only PSP game in my list, a sure sign that the PSP's lineup of games wasn't really that noteworthy for me last year. Even worse, this game was originally released in Japan in 2004, a good seven years ago, so it looks somewhat archaic with graphics that look that they were made for the PS1, heh. And yet, as far as JRPGs go, you can't get more typical than this. Storywise, it's riddled with cliches, but one advantage this title has is that the characters have their own charm and the dialogue is peppered with lots of humor.

Fast Away the Old Year Passes

2012-01-01T21:19:00.000+08:00

And with a flourish of fireworks, 2012 is off to a running start. I was actually watching New Year's celebrations live in Tokyo on NHK TV, and since Japan is an hour earlier than our time zone, I got to see 2012 a bit early in their part of the world, heh.

Composite photo of the fireworks lighting up the skies above my home

As for the fireworks, there's a small window of opportunity that usually happens every New Year, and it's the 10 minutes just before 12:00 and the 10 minutes after that. During those 20 minutes, everyone tries to outdo one another by lighting the sky with all types of fireworks; it's a great, noisy sight, but it's how we always greet the New Year.

I noticed there weren't that many dangerous noisemakers being used this year, as compared to previous New Year celebrations. However, the air pollution was worse than in previous years; a thick pall of acrid smoke settled over our area for hours afterwards--it would've been great if it rained so the smoke would be washed away, but that didn't happen.

2011 was kinda meh for me--here's hoping that this year is somewhat better, even if it's supposedly the last year for everyone else and the entire planet, LOL.

Happy New Year!

TV | Nigella's Christmas Kitchen Series 2

2011-12-27T21:28:00.000+08:00

In 2006, the BBC aired the three-part Nigella's Christmas Kitchen, which showcased Nigella Lawson presenting her favorite holiday dishes. It was generally well-received, and Nigella really loves Christmas, even writing a book about it filled with her seasonal recipes, that two years later, they came out with a second series.

Nigella's Christmas Kitchen Series 2 features more of Nigella's recipes and dishes ideal for the holiday season, along with some new discoveries like the yummy and decadent-looking Girdlebuster Pie and old favorites like the Pavlova with pomegranates that was slightly altered by adding some raspberry topping for a more Christmas-y feel.

I know that this series was originally aired back in 2008, but this is the first time I've seen it, so it feels great to see Nigella on the small screen again, doing what she loves best. And whether she's making some Chilli Jellies to give as gifts or decorating some Christmas Pudding Bonbons with glazed cherry fragments, you know that it's really her cooking, not staged for some poser who pretends to cook.

As always, the series uses some pretty high production values, from the clear close-up shots of the food to the awesome, jazzy Christmas music in the background, which included some favorites of mine from Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack.

Series 1 of Nigella's Christmas Kitchen showed some scenes of Nigella in Salzburg; this time, they showed her in Paris, strolling through the lighted avenues and sipping coffee inside a brasserie. And leave it to Nigella to actually smuggle in one of her Christmas Rocky Road bars with her inside the brasserie to eat with her coffee, LOL.

Here's hoping for a Series 3 of Nigella's Christmas Kitchen sometime next year.

Music | John Williams - Somewhere in my Memory

2011-12-25T20:32:00.000+08:00

The first two Home Alone movies are annual traditions for me in the sense that I always get to watch both of them during Christmas time. Cartoony violence notwithstanding, both movies feature the highly memorable music of John Williams.

John Williams, of course, needs no introduction--he's the acclaimed, award-winning composer of the iconic music heard in films like the Star Wars trilogy, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones movies, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Empire of the Sun, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, and more.

After all those grandiose epics, Williams chose to score Home Alone in 1990, which was somewhat more down to earth, taking place in an Illinois suburb and was regarded as a kiddie Christmas comedy. And yet, he managed to come out with truly beautiful Christmas songs for the film's score, including Somewhere in my Memory, which has since become one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs.

Somewhere in my Memory was the showpiece of both Home Alone movies, and the song was nominated for an Academy Award and Grammy Award. There's no actual video made for the song, but here's one that includes awesome photos of Christmas in Quebec by YouTube user astorka100.

Happy Christmas!

LEGO | Christmas 2011 Sets

2011-12-23T22:25:00.001+08:00

LEGO continues its winter scenes series with the new Winter Village Post Office for 2011. This set has a total of 822 pieces, which include a gazebo, streetlamp, an old-fashioned mail car, and 7 minifigs.

The LEGO Winter Village Post Office Set

The charming post office itself has a nice interior with a fireplace, with light provided by a light brick, with mailboxes and mail carriers found outside, along with the ubiquitous LEGO evergreen trees. Overall, this set makes a nice addition to last year's Bakery and 2009's Toy Shop.

Limited Edition Holiday Sets

Other LEGO Christmas-themed sets released for this year include two Limited Edition Holiday Sets, which feature diorama scenes tucked between two corner walls: the first shows a rather squarish Christmas tree with a minifig, while the second has a fireplace and a Santa minifig.

Red, Gold, Green LEGO Christmas Ornaments

LEGO also released three Christmas ornaments that make really great tree decorations. Each ornament is a clear round globe embellished with stars that contains several LEGO bricks inside--Red, Gold, or Green. There's also a Holiday Scene magnet that would look great stuck on your ref door; this one has a Christmas tree and a Santa minifig.

Top left: Mini Santa Set. Top right: Holiday Stocking
Bottom left: Christmas Tree. Bottom right: Holiday Scene Magnet

Finally, we have the smaller LEGO sets that are packed in plastic bags, not boxes: the Christmas tree, Holiday stocking, and a mini Santa set. These sets contain about 70-76 pieces and aren't really as detailed as one could hope for; the tree looks odd, while the stocking is just a flat thing, and the Santas don't quite have that Holiday feel, heh.

Film | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

2011-12-22T23:26:00.000+08:00

The fourth in the series, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is perhaps the best one in the franchise yet. Main character Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) once more leads his team of agents to battle the odds, and the stakes have never been higher as it could lead to outright nuclear war.

While the plot of this fourth installment is so over the top, it's less convoluted than the previous movies: The first had all that contrived drama going on, the second was incomprehensible, the third turned things around, and we get to see the payoff in this new movie.

Ethan Hunt is somewhat like Superman of the Justice League, in the sense that he's the team's punching bag. In Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, he's completely battered and bloodied, as he's punched, walloped, thrown from cars in a parking garage and more, usually with lots of sickening bone crunching sounds. It's amazing that he's still in one piece by the time the movie ends.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol features a pared-down cast that complement each other quite well, which includes Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, and Paula Patton. Pegg supplies most of the humor, but it's Renner who says the funniest lines. Patton is capable, but I wish they retained Maggie Q from the third movie instead.

The touch of humor in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is certainly welcome, but it was expected, as it's directed by Brad Bird, who previously did the Disney/Pixar animated film, The Incredibles. Bird's experience in animated films is put to good use in this movie, resulting in a tighter and more coherent whole, punctuated by superb cinematography.

The Burj Khalifa, which is currently the world's tallest skyscraper, is prominently featured in one of the film's memorable scenes where Ethan Hunt scales the building using only a pair of electromagnetic gloves. That sequence, in which Tom Cruise did the actual climbing without a stunt double, was both awesome and acrophobic, and Cruise later did some publicity shots where he climbed to the very top and sat there for a picture-taking session. I'm impressed--I'd probably pass out just by looking out the window, LOL.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was the last major movie I got to watch this year, and I'm glad I ended 2011 with this one: it's a thrilling rollercoaster ride with hardly any pauses and above all, fun. Highly recommended.

TV | Assorted Series

2011-12-18T22:15:00.002+08:00

Here's what I've been watching for the past few months, not all of them pleasant. Let's start with a couple of stinkers and end with some worthwhile gems...

The Delicious Ms. Dahl

The BBC, in their infinite wisdom, thought to replicate Nigella Lawson's past commercial success by enlisting another writer, Sophie Dahl, to try her hand in presenting a cooking show. Dahl, who looks like a bug-eyed version of Michelle Pfeiffer, has some noteworthy roots, being the granddaughter of acclaimed author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal. However, Nigella she's not, and the show looks more like a shabby chic showcase, with a kitchen scattered with crap and other distracting props.

Worse, Dahl herself looks uncomfortable cooking, like she's never done it in her whole life, and it certainly appears like she's not the one cooking--there are lots of disjointed shots of her above the waist that abruptly cut to close-ups of hands zesting or touching the food, but you get the impression that it's not her hands, like they're using some stunt doubles for close-ups. It's like everything is fake and made up; even the food looks like it's being readied just for photography.

The biggest transgression of this show is that Dahl NEVER looks at the camera while talking, which is really fucking annoying as hell. Sure, it's probably their style of artsy-fartsy filming, but to me, it looks like she's reading cue cards set up beyond the camera. I know she's a writer and all, but most of her long and boring monologues seemed to be pretentious, and she tends to read her lines slowly and seductively. But this isn't a poetry reading show, so shut the fuck up already, lady--and start cooking!

After careful consideration, or most probably from all the negative flak this show received, the BBC mercifully cancelled this show after 6 episodes. Wow, there really is a God after all! Just watching a couple of episodes left me with a bad aftertaste that I had to watch replays of Nigella's Christmas Kitchen and French Food at Home to get me back on track--now that's how it's done.

The Killing

Based on the hit Danish TV series Forbrydelsen, this show focuses on three sets of stories that revolve around the murder of a teenage girl in Seattle: the detectives investigating the murder, the grieving family members, and the devious local politicians inexplicably linked to the case.

Comprising 13 episodes, each episode of The Killing marks one day of the investigation. Darkly atmospheric, the series reminded me of early seasons of The X-Files when it was still shot in Vancouver (where The Killing is also actually shot), and everything had a sinister air even in the daytime, with the cinematography and exterior shots having this movie-like quality.

Unfortunately, the series had way too many red herrings, and its dark and dreary tone eventually became too heavy-handed and made each episode really depressing. To make it worse, the producers appeared to have implied that the case would be wrapped up and the true murderer would be revealed during the season finale. None of that happened, and the frustrating, insulting finale actually brought everything back to square one. This truly infuriated the viewers--me included--who realized that 13 hours of our lives were just wasted.

Southland

I tried watching the first three episodes of this series, and ended up watching all the way to the Season 3 finale. Now I rarely like police dramas, but Southland is exceptional, with a first-rate cast that portrays Los Angeles policemen and detectives as imperfect yet unrelenting in their jobs. It also features a side of L.A. that tourists will not enjoy seeing.

I liked the way it was filmed, using a mix of HD handcam and multicam shots, but unlike other shows that use this technique, the shots aren't shaky and most are nicely framed. There's also no music for an entire episode until the closing credits, which just adds to the gritty realism.

Southland started life on NBC as a summer replacement series in April 2009 with an initial run of 7 episodes. The network then renewed it for a second season, which was scheduled to air on October 2009. However, NBC screwed up its schedule in the wake of Jay Leno's return to late night TV, resulting in most of its shows being aired on a much earlier timeslot. Southland was one of the casualties, and was cancelled weeks before its Season 2 premiere as the network deemed the drama "too dark" for its timeslot--wow, really? What were they expecting, laughter and sunshine?

Fortunately, cable station TNT came to its rescue, and bought the rights to the series, including the 6 unaired episodes that comprised the 2nd Season. Southland continues to thrive on TNT, and it's been renewed for a 4th Season that will be back on January 2012; needless to say, I'm really looking forward to its return next month.

Sherlock

What would happen if Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson were living in modern times? The answer, as seen in the BBC series Sherlock, is pure awesomeness. There have been many adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories, but none like this.

Holmes is a rather odd, abrasive sociopath in this one, who uses technology like the Internet and text messaging to solve crimes, while Watson is the sedate opposite, the everyman trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

The result is a clash of strong personalities that's a bit fascinating to watch as it unfolds onscreen, and it really helps that the two actors cast as Holmes and Watson, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, have a great chemistry that bolsters their already superb performances. In fact, they worked so well together that they're teaming up again in the upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit, with Freeman in the lead as Bilbo Baggins, while Cumberbatch voices Smaug the dragon.

Sherlock is a truly bloody brilliant show, and the only beef I have with it is that there are only three episodes for the first season, but at 90 minutes per episode, I'd like to think of them as three movies instead. The 2nd Season, or Series 2, as they refer to it in the U.K., will also comprise three 90-minute episodes, and returns on January 1, 2012. Can't wait!

Gizmos | Final Fantasy XIII-2 PS3 Lightning Edition Ver.2

2011-12-13T20:46:00.001+08:00

With the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XIII-2 just days away, die-hard collectors will have another special PS3 unit to consider buying, which is this Final Fantasy XIII-2 PS3 Lightning Edition Ver.2.

This PS3 is a sequel of sorts to the popular Final Fantasy XIII PS3 Lightning Edition that was released in 2009. While that PS3 was white with a pink illustration, this new one is black, with a white illustration and pink embellishments. The white on black illustration looks striking, but I still prefer the look of the original Lightning Edition PS3.

Despite its initial hype, Final Fantasy XIII turned out to be a huge disappointment for me, with three of the most shitty, annoying videogame characters ever: Snow, Hope, and Vanille. Those three crapsacks made me want to kill them in the game, never mind if you lost and didn't get to save the world. Final Fantasy XIII is the game that broke the series for me, so I'm not really looking forward to the sequel and not too keen on anything Final Fantasy right now.

The Final Fantasy XIII-2 PS3 Lightning Edition Ver.2 unit also comes with a 320 GB hard drive plus matching DualShock controller, and will be released on December 15, 2011, as part of a special hardware bundle. Unfortunately, like most other special edition PS3s, it's only exclusive to Japan.

LEGO | LEGO Christmas Tree at St. Pancras Station, London

2011-12-07T22:40:00.001+08:00

The world's largest LEGO Christmas Tree was recently unveiled at the St. Pancras Railway Station in London. Standing over 12 meters tall, the tree was designed and built by UK-based creative team Bright Bricks, using more than 600,000 LEGO pieces and 1000 ornaments (also made of LEGO bricks, of course).

Beautiful shot of the LEGO Christmas Tree from Elentari86's flickr account

Bright Bricks started constructing the LEGO Christmas Tree on November 8, 2011, carefully assembling the branches on a specially-designed steel frame every night until it was completed on November 24. The tree will be on display at the station's Lower Concourse until January 4, 2012.

Fantastic vantage point shot of the LEGO Christmas Tree at the Lower Concourse
of the St. Pancras Station; photo taken by William Hawkins

When viewed from afar, the tree looks almost real, and when you see it up close the incredible details of its design become even more impressive, as well as the effort that went into its construction. Well done, Bright Bricks! I wish I could be there in the UK to see it for myself, but these amazing pics will have to do.

Detailed photo of the LEGO Christmas Tree branches and ornaments,
including a cube with a QR Code; photo by Nick Burcher

Nick Burcher also made a great short video of the LEGO Christmas Tree that shows how awesome this tree really is:

Gizmos | The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Nintendo 3DS

2011-11-29T21:56:00.001+08:00

Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and to mark that momentous occasion, they've released a Limited Edition Nintendo 3DS. It's basically a Cosmo Black 3DS unit, but with gold embellishments and markings of the game's iconic symbols like the Hyrule emblem.

This unique 3DS is truly a thing of beauty of look at; black and gold really go well together, making this the coolest-looking 3DS to date. Some people say the design reminds them of a coffin, but I think it's in the way you view it, heh. Unfortunately, it's only available in a special bundle that includes the 3DS version of one of Nintendo's popular games, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

I'm still baffled by the popularity of the Zelda series; years ago, I had a copy of Ocarina of Time on my Nintendo 64 console, but it failed to sustain my interest, as well as the other games of the series. But what the hey, I really love this 3DS, and am extremely tempted to get one despite my dislike of the current 3DS design, and my indifference towards the Zelda games.

The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Nintendo 3DS was originally announced as a European exclusive, but it went on sale in North America last week, and will be also out in Japan on December 5, 2011. Must resist...

Pokemon | Pikachu Balloon at 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

2011-11-26T23:45:00.000+08:00

Pikachu made his 11th appearance at the recently held 85th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. The Pikachu balloon and the Pokeball he's chasing paraded through the streets of Manhattan last Thursday, November 24, along with other colofrul balloons and floats.

