Webster Twelb

Hiya Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:29:00 +0000

I can't believe how long it has been since I last blogged here, oh my it's been like forever...

What's my news?

(1) We're joining another marathon, the TIMEX RUN. OMG! Piolo is going to be there! PIOLO! And well my lot will be running in the 3K and Papa P will be on the 5K, just so you know. Wahhhh! A costly marathon but if Piolo's going to be there, it's worth it.

(2) It's sunny. Ain't that great?

(3) My Singapore Trip is a few weeks away...wow...time really flies.

(4) It's my sister Jeri's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(5) I've finally got a watch, Yey! Dream come true...ahahhaha...

(6) Went to PhilHealth yesterday and found out I can't get an ID because I do not have a number. How crappy is that? After 2 years of working and salary deduction...where the heck's my money going?

(7) Jeri bought her first ever netbook, a Lenovo S10-2, which I'm using now. JUDGMENT: So far so good.

(8) I shouted at the security guard in our office...well I always wonder why he has to search us as if we're criminals (THIEVES!). Oh well, sorry kuya, I lack sleep...napagbuntunan ka.

(9) I am volunteering for Red Cross..

(10) I am reading THE BFG by Roald Dahl, it's really great...hope I can make a review soon.

(11) We weren't flooded. Lucky us and well for the others, my prayers goes out to them.

And well..I guess that's just about it for today.

Take care everyone...

Webbie is now officially...

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:41:00 +0000

A HANNAH MONTANA/MILEY CYRUS FAN.

Rock on!!!

BookLovers Meme (2)

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Here's a list of books you may or may have not read (or even desired to read). Here are the rules:

- Bold the ones you’ve read
- Italicize the ones you want to read
- Leave unaltered the ones that you aren’t interested in or haven’t heard of

Here it goes:

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (JRR Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (JRR Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (JRR Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (JK Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (JK Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (JK Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (JK Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (George Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (F Scott Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (JK Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
68. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
69. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
70. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
71. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
72. Shogun (James Clavell)
73. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
74. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
75. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
76. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
77. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
78. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
79. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
80. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
81. Of Mice And Men (John Steinbeck)
82. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
83. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
84. Emma (Jane Austen)
85. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
86. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
87. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
88. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
89. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
90. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
91. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
92. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
93. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
94. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
95. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
96. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
97. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
98. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
99. Ulysses (James Joyce)

TOTAL BOOKS READ FROM THIS MEME: 16

Well not too bad, I guess.

If you've noticed there are a lot of books on the list that were left unaltered especially bestsellers like Dan Brown and Tolkien, and great writers such as Dickens and Marquez. It doesn't mean I don't like them, it simply means they don't click with me yet.

I've got to make Jane Austen an example, I had a copy of Emma for ages, I've read a couple of pages then eventually put it down. Then I got hold of Pride of Prejudice (the character of Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail reads it every year, it must be good) then to my surprise I'd loved it. Then re-read Emma, it was totally awesome.

I have a couple of Dickens on my collection I am hoping to read it in the very near future.

How many have you read on this list?

Source: Laelaps

Sorority Life

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:25:00 +0000

I need a couple more sisters. So if you have FB and you're playing this, add me up.

E-mail add: webster128887@hotmail.com

And for those who want to have more friends, and if you want me to add you, kindly post your e-mail address by posting a comment.

Thanks! Looking forward in joining your houses.

BookLovers Meme (1)

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:13:00 +0000

1. What author do you own the most books by?

Hmnp...Let's see, I owned 4 of Jane Austen's, 6 of Edith Wharton's, and well I probably own different novels by only one author. At this moment, it's just hard to tell.

2. What book do you own the most copies of?

I've 2 copies of Henry IV (I think) by Will Shakespeare, 2 copies of The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton besides that I do not remember.

3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?

I did not even notice.

4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

Mr. Darcy...ahahahahaha, I've always thought it was Edward Cullen but no, it's Mr. Darcy.

5. What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children)?

Hmmmnp, I've read Pride and Prejudice 3 times.

6. What was your favourite book when you were ten years old?

I did not read when I was 10.

7. What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

I do not remember what I've read last year but I recently finished History Begins at Sumer by Samuel Noah Kramer, it was not that fanstastic and I do not like the idea that the author was not very open-minded. Him saying that the belief of the ancient people in gods and goddesses is rather irrational and shallow minded for an archeologist/learned man. I understand he is a man of his time, God or Jesus is rational.

