Neknek. Kenken.

Paradise Kiss 2011

2012-02-21T15:13:00.000+08:00

I used to really like watching Japanese movies/tv series but after consecutively watching several awful Japanese movies, I kind of lost my interest. I wasn't even aware there was a live action movie version of Paradise Kiss out last year. I decided to watch this one since I enjoyed reading the manga and watching the anime version before.

While watching the movie, one of my early complaints was the lack of romance between Yukari and George, but near the end of the film, I was glad they made it that way. It made the farewell scene between them all the more sad and heartbreaking. I was a bit bothered by the cheesy music used throughout the film (the anime soundtrack was really good though), as well as the weird catwalk modelling near the end. I'm not really in tune with the fashion world, but Yukari's walk didn't look very professional to me (actually, none of the other models did). Overall, I did have a bit of a good time watching.

New Layout and New Content

2012-02-17T09:25:00.000+08:00

Several pens that my sister owns. This is just the tip of the iceberg

I decided to use ditch my old blog layout and go with Blogger Dynamic Views instead for something new(ish). I love my old layout but the design has several pitfalls that I can not seem to fix (thumbnails has a tendency to distort pictures, social networking buttons for easy sharing of the posts are not working properly and the script must be added to each post manually, etc). And now I decided to give it a rest.

Also, I would be publishing new content within the next few days, mostly about pens. I've never been really picky with my pens. Also, my handwriting is bad (probably a result of lack of practice). But my sister loves pens, and has a bunch of them. Slowly, her interest in pens rubbed into me, and I'm starting to pay attention to a pens feel, grip, ink, etc. While it's a bit unusual to review and talk about pens in this age of computers, I think it's great subject that not too many people are into.

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

2012-02-03T09:02:00.004+08:00

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

I've watched the movie version of Battle Royale several years ago, but wasn't really interested in reading the novel until recently (after finishing The Hunger Games). I avoided reading the book since my knowledge with the Japanese language (and Kanji characters) aren't enough to read this in its pure form (I tend to avoid translated literature).

The story in Battle Royale takes place in a fictional world wherein Japan is a member of a totalitarian state called the Republic of Greater East Asia. Every year, 50 third year high school classes are selected to participate in the Program. Under the guise of a school trip, the students are brought to an isolated area, where the students are forced to kill each other until only one survives.

I had issues with the book, as I found some of the quips to be really cheesy. It was set in the 90's and it's virtually impossible for me to think about the 90's without cringing, so it was forgivable. Other than that I have no complaints. The plot structure and the character development in Battle Royale is amazing. The reasoning for the political setting is well defined, as well as the futility to combat the system. Also, the horror of turning against your classmates and friends is gripping. You can't help but think what if you are forced to do the same. Including the back story of the characters made them more likable and made me sadder the see them go. And I think I'm in love with Shogo Kawada. I wish the author, Koushun Takami would write more books.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

2012-02-02T20:40:00.004+08:00

The Hunger Games Trilogy

A dear friend of mine recommended The Hunger Games Trilogy to read, and having nothing else better to do, I did. Unfortunately, I didn't liked the books as I hoped I would.

The story starts off with Katniss Everdeen, a young girl living in District 12 of Panem. Katniss volunteered to take part in the Hunger Games in place of her younger sister, Prim. The Hunger Games is an annual event organized by The Capitol (rules and oversees the 12 districts of Panem) in which one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each of the districts are selected via lottery. The participants must kill each other and only one person can emerge a winner.

I've read many books that are derivative, but somehow, reading The Hunger Games bothered me a lot. The plot is eerily close to Battle Royale (and was reminded a bit of my beloved Firefly: Alliance = Panem, The Capitol = Core Planets, and Outlying Planets = 12 Districts). Another thing that bothered me was the lack of depth. After finishing the books, I had no idea what was the point in reading them. It's certainly not a love story, and the conflict with The Capitol and the 13 districts lacked breadth and resolution. I also have to mention that the lead characters are very uninteresting. If only I wasn't reading the trilogy from my Kindle, I would have hurled the books across the room from utter boredom. I really wished it wasn't written in the first person. The plot itself has the potential to turn out great, but seeing the story unfold through the eyes of Katniss Everdeen in my opinion, watered it down.