I've collected some of my favorite photos of the Pikachu balloon from this year's parade. First up is a superbly-framed shot of both Pikachu and the Pokeball from leomoge's flickr gallery:

Next is an excellent photo that appeared on the National Post website, and was taken by Michael Nagle for Getty Images:

An awesome shot of the Pikachu balloon from another vantage point, which is from NYCMediaMix's flickr gallery:

keypitup uploaded this really great video clip of the Pikachu balloon on YouTube:

And here's another clip, courtesy of TheRareCoin from YouTube:

Belated Happy Thanksgiving to all!

TV | Top Chef: Just Desserts

2011-11-23T20:03:00.000+08:00

The Top Chef franchise mostly focuses on chefs and their savory food dishes--the main series for emerging professional chefs and its spin-off Top Chef: Masters for more established chefs. The second spin-off, Top Chef: Just Desserts, veers away from savory cooking and trains the spotlight on desserts: cakes, pies, sweets, ice cream, and all kinds of sugary confections.

Compared to savory chefs though, pastry chefs don't have it that easy. Most of the time, the food they make depends on precise amounts and measurements, like making souffles that don't collapse easily or liquifying sugar at just the exact temperature to make it malleable. I noticed that the savory chefs on Top Chef usually stumble when dessert is involved in their challenges; cooking takes expertise, no doubt about it, but it does require a certain amount of skill and creativity to sculpt chocolate or create flawless showpiece cakes that also taste good.

Top Chef: Just Desserts still follows the main series formula, with Quickfire and Elimination Challenges, but since some desserts take a longer time to make, the cooking and preparation time are extended, with some challenges taking as long as 10 hours to complete. Taking on hosting chores this time around is longtime Top Chef judge Gail Simmons, with acclaimed pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini as Head Judge.

While dessert is something that I like a lot, I can't say the same for the Top Chef: Just Desserts contestants, particularly during Season 1--they're probably the worst bunch of contestants I've seen gathered together under one roof. Everyone was just vile and hateful, including one annoying douchebag who literally had a panic attack and had to be removed from the competition. I despised most of them except for two people who had similar names (Eric and Erika).

Making it worse was the finale, where I couldn't even root for any of the remaining three contestants because I couldn't stand them all. In the end, an irritating, undeserving little shit won, making Season 1 of Top Chef: Just Desserts the worst of the Top Chef series ever. Season 2, however, turned things around with a surprising group of likeable contestants. While there were still some drama-filled moments, the creativity of this batch shone through, and unlike the first season, the winner this time deserved the title.

What I didn't enjoy was the judging, or the way it was presented; the judges would say something favorable about someone, then would end up sending that person home--wtf? Also, they really should stop including savory dish challenges--there's a reason they're called PASTRY chefs, you know. As one contestant who was sent home puts it, it really sucks to be sent home for cooking falafel.

But the true stars of Top Chef: Just Desserts are the line-up of truly yummy creations served up by the contestants, with strange-sounding French terms like cremeux, entremet, dacquoise, feuilletine, and more. I found myself actually craving for some cake and pastries after each episode...with a nice steaming cup of coffee, of course.

Pokemon | Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS

2011-11-20T22:04:00.001+08:00

There have been pretty strange Pokemon spin-off games during the franchise's more than a decade of existence, but Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS is perhaps the strangest of them all, as it involves...typing.

Conceived as a way to teach Japanese kids to type in English, Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS is primarily a typing tutor where you capture Pokemon by typing their name. Since it's a chore to actually type on the Nintendo DS touchscreen, the developers actually included a Bluetooth keyboard with the game, making this one of the DS games with the largest packaging ever.

But that keyboard! It's a full-functioning wireless keyboard that's a beauty to look at, and is very Apple-like in its minimalist design. And since it's also Bluetooth-enabled, it will work will other Bluetooth devices as well. While typing on it using the tiny DS screen might look silly, that keyboard alone makes the purchase of this game worthwhile.

Unfortunately, Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS remains exclusive to Japan. It was released last April 2011, where it topped the games sales charts and continued to sell over 100,000 copies. The game was originally bundled with a white keyboard, but the Pokemon Company will be releasing an even cooler-looking black keyboard that will be out this month in Japan.

Sigh...Japan always gets nice things.

Music | The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

2011-11-18T22:09:00.000+08:00

I've always liked music videos that seem to flow from one continuous shot, and this one is no excpetion. While the music of The White Stripes isn't really my type of music, some of their music videos have been truly distinctive, like this video for Seven Nation Army.

Consisting of sharp red, black, and white images that seem to endlessly advance from triangles in the lower center portion of the screen, the video appears to be almost kaleidoscopic, with the parade of moving images nicely keeping in time with the beat.

The combination of alternating images and colors gives the Seven Nation Army video a striking look that gives off a somewhat mesmerizing effect; directors Alex Courtes and Martin Fougerol really did an awesome job.

Gizmos | Ice White & Misty Pink Nintendo 3DS

2011-11-08T18:27:00.000+08:00

Nintendo's color parade for its handheld systems continues with two new shades for the Nintendo 3DS: Ice White and Misty Pink. When it comes to color choices for game systems, White always seems to be a given, and when a console comes out without a White color variant, you know they'll eventually make one. The same can be said for the color Pink, which is usually targeted towards girl gamers, particularly for handhelds.

Both the Ice White 3DS and the Misty Pink 3DS are exclusive to Japan only; the Ice White 3DS was announced last October, and went on sale just last week, on November 3. The Misty Pink 3DS was announced during Nintendo's September Event in Tokyo, and went on sale last October 20.

It's unknown if these colors will make it to other countries, but there's a pretty good chance they will, just like the Flare Red 3DS, which was renamed to "Flame Red" for North America. The USA also released its own Pink handheld variant for the DSi XL just recently, and they've had Pink variants for the DS, DS Lite and DSi systems before, so releasing a Pink 3DS could be just around the corner.

Design | Starbucks Planner 2012

2011-11-04T20:33:00.000+08:00

The first week of November is when the usual white paper cups of Starbucks turn red, which means it's that time again for their Holiday drinks and their annual Planner promo, where patrons fill up a card with stickers so they can redeeem a "free" Starbucks Planner--which isn't really that "free" if you consider the cost of each beverage you must buy to complete the card, but every Planner redeemed nets a Starbucks donation to UNICEF, so it's all good.

I have to say that Starbucks have outdone themselves with the design of their 2012 Planners; they all look awesone, smaller and easier to handle, and best of all, they're very Earth-friendly. There are five varieties of Planners, all named after trees, with matching wood-like covers: Bamboo, Cherry, Oak, Poplar, and Spruce. The one I like most is Oak, which is one of the darker-looking Planners.

The 2012 Planners all use recycled paper, and also come with pouches that look like burlap bags. The bags seem a bit like overdoing it though--they're just stylized notebooks with calendars after all, and sure as hell don't need a bag to enclose them, but maybe they can be used for something else entirely.

Since I frequently drink a lot of Starbucks beverages, I've gotten quite a lot of these Planners in the past few years (I think I got three of them last year), but I'm not really a Planner-type of person, so I just give them away as presents instead, heh.

Guilty Pleasures | Red Rock Deli Potato Chips

2011-10-31T21:11:00.001+08:00

When it comes to snacks, nothing else can beat potato chips. I've always been fond of potatoes since I was kid, and enjoy every kind of food that you can make from them, but frying them into thin, crispy chips is definitely the best.

I used to enjoy Pik-Nik Shoestring Potatoes and Pringle's when I was growing up, but Pik-Nik's horrifying amount of Trans fat is just not acceptable for me anymore, and as for Pringle's, they're not even real potatoes, ugh. Years ago, one of the best chips I ever tasted was Laura Scudder's Original Plain Potato Chips, but they're no longer available here. So I'm always on the lookout now for the best potato chips that can satisfy me without going overboard, heh.

While shopping recently for groceries, I saw bags of Red Rock Deli Potato Chips displayed in the supermarket; I'd never heard of them before, and was curious. They're an Australian brand, and it turns out my friend Jeannie who lives in Australia likes them a lot.

I tried them out, and they were really good, large and crunchy without being that greasy. They were also slightly cheaper, and best of all, had a lot of chips packed inside the bags, which was somewhat more than the other brands of chips--talk about value for your money!

I tried three varieties: Sea Salt was excellent, and could be considered as the "plain" variety, if you don't like anything else but a plain salted chip. Their Lime and Black Pepper variety was also good, as you could taste a faint hint of lime with a dash of pepper in every bite. But my favorite was the Honey Soy Chicken--it's difficult to describe the flavor exactly, but all I can say is that it tastes like chicken, LOL.

Red Rock Deli Potato Chips come in one size bags, and scanning the Nutrition Information at the back of the bag revealed that it had the requisites that I preferred in a snack: zero cholesterol and zero trans fat. They're really addictive, and now I have a new addition to my snack fare.

Music | Röyksopp - Eple

2011-10-29T21:01:00.003+08:00

Here's another of those rare pairings where the video is just as good as the music. It's a song called Eple by the Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp, which hit the airwaves in 2003.

I chanced upon this video by accident when they were playing it on one of MTV's dance music programs, and the video literally jumps out at you with its montage of vintage photographs, which seamlessly transition from one to the next. I've seen this technique used in commercials and in a TV promo spot for CNN, but nothing beats this video, which has become one of my favorites.

It's also worth noting that Eple means "apple" in Norwegian, and Apple, Inc. licensed the song for one of its Mac OS X products. The music itself is great, and enhances the images seen in the video. My cousin Sherawaye gave me a CD single of this song, and the actual video was included in the disc, which was a really awesome bonus.

Gizmos | Scarlet Red & Splash Blue PS3s

2011-10-21T21:51:00.005+08:00

Sony will be coming out with not one, but two color variations for the PS3 next month in Japan. The Scarlet Red and Splash Blue PS3s will have a 320 GB hard drive and a matching DualShock controller.

Both of these new PS3s will be released on November 17, 2011--which is the very same date that the awesome, golden Ni No Kuni Magical Edition PS3 goes on sale. Both look rather nice, but I prefer gold and silver for consoles, heh.

The Splash Blue PS3 also looks similar to the Titanium Blue PS3 that was only available in a Gran Turismo 5 Racing Pack bundle sold last year; almost, but not the same, as the Splash Blue PS3 is lighter in color and has a white PS3 logo.

TV | The Walking Dead Season 2 Promos

2011-10-14T14:05:00.008+08:00

Just a couple of days more, and Season 2 of The Walking Dead will be upon us. The Walking Dead was one of the best shows on TV for me that came out last year, but a season of six episodes was much too short, so I'm really looking forward to this season. And like the stunning poster for the first season, the new season's poster is just as awesome:

This new season will be 13 episodes long, and starts right off where last season's finale ended, with the survivors escaping the Atlanta Center for Disease Control right before it exploded. As they leave the city limits, they'll wander into Hershel's farm, a location also featured in the comic book series, and where much of the episodes will take place.

The Walking Dead Season 2 cast, or what's left of them

The Walking Dead's second season will be split into two arcs: the first seven episodes comprise the first arc, then the series will go on hiatus and return for the second arc on February 2012. I hope the wait between arcs won't be that long, though.

Gizmos | Metallic Rose Nintendo DSi XL

2011-10-11T20:26:00.007+08:00

One thing with Nintendo game systems is that no one can accuse them not releasing too many colors. Case in point: the DSi XL (DSi LL in Japan) handheld. Since its release in late 2009, the DSi LL has six colors to date, and now has a seventh color, called Metallic Rose.

The new color was quietly announced sometime last month, and was systematically buried in the wake of the other much-hyped announcements during Nintendo's September Event in Tokyo. Maybe because for some strange reason, this new color is exclusive only to North America? Japan has six colors, two of which aren't available in the USA, while the USA has four colors, with one not available in Japan. Japan still wins though, heh.

Nintendo of America's official press release about this new color was hilarious, describing the Metallic Rose color as "an eye-catching shade of pink with a luminous modern sheen." LOL, how OA can you get? Gaudy color aside, the DSi XL is still one of the best handhelds around--the large screens, huge library of games, and reliable 13-17 hours of battery life make it a system worth getting.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T19:34:00.009+08:00

Somehow, we all knew and dreaded that it was coming eventually, but the way the news appeared today still gave me a shock: Steve Jobs, former CEO and co-founder of Apple Inc., has lost his years-long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56 years old.

Jobs was a true visionary in every sense of the word, and under his direction, guided Apple from a company that had its origins in his parent's house garage, to the global billion-dollar corporation that it is today, and created some of the world's most iconic technology.

While today's generation know Jobs as the father of the "i" line of Apple products (iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad), my generation knew him as the co-creator of the Apple II computer (pictured with him on the right, in a photo taken during the early 1980's), the computer that most of us grew up with. Tech products come and go, but my fondest memories are of this computer, with its huge casing, clunky disc drives, and any TV for a monitor. I spent hours and hours using my Apple II, whether it's trying to comprehend ProDOS or playing the system's seemingly never-ending library of games--good times indeed.

I honed my gaming and writing skills on the Apple II, I realize now, and moreover, it taught me the incredible potential of what technology can do--this computer literally changed my life.

Despite Apple's reputation nowadays as an elitist brand, it still is a force to be reckoned with in terms of pushing the technological and design envelope, which Steve Jobs pioneered. He was the ultimate nerd who made it good, and the world is somewhat changed for the better.

Rest in peace, Steve Jobs, and thanks.

Music | Godley & Creme - Cry

2011-09-30T20:13:00.003+08:00

This is my favorite music video of all time...yup, of all time. I saw it first in 1985 and 26 years later, nothing can still top it. It's from Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, two English musicians who were part of the classic 1970's rock band 10cc.

During the late seventies to mid-eighties, Godley & Creme recorded several albums as a duo, having their greatest success in 1985 with The History Mix Volume 1 album. That album contained the single "Cry," which was a good tune on its own, but it's the music video that propelled it to greatness.

The "Cry" music video, which was also directed by the duo, featured stark black & white faces of people that appeared to morph into one another, using simple fades and dissolves. CGI wasn't even in use during that time, but this video manages to create a striking effect using just simple film techniques.

What makes this video so brilliant was its concept, which was so simple and minimalist; the almost haunting images go so well with the music, providing an overall result of pure awesomeness.

Godley & Creme went on to become acclaimed music video directors through the 1980's; the morphing faces concept of "Cry" was copied in the music video for Michael Jackson's "Black or White," but despite using the latest CGI technology of that time, it still paled in comparison, as nothing can beat the original.

Pedring Blows Into Town

2011-09-28T11:36:00.012+08:00

Typhoon Pedring (International name: Nesat) went through the Luzon area yesterday, with winds reaching up to 121 miles per hour. We'd been alerted about it a couple of days before it hit, so I made sure to charge every electronic device that can keep me occupied when a power failure occurs, which always happens.

I charged my mobile phone, DS, DS Lite, DSi XL, PSP, iPod, and laptop, in that order. The laptop was my least priority, since it was next to useless because I won't be able to access our broadband router anyway during the blackout.

So I managed to wake up early to the sound of wind and rain battering above me, and when I saw that we still had power, rushed downstairs to make coffee, because if I don't get to drink some freshly-brewed coffee before the day starts, I'll end up being miserable the entire day, and that's how mababaw I am these days, LOL.

And true enough, the lights went off just after breakfast. You gotta hand it to our ever-reliable *snark* electric ulitity company here; just when the rain and winds were slowing down, they decide to cut off the power. How's that for efficiency?

As always with typhoons of this type, the rains came in bursts, but the scariest part were the winds--you could hear it whipping through the air, and when you hear the simultaneous rattling of your neighbors' rooftops, you just didn't want to think about it.

bflavi's video of Roxas Blvd. as Pedring passes by

Paul Go's video of Roxas Blvd. during Typhoon Pedring
as posted by metromanila2011

The power was out for 14 hours, and during that time there really wasn't anything else to do but wait it out as Pedring proceeded to batter most of Metro Manila during the day. The Roxas Blvd. area near the Seawall was hit the hardest, with incoming waves turning the road into a river, as seen in two videos captured by people who lived nearby. I think this is the first time I saw that place covered in water, and hopefully it never happens again.

[Photo of Typhoon Nesat approaching the eastern Philippines taken by NASA's Terra satellite, from the NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team]

TV | Fringe Season 4 Promos

2011-09-21T22:03:00.006+08:00

Fall is approaching in the USA, which means it's time once again for the new primetime season of TV shows. Among the small number of shows that I watch without fail, Fringe is on the top of that list. During the past several weeks, we've been bombarded with teasers and promos for Season 4, which starts this Friday, September 23, 2011, and these are some of the best:

The first promo adds in the Observers, which I actually didn't notice the first time I saw it, while the second one shows the regular cast--or at least the ones in "our universe." All the promos show Peter Bishop, who was wiped out from existence in last season's finale, so I guess he's not that gone after all, LOL.