8. What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury which I actually finished earlier this year and it was just A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?

Either Fahrenheit 451 or The Martian Chronicles both by Ray Bradbury.

10. Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?

I'm not really sure. I'm not very updated with current writers, I was thinking Doris Lessing but she already won in 2007.

11. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

12. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?

Malinche by Laura Esquivel.

13. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

The Republic by Plato (I kept having a terrible headache while reading it, so I did not finish the book.)

14. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?

Shakespeare.

Austen or Eliot?

Austen.

15. What is your favorite book?

That's just hard to say but I always write that it's Pride and Prejudice but seriously everytime I finish a book and was altogether satisfied, I would say to myself "This is my favorite book" or "This is the best book ever."

16.Let me give you a list of some of my favorite books:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Emma by Jane Austen

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Etc...Etc...Etc...

17. What is your favorite play?

Easy, that would be Romeo and Juliet.

18. Poem?

Hmnp...I just can't pick one. There are just too many good poems out there. Here's a few:

Renascence by Edna St. Vincent-Millay
Stolen Child by W.E.B. Yeats

Anabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe

I'm Nobody by Emily Dickinson

Mamzelle

How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The First Fig by Edna St. Vincent-Millay

The Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Etc...

19. Essay?

Of Studies by Francis Bacon and On Friendship by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

20. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?

Stephanie Meyer, don't you think so?

21. What is your desert island book?

How to Survive Alone in an Island for Dummies, if there's such a book.

22. And . . . what are you reading right now?

Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

TAGGING:

Grace from Caustic Thoughts
Julius from Soloden

Catherine from Somewhere Here

Please free to copy this meme and let me know once you posted yours.

Thanks!

False Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 07:43:00 +0000

Was there ever a moment in your life that you were watching a quiz show and you were able to answer most, if not all, of the questions and then the person you're watching the show with says, "You've seen that, haven't you?."?

Or

You were playing Neves or Tanagram Mania and the person watching you play says, "You've played that game, haven't you?."

Or

One of your friends is reporting in class then she asked the class a question, you raised your hand and answered. It was correct. Then the person sitting right next to you says, "She told you the answer, didn't she?"

I don't know about you people but I think this kind of comments are rather insulting. Am I that stupid to not know the answer or figure out the tanagram? (They were easy..something I've learned in books, in reading over the net or have seen on TV).

Or this may have happened to you:

Before passing a report you asked your friend to proofread it. After reading you ask your friend what she thinks of it, she said "It's good, where did you copy it?"

Where in fact it's an original and you spent 5 hours in front of the PC reading materials to help you make your report.

Has any of these situations happened to you?

"You're the 1, Goldilocks!"

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:02:00 +0000

Since I was a kid, Goldilocks has been a part of my life. I love eating sweets and pastries. When I was young, I remember my aunt always coming home with a bag of polvoron and other treats for me and my sisters.

Sundays at Goldilocks was also a memorable part of my childhood. I remember my parents ordering their delicious lumpiang sariwa every time we had our lunch there.

Goldilocks sells a wide variety of food from viands to pastries, but for me, Goldilocks would always mean one thing… SCRUMPTIOUS CAKES!

I rarely celebrate my birth. I’m 19 and I’ve only celebrated my birthday trice in my life, when I was a year old, when I turned 7 and 10. After my tenth birth, people barely remember my birthday…it came to a point that even my parents forgot that it was my birthday, it’s sad but true.

[ My 7th birthday]

[A picture with my older sisters Japi (left) and Jeri (right), I had a big chocolate cake for this special occasion ‘coz it’s the same day of my recognition day where I was the first honor in class… YUMMY CHOCOCAKE!]

[ This is the picture taken from my photo album… I wasn’t able to scan it ‘coz we don’t have a scanner :(]

My 7th birthday was probably the last time I had a cake for my birthday before I turned 19. When I turned 18 (the same day my sister graduated from college), when most girls would have their grandest birthday ever, I don’t even got the chance to have even the smallest cake… but fortunately I got the chance to visit the Manila Ocean Park!