Disappearing Neighbors in Zombie Lane Fix (Google+)

2011-12-27T15:23:00.002+08:00

Are your neighbors in Zombie Lane except for Rob gone? I had the same problem about a week ago and contacted their customer support. Their solution didn't work. However, their suggested solution apparently works on other users, so I'm going to post it here anyway so you can try them first.

You can try the procedures in the above image first

1) In G+ open your Circles tab
2) Click on "People in your Circles"
3) Scroll through and look for a envelope icon on any of your G+ Circle friends (that icon means they don't have a G+ account, but you can share via email) Note those friends.
4) Open Zombie Lane and click on the "My Neighbors" tab
5) Remove any neighbors from step #3 above.
6) Reload Zombie Lane

Note: If you don't have your some of your neighbors in a current circle, to fix this bug you will need to re-add them temporarily to your circles and then check for the envelope icon.

This is all I got when I replied back and told them my neighbors are still gone after doing the steps they sent earlier

If you followed all the steps above, and still have no neighbors in-game, try the following steps that I did (open up the images for more clarifications)

1. Open Zombie Lane and click 'My Neighbors' Tab

2. Right click the 'Circles' tab in Google Plus and select 'Open link in new tab' (depends on your browser, but basically just open up your Circles in another tab).

3. Now that you have two tabs open (Zombie Lane and Circles), we can now proceed. Go to Zombie Lane, under the 'My Neighbors' tab, and copy the name of one of your neighbors.

4. Now go to your 'Circles', and click 'People who've added you'. Now paste the name that you copied earlier on the little search box there.

5. If a person is your neighbor in Zombie Lane, you should have them in your circles, and THEY should have you in their circles too. If they're listed as your neighbor in Zombie Lane, but they haven't added you in their circles, remove them as neighbor in Zombie Lane.

Here's how it should look like if your neighbor is IN your circles, and you are IN their circles:

Now, here's how it looks like when you've added them IN your circles but they HAVEN'T added you back

In cases like these, remove them from in Zombie Lane

6. Repeat all the steps 3-5 for all your neighbors found on your 'My Neighbors' tab in Zombie Lane. Feel free to double check (I missed some neighbors the first time I did this, so I had to do it all over again).

7. When you're done, hit the Refresh button on your browser, and your neighbors should now be there again. If they are still not there, hey, don't get mad at me. The steps above worked for me. Go pester their Customer Support.

I hope this helps!

Note: Other users says deleting the 'Pending Neighbor Request' also helps.

Gardens of Time now available at Google+ Games

2011-12-21T13:44:00.003+08:00

If you're like me and tired of all the 'build-a-city' games, then you'll be glad to know that Gardens of Time, a hidden object game is now available at Google+!

Of course it still retains some of the basic elements of a social game. You spend energy on playing different scenes and you need to pimp your garden to gain more 'reputation' to unlock places. Even if you repeatedly play a scene, there are one or two new items to find so you probably won't get that bored right away.

With everything said, I'm pretty much happy with this addition. Looking forward to more games to be added soon!

3 New Games at Google+

2011-12-17T09:17:00.001+08:00

There are 3 new games at Google+! They have added 8 Ball Multiplayer Pool, Backyard Monsters and GT Racing Motor Academy. This is probably one of the most exciting additions to me so far. I've been waiting for more casual games - since you could only play a certain number of strategy/build-a-city games before you get sick of them. So I'm really happy they added pool and racing!

However, my experience with the games aren't so smooth.

In 8 Ball Multiplayer Pool, you can play with random players or you can choose to play with your friends.

My problem is, you can't automatically see people in your circles that are online. You have to search their names :(

And you can't chat! There are pre-loaded phrases that you can use. Just click the speech bubble on your icon.