Fringe is still every bit as strange and awesome as it was when it first premiered; it's experienced some ratings dips due to FOX's constant meddling of its schedule, and this season may well be it its last, so I'll just enjoy the ride until it ends.

Film | Contagion

2011-09-18T10:19:00.003+08:00

Contagion shows us probable scenarios on what happens when a pandemic spreads; it follows several characters, from the infected to the authorities in government who struggle to combat the disease.

It begins innocently enough, with Gwyneth Paltrow's character, and we see that she's not well. Over the course of several days, she experiences a seizure and dies, while we're shown seemingly random people around the world who also die in a similar fashion.

When more people die in the following days, officials from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are alerted, and they begin to suspect a lethal virus while dispatching people to investigate and formulate a cure. Turns out those random people shown earlier all had contact with Paltrow's character, and they've spread the virus in return.

As the days pass, fear and panic spreads among the general public; the government's inability to cover-up the pandemic along with the military's ineffective use of force results in anarchy, as society begins to break down.

Aside from Paltrow, Contagion boasts a large cast of supporting characters, all ably performed by other high profile actors like Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Lawrence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, and many others. There is no lead character, which is just as it should be, as this type of story affects everyone, with most of the main characters linked together through interweaving plotlines.

This type of storytelling, where scenes shift from character to character, works well in this case, and it's actually an effective method of depicting how a virus spreads rapidly anywhere, and through anyone.

The only gripe I had with the film was the plot involving Cotillard's character, which was bizarre and seemed out of place, like it belonged in another movie. Other than that, it's excellent. Hypochondriacs should stay away.

Design | The National September 11 Memorial

2011-09-11T21:27:00.004+08:00

The National September 11 Memorial, also known as the World Trade Center Memorial and the 9/11 Memorial, will be formally inaugurated today, on the 10th Anniversary of that terrible day in New York City. A tribute to the thousands who perished when the Twin Towers fell, the Memorial is actually two huge reflecting pools set within the footprints where the towers stood, and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in the region.

Designed by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker, the Memorial was the winning entry in a design competition held in 2003. While politics and controversy have marred the competition, the end result is all that matters, and the Memorial is a fitting remembrance that honors the ones who died, with their names carved on bronze panels that surround the pools.

The stark simplicity and spectacular beauty that the Memorial creates is just awesome; there's nothing more calming than the sound of water, which also represents life and renewal. The waterfalls are surrounded by greenery that creates a natural, peaceful space right in the middle of the city, and setting the pools themselves within the footprints of the original buildings was a truly brilliant concept.

Gizmos | Ni no Kuni Magical Edition PS3

2011-09-04T22:58:00.002+08:00

The upcoming game Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou for the PlayStation 3 has already set records for being one of the more expensive games for the console, and just recently, Sony also announced a hardware bundle for it, which includes this awesome limited edition PS3.

The Ni no Kuni Magical Edition PS3 is gold-coated, almost white gold in appearance with a gold PS3 logo and an imprint of a character found in the game. It also comes with a matching white and gold DualShock controller.

When the Tales of Xillia PS3 X Edition was announced, I thought it was the best of the special edition PS3s, but this new one just trounced it. And of course, with no English version of the game being confirmed, this bundle remains only exclusive to Japan; it will be released on November 17, 2011.

TV | Top Chef: Masters

2011-09-02T22:23:00.008+08:00

Top Chef: Masters is the first spin-off series of the popular Top Chef reality show franchise. While the original show features younger professional chefs who are just starting to make a name for themselves in the industry, Top Chef: Masters has established, big-name chefs as contestants. Also, while the prize pot is almost the same, the actual prize money in Top Chef: Masters is donated to a charity of the winning chef's choice.

The format of Top Chef: Masters is similar to Top Chef, with a Quickfire Challenge being given out first, followed by a longer Elimination Challenge, but the ones doing the judging are mostly food critics. During the first two seasons, Top Chef: Masters used a different format in which preliminary rounds were held first, with the winners in those rounds competing in a Champions' Round later on. A ratings system was also used where each chef was awarded a number of stars, with the winner getting the most number of stars.

However, the newest season reverted to the Top Chef-style of eliminations, and removed both the preliminary rounds and star rating system. Host Kelly Choi was also replaced by Curtis Stone; I'm not really sure why a replacement was necessary, but I preferred Kelly Choi as host, as Curtis can be somewhat annoying.

But it's the contestants themselves that make watching Top Chef: Masters a treat--while it's first and foremost a competition, these renowned chefs have nothing but respect for one another, and you can sense genuine camaraderie among everyone, as compared to the trash-talking and hypocrisy that we usually see among the Top Chef contestants.

It's also somewhat fun to see famous chefs like Michael Chiarello, Susur Lee, Jonathan Waxman, Wylie Dufresne, Anita Lo, and Susan Feniger thrown into situations where they are entirely out of their element, like cooking in a rowdy tailgating party or letting them all create an amuse-bouche by just using ingredients from a vending machine.

There's very little drama and hardly any clash of egos, as these are wiser, more experienced chefs, but despite the grueling challenges you can easily tell that their passion for cooking good food and respect for their colleagues are the things that matter most, which makes Top Chef: Masters a notch above other cooking competition shows.

Pokemon | There's a Pikachu in my Coffee

2011-08-28T21:05:00.003+08:00

Except that it's not actually my cup of coffee, but I kind of wish it was, heh; it's from the creative folks at the Freemont Coffee Company in Seattle, Washington USA.

Drawing on latte foam is a skill best reserved for experts, and the baristas at Freemont Coffee deserve applause for this. Image is by photographer Chrissy May, and you can see more latte creations at her flickr gallery.

Film | Cowboys & Aliens

2011-08-22T21:43:00.004+08:00

What if extra-terrestrial aliens visited the Earth in 1873, during the Wild West era? That's essentially the premise of Cowboys & Aliens, which is loosely based on the 2006 graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.

The aliens in Cowboys & Aliens, however, are far from the usual benevolent races seen in countless sci-fi movies; these aliens want our gold, and are prepared to slaughter anyone who gets in their way.

The film depicts several factions like cowboys, outlaws, and Apache Indians uniting together to face a common threat, led by Harrison Ford as an influential cattleman and Daniel Craig as a wanted outlaw who was abducted and rendered amnesiac. Together with a mysterious woman played by Olivia Wilde, they launch a dangerous plan to get back what's theirs and drive off the aliens.

Cowboys & Aliens feels like stumbling in a surreal dream most of the time; it looks like a typical gritty Western, yet makes a 360-degree turn when you see alien spaceships attacking a posse. This mash-up of sci-fi and Western genres might be a bit jarring and has the potential to be laughable, but the actors mostly play it straight and give good performances.

Some of the scenery shown here is breathtaking; the sweeping panoramas of rock and desert just makes the Wild West setting more believable, but overall the movie feels like there's something's missing. And despite being the aliens being shown as having more advanced technology, their devices look like so much junk--maybe they borrowed it from the aliens from Battle: Los Angeles? LOL.

TV | MasterChef

2011-08-17T23:07:00.005+08:00

MasterChef is yet another in a long list of reality-based cooking competition shows, which by now are all starting to blur together. It originally aired in 2000-2001, got cancelled, then reformatted and revived in 2010.

So what it makes different from the others? For one thing, all the contestants here aren't professional chefs, but home cooks who don't have any kind of culinary training. And that's where most of the problems of this show lie--the contestants are unable to take rejection and criticism well, not to mention they're freaking annoying as hell. They cry, beg and plead to the judges that they have kids to feed, they quit their jobs, and other crap. No one really cares about that--this is a cooking competition, where the food is the focus and not your bullshit drama.

Starting with a horrible three-part elimination round that reminds me of the equally horrible American Idol eliminations, we see the contestants vying for inclusion into the main batch by cooking up something to convince the judges. It's all very loud and grating, and the place they seem to be cooking in looks like the dirty warehouse where the Ark of the Covenant is stored in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Once the contestants are selected, they're subjected to a series of challenges where they compete solo or on one team. The final challenge is usually an elimination challenge, where the loser is sent home. If the challenge is a team challenge, the losing team is subjected to a "pressure" test where one of them who performs the least is sent home.

All the food is tasted by the three judges: Scottish chef Gordon Ramsay, American chef Graham Elliot, and restauranteur Joe Bastianich. My problem with this is that they just take a bite out of the dishes--how can you judge a dish by just taking one bite? In other shows like Top Chef, the judges usually sit down and actually take a lot of time trying to enjoy the dish, which I think is the way to go. Have to give props to Ramsay though, as he's less of an asshole here than in his other shows.

Other problems I have with this show is the lighting--it's dark in some parts and garish in most, making the colors saturated and everyone looks like they have a permanent spotlight on them; and the set--it's ugly and tacky. The entire set-up looks like a class laboratory, and you get the sense that it's all unreal and made up.

MasterChef also has a junior version, which I think is just plain stupid and ridiculous--kids don't know anything about food, except to load it with tons of sugar. Any kid who claims to know and cook good food probably has scheming parents behind them who dictate everything they do. And I can't even imagine goading kids to wield sharp knives then subjecting them to this kind of competitive environment, as they're probably bound to have breakdowns and emotional scars for the rest of their lives if told that their food sucked, LOL.

Film | Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-08-10T18:12:00.003+08:00

Every once in a while a movie comes out that just surprises you. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one such movie; I came in with low expectations and by the time it was all over, I had nothing but praises for it.

While Rise of the Planet of the Apes is intended to be the first film in a revamped franchise, it actually makes sense to consider it as a prequel to the classic Planet of the Apes movie with Charleston Heston, and not the horrible Tim Burton remake with Mark Wahlberg.

So we get to see the origin of the eventual ape domination over the humans through a gifted ape named Caesar, who quickly becomes super-intelligent and manages to organize his fellow apes into a full-scale rebellion.

Caesar is undoubtedly the star of this movie, and he's not even real--he's a completely CGI-generated character created through motion capture, and acted out by the acclaimed Andy Serkis, who set the bar high for his work as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Watching Caesar's expressive face and actions, the Oscars should really consider creating an acting category for motion capture characters, as Serkis' performance is just that good.

All the apes in the movie are CGI creations by Weta Digital, the Academy Award-winning digital effects company from New Zealand who did notable work for The Lord of the Rings movies, King Kong, and Avatar. The apes in the movie are just so awesome, life-like, and expressive enough that you can't even tell if they're real or not.

As Rise of the Planet of the Apes ends, a pandemic starts to spread across the globe, safe for apes but fatal to humans; I already see where this is heading--more sequels, which should fit in nicely within the timeline of the original Planet of the Apes saga. Here's hoping the sequels are just as good as this one. Highly recommended.

Film | Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-08-05T22:55:00.005+08:00

Of all the super-heroes in the Marvel Universe, I always thought Captain America was the corniest. He's a boy scout through and through, and his sometimes blind patriotism makes him come across as a clueless tool.

Which is why I wasn't keen on watching Captain America: The First Avenger, the last of Marvel's solo movies of its prominent super-heroes before lumping them all into The Avengers for next year.

However, I actually thought that the movie was very good; it makes full and effective use of it's World War II setting, with excellent attention to the smallest details--there are even some easter eggs for comics fans to spot, like the original Human Torch being on display at the World's Fair.

In terms of character development, Chris Evans succeeded in portraying Steve Rogers as a regular guy who is relatively free from angst and just wants to serve his country despite his inability to do so, which is exactly what the comics character is about. Evans is a rather bulky guy, and the way they managed to use CGI to shrink his build during the early parts of the film is nothing short of amazing.

Other notable performances were Hugo Weaving as the sinister Red Skull, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, and Neal McDonough as "Dum Dum" Dugan, who looks exactly like his comic book counterpart.

Overall, Captain America: The First Avenger was a far more better film than Thor; the plot and pacing were tighter, plus it had more substance. The ending was a bit abrupt though; it's like he just did one mission and then it's all over. But as far as establishing his character as the leader of an upcoming super-team, the movie did its job well.

Music | Led Zeppelin - Fool in the Rain

2011-08-02T17:03:00.001+08:00

It's been raining almost non-stop now for several days, so I thought of this song. I'm not really a big fan of Led Zeppelin; I know they're one of the iconic rock groups in history, but their music just wasn't my style.

Except for this one song, which peaked at #21 on the Billboard charts in 1980. My friend Jeanne, who's a big Led Zeppelin fan, explains that Fool in the Rain isn't really a typical Led Zeppelin song, but maybe that's why I like it a lot.

The song has a very unique and distinct sound; it's somewhat lazy and laid back in the first part, then breaks into a full samba mode in the middle part, which is just awesome. Fool in the Rain is rarely performed during Led Zeppelin concerts, mainly because of the elaborate studio production involved, but it remains my only favorite Led Zeppelin song ever, and just right for this kind of weather.

Gizmos | Flare Red Nintendo 3DS

2011-07-31T22:01:00.002+08:00

Announced sometime last June, the Flare Red version of the Nintendo 3DS went on sale in Japan last July 14, 2011. It's the third color available for the 3DS, after the two launch colors, Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black.

The Flare Red 3DS arrived at such a terrible time for Nintendo, whose 3DS sales did not turn out to be better than expected, with many scheduled games delayed or cancelled. Just several days ago, a shocking price drop from US $250 to $170 was announced, which clearly points to a console in trouble.

I have more issues with the 3DS than any of Nintendo's handhelds, which includes bad design, tiny touchscreen, poor battery life, and unappealing games, all of which have prevented me from getting one at this time--a far cry from my initial excitement when it was unveiled at E3 last year.

While Nintendo's roster of proprietary characters like Mario and Pokemon will always be best-sellers, how long can you keep churning out the same old thing? Do something new for a change, Nintendo--surprise us!

TV | Top Chef

2011-07-19T20:29:00.014+08:00

I wasn't really that interested in Top Chef when it premiered back in 2006, and would just watch some episodes occasionally. Five years later, I've learned to appreciate food more, along with the people who cook them, and thanks to reruns being aired on several cable channels here, I've managed to catch up and now realize what a superbly crafted show this is.

Top Chef pits more than a dozen professional chefs in a series of challenges that take into account all their culinary training and more. There's a short "Quickfire" challenge, which takes about an hour or less, and where they're made to do anything from displaying skills like chopping onions and filling up a small container to cooking a dish without using utensils. The winner in this challenge usually receives some prize or is granted immunity.

A longer, more complex challenge is the Elimination round, which usually involves preparing bigger meals and entire courses, with the one having the least liked dish sent packing and leaving the competition. As the number of contestants grow smaller, the challenges become increasingly difficult, and range from hosting a small pop-out restaurant to cooking for guest celebrities.

As always with these reality competition shows, there's a lot of drama, particularly when a lot of strong personalities are involved. And yet, there's something about Top Chef that makes these people seem more real and likable than the ones seen in other shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race. Maybe it's because they all show their passion for food no matter what, and devote more to their individual creative output, rather than spending time scheming against the others.

It's really no joke working constantly in a hot, steamy and stressful environment like a commercial kitchen, and for these people to choose that kind of profession and able to create dishes that others will enjoy is remarkable, even more so when they're racing against the clock. For that alone, I truly salute the Top Chef contestants, and the glorious food that they manage to come up with makes me want to eat everything, even the dishes deemed unsavory by the judges.

The latest season of Top Chef, titled Top Chef All-Stars, brings together 18 former contestants and runners-up from the past 7 seasons. It's an awesome cast that features a great mix of notable chefs, including my favorites Carla Hall, Antonia Lofaso, Casey Thompson, Richard Blais, Fabio Viviani, and Filipino-American chef Dale Talde.

In terms of challenges, I think Top Chef All-Stars had the most grueling challenges, which ranged from recreating the dishes that made them lose the first time around to cooking in a huge Target store. The caliber of these chefs was made apparent during the exceptional 12th episode, where everyone's food was so excellent that the judges couldn't decide which one to eliminate.

And speaking of judges, the roster of judges that have appeared in Top Chef through the years reads like a who's who of the culinary world, from renowned chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Anthony Bourdain, and Eric Ripert, to well-known food personalities like Nigella Lawson and even celebrities like Natalie Portman and Jimmy Fallon.