[At the Manila Ocean Park. (From left) Tatay, Nanay, me, Jeri and Ate]

Last March 31st, my 19th birthday was so much like my other birthdays… just an ordinary day. I never even got the chance to eat spaghetti ‘coz my mother was not in the mood to cook anything. It’s kind of disappointing ‘coz she always cooks spaghetti for our ‘merienda’ and she doesn’t even want to cook it for my birthday. And so, the day almost gone by unnoticed…ALMOST! Until around 7 or 8pm when my sister, Jeri, came home from work with this cake (pictured). It’s the smallest… tiniest cake ever and it’s not chocolate (my favorite)… but it’s the SWEETEST cake I’ve ever had for quite a long time.

You’re the 1 Goldilocks! Because you made my birthday possible, even without a party or lots of food, a single cake is more than enough to make me feel special on the most important day of my life… Thank you so much!!!

Gaano Kita Kamahal

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:34:00 +0000

Hopefully some of you were able to see this show earlier. Does anybody else, aside from me, thinks that Maricar Reyes acts so well in this YourSong special?

Hopefully you've seen it.

Earlier this week I had an idea that a lot of people will be tuning in just to see this girl. I will assume everyone knows the story already. I was also thinking, Will every time we see her on TV, will we ever forget that she's in that Hayden Kho sex videos?

She was there? They said she was. HOPEFULLY people would think of her as this new actress on ABS, a new upcoming star. SHE'S AWESOME IN GAANO KITA KAMAHAL. Don't you think she's pretty? Elegant looking? and that her eyes are so expressive?

She's a star in the making. And I'm happy that she's with ABS-CBN, KAPAMILYA TAYO SIEMPRE!

But of course this show is not all about her, this show boast a powerhouse cast of young actors, including Sid Lucero (Yey, Sid!-I'm a huge fan! MAster Kung!) and Jodi Sta. Maria-Lacson (I'm also a fan!!). Wonder what will happen to the story. Will Annie and Obet be together? Can't wait for the next episode.

Cheers!

WHAT WAS MY PASSWORD AGAIN?

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:41:00 +0000

I do not know about you people but when it comes to remembering passwords i'm the worst. Probably the few account that I can remember what my password was would be my e-mail accounts and my PC log-in.

It's easy to remember those. But when it comes to my Twitter, Facebook, Friendster, BlogCatalog and some downloading site I cannot remember them. I tried to write all of them on a paper but the problem was I usually misplace the paper and end up not finding it at all.

Tell me, what do you guys do to keep or remember your passwords.

SmartBro Sigh

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:28:00 +0000

This post was written 7/3/09:

A computer is not a computer unless it has an internet, according to me. Seriously what else is there to do with your PC when you don't have an internet?

No FaceBook,
Shoot!
Can't Twit,
Dang!
Can't e-mail,
Air please.

*Sobs*

I had my Friday planned to roam around the net but unfortunately I'm one unlucky shit that we did not have an internet. Why? We owe the frekin' SMARTBRO about 3K. I kind of thought someone already paid the previous balance of 2K, I remember giving 2K earlier this frekin' week. As you can see I'm not frekin' happy right now. Whenever I plan everything should go the way I planned it, I hate wasting my freakin' time, I hate being able to move it and do it some other freakin' time.

(Yes, I know that not everything goes our way.)

I'm not happy that I called SMARTBRO and I waited for a long time for a customer service rep to talk to me. I'm not happy that when I asked our freakin' balance it's still almost 3K. I'm not happy that I could've bought glasses with that money but instead paid the freckin' internet bill w/ an internet connection that suck! That has a customer service that suck!

Es la vida. We want internet and this is the only good option (too bad!) we have here. We're going to inquire w/ GLOBE, I trust Globe more than SMARTBRO.

Argh!!!!!!

I was going to have a contest and they ruined it!

(AM I THINKING WHAT YOU'RE THINKING? "If you pay your bills on time this would not have happened.")

SPACE INVADERS EXTREME

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:25:00 +0000

When I got this game I had the impression it's going to be the same as SPACE IMPACT. Not sure if you guys are aware of that game, if not it's one of the games you can play in the old Nokia celphones (the NOT colored Nokia celphones). I used to play that game a long long time ago.

Space Invader Extreme works almost the same way. You need to clear the aliens and defeat the boss to get to the next stage.

This game is a classic game that is able to complete in the modern gaming world. I absolutely love the graphics and the sound. At first the game play is a little confusing (No Tutorial, I hate tutorials unless I'm desperate). Once I figured out how it works I totally appreciated the game.