I was particularly very excited on trying GT Racing Motor Academy, but the game won't load D:

I am using the latest version of Chrome :(

My system is configured for optimal playing... apart from the video card :(

Must have been my video card, since I'm using an onboard one, but I can play other games just fine on this PC (Sims 3, Lord of the Rings Online, Sims Medieval etc.), so I can't wrap my brain around why it won't work here. Is sad.

Backyard Monsters seems like another 'build-a-city' game, so I didn't bother to delve on it too much.

Zombie Lane Holiday Update 2.2.1 (Google+)

2011-12-09T19:29:00.001+08:00

I was very surprised when I opened Zombie Lane today as there are a lot of updates. There are loads of new quests, new weapons, new zombies, new locations, even the town in covered in snow!

Here's a list of the updates (taken from the official Zombie Lane forum at Digital Chocolate):

New Features

• A new Adventure Area, Crash Site, is introduced

o When the player reaches level 20, a new mission, CONSPIRACY THEORY I is unlocked
o After this mission is completed, the Crash Site adventure area can be accessed by clicking on the green strip on the left side of the house
o The Crash Site contains a total of 26 missions including the CONSPIRACY THEORY I intro mission

• Two new zombies are introduced

o Hazmat Zombie
o 4 health
o Chance to drop Batteries, Oxygen Tanks or Hazardous Chemicals
o Secret Agent Zombie
o 6 health
o Chance to drop Batteries, Black Suitcases or Smartphones

• Exception: the Secret Agent Zombies spawned on the player’s own gamefield (for the mission CONSPIRACY THEORY I) do not drop any items

• The Crash Site includes a new feature, Darkness

o When the player first enters the adventure area, most of the area is covered by Darkness
o No zombies or objects except the Big Trees can be seen in the Darkness
o The player can’t walk in the Darkness
o Initially a small part of the gamefield is clear of Darkness
o After completing the mission CONSPIRACY THEORY IV the cleared area is expanded
o After completing the mission LET THERE BE LIGHT II he cleared area is expanded a second time
o After these missions the initial light area is no longer changed

• The player can clear parts of Darkness by activating Portable Floodlights

o Portable Floodlights are objects scattered around the gamefield
o Activating a Portable Floodlight requires an amount of Batteries
o Different Portable Floodlights can require different amounts of Batteries
o All zombies on the Crash Site have a chance to drop Batteries
o From the Activate the Floodlight pop-up, batteries can also be requested from friends or bought with Cash
o When the Portable Floodlight is activated, all Darkness is cleared from a radius of 15 tiles around the Portable Floodlight

The Godfather: Five Families - Now in Google+!

2011-12-07T18:26:00.002+08:00

The Godfather: Five Families

Inspired by one of the most iconic films in history, The Godfather Five Families game is now available in Google+! It was developed by Kabam, which brought us other social games like Edgeworld and Dragons of Atlantis.

You get to choose to play one of the Five Families, the Corleones, the Tattaglias, the Barzinis, the Cuneos, and the Straccis. I was about to choose the Corleones but it doesn't have a 7 day resource boost, unlike the other families. Maybe it's to prevent most of the players to choose the Corleones? Anyway, whatever family you choose, it won't really affect your gameplay much (except for the initial boost). I'm not a stranger to other Kabam games, but I did find the interface a bit confusing though the gameplay is very much similar to their other games. The graphics, while not the best, is still pretty good.

I'm not sure if this game would be able to capture a lot of users' interest for long.

New Google Plus Games + Major Google UI Update

2011-12-04T09:24:00.004+08:00

Bug Village

Gol Mania

A lot of things happened this week. Google Plus added two more games in their arsenal, Bug Village and Gol Mania. Also, Google rolled out their new UI this week. Not everybody is using the new interface yet, as Google plans to slowly make the new UI available to everyone. Ok! I'll start dissecting everything now.

Bug Village is a casual city building game, where you get to build and manage a colony of bugs. What really impressed me was the 3d graphics, which looks really sophisticated. You do have to download a small file (around 20mb) when you first try out the game, but it's worth it.