It also helps a lot that this show is helmed by people who know a great deal about food. Acclaimed chef Tom Colicchio is the head judge and also co-Executive Producer, main host Padma Lakshmi is a cookbook author, and fellow judge Gail Simmons is a food critic and affiliated with Food & Wine magazine.

By far, Top Chef All-Stars is the best season of Top Chef for me; everything just gelled this season, combined with the great cast and incredible array of challenges. This awesome season is up for four Emmy awards, garnering nominations for that memorable 12th episode including Outstanding Reality - Competition Program, a category which it won last year--I'm really hoping it wins again this year, as it deserves no less.

Film | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part 2

2011-07-14T22:19:00.006+08:00

So here it is, the 8th and final Harry Potter movie. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part 2 starts, it picks up right off where part 1 ended, and from there it's a hell of a ride.

There are some brief quiet moments as Harry and friends contemplate on what to do next, and it's so quiet you can hear a pin drop, as there's even no background music. Once Harry, Hermione, and Ron make their move, however, everything proceeds in rapid-fire mode, from finding the last of Voldemort's Horcruxes to their reunion with classmates at Hogwarts.

The rallying of the Hogwarts professors and students as they prepare for the invasion of Voldemort's forces was a sight to behold. As superbly played by Dame Maggie Smith, Professor Minerva McGonagall was ever the passive head of Gryffindor House, and here she shows what she's made of at last by taking charge of securing the school.

Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape also turns in an outstanding performance, effectively portraying Snape as a complex character who's endured and sacrificed a lot. Though generally perceived as a villain, Snape finally gets his much-deserved redemption through his memories seen by Harry in Dumbledore's pensieve.

The battle at Hogwarts was quite spectacular, with everyone doing their share. Sequences flit back and forth to the main and minor characters, and seeing Hogwarts in ruins and some well-known characters dead was heartbreaking. Some crucial battle scenes were sorely lacking though, and I really didn't like the overlong scene with Harry and the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw, which seemed unnecessary and out of place.

While Harry's final battle with Voldemort seemed epic in its sheer viciousness and ferocity, I still prefer the battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the last part of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix--now that was a wizard battle!

The epilogue was somewhat bittersweet, as it was both great and sad to see these kids grow up in the space of 8 movies; great to see them fulfill their potential and sad to see them in those roles for the last time. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part 2 is a fitting end to the movie series, and is one of the best films of the year. Highly recommended.

Music | Sheryl Crow - Everyday Is A Winding Road

2011-07-08T21:51:00.003+08:00

Singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow has written a lot of memorable songs in her remarkable career, and this is one of them. Everyday Is A Winding Road stands out due to its happy, almost sunny disposition, but the one thing that made it a favorite of mine was the superb use of rhythmic beats.

I'm a sucker for songs with awesome beats, and this one is loaded with them; from the unforgettable bongo drums to the twanging electric guitars and layers of percussion, Everyday Is A Winding Road is an aural feast when it comes to rhythm and instrumentation. It's also probably the only song that effectively uses the word "intellectualism" in the lyrics, LOL.

The music video was done by photographer/director Peggy Sirota, who infused it with a warm sepia-like tone that made it look retro and feel even more summery. It also features a toy airplane that flits from place to place in New York City before ending up back to its original owner--it's a really cool video that works without the need for unnecessary stuff like fashion or choreography.

Film | Transformers: Dark of the Moon

2011-07-04T22:55:00.006+08:00

After the brain-melting, excruciating mess that was the second Transformers movie, I wasn't really looking forward at all to watch Transformers: Dark of the Moon. But since I already wasted about 6 hours of my life watching the previous two films, might as well go all the way and finish the damn trilogy.

First, the good news: with this third installment, Michael Bay has finally done something right, and it's the way 3D was implemented in this movie. Everything just pops out in 3D, particularly during the movie's final 30 minutes. Now if only those last 30 minutes were the entire movie, LOL. As it is, this movie's too long, clocking in at almost 3 hours.

Now the bad news: everything else is crap. Ah, but it's a much better quality of crap than the second movie. For one thing, most of the annoying stuff has been toned down, except for Shia LaBeouf, who is still annoying as ever. He'll always be remembered in this movie for that one scene where he screams like a girl over and over.

Megan Fox's replacement, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, is somewhat more tolerable. She's sexy as hell, but she looks like a Cameron Diaz that was punched in the face. Her character also seems to possess mutant powers of magnetism, as she's able to repel dirt and shards of broken glass while tumbling repeatedly through floors of a collapsing building--she comes out of that with her clothes and face immaculately clean, while everyone else looks like shit. How's that for realism?

Speaking of realism, this movie's full of it. The Decepticons' main objective is to pull their home planet Cybertron to Earth, and when that happens, nothing cataclysmic occurs. Any kid who's studied science in Grade School knows that two planetary bodies that close to one another will wreak untold havoc caused by their gravitational pull, but apparently real science doesn't exist in this movie.

Most of the male characters in Transformers: Dark of the Moon are douchebags, particularly Patrick Dempsey's, who seems to have come from nowhere. If he was working with the bad guys ever since and that was their intended main goal all along, shouldn't they have done it during the first two movies? I'm feeling my I.Q. slowly drain away now...

As for the Transformers themselves, Megatron appears to have taken an interest in fashion, deciding to wear a tattered cape and all, while two annoying midget Autobots accompany Shia everywhere and say lines that are supposed to be funny but I never laughed. Soundwave has been demoted into a Mercedes, while Bumblebee remains mute--it's either they couldn't get any spare parts during the past several years to fix him up, or the Autobots just suck at repairing themselves.

I was particuarly saddened at what they did to Shockwave, one of my favorite Decepticons. A twirling robotic snake-like thing now accompanied him wherever he went--was it coming out of his ass? I have no idea, and strangely, I don't really care. Laserbeak was okay until it talked, then it became creepy. The other Autobots and Decepticons, I couldn't really identify them just like in the second movie, as they all look like scrap metal to me. It also bothered me why these robots appear to spit and drool while they were talking--where is the drool coming from?

The final battle in 3D was the only thing that made watching this movie worthwhile, and I actually liked the way Optimus Prime decided to cast aside all that bullshit moral conscience and just decided to kill them all in the end--now that's character development! Hopefully, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the final movie in this already wrecked-beyond-repair franchise...no more, please.

Film | The Tree of Life

2011-06-27T23:38:00.008+08:00

I have to admit that I wasn't familiar at all with Terence Malick's previous work, so I didn't know what to expect when I watched The Tree of Life. I'd read a lot of mixed reviews about this intriguing movie, but there were more positive than negative comments, so I had to see it for myself.

What I got was having my mind blown to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, LOL. I'm somewhat waxing poetic here, but I guess that's the only appropriate way to describe this film, a movie so unique that it defies description.

Watching The Tree of Life is like viewing a stream of consciousness, acid trip, National Geographic documentary, mindfuck, HDTV commercial, and epiphany all rolled into one. Oh, and there's a story about Brad Pitt's family tucked somewhere in there, heh.

Most of the scenes are gorgeously framed and shot, with images are that are stunningly vivid and textured. Those scenes, particularly the nature and space scenes, have an almost mesmerizing quality to them, and they're further enhanced by the music, which soars triumphantly over everything else.

The Tree of Life is not your average type of movie; for one thing, it doesn't follow the conventional pacing of most films, and the plot--if you can even call it a plot--seems to be metaphysical, relating concepts such as Creation to a small family in the 1950's to the modern, high-tech world of today.

If you prefer a story that you can follow, then The Tree of Life isn't for you. Malick has created a masterpiece that is at times uplifting and mystifying, confounding and breathtaking. While his techniques and the film's overall look tend to overwhelm the story, it doesn't detract from the spectacular visual experience that it provides. Highly recommended, and another contender for my best movie of 2011.

Music | Santana - Stormy

2011-06-24T19:37:00.003+08:00

It's been a rainy couple of days, no thanks to typhoon Falcon (where do they get these godawful names?). Today was the worst, it must've been raining all day long, and to top it all, a tornado decided to visit our area earlier this afternoon. I heard some kind of whoosing sound and pieces of wood and other materials came rolling down our rooftop--that was scary.

On stormy days like this, I instantly remember Stormy, a song that was originally done by the Classics IV in 1968. Carlos Santana and his band did a remake of it in 1978 for his album Inner Secrets, and I thought that it was one of the best remakes ever, with ultra-smooth vocals by Greg Walker.

Stormy was a hit for Santana in 1978, peaking at number 32 on Billboard's Top 100 Chart. It was the first Santana song I heard in my life, and while the original is also just as good, I prefer Santana's version, and it remains one of my favorite songs ever.

Film | Green Lantern

2011-06-20T19:55:00.003+08:00

Of all the super-heroes in the DC Universe, Green Lantern is perhaps the most unique. Sure, he only gets his powers from a rechargeable ring, but when you add in the fact that he belongs to a huge group of supercops that patrol the galaxies, and his ring is but one of many colors, then his entire premise becomes increasingly complex.

So how can you tell Hal Jordan's story without being mired in all those alien concepts? The answer: you can't. That's the dilemma of Green Lantern, as it can't decide whether it wants to focus primarily on Hal Jordan or the Green Lantern Corps. Since it's an origin story, it mostly veers towards Hal Jordan, with mixed results.

For one thing, Hal Jordan isn't as interesting as the extra-terrestrials, and the scenes on Earth tended to be disjointed. And having Parallax as the main villain and letting Hal Jordan deal with him didn't really work well. Parallax was established as a powerful villain that slaughtered many other Green Lanterns, and only one neophyte Lantern manages to defeat him? After all that posturing and posing in the posters and marketing materials, the other Lanterns hardly did anything here except to lecture Hal, deliver monologues, and raise their rings.

Ryan Reynolds did okay, but his demeanor and character seems better suited for another DC character--The Flash. The other humans were meh, and the only standouts here were the aliens, particularly Mark Strong as Sinestro, and Geoffrey Rush as the voice of Tomar-Re, which only proves once again that British and Australian actors can steal the spotlight from hyped American actors, LOL.

Despite its flaws, Green Lantern was a fairly decent effort, and actually succeeded in bringing the complex Lantern mythos to the big screen. Through the introduction and lots of expository dialogue by the characters, you'll actually learn everything you need to know about the Lantern Corps. I would've wanted more action with the other Lanterns during the battle with Parallax, but maybe they're doing that for the sequel...if there will be one.

Gizmos | Nintendo Wii U

2011-06-17T23:21:00.004+08:00

Nintendo shocked the gaming world sometime last April when news leaked out that they were planning to reveal the successor to their highly popular Wii console during E3 2011. This new console, dubbed "Project Cafe," had a very interesting controller that was supposed to have 2 analog sticks, a camera, and a large touchscreen. Nintendo finally confirmed the new system's existence in a press statement, but revealed little else, causing lots of buzz and speculation.

The Wii U main console unit

Everyone finally got to see this new system last June 7 at the E3 expo, when Nintendo unveiled the Wii U, a somewhat underwhelming looking console unit (it looked like a fat external disc drive) that finally features HD graphics and is backwards-compatible with all Wii games. However, it was the Wii U controller that hogged most of the spotlight, as it's one of the strangest-looking controllers yet, resembling a tablet with game buttons on the side while being fully compatible with the Wiimote controllers.

The Wii U Controller

The wireless controller has 2 circle pads on the top, a camera on the center top portion, the familiar D-pad and 4-button groups on the sides, plus several other buttons on the bottom. It also has a microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, and speakers. A 6.2-inch resistive touchscreen is right in the center of the controller, which will interact with the main console in unique ways through wireless streaming.

The trailer that premiered during the Wii U presentation was awesome, and probably sold a lot of people to the new system. However, more details about the console have been revealed since then, and it's not all good. For one thing, the Wii U will be using its own proprietary disc format, which comes close to a Blu-ray Disc but it's not. Which means that once again, BDs and DVDs cannot be played on a Nintendo console.

Unlike the Wii, Gamecube games cannot be played on a Wii U, which means that those who prefer to keep their GC library shouldn't exactly get rid of their Wii consoles any time soon. Nintendo also mentioned that the system is currently designed for one controller per Wii U, and they won't sell the controller separately, which means that fights for the controller could break out in homes with several kids, LOL.

The most important thing about new hardware is the software that can run on it, and I just hope that when the Wii U finally launches next year we'll see more new titles announced, not just ports of old and reliable Nintendo properties like Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, and Pokemon. Nintendo should really get down and make new IPs, not just rely on their old ones. I never got a Wii, mainly because the games for it never interested me, and I'm not really fond of motion control. With the Wii U however, that might change, as I actually love the look and abilities of this new controller, heh.

While the main Wii U console showed at E3 was deemed a prototype model, I was taken aback by the lack of a wired Ethernet port; while they probably only want Wi-Fi, it's hardly safe, and not quite as fast as wired connections. But the biggest question mark about the Wii U is the price; they announced a mid-2012 launch, but no price point was mentioned, which led to more speculation. I really hope they learn from the lackluster launch of the 3DS, which was deemed too pricey and didn't have enough good launch titles to pull in impressive sales figures.

Film | Super 8

2011-06-13T21:37:00.006+08:00

When I first saw the teaser trailer for Super 8 last year, I was intrigued. But then, I'm always intrigued now with any of J.J. Abrams' projects, from his TV work on series like Lost and Fringe to movies like Star Trek and Cloverfield. By now, Abrams and his creative team can do no wrong for me, and Super 8 continues that trend.

Set in the summer of 1979, Super 8 follows a bunch of teenagers in Ohio who are filming a homemade zombie movie. One night, they are accidentally witness to a catastrophic train crash that was captured with their Super 8 film camera, and soon enough, strange things start to happen in town.

Super 8 is co-produced by Steven Spielberg, and Abrams made it a homage to Spielberg's films of the 70's and 80's--specifically, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The production detail is incredible, and perfectly captures the look of 1979, from the homes, clothes and all kinds of stuff that were popular back then.

The cast gave excellent performances, particularly the kids, and are totally believable, unlike the annoying, snotty kids you see in movies nowadays. One thing about J.J. Abrams is that he does disasters and vehicular crashes well, and that train sequence was just spectacular. I also enjoyed some scenes during the last half, where it almost mirrored Cloverfield but without the shaky cam, LOL.

Lots of people gripe at J.J. Abrams and most of his projects because the mysteries in them aren't fully explained, with Super 8 being the latest in a long line of unexplained mysteries. For me though, the mysteries aren't really the focus; the characters and the way they deal with the strange happenings around them are the main focus.

By not revealing the entire truth behind those mysteries, we're left with a sense of wonder and curiosity about the entire thing--well at least that's the way I always look at Abrams' films and TV series. But I think the reason why Super 8 truly resonated well with me was because I was also a teenager back in 1979, and it was great to go back in time even for just two hours, heh.

The completed movie that the kids were filming, "The Case," plays during the end credits, and it was a blast. Super 8 just became my favorite movie of 2011 so far.

Resorts World Manila

2011-06-10T10:07:00.007+08:00

I first heard about Resorts World Manila from a friend who went there sometime earlier this year, and I finally got a chance to go there last week. From what I've read, Resorts World Manila is a casino resort affiliated with similar resorts in Singapore and Malaysia. It's located in a recently completed development called Newport City that's right across Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Marriott Hotel

Currently, Resorts World Manila consists of two hotels and a mall: the Marriott Hotel, Maxims Tower, and the Newport Mall. A third hotel, the Remington, is under construction. We didn't go to the Marriott, but we did enter Maxims Tower, which I mistook for the mall because of its facade, LOL. Maxims Tower is actually a luxury hotel with rooms that are entirely suites. The lobby actually looks nice, save for a humongous sculpture across the front entrance that looked entirely out of place.

Maxim Tower

The Newport Mall can be accessed through the Marriott and Maxims Tower, and it's a several story structure with a central atrium area. Shops and restaurants were laid out around the atrium, and there were cinemas on the top floor. The shops were mostly high-end clothing stores, none of which interested me--I didn't even see a single bookstore, toy store or electronics shop.

The dining establishments ranged from affordable to fine dining, with some familiar outlets. We ate at this Italian restaurant called Parmigiano and the food was really good that I'm contemplating a return visit and a separate blog entry soon.

Newport Mall Central Atrium

Central Atrium Fountain

The Casino can also be found at the Newport Mall and takes up several floors, with lots of slot machines and tables. I was appalled to find out that they allowed smoking inside, so everyone smelled like smoke and your chances of inhaling secondhand smoke are fairly high, ugh. There were also some dancers performing in the central portion of the Casino, which I thought was a bit strange and hilarious.