When I cleared staged 2 I was able to open the STAGE SELECT mode. You can choose which stage to play so long as that stage is already unlocked/cleared. If you kind of feel like stopping but worried that you'll start at stage 1 again (NO!!!!!!!), don't be because once you open the game you'll be asked if you want to continue and you'll be able to start at the stage you left off. Cool!

If you're playing the ARCADE MODE I wouldn't advise skipping a stage. Remember that you need as much points as you can here (this is the part where I get frustrated, the highest scored I have so far is 1,600,000 +++, which sucks-I know).

What's your highest score so far in S.I.E?

All and all this game exceeded my expectations. An outstanding good ol' game from Taito!

JUDGMENT

GRAPHICS: 5/5
SOUNDS: 5/5
GAMEPLAY: 5/5

Busy Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:18:00 +0000

SATURDAY

We celebrated DIA DEL E at the Instituto Cervantes. This wasn't the first time I attended an event at the Instituto, back in April we celebrated DIA DEL LIBRO which was absolutely fantastic but since I didn't have any money I didn't enjoy it much (ahahahaha).

But anyway the celebration of the DIA DEL E was fun. There were a lot of games and prizes, not to mention food. The official start of the feast was a message from the director of the Instituto. Afterwards a shower of confetti and balloons followed. There were also several canyons charged with confettis.

We stayed for a while and ate. I just want to say muchos gracias to Amor and Paolo for treating me to a wonderful lunch.

I'll definitely look forward to the next event in Instituto Cervantes and hopefully I can see some of you there.

SUNDAY

I had to wake up early last Sunday. Why? Because I had to go to a marathon. It's a company marathon opened to employees and non-employees.

My friend Paw and I joined the 5 km run. The marathon was really fun, a first for both of us. We didn't win though but it's as if we already won because we actually FINISHED THE 5 KM. Imagine that! It's something I've never done and I'm sure it's the same for her.

I'm Watching...

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:24:00 +0000

...FATED TO LOVE YOU in www.mysoju.com

Episode 4 na ko. And loving it! ^_^

Do you think BOF star Lee Min Ho underwent plastic surgery?

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Lee Min Ho, a Korean star who rose to fame in the hit Korean drama "Boys Over Flowers," has recently been talked about by many due to an alleged nose-job (and probably some eye-lid surgery as well). Many LMH fans denied that he had gone under the knife, some did acknowledge the differences that they had observed seeing him rise through his stardom… but in the end, we have to see it to believe it!

So, here’s some pictures and tell us what you think!

StudySpanish.com

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:50:00 +0000

There are a lot of websites on the internet that offers free Spanish lessons. I've mentioned the following sites before:

> SpanishDict
> LiveMocha
> SpanishPod
> BBC

There is another site that I forgot to mention, StudySpanish.com. I was aware that this site is the first site that shows up whenever you type in google LEARN SPANISH ONLINE FOR FREE. But previously I was not keen on going to this site. Why? It was lame, the lay-out was lame and I felt like there's so little information over this website. But after a couple of months of not going to that site I was able to discover that StudySpanish.com had undergone a major facelift and organization. It is now far from where it was a hundred years ago. Now, you're going to be able to learn a lot in a very simple way. There are also a lot of tools and resources that you can use in learning the language. My favorite would be the translator.

You're going to be able to learn a lot from this site and the great thing about it is that it's FREE.

My Spanish Coach (US)

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:52:00 +0000

There are a lot of ways that you can learn Spanish, through the television, at school, over the radio, books, movies etc. But did you know that you can learn Spanish using your very handy Nintendo DS Lite?

There are a lot of educational games available in the market for the NDSL. There are also a couple of Learn Spanish educational games. One example is MY SPANISH COACH, Level 1. This educational game was released back in November 2007 by Ubisoft.

I was able to get hold of this game a couple of months ago but I stopped playing. I just started playing it again this morning and could not stop until I got a headache. There are so much to learn in this game. Definitely worth your time.

Anyway,

You start of by creating your profile. After creating a profile there would be an assessment test. The assessment test will determine which level you're going to be in (I ended up in level 9, the topic was about seasons).

As you learn new words, verbs, grammars, sentences, etc. there would be games that will help you memorize the words you just learned. There are 8 different mini-games available, initially 3 were already unlocked. As you progress in the game you will be able to unlock the other mini-games. The mini-games are as follows, Multiple choice (my favorite), Hit-a-Word (stress reliever :)), flash cards, fill in the blank, Memory (which I hate, it's so hard), Bridge Builder, and Spelltastic.