Gol Mania is a soccer game, where you get to play with other users in real time. I'm not a big sports fan, so I'm not really excited to try out the game. Plus, I had trouble connecting to the game because of my 'slow connection', and was advised to close other tabs or stop downloading. While it's reasonable, I didn't have any trouble playing other online games whilst browsing the net and downloading something, so it's a bit of a bummer.

Moving on to the new Google UI....

I have mixed emotions on this. At first, I thought the G+ black bar looks kind of bland, but it's functionality won me over. After scrolling down the bottom of the page, I can just click on the black bar to take me again on the top. With the new interface, clicking on the gray space with the Google logo on it will still take you to the top of the page. The new drop down feature looks good. It kinda feels like an OS.

How to make your Google+ Gaming easier

2011-11-27T14:15:00.002+08:00

When Google+ started to offer games, one feature that I would really like for them to add was to see game notifications and game stream updates separately for each game. After a while, it was tiring trying to sift through the game stream to click notifications for the games that I play, since it is inevitable to get notifications for games that I don't play that other people in my circles do. So I was really thankful when someone in my circle shared this Chrome extension, G+ Game Companion. It truly made my gaming experience in Google+ easier.

I have been using it for a while now, and I can't even remember when I installed it. Moments ago, I was curious on how many users this Chrome extension has, and was really surprised to see only around 2000 users. Believe me when I say this Chrome extension is really, really handy. Of course you'll need to use Google Chrome browser in order to install this extension.

G+ Game Companion Chrome Extension on the Chrome Web Store
Download Google Chrome Browser

Have fun playing!

5 new games at Google+

2011-11-24T13:41:00.000+08:00

More and more games are being added to Google+! There are five new games: Happy Kingdom, Uno Boost, Shadow Fight, Slotomania - Slot Machines and Millionaire City.

While I don't have the time to try out each of the new games (apart from Uno Boost, which I immediately tried out after seeing it available), I'm pretty happy with this. More games for everyone!

Neknek. Kenken. on Google Plus Pages

2011-11-12T13:51:00.001+08:00

The folks over at Google Plus rolled out the new 'Pages' feature earlier this week aimed for brands and businesses (similar to Facebook's Fan Pages). I think it's a pretty interesting move since G+ has a lot of cool features that business owners and brands that can take advantage of. Circles can provide an easier way to promote something to a specific group of customers and Hangouts allows a different sort of interactivity with the customers. It still needs a bit of tweaking, but this new feature definitely has promise.

Check out this blogs G+ Page below. Wouldn't hurt to +1 my page and add me to your circles :D

Neknek. Kenken. Official Google Plus Page

Resort World (Google+ Games) - Add Neighbors

2011-10-29T08:30:00.002+08:00

Resort World by Game Insight is the newest game on Google+. Basically you create your own virtual resort, and in true social game fashion, need to ask items from your neighbors to complete/unlock buildings.

While I haven't seen anything new with this game, it's quite enjoyable. It a bit reminiscent of the PC game 'Beach Life' by Deep Red Games that I used to enjoy many years ago. And I like how the game is open-ended due to not having any tasks to finish. That way I don't feel compelled to check in on the game several times a day.

I have been looking for online forums with 'Resort World Add Neighbors on Google Plus' and have been out of luck, so I'm creating this post. If you're looking for Resort World neighbors in Google Plus, just leave your link in the comment section below and I'll be sure to add you.

_________________________________________________

QUICK TIP FOR POSTING LINK TO GOOGLE+ PROFILE

- Click on your profile. If the link displayed is "https://plus.google.com/me/posts?hl=en" click 'View profile as' and choose 'Anyone on the web'. The link will then change, replacing 'me' from the link above into your Google+ Profile ID.
e.g.( https://plus.google.com/104760013833020779519/posts/)

Mirai Mechanism by Vividblaze

2011-10-24T19:34:00.006+08:00

I've just finished watching the first season of Culture Japan (which is currently on it's second season), and I just love the opening theme 'Mirai Mechanism' by Vividblaze.