Shrine of St. Therese Church

After we left the mall, we strolled around Newport City; there were lots of residential townhomes and condominiums being constructed near the hotels, and further walking took us to the Shrine of St. Therese Church. As we walked back towards the carpark, we passed by the Beacon Tower, some kind of old lighthouse, which was very odd, since we're nowhere near the ocean.

Beacon Tower

Genting Group Offices

Newport City is just being completed, so the area still has a lot of bare spots. For a master planned community, this place badly needs lots of trees because right now everything looks too paved and artificial; hopefully it will look much better in a couple of years. For now, it's a good place for travelers that have short stops in Manila.

Gizmos | PlayStation Vita

2011-06-07T23:18:00.003+08:00

Sony's Next Generation Portable system, which was unveiled last January, has changed its name. So say goodbye to the Sony NGP, and say hello to the PlayStation Vita.

Actually, it wasn't that much of a surprise, as the PS Vita name was already leaked a week before on some blogs and gaming sites. Vita is the Latin word for "life," and looks like Sony literally went with their "Play Life" marketing campaigns. And it's pronounced "vee-ta," not "vigh-ta" as some people thought.

The big surprise during Sony's E3 announcement wasn't the PS Vita name though; it was the pricing. The PS Vita will come in two versions, a WiFi only model that costs US$249 (P10,864) and a 3G/WiFi model at US$299 (P13,045). Considering the hardware involved, those prices are incredibly cheap, almost the price of a Nintendo 3DS. The price point alone makes the PS Vita rather tempting for most gamers now, including me, heh.

Also revealed were two of the PS Vita's built-in software: a location-based gaming app called Near that lets you see what nearby players are playing and share game information, and a voice and text chat app called Party. With its 2 cameras, I think many augmented reality games are also on the way.

While Sony still didn't mention a specific release date for the PS Vita other than Holiday 2011, they did come out with a sexy promo video for the PS Vita and its upcoming first party titles, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, LIttleBigPlanet, Hot Shots Golf, Wipeout, and more.

Film | X-Men: First Class

2011-06-03T22:16:00.007+08:00

Best. Damn. X-Men. Movie. Ever.

That's precisely what I thought of after watching this newest re-imagining of the X-Men movie franchise. A reboot of the characters previously seen in the trilogy of X-Men films, X-Men: First Class takes it back even further to the 1960's, when the lead characters were much younger.

So we get to see how Charles Xavier became involved with organizing a band of mutants to fight for the greater good, how Erik Lensherr harbored a deep hatred for ex-Nazis and the human race in general, and how these two men met, connected, and ultimately became enemies. Character development is the highlight of this movie, which it delivers in spades.

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender both turn in outstanding performances as the young Professor X and Magneto, and it's to their credit that the entire film succeeds. In fact, most of the supporting cast was great, with the sole exception being January Jones as Emma Frost, who displays all the emotional range of a decorative ornament; she couldn't even say her lines properly without appearing like she was reading from cue cards. It's a good thing everyone's acting was good enough to outweigh her lousy acting, otherwise she would've destroyed the entire movie.

Most of the other mutants introduced here were clearly non-canon, making their selection questionable. Havok's presence here is baffling, since he appears to be also slightly younger than Charles, yet he's supposed to be the older brother of Cyclops, so when Scott Summers finally shows up in a later movie, that would make Havok...old enough to be his father, LOL.

One thing I really didn't like was Moira MacTaggert's makeover from world-renowned geneticist to a hyperactive CIA operative. Worse, she became American in the film, instead of being Scottish like in the comics. The same can be said of ~~Ron Weasley~~ Banshee, who's supposed to be Irish, yet was turned into an Amercian teenager for the movie--wtf?

In the end, it's the overall product that matters, and X-Men: First Class passes with flying colors. Forget the ugly posters, non-canonical timeline, plot, and characters--view this movie as a standalone starting point for the mutants and you'll be rewarded with pure awesomeness. It was so compelling, I didn't even notice how long it was. Highly recommended, and a contender for my best film of 2011.

Gizmos | Tales of Xillia PS3 X Edition

2011-05-31T20:29:00.008+08:00

The PS3 Slim looks nice and sleek enough as it is, but I always like what they do to its limited editions to make it more unique. Case in point, the upcoming Tales of Xillia PS3 X Edition that's being released at the same time for Namco Bandai's Tales of Xillia on September 8, 2011.

The PS3 used for this special edition appears to be a regular Charcoal Black PS3, but emblazoned with stylized artwork featured the two lead characters on top. What makes the artwork special for this PS3 is that it's in multiple colors--red and gold, which makes this the first of its kind.

Compared to other previous PS3 special editions like the Final Fantasy XIII PS3 Lightning Edition, the Tales of Xillia version looks really awesome; red and gold on black really makes a striking combination of colors. Unfortunately, like most special edition PS3s, this will only be for Japan...darn.

Judgment Day

2011-05-22T14:21:00.010+08:00

So the world didn't end yesterday, LOL. I'm actually more surprised why the supposed Judgment Day on May 21, 2011 as predicted by an evangelical group was given extensive coverage in the press and various media.

You mean it's not this Judgment Day?

When will these people learn that the end of the world is one of those things that can't be accurately predicted, just like earthquakes? Sure, they point to signs like the recent natural disasters, but if you think about it, we've always had them.

During the PlayStation Network outage, I found it hilarious that some people attributed it to Skynet, that fictional computer system featured in the Terminator movies. Now they're blaming Skynet again, since it started Judgment Day in the movies by triggering a nuclear holocaust, LOL.

I guess we'll just have to wait some more...maybe in 2012? Heh.

Heat Stroke

2011-05-19T20:49:00.007+08:00

Just read on the news that the highest temperature ever recorded in the city was taken yesterday afternoon, at 37 degrees. Yeah right, tell us something we already don't know. It's practically the same as last year, except that the temperature increased by a couple of degrees, which is no big deal since it always feel like it's more than 40 degrees everyday.

I hate the weather here since it's too humid, and I've always had a problem with heat & humidity since I was a kid; I'd break out in rashes or feel feverish and have the sensation of my entire body about to shut down. If there's anyone here who's the most susceptible to heat stroke, it's probably me. Most of the time it just feels like I'm being spit-roasted on a roaring bonfire, and it takes an incredible amount of willpower to come out of the shower because I just want to stay in there the entire day, LOL.

One of the things I miss most about coming to work regularly in an office is the airconditioning, as my former office was nicely cooled by huge overhead ACs mounted on the walls. And yet I was constantly baffled by some officemates who kept complaining that it was too cold, and preferred that the AC be set to something that approached 30 degrees, which is just crazy, really--that's not an AC anymore, that's a freaking hair dryer.

The Great PlayStation Network Outage of 2011

2011-05-16T11:23:00.009+08:00

It began innocently enough, when I discovered I couldn't log in to the PlayStation Network last April 21, 2011. Well, there were times when the PSN would have its regularly scheduled maintenance updates, so I thought this was one of them. It wasn't--it sure as heck wasn't scheduled, and it was highly irregular.

Over the next few days, I'd get error messages whenever I try to log in, and it turns out that I wasn't alone. Searching the PlayStation blogs and Twitter accounts revealed something disturbing, that it was now a worldwide problem, as the major PSN networks--North America, Europe, and Asia--have all shut down.

Finally, Sony issued an official statement that the PSN outage was the result of an "external intrusion" and that it would take days to get the network back online. The network had been hacked, and the estimated days turned into weeks, with apparently no end in sight. Statements about confidential information being compromised hogged the news for days, and gamers everywhere were crying foul over the developments. Some people even started to pin the blame on Skynet, the fictional computer system in the Terminator movies, which was supposed to become self-aware on April 21, 2011--the coincidence with the dates was astounding, heh.

It's funny how you don't really give much thought to something that's always been there yet the moment it disappears, you start to miss it. It was like that for me with the PSN. I was always comforted by the fact that it was always available, and now that it was down, playing those Massive Multiplayer Online games like DC Universe Online or Free Realms was next to impossible. I've also relied on it to buy downloadable content from the PlayStation Store, so without the store, you can't get DLC.

The PSN went back online yesterday, and I was able to log back in. Sony is planning a "Welcome Back" program for all its users to make up for the downtime by offering 5 free games, yay! It's a good thing I never use credit cards when making purchases, just those PSN Cards. Still, the theft of information from 77 million users makes it the biggest data security breach in history, making it difficult for me to trust any network's integrity from now on.

Film | Thor

2011-05-09T21:40:00.009+08:00

While most of the super-heroes in the Marvel Comics universe are ordinary humans who gained their powers from scientific accidents like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, or humans who were born with their powers like the mutants of the X-Men, Thor is different--he's an actual god from the Norse pantheon.

That premise alone makes him rather difficult to imagine as a super-hero, particularly when you realize he's supposed to exist along with heroes who are more grounded in reality like Spider-Man. Which is why no one has yet attempted to bring him to the big screen until now, mainly because he's one-third of Marvel's main trinity of heroes that make up the Avengers--Iron Man has already been in 2 films, with Captain America waiting in the wings.

So Thor needs to be introduced, and the Thor movie partially succeeds, due in part to director Kenneth Branagh and some very good performances by its actors. Thor's source material alone had the potential to come out as cheesy in lesser hands, but Branagh seems to have done the impossible and made Thor actually believable as a god that walks among mere mortals.

However, the film had to compress most of the major events in the comics to fit into a 2-hour movie, and as a result the entire thing looks rushed. For one thing, Thor's exile in the comics lasted for years, with him gaining a mortal identity in the process. In the movie, this exile doesn't even appear to last a week, and his alter-ego of Dr. Donald Blake is nowhere to be found except mentioned in passing as the ex of Jane Foster.

Foster herself, played by Natalie Portman, also underwent a makeover in the translation from comics to screen; she's a nurse in the comics, in the film she's now an astrophysicist--wow, talk about a drastic career change, LOL. As for the other supporting characters, Thor brings other Asgardians into the mix, including Odin the All-Father, Loki, Frigga, Heimdall, Sif, and the Warriors Three, and the actors who portray them were all spot-on.

As Thor, Chris Hemsworth does justice to the character and manages to bring out his boorish, headstrong nature quite well. Same goes for the actors who play the Warriors Three, particularly Joshua Dallas as Fandral, who looks exactly like his comics counterpart, and Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, who has the best line in the film: "Do not mistake my appetite for apathy!" LOL.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki was a stand-out, and nearly steals the entire movie with his excellent performance--cunning and manipulative, and is the very example of appearances being deceiving. As for Odin, Anthony Hopkins was rather underwhelming; somehow I expected Odin to be more authoritative, and I think Kenneth Branagh himself would've made a good Odin instead.

The film's plot was somewhat disappointing; if you think about it, it's just about Thor trying to get his hammer back, so the entire subplot with the Destroyer was just a big waste of time. Also, the town where Jane Foster lives looked like a movie set, and there's an unnecessary cameo by Hawkeye in his civilian identity. Also, too much screentime was spent on the Rainbow Bridge, which looked like a track from Mario Kart, LOL.

Despite its flaws, Thor is worth watching, and did its job well in establishing the lead character, paving the way for more sequels and the upcoming Avengers movie.

Music | Fleetwood Mac - Tusk

2011-05-02T19:33:00.006+08:00

Tusk was the long-awaited follow-up to Fleetwood Mac's hugely successful Rumours album, and it sure delivered big in terms of concept alone, being released as a 4-record set. The lead single, which was also called Tusk, was a very memorable song for me, as it figured in a radio contest held by 99.5 RT. I joined the contest, and I won a copy of the album, which I think was the first time that I won something in any publicly-held contest.

Winning the album wasn't really a big deal in general, but the copies of Tusk that RT gave away were all imported--they were made in the USA, and that meant high-quality packaging. Tusk came in a thick album case, with each record encased in a very sturdy cardboard sleeve. The printing was topnotch, which was a far cry from the cheap and inferior locally-made albums here. The records were also incomparable to the ones released here in terms of quality, and I still have the entire album with me now in excellent condition.

From what I've learned, Tusk started out as a drum exercise, and there's a lot of percussion heard here, including a full-scale marching band, the USC Trojan Marching Band. While Tusk didn't achieve the levels of greatness that previous Fleetwood Mac songs had, it was an awesome song nonetheless due to its thumping and richly-layered sound, and remains one of my all-time favorite songs.

TV | Wipeout

2011-04-27T21:07:00.006+08:00

Wipeout has been one of my guilty pleasures on TV for the past couple of years. This game show is basically one huge obstacle course, with contestants scrambling to make it all the way to the end on the fastest time to win $50,000. Along the way, they're pummeled, hammered, battered, and occasionally dumped into mud or water, and hilarity ensues.

Similar in format to some Japanese game shows, Wipeout starts out with 24 contestants, who are then pared down to 12, then to 6, and finally to four (three in the newest season). Most of the contestants act stupid and flamboyant when they're introduced in order to get noticed, then proceed to eat crow as they're wildly tossed and turned around.

Among my favorite obstacles include the Sucker Punch, an entire wall with moving boxing gloves; the Yule Log Jam, where you have to cross two moving platforms; and the Big Balls, which are 4 huge inflated balls that you must bounce across to get to the other side. In recent seasons they added a "Motivator," which is a huge pendulum that kicks you over the Big Balls if you hesitate too long to cross, LOL.

The 2 hosts who are both named John, John Anderson and John Henson, strike the perfect balance--Anderson is the more serious commentator type, while Henson is just loony, and his running comments that mock and insult the contestants are truly hilarious. Field commentator Jill Wagner also provides funny interviews with the contestants before the round begins, and I'm a bit sad that this season is her last, as she's leaving the show--aww, you'll be missed, Jill!

Wipeout never fails to make me laugh, and sometimes I'd laugh so hard in the middle of the night when I'm watching that my neighbors must think that they're living next door to a crazy person, hehe. Highly recommended.

Pokemon Fail

2011-04-20T18:50:00.005+08:00

It's official: I don't like Pokemon Black & White. I don't like most of the 5th Generation Pokemon introduced here, and the fact that you're forced to only use them for the entire main game makes these new versions a complete fail for me.

Sure, Pokemon Black & White breaks new ground when it comes to game features, like a slick new interface that's a step forward compared to other games, and it saves much faster than the previous Pokemon games for the DS. Too bad it's all wasted on the crappy Pokemon found in Pokemon Black & White.

Most of the new Pokemon in Pokemon Black & White represent the worst creature designs ever to see light in a Pokemon game. There have been ugly Pokemon designs in every Gen, but this latest batch got the most number of lameass designs. We've got Pokemon that are garbage bags, snowflakes, ice cream, candles, chandeliers, rotating gears, floating coffins, transvestites, and more--it's like the designers at Game Freak, Inc. were all smoking crack when they designed these new Pokemon. Or maybe in their desire to attract more girls to play the games, they ended up designing so many gay-looking Pokemon. I wonder if flying panties and rolling toilet bowls are slated for the next Gen, LOL.

To make it worse, they literally shoved these uglies up each gamer's asses when they made the main storyline of Pokemon Black & White only exclusive to 5th Gen Pokemon. Which means you don't get to see or use any 1st-4th Gen Pokemon until the game is done, and by the time you get access to the old Pokemon, what's the point?

I find it hilarious when most of the crapsacks on the Internet sneer at those who dislike the new Pokemon because according to them, we're just "nostalgic." LOL, I bet those ADHD-addled retards don't even know what nostalgia is until they vomit it out their throats. It has nothing to do with nostalgia at all, but everything to do with design. These new Pokemon--they might have the Pokemon brand on them, but they sorely lack the charm and appeal of the previous Pokemon.

I bought Pokemon Black more than a month ago to try it out--I tried to like it, but couldn't. I've played all the Pokemon games since Pokemon Red and have played them to the very end, as well as played even further along for the extra features. But not this one; after finishing the main game, I ditched it, not even bothering to try out the Dream World option. It's now gathering dust, which is a first for me. I guess I'm all Pokemon'd out, heh.

Film | Source Code

2011-04-13T19:50:00.003+08:00

Inception meets Quantum Leap and Groundhog Day. I was intrigued by these descriptions of Source Code right from the start that I knew I had to watch it. Basically a suspense-thriller with a dose of science-fiction and a few twists, the main plot of Source Code involves the lead character waking up in someone else's body and wondering what the hell is going on.