The learning process will take you to different Spanish speaking countries (I'm not sure if there will be Spain, I'll tell you when I finish it). One of the best features of the learning stage is that you can record your voice then listen to it and compare it with the Spanish recording. Although you cannot save your voice record it's cool, at least you're going to be able to assess your own pronunciation and such.

According to Ubisoft's website playing My Spanish Coach for 15-20 minutes a day is all you need to become fluent in Spanish. Well...maybe, I think. One thing's for sure with this game you'll learn hundreds of Spanish word in no time.

JUDGMENT:
Graphics: 4.7/5
Sounds: 4/5
Gameplay: 4.8/5
Learning Experience: 4.7/5
Fun: 4.5/5

COMMENT/S: Where the heck is level 2, 3, 4 and so on...?

Spanish Class Nivel 2: First Day

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:26:00 +0000

I just started my level 2 Spanish class at Instituto Cervantes yesterday. I arrived early at the school were there were already a few people around. While waiting I tried to play some of the songs I have not successfully finished in Guitar Rock Tour. Then I got tired and stroll around the corridors of the school. I went to the door of each classroom to check what classroom am I going to be in. I found my name in a classroom. We had a big class. I checked which names were familiar to me. There were a few people from my previous class who signed up for the Nivel 2, at least 5 I think.

Then at the end it was just me, Amor and Romina from my previous class. Some of them were not there, I guess due to the bad weather.

I'm very satisfied with my first day of Spanish class. The professor was able to explain every single thing without even a single English or Tagalog word to explain it (Wow! and we actually understood her).

I'm fine with the tuition fee increase (from 2,980 to 3,260 for Saturday classes) because you get the best out of what you paid for. Instituto Cervantes have great facilities, nice rooms, great teachers (well the teachers I'd been with were really good), clean toilets, and a lot more.

Ai, mi contento.

Boing Docomodake DS

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:42:00 +0000

GAME REVIEW: BOING DOCOMODAKE DS
BY: Jara

Boing! Docomodake DS is a puzzling adventure game about Papa Docomodake’s quest of finding the members of his family so that they can attend the Docomodake Forest Festival together.

The World Map has of 7 areas and each area has 8 stages. The following are the areas and the corresponding Docomodake family member Papa Docomodake is searching for:

Docomodake woods – Mama
Plains – Grandma
Clover field –Grandpa
Bat cave – Son
Windy valley – Baby
Daughter’s town - Daughter
Bonus area – the daughter’s boyfriend

There are 14 different mechanisms that you’ll encounter along the way. All you have to do is tap on the book-with-a-question-mark icon on the lower left portion of the touch screen to see how those mechanisms work.

You can navigate around using the stage viewer by click on the face (w/ glasses) icon on the lower left portion of the screen (on the left side of the book-with-a-question-mark or the mechanisms icon).

These two options can also be found by cling the START button. If you want to retry or quit the game, these options can be found here as well.

This game is a very memorable game for me ‘coz this is the first that I’ve ever finished since having my NDSL last April (and this is also the first article that I’ve ever made ^_^ cheers!).

At first glance, the game looks pretty easy but as you progress you’ll encounter some really puzzling problems. There are times that you have to replay a part a couple of times ‘coz one mistake can get you stock in that part forever so you don’t have a choice but to retry and the next time you do it, you have to make sure to do it perfectly!

The way the game incorporates the use of the stylus and the control pad is great. You can easily divided Papa Docomodake using the L or R button or if you want to place your small Docomake to a specific place, you can simply use your stylus. There are other things that you can do with the portions of Papa Docomodake’s body, like you can turn it into a ladder or a rolly pollie (you can simply check it out in the ‘Mechanism’).

Well, that’s all… thanks for reading my article! ‘til next post ^_^!

~JARA~

Guitar Rock Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:17:00 +0000

Released on: November 4, 2008
Released by: Gameloft
Platform: Nintendo DS

The other day my sister recommended playing Guitar Rock Tour. After recommending she immediately asked me to get my DS and have the game put in it. Her main reason was she wanted to try the multi-player feature of this game. I immediately tried it out. It's a pretty awesome game. Great graphics (5/5), great sounds/music (7/5), and superb gameplay (5/5). This is the first time I'm playing a DS Game with a music genre so I haven't a lot of experience to compare it with Rock Band or Guitar Hero.