Here's the romanized lyrics of the song (I took the liberty of changing the 'ha' to 'wa'). Not 100% sure about the proper spacing of the words. Just used this tool here to romanize it. For more information about this song (e.g. where to buy the track and the full credits) visit DannyChoo.com.

Mirai Mechanism

nani ka o suru no wa nan no tame ni daro
mitsukeyou kantan sa
kiro mega giga tera tari te nainda
koto da mashi bi

tattaima kodai uchuu kara bokura no te no nakani
soshite kizuite yuku no sa sekai `

' hi ' ' fu ' ' mi ' ' yo ' ' i ' ' mu ' ' na ' ' ya ' ' ko ' ' to '
mirai wa azukatta sugatana no sa ima kaesou
tsunagari no mahou kakete tsutsunde
aisuru anata no tame michi no tobira

joumon jin ga netto de boku o sagashi teru sagashi teru
rekuchā puroguramu 1 , 2 , 3 , kuria !

nani ka o suru no wa nan no tame ni daro
mitsukeyou kantan sa
peta ekusa zeta yota mada tari nai sa
koto da mashi bi

tattaima kodai uchuu kara bokura no te no nakani
soshite kizuite yuku no sa sekai

' hi ' ' fu ' ' mi ' ' yo ' ' i ' ' mu ' ' na ' ' ya ' ' ko ' ' to '

mirai wa azukatta sugata na no sa ima kaesou

tsunagari no mahou kake te tsutsun de

aisuru anata no tame hiraku tobira

heian jin ga netto de kimi o mitsuke ta yo mitsuke ta yo
makotoni yukai yukai na fuuraibou utatteru 3 , 2 , 1
utai tsuduke yo warera mo mina utat te wa tsunagatte itan da
joumon jin ga netto de boku ni tsutae ta yo tsutaeru yo

tattaima ugoki hajimeru bokura no merodī ga
soshite kanaderu no sa koko de

' hi ' ' fu ' ' mi ' ' yo ' ' i ' ' mu ' ' na ' ' ya ' ' ko ' ' to '
mirai wa azukatta sugata na no sa ima kaesou
tsunagari no mahou kakete tsutsun de
aisuru anata to iko u fune ni not te

gendai jin no bokura no sukiru mugen da yo mugen da yo
makotoni yukai yukai na shourai o issei ni 3 , 2 , 1
utai tsuduke yo warera mo mina utat te wa tsunagat te itan da
joumon jin ga netto de boku o sagashi teru sagashi teru

Freaks and Geeks (1999)

2011-10-18T08:36:00.002+08:00

Freaks and Geeks is a 1999 American teen comedy-drama television series. The story revolves around siblings Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) and Sam Weir (John Francis Daley) and their friends. Lindsay is with the 'freaks' - Daniel Desario (James Franco), Ken Miller (Seth Rogen), Nick Andopolis (Jason Segel), and Kim Kelly (Busy Philipps). Sam is with the 'geeks' - Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine) and Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr).

I originally wanted to watch this show because of the raves that I keep on reading. Also, the cast was surprisingly good (would be interesting to see James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel on their early days). This is one of the TV series that you have to finish before you'll realize how beautiful it is. I couldn't help but feel sad as I finished watching the last episode. I truly felt as if I'm parting with a friend. I really want to know what will happen to everyone since most of the freaks and the geeks grew up so much from their original characters at the end of the series.

New and Improved Solitaire on OMGPOP!

2011-10-14T14:04:00.001+08:00

Yay for more space!

I made quick comments about the Solitaire game on OMGPOP more than a month ago here.

I'm so glad to say that the issue that I had with the game is now modified! You can now close the chat window, leaving ample space for the cards! I'm not sure if it's just me though, but the cards look kinda blurry.