The movie gets increasingly complex from there, as it turns out that Captain Colter Stevens, the main character, is part of a secret military experiment that makes him some kind of guinea pig, and he can be transported into the identity of one Sean Feantress, a teacher who's aboard a doomed train that's been rigged to explode. Stevens has to identify the bomber, but has only 8 minutes to do so at each opportunity.

As the scenario gets repeated over and over, Stevens gets more adept in Fentress' body, familiarizing himself with common elements until he gets it right. He also manages to fall in love with a girl who happens to have a thing for him, which is somewhat forced and incredulous. Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays Stevens, might be considered by some as a good actor, but he always comes off to me as someone who always looks bored in his movies.

Everything is revealed gradually, leading to the big pay-off, but it doesn't quite stop there. There's a strange epilogue towards the end, leaving me slightly bewildered and scratching my head. The concepts of time travel, parallel realities, and multiverses are things that make my head hurt when I try to analyze them, and while Source Code partially succeeds in unraveling these to the viewer, the final scenes were something of a bummer, and I felt that they were unnecessary--they should've ended the movie when everything faded to white.

Still, Source Code gets high marks for its unique concept, and as one of the few really entertaining movies I've seen so far this year. It's a film that bears repeated viewing, if only to catch some things that weren't apparent when seen for the first time around.

Music | Swing Out Sister - Breakout

2011-04-06T10:27:00.005+08:00

During the 1980's, the British gained a firm hold on the pop charts with a variety of musical acts that forever defined that decade. Halfway through the 80's though, I was sick of all those pretty boy bands with their tiresome synth sound--Duran Duran, Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, etc. I was never a fan of those groups and hearing them constantly on the radio was getting to be annoying.

So it was a very good thing that Swing Out Sister released their single Breakout in late 1986. It was like a breath of fresh air, and shattered the monotony of those other British pop acts on the airwaves. Swing Out Sister further established the emerging sophisti-pop genre already popularized by acts like Sade and The Style Council, in which jazz and soul were blended with dance rhythms.

Very few acts can captivate me with their first release, but I became an instant fan of Swing Out Sister upon hearing Breakout, and that was even before seeing the awesome video for that song, which featured a very bubbly Corinne Drewery with her now trademark bob. A former fashion designer and model, Corinne virtually set the distinctive look and style for Swing Out Sister that's become strongly identified with the group.

The best thing about Swing Out Sister is that they're still around and still making good music. They've experimented with different sounds through the years, but their music remains tinged with that unique jazzy style they've established more than 25 years ago. Here's to more excellent music, SOS!

Film | Sucker Punch

2011-04-02T20:26:00.005+08:00

I was intrigued the first time I read about the concept for Sucker Punch, and when the first images and trailers hit the Web along with its awesome retro logo, it had become a must-see movie for me. If you probably ask anyone who's ever made movies, anime, or comics, chicks with guns are always a nerd/geek magnet, and Sucker Punch has lots of them, as well as generating enough buzz to draw in the nerd population and make this movie a huge hit.

Unfortunately, that actually didn't come true, and Sucker Punch has since become known as one of this year's biggest movie flops. I did enjoy the movie for what it was though--a stylish romp through the mind of a young girl unjustly committed to a mental asylum.

When Baby Doll, the lead character, is sent to the looney bin by her evil stepfather and is scheduled to be lobotomized, she reaches into her mind and creates several layers of reality, recruiting other girls to help her out with the ultimate goal of escaping.

Since this is a film by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) those imagined scenes are gorgeously shot with spectacular CGI and mostly in slow-motion, as Baby Doll and friends wield swords, pistols, gatling guns, and other assorted weaponry while they battle monstrous samurai, dragons, nazis, and lots more.

The combat scenes are outstanding enough, but the plot ultimately leaves a lot to be desired, with the end result unsatisfying. Too bad though, as it could've been much better (actually, it would've made an awesome video game, LOL). Sucker Punch remains a unique visual treat, with a distinctive look that's all its own. A good enough diversion for about 2 hours--nothing more, nothing less.

LEGO | Pokemon

2011-03-29T21:51:00.007+08:00

When Pokemon and LEGO mix, it's usually a good combination. Case in point: Filip Johannes Felberg's custom Pokemon creations made from LEGO bricks. What he does is make 4 different Pokemon from his extensive collection of bricks, and the results are quite amazing, with each Pokemon perfectly capturing that blocky 8-bit charm.

Clockwise, back to front: Pikachu, Eevee, Jigglypuff, Chikorita

Filip used to make 4 different Pokemon every week, but now limits it to when he has time off from his busy schedule. What he does is build the 4 Pokemon and take photos of them, then disassembles them to free more bricks for new creations.

Clockwise, back to front: Gengar, Doduo, Metapod, Diglett

He started with mostly Generation 1 Pokemon, then gradually added Pokemon from later generations. His latest work now includes the new and mostly ugly (sorry, can't help it--I hate most of them, LOL) 5th Generation Pokemon seen in Pokemon Black & White.

Clockwise, back to front: Slowking, Dustox, Cascoon, Murkrow

Hopefully he goes back to the original Pokemon and build Bulbasaur, but no matter what, he's done a fantastic job. More, please!

[Photos are from Filip Johannes Felberg's awesome flickr album]

Film | Battle: Los Angeles

2011-03-25T10:31:00.004+08:00

What happens when an extra-terrestrial invasion occurs so brazenly and in full view of the media? Battle: Los Angeles tries to answer that question, focusing on a squad of marines sent to rescue some civilians in an abandoned police station, and as usual things progress from bad to worse.

Battle: Los Angeles tries to look gritty and real by employing a pseudo-documentary look, which apparently requires lots of camera-shaking and extreme close-ups. I hate this kind of film technique; the constant shaking was annoying as hell, and it made me dizzy.

People tend to compare this with Cloverfield--which happens to be one of my favorite movies of 2008--but at least in that movie, the shaky cam was done in the proper context, as one of the characters was actually filming the entire thing. In Battle: Los Angeles, no one was shown holding a videocam, so all that shaking was pointless. Making it worse was the amount of hokey dialogue spouted by the lead characters; even more amazing was that they all delivered the lines with a straight face.

The alien technology used in the movie was quite disappointing, as the aliens seemed to be using the same guns the marines had--what the hell? Shouldn't they be using some super advanced laser death ray or something? And most of their vehicles were hardly impressive; they looked like junkpiles or leftovers from District 9.

In the end, the interesting premise of Battle: Los Angeles falls flat in its execution. The movie turned out to be just okay--it makes a satisfactory popcorn movie, but it's something that doesn't deserve repeated viewings.

Devastation

2011-03-19T10:06:00.007+08:00

It's been a week since that catastrophic earthquake occurred in northeastern Japan, and until now that country and the rest of the world are still reeling from the effects. The earthquake, initially reported as an 8.9-magnitude earthquake, was actually a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake, causing 10-meter high tsunami waves that wreaked havoc on coastal areas located in Japan's Tohoku region.

From the widespread devastation that happened afterward, and after viewing countless videos of shaking buildings and tsunami waves mercilessly pounding towns and villages, I can't imagine the horror and anguish that the Japanese people in the affected areas must be going through right now. About a year ago I was on the 21st floor of a building when a 6.0-magnitude quake struck; we only felt the outer tremors since we weren't in the epicenter, but I've experienced enough earthquakes inside buildings in my lifetime to know that it can get pretty harrowing.

And it's not over yet. Thousands have been reported as dead or missing, numerous aftershocks are still happening, and even worse, threats of meltdowns from Japan's many nuclear power plants located in the northeast region have been looming over the area, after some of them were heavily damaged by the quakes.

Since Japan is the main source for anime, manga, and video games that many like me depend on for entertainment, I was genuinely concerned not just for its many residents but also for the fates of those creators and developers. Industry-related sites like the Anime News Network have compiled helpful lists that convey to fans confirmation of their favorite creators' status after the quake, and I for one was grateful that those circulating rumors about the death of Pokemon creator Satoshi Tajiri were proven to be false, confirmed by both Nintendo and Satoshi's best friend, Pokemon illustrator Ken Sugimori.

If anything else, this disaster is once more proof that nature is a force to reckoned with. When it comes to natural disasters, earthquakes and tsunamis are the ones I'm most terrified of, as you can't simply outrun them. There's no rhyme or reason why these things happen other than the characteristic behavior of tectonic plates, and predicting when they're going to strike next is just not possible.

Design | Starbucks Logo

2011-03-10T15:29:00.007+08:00

Starbucks celebrates its 40th anniversary this month with a new logo, removing the famous "Starbucks Coffee" imprint while making the iconic Siren in the center bigger and recoloring it with the same green shade that used to frame around it.

The new logo officially debuted this week on Starbucks cups, but it was actually unveiled last January 2011. Reactions were mixed among long-time Starbucks patrons, who either loved it or downright despised it, even comparing it to Gap's ill-fated logo change last year.

As for me, I really liked the original Starbucks logo, but I find this new logo striking, clean and distinctive. I totally get what they're trying to achieve; just like Apple and Nike, who also ditched their names from their famous logos, Starbucks doesn't need their name to signify that they sell coffee--they are coffee, LOL. I'm also one of those long-time Starbucks patrons, and hey, I like the new logo and think that it's a bold step in the right direction.

Music | International Pony - Leaving Home

2011-03-04T21:30:00.006+08:00

International Pony is a trio of DJs and mixers from Germany who specialize in music that seems to combine electronica with funk grooves. It's hard to exactly pinpoint their musical style, but there's a bit of Daft Punk in there mixed in with Fatboy Slim. Whatever, I happen to like it.

Back in 2003, when MTV was still cool and still played music videos, I saw this video being played on one of their shows reserved for dance music tracks. That's how I first found out about International Pony, through their Leaving Home video.

The video is certainly one of the strangest videos I've seen, as a bunch of kids jump around all over town, only to be stopped by the trio, who then try and fail to impress the kids with their dance moves--hilarious, really. Everything ends with a bizarre image of the kids sleeping in a field of beds with farm animals all around them; I'm not making this up, LOL.

Cuisine | Starbucks Danish

2011-02-28T20:56:00.010+08:00

For the better part of a year, my second breakfast has consisted of the Starbucks Brewed Coffee of the Day and a Danish. Second breakfast? Yup, I usually take my breakfast just when I get up for work, around 4:30am. But because of my acid reflux, my stomach starts grumbling around 7:00am, which means I have to eat a second time.

Previously, I'd take some coffee and a hash brown or some pancakes from McDonald's, but my doctor seriously suggested that I cut down on the oil from my food intake, so I had to ditch the hash browns. Fortunately, Starbucks started offering a Danish as one of their regular food items, which was just what I needed.

Most Danish pastries are buttered pieces of baked dough that are divided into sections, with some kind of filling like fruit stuffed into those sections. The Starbucks Danish uses three fruit toppings: blueberries, strawberries, and peaches, plus some flaked almonds. It goes perfectly well with coffee--the stronger, the better. A hot beverage is also best, and since the combination of the pastry and the fruits already results in a sweet taste, it's not recommended to pair the Danish with a sweet drink, or else you'll get a sugar overload.

Now blueberries are my favorite fruit, with strawberries coming in a strong second, which makes this version of the Danish as the best version ever, LOL.

Pokemon | McDonald's Pikachu Collection

2011-02-21T21:09:00.006+08:00

The current Happy Meal toy promo from McDonald's is by far my favorite, as it features not one, not two, not even three...but eight Pikachu figures! Yup, it's another Pokemon tie-up, and this is probably the best one yet.

There are 4 different types of figures with 2 versions of Pikachu for each type--a talking figure, a rolling stamper, a stamper & sticker dispenser combo, and a gearbox, which is basically just a figure with wheels that rolls around.

The talking figures are the best, with one version clearly intoning Pikachu's unique "pika...pikachu!" cry, while the other has him saying it in battle stance mode. The rolling stampers are a novelty of sorts, as they're self-inking and stamp a long line of alternating Pikachu and Meowth or Zorua heads.

The stamper & sticker dispensers are also self-inking, and stamp a tiny figure of either Zorua or Zoroark, while the stickers have various 4th Gen Pokemon on them. Finally, the sole gimmick of the gearbox is that when you pull back on them, they go zooming in the other direction (yawn).

Not sure why this promo has the "Diamond & Pearl" label on them, since both Zorua and Zoroark aren't even in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl; they're 5th Gen Pokemon, and actually make their appearance in Pokemon Black & White.

But I'm not complaining though, as these Pikachu figures all have excellent build quality, with some having awesome poses. And since Pikachu happens to be my favorite Pokemon of all time, it stands to reason that I should get all of these--and I sure did, LOL.

Music | The Marshall Tucker Band - Last of the Singing Cowboys

2011-02-15T22:11:00.007+08:00

I remember this song fondly during the year 1979; that particular period of time, as the seventies transitioned into the eighties, was a great time for music, with many different genres enjoying crossover status into the mainstream pop charts.

This song in particular from The Marshall Tucker Band wasn't their usual type of song as they were mostly a Southern rock band, but this one song was noteworthy in the sense that it incorporated western themes with many jazz elements, with an awesome brassy sound that echoed the early sound of another rock group, the band called Chicago.

Only one radio station played this song constantly during that time, and it was my favorite station, 99.5 RT, whose programming was heavily influenced by late 70's USA Top 40 radio. Sadly, Last of the Singing Cowboys was indeed the last of its kind, and actually became part of that unique "RT sound" that couldn't be found anywhere else.

While Last of the Singing Cowboys barely missed entering the Top 40, the song remains a favorite of mine--it's a true classic, and hearkens back to an era where songs were actually songs that didn't rely on samples or rapping, and performed with a passion that only true songwriters and musicians can give.

Gizmos | Satin Silver PS3

2011-02-09T20:17:00.004+08:00

Announced some time last week was a new color variant for Sony's PS3 slim console. Called the Satin Silver version, this new color isn't exactly new, since there was a similar version for the old PS3 that was released in 2008.

Like the old Satin Silver PS3, this version also comes with a silver-toned Dual Shock 3 controller. A silver vertical stand will also be available separately, but come on, who uses those vertical stands?

It actually looks good, almost resembling brushed aluminum, but I think a gold PS3 would look better, heh. The Satin Silver PS3 slim will be released in limited quantities on March 10, 2011. As always, these color variants are for Japan only.

Cuisine | Pho Hoa

2011-02-05T21:03:00.009+08:00

My friend Marga first introduced me to Pho Hoa more than a decade ago. I was already familiar with most Southeast Asian cuisine like Thai, Singaporean, and Malaysian dishes but never Vietnamese, so when she suggested that we have lunch there one time, I jumped at the chance.

Pho Hoa is a well-known franchise that operates a chain of Vietnamese restaurants worldwide. I'm not exactly sure when they first opened here, but I think that first time Marga and I ate in their newly-opened branch at SM Megamall was during the late 90's, and I also recall eating in a Hong Kong Pho Hoa branch with my friends Val & Eric in 2000.

Pho Hoa's chicken noodle soup, Pho Ga

At any rate, the main reason one goes to dine at Pho Hoa is their Pho, or noodle soup. The first time I tasted their Pho Ga, or chicken noodle soup, it became an epiphany of sorts; it was fantastic--the clear, refreshing broth mixed in with plump chicken chunks and their white rice noodles, plus a variety of greens, herbs, and a couple of quail eggs.

They usually serve a saucer of garnishes for the Pho, which contain sprouts, basil, mint, and a wedge of lemon. What I usually do is add some sprouts to the soup, several small leaves of basil and mint, stir in very small amounts of hoisin and Sriracha chili sauces, then finish with a squeeze of lemon. The result is quite frankly, one of the most awesome soups I've ever tasted.

The yummy Mango Crepe with ice cream

Pho Hoa serves a lot of other good Vietnamese dishes, but I usually ignore them in favor of the Pho Ga, heh. However, their desserts are also quite excellent, particularly the Mango Crepe, which is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. The combination of flavors is incredible and has to be tasted to be believed. I'm not really fond of chocolate sauces but it goes rather well with the mango and ice cream.

Vietnamese coffee--the hot version, with their unique drip container

Now coffee is one beverage that I'm always fond of, and even Pho Hoa elevates their version to a higher level. Their Vietnamese coffee comes is a unique drip container that filters the coffee as it plunges downwards a glass container with a small layer of condensed milk at the bottom. The mix of strong coffee and milk is really good, if a bit sweet.