Anyway, opening up the game you will be led to the MENU SCREEN. The MENU SCREEN gives you the options of:

>Quick Play
>Career Mode
>Tutorial
>Multi-player
>Awards
>Options

In QUICK PLAY you'll be able to chose if you wanted to play a guitar or the drums. This is a great stage to practice or hone your skills. But my tip is, go to the TUTORIAL FIRST.

In CAREER MODE you'll be able to play with your band in different location. Again it will let you choose which instrument you would like to play. It will also let you choose your character. By playing the CAREER MODE you'll be able to unlock more songs. These songs are also going to appear in QUICK PLAY for practice.

In the TUTORIAL section, there are a lot of instructions on how to play the game(obviously!). Go get the game and see.

*For the drums press the L button or the direction pad for blue notes and press the A, B, X, Y and R buttons for the red note.*

MULTIPLAYER lets you find a host. You can play Co-Op, against each other, etc. We'd tried this and it's awesome. The MULTIPLAYER function in DS games just amazes me, the connection is fast and hardly any time that you lose the other players.

In AWARDS you should be able to see the awards you received when you reached a certain point or you did something really well in the game. This may appear in guitar booster, more songs, etc.

In OPTIONS it will let you choose from 3 different language (English, French and Spanish), let you see the credits, and there's another one that I forgot. There wasn't anything about adjusting the sound or something but I guess it's okay, the sounds are great anyway.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE SONGS I'VE ALREADY UNLOCKED:

1. Beat it-Michael Jackson
2. Who Knew-Pink
3. In the Shadows-The Rasmus
4. If Everyone Cared-Nickelback
5. Great Escape-Boys Like Girls
6. Rock You Like A Hurricane-Scorpions
7. The River-Good Charlotte
8. What's My Age Again?-Blink 182
9. Banquet-Bloc Party

Are you playing this game? If, what do you think?

If you're not playing this game will you be playing?

Let me know. Thanks for stopping by. Hasta la vista! Adios! I'm gonna go ahead and play (or maybe sleep).

Cosas

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:36:00 +0000

There are a lot of things that we don't like doing but still we do them. I'm not sure why, maybe because of necessity. Sometimes we don't like living but everyday we sleep and the next day we wake up. We hate doing things over and over but we still do it.

There are a lot of things that I would like to be doing right now but have done nothing. I feel sad.

GTA: Chinatown Wars

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:05:00 +0000

I'm probably not the best person to write a HOW-TO GUIDE FOR GTA-CHINATOWN WARS, but I'm so in love with the game I just have to talk about it.

This game is the only game I'm playing on my DS right now (don't ever mention PSP to me). Definitely not a game for kids or irresponsible young adults. Why? If any of you ever played the GTA series you'll know, if not you have to know that this game is so violent. I wonder why it is not banned yet. But I guess no one actually did copy what the characters or goal of the GTA games in real life, it's just a game after all.

I'm just a not so clever gamer and there were a lot of things that I was not able to understand:

1.) Sometimes there were green circles on some people and some cars, I wonder why they have those?

2.) There were trucks that have red arrows. I tried to get in one but I can't. Also a police car usually follows the truck.

3.) This may sound really stupid but how does one pause the game?

4.) Is there any way one can mark the places one been on the map over the touch screen? It's kind of exhausting going in circles and looking for things not knowing where it was.

2 GTA: CHINATOWN WARS TECHNIQUE THAT WORKS FOR ME:

1.) Never exchange my very handy molotov bombs with grenade. Grenade just doesn't have that exact target capacity that I needed to destroy the CCTV cameras around Liberty City. And whenever I throw a grenade it just goes back to me. I love my molotov bombs and I will not exchange it for the free granade. As a matter of fact I already destroyed 36 CCTV cameras. Just wish that there's any way I can mark the map so there's a way on getting back to those undestroyed cameras.

2.) I love to walk around Liberty City. Just by walking around the city you should be able to notice hidden CCTV cameras, pick up items that were dropped (or from people who were killed), search the dumpsters, stop by some trustworthy drug dealer and all that. It will also saves you from the cops, i.e. if one is driving and you accidentally hit a police car you immediately end up having a wanted level and police cars chasing you, which is annoying. Although walking is very time consuming I think it's better than driving.

If you guys have any tips for me on how to play this game better let me know. I'd be needing that. Thanks!