Here's the full list of the modifications done by OMGPOP with Solitaire (taken from the official thread in the OMGPOP forums)

-You now actually get some XP for winning a game!
-You can now close chat using the X right above it, if you want to feel really alone.
-Cards should now use up more of the open space on the screen, making them easier to read. Especially when chat is closed.
-At the end of a game, you are now prompted with starting a new game.
-The fancy effects are off by default. Now your computer won't get a heart attack.
-Also some other minor bug fixes that you probably won't notice. It's okay, we'll get over it.

If you don't have an account on OMGPOP yet, go sign up! It's fun and it's free!

10,000 Free Round-Trip Tickets to Japan in 2012 Cancelled

2011-10-12T07:01:00.008+08:00

Japan Tourism Agency proposes to give away 10,000 free tickets to Japan

Update:

This is a sad, but apparently, the project entitled 'Fly to Japan!' wherein the Japan Tourism Agency gives out 10,000 free tickets was not approved as part of the governmental draft budget for 2012.

Read the article for the official announcement here:

http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/en/page08_000020.html

_____________________________________________________

UPDATE:

I saw a post on Danny Choo's blog that Japan Tourism Agency's Commissioner Hiroshi Mizohata confirmed his plans to invite 10000 foreigners to Japan. Again, they would focus on choosing people who have certain influence on social media website (such as Facebook, Twiter) and bloggers.

Applications will start at summer 2012.

To those who are interested in applying, better start blogging/tweeting to gather more followers. I think, the more presence you have on the internet, the better chances you have at getting chosen.

Watch this space as I will update this post again when I get more information.

____________________________________________________________

Japan's Tourism Agency proposed to give away 10,000 round trip tickets to Japan next year.

The number of visitors to Japan has dropped on an alarming rate. To lure more tourists, the agency hopes to "get highly influential blogger-types, and others who can spread the word that Japan is a safe place to visit,” said Kazuyoshi Sato. Japan's Tourism Agency is requesting a billion yen to pay for the campaign. If approved, the tourism agency will open a website where interested individuals can apply by April next year. Those 10,000 lucky people would be required to document their travel experience and post it online.

I am very excited for this bit of news. Despite the earthquakes and the nuclear scare, I'm still very willing to go to Japan. I'm sure a lot of people would still want to visit Japan too. I hope this would push through since I believe it would benefit both Japan and all the would-be visitors. Since this matter is still on debate, I advise those who are interested to visit the Japan Tourism Agency Website for further announcements.

Also, see this article on the Japan Tourism Agency Website regarding the free tickets. Apparently the are reports of fraud in some countries related to this matter. Keep in mind that as of now, the free tickets are still being decided, and if approved would be announced by March-April next year (2012).

Nong Shim Chajang Chapagetti

2011-10-08T06:22:00.001+08:00

I've always wanted to try how Chajangmyun (Jjajangmyun) tastes like. I've been meaning to go to a Korean restaurant to try authentic Chajangmyun but it looks like I won't be able to go restaurant hopping for a while. I went to the mall yesterday to buy new books to read and to do some grocery shopping and I was very happy to see a packet of Nong Shim Chajang Chapagetti (somehow, the word Chapagetti never fails to bring a grin to my face) alongside my favorite Korean instant noodles (Shin Ramyun), so I bought one.

I decided to eat Chapagetti for dinner. It didn't tasted like how I imagined it would be. The taste was so much milder than I expected. I always thought it would be a bit saltier and would have hints of pork flavor (since I was watching a few video instructions on how to cook Chajangmyun before, and on all the recipes I've watched they all have pork on it). I later found out whilst googling Chapagetti, it's a vegetarian dish (so maybe that's why there's no hint of pork).

Overall, I still enjoyed eating it (but probably because I was starving yesterday since I had din-dins waaay much past my usual dinnertime). I was hoping the price of Chapagetti would go down a bit (it's almost twice the price of a packet of Shin Ramyun), maybe I'll buy it more often.

Why I love Google Plus

2011-10-05T07:54:00.001+08:00

About a week before my birthday, I got an invite to join Google+. I signed up for it, but I admit I wasn't on the site often because not a lot of people that I personally know are using it. I had just started going frequently on the site when they launched games, but it didn't took me long to realize how much I actually love using Google+.