Since that first time, I've become a regular patron of Pho Hoa through the years just for the Pho Ga alone; all other chicken noodle soups I've tried out now seem to pale in comparison with this Vietnamese version. I have some Pho Ga at least once a month, and the taste has remained consistently the same all these years--this is one superb example of comfort food that's truly gratifying for me.

Gizmos | Sony NGP

2011-01-31T23:20:00.008+08:00

Sony's successor to their PlayStation Portable or PSP system was probably the worst kept secret in recent months; everyone already knew it was coming even though Sony kept denying it. Last January 27, during their "PlayStation Meeting 2011" press event, Sony finally relented and officially unveiled their new handheld.

Except that it wasn't called a PSP. True to Sony's penchant for making up fancy-shmancy tech terms and acronyms, the new handheld was dubbed the Next Generation Portable, or NGP for short--go figure. The NGP looks similar to the PSP but with a more oval formfactor. But that's where the similarity ends, as the NGP's innards boasts an impressive array of hardware.

In a first for any handheld gaming system, the NGP features a large 5" OLED multitouch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 960 x 544 pixels, approximately 4 times as much as the current PSP, and capable of displaying 16 million colors. There's also an odd multitouch pad on the back side, as well as two cameras, one on the front and another on the rear side.

While gamers were initially dismayed at the PSP's single analog nub, they're bound to cheer the two full analog sticks prominently featured on the front side. The NGP also has a six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, and three-axis accelerometer), along with a three-axis electronic compass plus a built-in GPS.

Powered by a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor and quad-core PowerVR SGX534MP4+ GPU, the NGP is also enabled for 3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity. And just like the PSP Go, the clunky UMD drive is gone, replaced with a slot for game flash cards very similar to the ones used by the Nintendo DS.

Despite the cheesy name, I have to admit I was impressed by the NGP's specs, and was thankful that it's not the slider type of device that was rendered in so many concept drawings. I was also baffled at Sony's no mention whatsoever about battery life. While OLED screens are more energy efficient than LCD screens and can consume less power, the quad core and GPU processors look like they need a lot of power.

No price was announced during the NGP launch or a definite release date, just "Holiday 2011." Which means that it'll be out just around Christmas in Japan. And the long wait begins...

Music | 808 State - Plan 9

2011-01-29T19:52:00.000+08:00

If I had to pick a favorite decade in which I think had the best music, I'd pick the 90's. This was the decade where I learned to appreciate other genres besides pop--acid jazz, chill out, trip hop, ambient, electronica, downtempo, and more, fueled by bands that usually came from the U.K.

808 State was one such group; they were from Manchester and dabbled with a diverse range of electronic music. They originally formed during the late 80's, but achieved commercial success during the 90's, with hits like Pacific State, Cubik, and In Yer Face.

My favorite 808 State song though is Plan 9, because of its unique and distinctive sound that blends laid back Latin guitars with electronic break beats. Plan 9 wasn't a big hit, but I liked it the first time I heard it, and it still holds up rather well today.

Hello Kitties

2011-01-21T21:30:00.010+08:00

Who knew that Hello Kitty would look good as Doraemon? Or even as C-3PO from Star Wars? New Zealand illustrator Joseph Senior thought of the iconic ribboned feline with the missing mouth as a customizable model kit, resulting in some awesome renderings.

Hello Kitty as Buzz Lightyear, C-3PO, and Doraemon

Joseph's illustrations showcasing Kitty's versatility have this superb 3D-like feel to them that they look almost real; in fact, some people thought they were actual model kits, heh. A Star Wars fan, he says he started these illustrations as a tribute to George Lucas, and it shows--lots of Star Wars characters comprise this Kitty collection, including superheroes and well-known figures from pop culture.

Hello Kitty as Hit-Girl, Mickey Mouse, and a Maneki Neko

The Hello Kitty drawings are being compiled into a coffee table book that Joseph is thinking of getting published. His plan is to create a total of 101 Kitty illustrations, and from the looks of it, is doing a spectacular job. You can see most of his work in his flickr album, where he's known as yodaflicker. Awesome job, Joseph! Can't wait to see more.

Hello Kitty as Garfield, Tintin with Snowy, and the Flash

The St. Francis Shangri-La Place

2011-01-16T21:06:00.009+08:00

I remember several years ago when the steel skeleton of The St. Francis Shangri-La Place towers started to emerge; one moment they were just a few floors, the next months or so they started to stretch ever upwards, with no seeming end in sight. Years later, the finished towers have become one of Ortigas Center's most prominent landmarks, and one of the city's tallest buildings.

The St. Francis Shangri-La Place sign before the main entrance

The St. Francis Shangri-La Place are two residential condominium towers that were built adjacent to the huge Shangri-La Plaza mall, and is right across the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. The entire complex is owned by Shang Properties, which is in turn owned by the Kuok Group, the international conglomerate that operates the renowned Shangri-La Hotels worldwide.

Looking up at the twin towers of The St. Francis Shangri-La Place

Now, the Shangri-La Plaza is one of my favorite malls due to its unique design that incorporates huge, spacious corridors and unconventional layout, and I've been to the two Shangri-La Hotels here (EDSA and Makati) and liked their design as well. So naturally I was curious about the interiors of the St. Francis Shangri-La Place, and wondered if the design was just as good as the other Shang Properties buildings.

Thanks to a friend who was renting a studio unit there, I finally got the chance to see the interiors for myself sometime last month. We entered through the accessways from the mall, and first visited the Clubhouse, which is located on the 8th and 9th floors and is the top level of the main structure that connects the two towers. The Clubhouse has most of the amenities offered to residents--a lounge with Wi-Fi, fitness center, function rooms, kiddie playrooms, adult game rooms, and a swimming pool on an outdoor deck.

The Clubhouse on the 8th floor...

...that looks out to an incredible view of the Ortigas Center area

A nice little nook in the lounge area of the Clubhouse

The lounge area was cozy and comfortable, with nice little nooks here and there; it's that type of place where you can still get a sense of privacy even when there are other people around. The view was also incredible, showing the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel right across and parts of Ortigas Center beyond.

The view from the Clubhouse, showing the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel
and Chi Spa across the street

Another look at the Ortigas Center cityscape from the Clubhouse

The spiral staircase on the Clubhouse level

The Clubhouse swimming pool

Considering that the tall spindly towers of the St. Francis Shangri-La Place are located in an area near an earthquake fault, the structure features a revolutionary damping system that act as energy absorbers and damp out vibrations, minimizing wobble.

The studio unit that my friend was renting out was actually nice, and was spacious compared to the more cramped interiors of other condo units that I've been to. I found the sparse layout and minimalist furnishing great--I'd live there if I could, but sadly I can't afford the monthly 30K rent, LOL.

Studio unit kitchen and dining area

Studio unit sleeping area

Studio unit living area

Speaking of rent, that's probably the only option now if you want to stay there, as all the studio and single bedroom units are sold out. Only the two-bedroom and special units are still available for purchase, and those are well in the 11 to 100 million price range--yikes!

Cuisine | Yakimix

2011-01-12T21:27:00.003+08:00

When my sister suggested sometime last month that we try out Yakimix for their eat-all-you-can buffet, I was hesitant at first because of the P580 cost (P499 on weekdays). But when we did get to actually try it out, it wasn't what I expected at all--it was much, much better.

The buffet area of Yakimix Tomas Morato

Yakimix's buffet consists of Japanese, Korean, and Cantonese cuisine, but I noticed that it was mostly Japanese, with an entire row of sushi for those who love it. The sushi area looked very appetizing, with sushi of all kinds piled and arranged neatly on containers that resembled little transparent stairways--I've never seen so much sushi in one place at one time, LOL.

There were three soups available, with one of those being sukiyaki that you can assemble yourself--select the ingredients first, then pour the steaming soup base over it. The other dishes available were shrimp tempura, which tended to disappear quickly because people usually hoarded tons of them on their plates (shame on those people, really); numerous Cantonese dishes which I didn't really try; plus some Pinoy staples that really didn't fit the cuisine like crispy pata and lechon kawali.

Two kinds of rice were also available: one plain steamed, the other fried, as well as numerous greens and salads--the kani salad was my favorite. And for dessert, there were many cakes, pies, pastries, fresh fruit, and an entire freezer with ice cream and frozen desserts, complete with lots of candy toppings for the ice cream.

But the best thing about Yakimix that made the dining experience more awesome was the smokeless grill set in the center of each table; I thought it was just a buffet, so having the grill there was an unexpected surprise. There was a lot of raw stuff available for grilling: an assortment of marinated meat and seafood, including Japanese spicy bacon, Korean peppered pork, red wine beef, garlic chicken, speared meat and veggies, shrimp, squid, and my favorites, asparagus spears rolled with pork and carrots rolled in beef strips.

Once I realized the more options offered by the grill, I ditched the rest of the buffet and concentrated solely on grilling, heh. The pork, beef, and chicken cooked quickly, almost had no oil, and best of all, they tasted incredible. Yakimix even had numerous sauces and garnishes that you could mix and match to make your own dipping sauce. Cooking with the grill is highly recommended and the Yakimix experience won't be complete without it.

I've read many horror stories about the terrible service of other Yakimix branches near the SM Mall of Asia and their newly-opened branch at TriNoma. The service may be bad elsewhere, but not here at the Tomas Morato branch--the service is great, and the staff is alert and very accommodating, constantly refilling drinks and clearing used dishes even without being asked.

We've gone back to Yakimix Tomas Morato several times since last month, and it's become our new favorite buffet place. Hopefully the yummy food and commendable service don't change any time soon.

Gaming | The Best of 2010

2011-01-03T20:42:00.012+08:00

I've changed my Best of Gaming list to the games I've played the most in 2010, rather than being limited to the games released in 2010 only. I take a lot of time with games nowadays; instead of buying the latest and just end up shelving it for later, I try to finish the games that I have now, and don't really care any more if it's old or new. After all, it's gaming time that matters the most to me, and if I don't spend a lot of time playing a particular game, then that game isn't really worth playing, LOL.

1. Fallout 3 [PS3]
My Game of the Year, never mind if it was released back in 2008. I usually avoid first-person shooters because they make me dizzy and nauseous but Fallout 3 changed all that; it actually cured me of my FPS motion sickness problem. Damned if I know what took me so long to play this game. Yup, the game has tons of glitches but everything else about it--the concept and story, plus the awesome 1940's-1950's music was compelling enough to keep me playing for hours on end, even coming to work with only about an hour's sleep in the process, heh. And then there's Dogmeat, which further took this game into the realm of pure awesomeness.

2. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable [PSP]
The PSP version of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 keeps almost everything from the PS2 version intact, and adds a new character that opens up additional possibilities. The result is an excellent portable translation that makes the experience more streamlined while retaining all the complex Persona gameplay of the original.

3. Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver [DS]
This is the definitive Pokemon game available for the Nintendo DS. With 493 Pokemon and a chance to revisit the Johto and Kanto regions, the games have more new features that make them practically almost endless, as well as an included Pokewalker accessory that literally lets you take your favorite Pokemon with you anywhere.

4. Fallout: New Vegas [PS3]
Not a true sequel to Fallout 3, but more like a supplementary adventure, Fallout: New Vegas uses the same engine and offers more new options. And as expected, it's as glitchy as Fallout 3 but has tons of content and the promise of upcoming material to keep you going through the Mojave Wasteland. No complaints here, heh.

5. Super Scribblenauts [DS]
The original Scribblenauts was brilliant, but was horribly flawed when it came to gameplay controls. This sequel corrected all the control issues and adds adjectives to its already huge database of words, and the result is a superb game that Scribblenauts was truly meant to be.

6. Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition [PS3]
This Gold Edition of Resident Evil 5 contains the same basic story, but it's the additional episodes and bonus content that stand out. Both of the new episodes feature the original RE heroine, Jill Valentine, and the extra features contain multiplayer modes and new costumes, making this the must-have version of the game.

7. Picross 3D [DS]
Picross was one of my best games of 2007, and remains a favorite to this day. This time around, Nintendo added a third dimension, resulting in even more complex-looking puzzles, yet still surprisingly simple and logical once you get the hang of it. Very addictive as always.

8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game [PS3]
It's the game that was everything the movie wasn't, mainly because it was fun. This glorious tribute to 2D side-scrolling battlers has amazing chiptune music and loads of cartoony violence, including bonus features that will make you want to play "just one more time"

9. Final Fantasy XIII [PS3]
One of the biggest hyped games in PS3 history finally gets a release, and was the long wait worth it? Yes and no. Yes, for the gorgeous visuals and combat mechanics. No, for the annoying characters and prolonged drama, and how the game took its sweet time to settle down. A disappointment, but still a must-have.

10. 3D Dot Game Heroes [PS3]
A great homage to 8-bit dungeon crawlers of the past, 3D Dot Game Heroes has a unique visual style of its own. Resembling a medieval RPG built entirely with LEGO bricks, the game lets you customize your own character and even lets you download character designs from other gamers.

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

2010-12-30T18:20:00.013+08:00

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

2010-12-27T15:25:00.006+08:00

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

2010-12-25T20:27:00.006+08:00

'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

2010-12-23T22:12:00.003+08:00

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

2010-12-20T20:34:00.007+08:00

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

2010-12-17T21:27:00.002+08:00

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

2010-12-05T20:53:00.009+08:00

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.

Film | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part 1

2010-11-28T19:13:00.002+08:00

Actually saw this last weekend, but only got around to posting this and other unfinished posts today. A recent WordPress project at work made me so lazy afterwards that I put off doing any writing after work for a week, LOL.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part 1 has the monumental task of setting up everything that's coming up in part 2, and it actually succeeds. The final book was perhaps the longest and thickest of them all, so splitting it into 2 movies was a brilliant idea.

The good thing about part 1: nearly everything. The split into 2 parts resulted in a near-perfect adaptation, coming close to the book as possible in many scenes and lines. Considering that about a third of the book featured Harry, Hermione, and Ron arguing inside a tent, the movie managed to pull it off quite well.

Compared to the previous films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part 1 is by far the darkest of them all. This time the three kids are entirely on their own as they search for Voldemort's Horcruxes, and they're mostly cut off from the rest, with no one to aid them when they need it. You can literally feel the sense of impending doom and descending darkness sweeping across everyone.

A standout in this movie is the stunning cinematography that seems to have exceeded the previous movie. I really enjoyed the scenes in which the tent would be simply shown among the scenic beauty of the English countryside; at times it felt like watching a travel documentary with magic bits inserted in, heh.

As usual, the roster of character actors reads like a who's who of the finest actors in Britain, and they all gave great performances, no matter if it's just a line or two. The three leads were exceptional, and you could really see how they've grown and matured through the years.

Now the bad thing about part 1: the abrupt ending, since it's a long wait for part 2 next year. Non-Potter fans who watch this film will also be thoroughly bewildered by everything that's happening, so watching the earlier movies is a must. At any rate, this is the best Harry Potter film in the series for me, and highly recommended. July 2011 can't come soon enough.

Goodbye, Junior

2010-11-25T22:07:00.008+08:00

It's never easy saying goodbye to a pet, and while Junior wasn't exactly what you would call a pet, we always considered him a part of our household. Junior was a cat, the son of Gray, who was one of the numerous stray cats who decided to stay in our place and call it home. We called him Junior because he looked exactly like Gray--a "junior version," so to speak.

Junior on his favorite chair

Unlike Gray's coat, which was mottled with gray-black stripes, Junior's coat was even closer in appearance to an Abyssinian cat, but in a darker shade of gray. When he was younger, he would frequently roll over several times when I snapped my fingers, something which endeared him to all of us at home.

He was quite the well-behaved cat, so quiet and relaxed, and seemed to prefer to just lounge around our place--the driveway, the garden furniture, near the fish pond, the rooftops, or in my aunt's dining room. One of his favorite habits was to enter our living room and sharpen his nails on our carpet by scratching it repeatedly, which both annoyed and amused my mom.

And one thing he did rather well was memorize the time I'd arrive from work; he and his brother Blackie would pose themselves right outside our front door and greeted me just as I entered our gate, which also doubled as a signal that it was my turn to feed them, heh. So then I'd feed them right afterwards.

We rarely see him venture far from the house, so when he goes missing for several days, we know something's wrong. Like the time he appeared one day limping with a sprain; he got over that in about several days. Or when he appeared with a nasty gash on his side; we cleaned him up, and he was as good as new after a week.