Taxes on Imported Books Lifted

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sun, 31 May 2009 10:06:00 +0000

On May 26th the official web site of the President of the Philippines reported that taxes on imported books from the U.S. and the U.K. was scrapped.

Honestly, I was not aware of the news that they had imposed taxes on imported books, I only noticed that the bookstores were running out of the TWILIGHT SERIES books. And I sort of thought it was normal because there was a high demand on those books and the bookstores just run-out of stock.

There was a time when I was in National Bookstore Sta. Rosa and a guy asked the saleslady when he can get a copy of the Twilight book. The lady said there is no stock and she's not sure when they will get one. This was way back February or March.

There were also a lot of times that I kept going to a lot of National Bookstore branch to look for Stephenie Meyer's book THE HOST, unfortunately there wasn't any. I don't even think they have stock these days.

Just now I tried searching for articles about books in the Philippines and voíla an article about imported books being taxed popped up. Boom! The posts were written back in early May. The article states that the Bureau of Customs decided to tax imported books.

Have you heard of stupidity? This is it.

Apparently, the government bureau started this because of a certain HIT book called TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer. Although there was a treaty on importation of cultural, educational, and scientific materials between the countries who signed the FLORENCE AGREEMENT, the BUREAU OF CUSTOMS knew better saying that the Twilight Series books are not educational and taxes should be imposed. Which is sick!

I wonder if they defined what educational means when the rules on taxing imported books were imposed.

Although the BUREAU OF CUSTOMS said these books were NOT EDUCATIONAL, they are however CULTURAL.

Ah but I guess the issue is over, isn't it? The President already ordered to lift the taxes imposed on imported books. Should we say THANK YOU, MRS. PRESIDENT?

MRS. PRESIDENT, MGA ALIPORES MO DIN NAMAN 'YUNG MGA TAONG IYON, 'DI BA?

Nintendo DS 2

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:11:00 +0000

I can only say, OMG! If Nintendo will actually do a DS 2 it will be pretty awesome!

I don't know if you guys have seen the NDS 2 3D Mock up, if not check out Gizmodo's site. The one on the link is the updated mock-up of the DS 2. The design is very MAC-ish and to tell you the truth it looks more like a make-up kit to me. Very sophisticated, girly, modern and EXPENSIVE look. The screens are much bigger (great for watching movies or M/V's). Hopefully, in the future the top screen will be touch capable. That will be cool since there are times that I poke my top screen with my stylus (w/c is stupid, IT'S AN ACCIDENT,OKAY!).

I've heard there won't be anymore flash carts too.

Based on the looks and functionality it will be a must for gamers to have this console. But what will be the price? I'm thinking it will cost more than the PSP.

Well I'm pretty happy with my Nintendo DS. I couldn't ask for more except for a better screen. I actually love the graphics, the sounds, the games , etc. It sort of brings out the child in you. It sort of makes you a child again.

Stop It Already!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:12:00 +0000

The sex video scandal of Dr. Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili had been circulating for weeks now. And seriously I had enough. I suppose due to the news many had been curious on what is really in the sex video/s. So, people would search it over the internet or buy the pirated DVD's containing the sex video of the aforementioned persons.

I haven't seen it, and I don't intend to.

Ahhh..but someone just borrowed my DVD player 5 minutes ago. I thought they will be watching some downloaded soap over the internet but ah the person who borrowed it to me said your *ahmnp* bought the "SEX VIDEO NI KATRINA (Hindi man lang ni Hayden Kho at ni Katrina)" and we're going to watch it.

WHAT THE HELL!! He probably waste 40 pesos just to buy that..waste of money and time.

It's 11.22 pm, the only people who are awake is me and my _________.

SpanishDict

noreply@blogger.com (Webster Twelb) — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:22:00 +0000

My level 2 Spanish will start probably next week. My level 1 class has been done for a while now. Meaning it's time to not study Spanish, there's just no reason to, there's no class. But the thing is I wanted so bad to learn the language as fast as I could so aside from reviewing some of my photocopied materials I would go over the internet and search for great sites to learn Spanish. I've mentioned, livemocha and SpanishPod before. They were great sites. My new found site is SpanishDict.com w/c is also absolutely great. It functions as a dictionary but also it has forums, Spanish Lessons, Flashcards (w/c are absolutely awesome) and more. If you have time go ahead and check that website and tell me if you know other websites to aid students like me who are learning Spanish.

¡Muchas Gracías! y hasta luego.