Games

You know how your news feed on Facebook tends to be cluttered with games/app stories from your friends? I've blocked a lot of apps to minimize the clutter on my news feed, but the games/apps that I use still take much space on the news feed. On Google+, game posts are found under the games page, so your main stream isn't bombarded with game feeds.

Circles

Sure you can categorize your 'friends' in other social networking sites but Google+ made sharing content and adding people into different circles for its users such a breeze. Adding people into a circle can be done with a single click. And when you want to add a person into multiple circles, you just have to drag and drop.

Stream

Content from the people in your circles are also separated by circle in the stream. You can follow or add loads of people like celebrities or public figures in your 'Following' circle or add random people into a circle for a specific G+ game without worrying that their posts would 'drown' content from family and real life friends (because you can add them to a specific circle too). Another feature in the stream that I also really like is 'incoming'. Posts from people who added you in a circle but you haven't added back will show up there.

Community

I don't know why, but so far the people I've added on my circles has been amazing. This is the first time I felt a true sense of community with strangers on a social networking site (apart from online forums).

Google

I think because Google+ is relatively new, Google is still all ears on what the users have to say. Minor updates to improve the Google+ experience has all been a delight so far. Even the sending feedback is really good (as it automatically takes a screenshot on a page that you have a problem/suggestion with and the option to highlight or blackout a specific area). And of course, I love Google for coming up with Google+!

Swapples Challenge - Extended!

2011-10-05T05:26:00.002+08:00

Good news everyone (in Professor Farnsworths' voice)! Due to popular demand, you can get the Swapple Themed Frames until November 1! I myself haven't completed the Swapple Themed Frames, so thank you OMGPOP!

Again, all you need to do is to complete the missions below:

Animated Rainbow Gem Frame - Complete ALL the below missions.
Fiery Frame - Play 20 games of Typow
Dropple Frame - Play 20 games of each Missile Command, Blockles, and Ballracer
Leafy Frame - Play 10 games of Jigsawce, Gemmers, and Putt Putt Penguin
Flameo Frame - Play 300 games of Balloono
Splashy Frame - Play 100 games of Draw My Thing
Leafer Frame - Play 200 games of Pool
Ghostie Frame - Play 50 games of Swapples
Bolty Frame - Play 5 games of each Hover Kart Racing, Hover Kart Battle, and Hover Kart Party
Cloudie Frame - Play 5 games of each Booya, Checkers, and FourPlay
Lovey Frame - Play 50 games of Sky Pigs
Soulie Frame - Play 90 games of Letterblox
Bolto Frame - Play 30 games of Fleet Fighter
Stormie Frame - Play 150 games of Dinglepop
Lovels Frame - Play 500 games of Swapples

To check your stats, click on your public profile and select 'Arcade Stats'. You should see how many times have you played certain game on that page. Remember, all your gameplays before the challenge started doesn't count. If you don't have an account there yet, go sign up! It's fun and it's free!

92.3 NewsFM

2011-10-01T08:32:00.001+08:00

I just want to take time to thank TV5 for coming up with 92.3 NewsFM - The first news and commentary station in the FM Band.

It was launched almost a year ago, but I don't really listen much to the local FM Radio scene, so I was completely oblivious about it.

When typhoon Pedring was on its peak last September 27, I was part of the 1.9 million households to lose electricity. Our wireless broadband platform was securely bolted on our fourth floor roof top but the terrible winds dislodged it from its place and sent it crashing to the ground floor. I immediately knew I wouldn't get to use the internet on my desktop for several days. Flood was slowly rising, threatening to reach our house that's built much higher up than most homes in our vicinity (thank God it didn't reach our house but my neighbors aren't as lucky).

With no electricity, it was pretty unnerving to just sit and wait for the storm to pass.