But when he went missing last weekend, we became worried. My nephew Patrick, who takes care of him the most, looked for him everywhere. Junior did come back after a few days, but he wasn't the same--he seemed sick and disinterested. Then he disappeared again; when I came home from work this week, only Blackie would come out and greet me; Junior was nowhere in sight.

We looked for him again, and after a couple of days, Patrick found him on the roof, dead. We buried him in the garden like we did his mom last year. We're still wondering what happened--he appeared to have been poisoned, probably ate a poisoned mouse or something from the neighbors.

That's why I really don't like poison as a form of pest extermination because there's always the chance that it will affect other animals, and look what just happened--we lost a good animal friend who never harmed anyone.

Man, I loved that cat, and I'm really going to miss him, particularly the way he greets me whenever I come home from work. We're comforted by the fact that he died at home and not somewhere else far away, but still--it's a sad and frustrating loss all the same. Goodbye, Junior!

Film | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

2010-11-19T21:37:00.010+08:00

First off, a pox on the local film distributors here who decided not to release this film in the theaters; had to wait for a Blu-ray release to finally see it. That said, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is one fun movie, but it's not without flaws.

Based on the black & white graphic novel digest series by Bryan Lee O'Malley that's published by Oni Press, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World draws heavily on pop culture and video game references, which means that anyone who's not into either of those will certainly be bewildered when they see this movie.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World goes right to the point by targeting their intended audience demographic, and during the film's marketing campaign earlier this year, it looked like they were successful--advance buzz was very encouraging, and the media hype was in full swing before the movie opened.

Then disaster struck; despite mostly positive reviews, the first week's showing was very disappointing, and the movie slid downhill from that point on. Which I think was partially responsible for the film distributors deciding not to release this here theatrically.

What could've happened to derail this movie from achieving box-office success? After watching it, I think I know. The film was an excellent adaptation of the graphic novels, and Edgar Wright did a superb job in bringing it to the big screen with awesome fight scenes and visual effects, plus good performances by its mostly young cast.

Except for one--Scott Pilgrim himself. Casting Michael Cera as Scott was perhaps the worst decision ever made by the production crew. No offense, Cera's a capable actor, but he's not suited for the lead character. He plays Scott Pilgrim with all the charm of a cardboard cutout, and he comes off as just annoying in most of the scenes, plus he looks even more girlier than Ramona, Knives, or his gay roommate.

As it is, I found it difficult to enjoy the movie with Cera as Scott Pilgrim, and I think that's what turned off most of the movie's target market as well. Another actor would've probably made a big difference, but it was not to be. Oh well, at least there's still the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game on the PS3 for me to enjoy.

TV | The Walking Dead

2010-11-16T22:19:00.005+08:00

Zombies. They're everywhere in popular culture, whether in movies or video games, and compared to vampires--which have been relegated to laughable caricatures no thanks to crap like Twilight and True Blood--zombies are a hell of a lot scarier.

As a big fan of the Resident Evil series of video games, I was of course looking forward to the TV series The Walking Dead on AMC, which was based on the ongoing comic book series by Robert Kirkman. The fact that Kirkman was co-executive producing the series along with acclaimed director Frank Darabont could only mean good things, so the series became a must-watch for me.

The Walking Dead did not disappoint, and the pilot had an excellent movie-like quality in terms of production values. It was a good homage to the George Romero zombie films, and infinitely superior to all the Resident Evil movies combined. The bad part? There are only 6 episodes for the entire season--maybe because AMC didn't expect it to become a hit?

The cast of The Walking Dead

The writing has been pretty solid so far, with the exception of a love triangle that seems prolonged and out of place; hopefully this kind of dreck will be gone next season. Next season? You betcha--they recently announced a renewal for a 2nd season of The Walking Dead, with 13 more episodes. October 2011 now seems like a long, long wait.

Music | Massive Attack - Protection

2010-11-13T19:17:00.003+08:00

Protection was a hit in 1995 for British musical act Massive Attack, who were notably the front runners of the emerging trip hop scene during the 1990's. The song was memorable for two things: one was the use of Everything But The Girl's lead singer Tracey Thorn on vocals, which in turn probably set EBTG on their new musical path, and the other memorable thing was its music video.

The video, directed by the amazing Michel Gondry, is a slow-moving visual treat that was shot in one continuous take, which is one of my favorite music video styles. It depicts a several story building with its tenants going about their daily lives. If you notice the odd way they all seem to be posed, it's because the entire set is actually on the floor, with most of the actors lying down.

Gondry, who's responsible for a lot of awesome videos that I like, employs most of his optical tricks here, from moving sets to mirrors, to screen projections and distorted perspectives. The result is one superb video, and a true classic.

Pokemon | LEGO Pikachu

2010-11-07T20:54:00.007+08:00

While LEGO doesn't really have any official and licensed tie-ups with Pokemon, it doesn't stop expert LEGO builders like Fredoichi from making their own Pokemon out of the iconic colored bricks. Case in point: this Pikachu, which has to be one of the most detailed builds I've seen, using stickers for some of the facial features.

Fredoichi is a Visual Designer and Art Director from the Netherlands, and makes awesome LEGO custom builds of mechas and other vehicles. He made this LEGO Pikachu for his little girl, and says he tried to make the best Pikachu possible. Well Fredo, you did it--excellent work!

[Photo is from Fredoichi's awesome flickr album]

Film | Red

2010-11-04T21:41:00.001+08:00

Bruce Willis movies have always been a mixed bag, but he does action films mostly right. Red was a winner right from the casting, where Willis is joined by the likes of Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Dame Helen Mirren, who all play retired CIA operatives.

When Frank Moses, the character of Willis, is targeted by a specialized hit squad, things go from bad to worse, which eventually results in chaos and lots of gunfire as Frank goes about trying to find out who's behind all this.

While Red primarily focuses on Frank as the main character, he's actually upstaged by the brilliant supporting cast. Malkovich is a hoot as the loony Marvin Boggs, and he almost steals the entire movie. But any movie that makes distinguished actress Helen Mirren shoot a number of firearms with seeming expertise is just awesome; in fact, seeing her wield a sniper rifle in the trailer was my primary reason for watching this movie, LOL.

Based on a series of comic books published by DC Comics, Red took a number of creative liberties with the original source material, but the end result is one enjoyable movie laced with lots of snide humor and snippy one-liners. I also liked the way the location cards are displayed, using postcards that one usually sees in tourist gift shops, heh.

With a talented cast, fine performances all around, and humor that doesn't let up, Red is one fun ride from beginning to end; definitely one of my best movies of this year.

Lost in Marikina

2010-10-30T19:46:00.011+08:00

Every time All Saints Day approaches, my sister, Mom and I visit my Dad's grave at Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina. Going to the cemetery in this country on November 1 is a stress-inducing nightmare that involves traffic, crowds, and chaos, so we usually try to avoid this madness by going at least several days early.

Eduardo Castrillo's The Redemption in Loyola Memorial Park, Marikina,
featuring huge sculptures of welded brass depicting The Last Supper

Earlier today, we set out just around 10:00am and headed for Marikina. For the past few years now, traffic to the cemetery is usually rerouted, going past the main entrance and through a side gate. The main entrance becomes the exit point, and routes going back to Quezon City pass through the Riverside Mall.

This year was different though--someone had the bright idea to turn the entire highway leading to the cemetery into a one way lane only, so upon leaving Loyola Memorial Park, we had no choice but to turn left, and further into Marikina. Now if you're going to reroute a major thoroughfare, there should at least be huge signs pointing to exits going to other routes, right? There weren't any, and we spent about an hour wandering aimlessly and not knowing where the hell we were going.

We stopped to ask directions from some MMDA people standing near a curb, and they did point us through the correct way, but when my sister asked them who was supposed to be putting up signs, they said it wasn't their responsibility, it was the city of Marikina who should've done that. Wow, I'm so impressed with the way government agencies coordinate with each other here, I could cry. What a load of bullcrap--did no one really think about putting up signs to exits when they planned this entire rerouting operation? Shit.

While we were on our unintended tour of Marikina, at one point we almost ran into a couple of cars going the wrong way on a one way street. Obviously we weren't the only ones who were lost. We had to ask directions from some residents one more time, and this time we ended up on a familiar roadway leading to Quezon City at long last.

I have to give Marikina and its residents some credit though; the streets we passed through were immaculately clean, with no litter whatsoever. On one street I actually saw a resident pick up some trash off the road and place it into a dustbin. But changing the previous rerouting plans without providing adequate signage is sheer stupidity. Why did they even bother to change the old rerouting plan, what was wrong with it in the first place? If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and those responsible for this reroute score a massive fail.

Gizmos | Special Edition Monster Hunter Portable 3rd PSP

2010-10-26T19:17:00.006+08:00

Japan really loves Monster Hunter. The game series that started on the PlayStation 2 has become legendary on the PSP, selling gazillions of copies and spawning other spin-off games that were released on the Wii and Xbox 360, including a PC MMORPG.

Realizing a cash cow when they see one, Capcom will be releasing yet another Monster Hunter for the PSP this December 1, 2010. And just like the previous game that had its own Special Edition PSP, this new game will also have a unique PSP.

The Special Edition Monster Hunter Portable 3rd PSP is a mostly black with gold trim PSP-3000. Aside from the monster brands adorning the unit, the things that make this PSP stand out from all the other PSPs are some hardware differences: The analog nub has a depression on it, making it easy to grip with your thumb; the speaker holes have been modified to look like Felyne footprints; and the back has an Extended Battery Pack installed, causing it to bulge slightly than usual.

Like the upcoming game, this PSP will be out in Japan on December 1, and will be sold separately, not part of a game bundle. No plans have been announced to bring this Special Edition Monster Hunter Portable 3rd PSP to other regions, I guess because the Monster Hunter series isn't really that big outside of Japan. Which is a crying shame, because this Special Edition PSP is probably one of the coolest PSPs I've ever seen.

Design | Gap Logo

2010-10-16T21:24:00.009+08:00

Sometime last week Gap, the well-known clothing retailer, unveiled a new logo, stating that it was time for a change. They probably didn't expect the backlash that followed, in which many asked, "what the hell was wrong with the old logo?"

The old logo was just a blue box with uppercase elongated white letters that spelled out the name and literally having gaps between them. The new one used a bold Helvetica black typeface in uppercase and lowercase, with the blue box reduced and superimposed on the top right corner of the letter p.

My initial reaction was "wtf???" It didn't make sense, and was so jarring compared to the old logo that my mind immediately associated it with the word "ugly." Apparently I wasn't the only one; reactions to the new logo were mostly negative--people hated it outright, prompting Gap to launch a Facebook page where they invited others to create their own logos--crowdsourcing, they called it.

It was a big mistake, as the designs submitted only pointed out all the more why the old logo was classic and superior in every way. The old logo was stylish no matter how you viewed it; the new logo, while more contemporary, just did not fit well with the product and brand image. It was like the ugly Nickelodeon redesign, except this time the complaints were louder.

Helvetica is a favorite typeface of mine--I use it frequently in design projects and in this blog's main title header--but it's not always suitable in some cases. Looking at the Gap website with the new logo, it resembled a JCPenney site, with JCPenney being the best example of a logo using Helvetica. However, unlike Gap's new logo, JCPenney wears the font rather well, and besides, they were first.

After one week, Gap announced that they were reverting to the old, iconic blue logo, admitting their mistake in handling the change. The firestorm eventually subsided, and the new logo will go down in history as one of the biggest logo design fails.

Pokemon | HORI Pikachu DSi Charge Stand

2010-10-11T21:52:00.005+08:00

Hori, that ever reliable maker of excellent 3rd party accessories for Sony & Nintendo consoles, has done it again. This time, they've made a charger for Nintendo DSis...in the form of a Pikachu.

The Pikachu DSi Charge Stand has the world's most famous Pokemon seated in front of a Pokeball. Just place the DSi on the top of the Pokeball to activate the charging process, and that's it...too bad its cheeks don't light up or anything.

Pikachu looks really adorable here though, and they couldn't have picked a more appropriate Pokemon to charge your DSi; somehow I can't imagine a Voltorb or Elekid having the same appeal, heh. Released in Japan just last September, the Pikachu DSi Charge Stand will be available at Amazon.com this December for $40, which is approximately P1,744.00--yikes!

While the charger will work for DSi LL (XL) models as well, older DS Lites and DS phats aren't compatible with it, awww. Expensive, but I want it just the same, even though I don't have a DSi...yet.

McDonald's Happy Meal Sasuke Toy

2010-10-09T21:00:00.008+08:00

Aside from their burgers, McDonald's is well known for their Happy Meals, and the toys that you can get from them. They've come out with lots of toys through the years, including some well-known franchises like Pokemon and Hello Kitty. Recently they came out with a Naruto set in Taiwan and Japan, and one toy in particular from that set went on to become some kind of national craze, particularly in Taiwan.

Said toy in question is the Sasuke toy. He's one of the supporting characters in Naruto, and the Happy Meal toy of him is supposed to flip over when you push his upper body forward, but it doesn't quite succeed. However, Sasuke has been discovered to do something else entirely--he can balance objects on his head.

The Sasuke toy balancing a Nintendo DS on its head

Balancing several cellphones...

a rice cooker...

From the various photographs posted, the Sasuke toy is quite adept in balancing all kinds of objects, like coins, mugs, swords, laptops, and more--even upside down. As more and more people discovered the toy's uncanny ability, people started flocking to McDonald's in droves just to get the toy, and it even made headline news in Taiwan.

an ASUS laptop...

a fishbowl...

even a hammer, upside down!

Quentin Lau has the full story on this unique toy over on his Daybreak's Bell blog, along with more photos. I don't really recall if that Naruto set has come out here yet, but if it ever does, I'm sure as hell going to get myself a Sasuke toy, LOL.

[Photos are from Quentin Lau's blog, gamme.com.tw, and from tarly110 of the Jorsindo Motor Club forum]

Gizmos | Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary DSi and DSi LL

2010-10-05T21:11:00.006+08:00

Nintendo is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. game this year with lots of Mario-themed releases, including two new Special Edition DSi and DSi LL models.

The Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary DSi and box

Since it's Mario we're talking about here, and his color of choice is red, the 2 new DSis are both red all over, the only difference being the top panel imprints. The DSi has Mario jumping over the camera, while the DSi LL has Toad, a Fire Flower, and a Power Star beside the camera.

The Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary DSi LL and box

As with previous other Special Edition DS versions, these DSis are seriously lacking in the creative department; it's like someone just took a marker and drew on the top of the DSi covers. The real collector's items here are the boxes, with the gold 25th Anniversary logo emblazoned on the front and those iconic, pixelated Super Mario characters strewn all over.

Both of these 25th Anniversary DSis will be out in Japan only on October 28, 2010. The DSi will be exclusively available at 7-11 outlets, while the DSi LL will be available everywhere else in Japan.

Music | Girls' Generation (SNSD) - Gee

2010-10-02T19:08:00.011+08:00

Someone recently sent me a link to a YouTube video that featured a chiptune version of a song titled Gee, which I initially mistook to be from a videogame. Turns out I was dead, dead wrong.

As I found out from Kotaku, the song is actually from a Korean pop group called Girls' Generation, also known as SNSD (an acronym for the group's Korean name). SNSD is unusual in the sense that it's a group composed of not three, not six, but nine 20-year old girls, which is probably the most number of group members I've seen in a musical act.

Since I never listen to the radio anymore, I have no freaking idea what's going on in the music world, but bubblegum K-pop is really not my thing, particularly after having my hearing assaulted repeatedly by this extremely annoying song called Nobody by The Wonder Girls, another K-pop girl group that became a big thing here last year.

Thankfully, Gee doesn't sound as grating as Nobody, and I actually like it, maybe it's because I heard the 8-bit rendition first, or maybe it's because there are hardly any English lyrics at all. If anything else, the song's melody is quite catchy, and thanks to the chiptune version, has been drilled into my head for the last week or so, a perfect example of Last Song Syndrome (LSS).

The 8-bit chiptune version

The original video is actually pleasant to watch, and you can't really argue with seeing a bunch of pretty girls dancing in perfect rhythm. They all look alike though, and even after watching the video several hundred times I still can't tell them apart, heh.

Gee was a massive hit in South Korea in 2009, and spent 9 weeks at the number 1 spot there; which is a week at #1 for each girl member, LOL. SNSD was also tapped as endorsers by Nintendo of Korea, and was featured in a series of commercials for the Nintendo DSi...and that's the gaming connection right there, hehe.