We were using my sister's mobile phone to access the internet (because her carrier had a much stable connection) to get news. I turned on the radio on my mobile phone expecting to hear news updates from radio stations, but was pissed since all I heard were a slew of annoying pop songs - until I chanced upon 92.3 NewsFM. So again, thank you 92.3 NewsFM. Bringing news to the FM band is much appreciated :]

KFC Online Delivery

2011-10-01T08:23:00.001+08:00

I suddenly wanted to eat KFC for dinner, so I went to their official website to look at their menu so I won't spend much time looking at the menu when I get there. I saw the link to their new online delivery website and was pleasantly surprised since I didn't know they started offering an online delivery service.I decided to try it out.

Ordering through the website was a breeze. Although there was a bug (?). When I tried ordering a 2pc. chicken meal, it doesn't add to my cart, but when I made the quantity 2, it pushed through (but the quantity on the cart indicated that I ordered just one). I just hope that they'll add a login feature so I won't have to enter my details again when I order in the future.

I got the confirmation call on my cellphone a few minutes after and was told to expect my order within 30 minutes. However, a representative of the KFC branch processing my order sent me a text message saying that my order would be delivered 10 minutes later than planned.

My order arrived approximately 40 minutes later. I'm really glad that KFC PH finally built an online delivery website. Was getting sick of ordering Mcdonalds/Jollibee/Pizza Hut every time I don't have the strength and will to cook dinner. I hope other fastfood chains will follow suits.


2pc. Chicken meal and a bucket of fries

New Facebook Timeline Profile

2011-09-25T09:17:00.004+08:00

blurred out certain elements

So I'm currently using the new Timeline profile on Facebook.

Click here to see a bigger picture of the new Facebook profile (though I had to cut the length of the image).

Note that it doesn't look very attractive, but that's probably because the pictures on my wall sucks. I've seen it live on other profiles, and they look great. I like it.

A lot of people are tired of the constant updates/revamps in Facebook and are thinking of stopping the use of the service but the new Timeline has the opposite effect on me. This is actually the first time I'm enticed with the idea of using Facebook. As you can see from my wall posts above, I mainly use Facebook just for the games. I don't really share or do anything too personal on Facebook. The new Timeline profile feels like a scrapbook and will make backtracking posts easier now (as opposed to clicking "Older Posts" since the months/years are archived on the right side of the profile). I also like the cover feature (enabling you to place some sort of banner picture on your profile). It adds a bit of personality on your profile without going overboard (Unlike the HTML/CSS customizable profiles on other social networking sites. I remember getting annoyed on some profiles on Friendster and Myspace profiles that were crawling with animated gif's, background music, and videos).

The new Timeline is brimming with possibilities. I'm looking forward to see my friend's Timeline profile when Facebook starts to make this available to all users.

The Adventures of Merlin Season 4 (BBC)

2011-09-21T09:27:00.001+08:00

From Merlin's Keep: http://farfarawaysite.com/merlin/

The premiere for the fourth season of The Adventures of Merlin is finally near! On the official BBC site, it is indicated that the new season will be shown every Saturday this coming October. The rumored air date is on October 1st in the U.K. (Folks in the U.K. are so lucky!!). Earlier this year, it was revealed that the new season would contain the usual 13 episodes (it was originally announced that only 10 episodes would be made due to budget cuts). It is also confirmed that a fifth season has been commissioned by the BBC.

I had to calm myself down as I was starting to write this post. After reading this wiki page (WARNING: SPOILERS CAN BE FOUND ON THIS LINK. DON'T CLICK IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED. http://merlin.wikia.com/wiki/Series_4), I couldn't help but be very very excited to watch the new season. Although I'm a bit worried about the new season. I have no doubts that it would be action packed and well written, but the new season is going to be darker and mature than the previous seasons. While I'm all for gore and violence, one thing that I loved about this show was how light, funny and enjoyable it was.Well, the new season isn't out yet, so I should just probably wait and see how this one goes.

Here is the official trailer of the fourth season of Merlin by BBC:

BBC Official Merlin Season 4 Trailer