I’m moving to a new URL, and I hope you guys can follow me in my new home.

Click the link below, and don’t forget to follow:
twstrfries.wordpress.com

I was thinking of creating an elaborate post to announce this but I decided to keep it brief and simple. A lot of life changing things happened to me lately and I find Off the Wall doesn’t suit my needs anymore. I have to let it go. Just like all the things, people, places I have to let go this year I have to say goodbye to this baby.

I’m not giving up on writing. I’m going to take a serious break from social media. I still plan to write but not anytime soon and most likely not here. I might create a new blog once I’m past with what life threw at me. I hope you guys will be there once I have that up. I’ll edit this post or create another one to announce the new site.

This blog will be 5 years old in less than a month, however, I won’t be able to celebrate that anymore. To all my readers for the past 4 years and 11 months, thank you for taking the time to read my little space in this side of the net. Thank you.

I’ll see you soon, friends. Sayonara.

Alona

Some of the games I played over the years. Ragnarok Online is at the center because it was the first MMORPG I played and it started it all.

10. Never trust anyone. Not with your in game money, hard earned items or account details. It’s up to you if you wish to share your account to people you’ve met online whom you’ve come to trust but you have to remember that anyone can betray anyone. ^[1] I’ve learned that the hard way. ^[2]

9. Be wary of scammers. It’s very sad to acknowledge but most of the scammers I encountered in different MMORPGs are Filipinos. That is why I avoid buying/selling/trading in game items with players I don’t really know. I can set up a shop where they can buy directly and vice versa if the game allows that, if not I stick to Auction House.

8. You’ll learn a new language. Including abbreviations you’ll only find in game. PUGs, Whisper, Raid, Party, Imba, OP, Guild Run, Resu, Heal, DPS, Tanker, Melees, NVM, Kick, Noob, IGN, AH. These are just some of the words I’ve learned in game. They also have this abbreviated sentences that they use in Public Chat that actually make sense if you are a gamer. Examples are “LF Tank/DPS/Priest 5/10 [DG’s name abbreviation]” and “WTS (Item) WM.”

7. Patience is a virtue. There are good players and there are annoying, like really, annoying players. If you partied with individuals who don’t listen or who are plainly hard headed, it’s an effing test of patience. If you’re new to the dungeon and aren’t familiar with the boss’ mechanics, listening to those who know is essential so if you get one who has comprehension issues, oh well, good luck to you. I can try a few times but if the cost of the raid is ripping me off, I’d throw in the towel and leave.

6. Leave your credit cards and Paypal account details in the deepest recesses of your brain. Translation: DON’T SPEND REAL MONEY. I don’t have the time to grind all day, seven times a week , in a game to get the items I want or upgrade the gears of my character through in game trading using in game money. If it’s something that can be bought in the cash shop, I would most likely load cash and get it. BUT. That is not a smart financial decision.

I. Must. Practice. Control.

5. Do not accept FB Friend Request(s) from people you don’t really know. Most guilds have their own groups in Facebook. I am not one who’ll create a second FB account to hide my real identity and join the group. So yes, I use my legit FB account to interact with these people in those groups. My account before is semi-public, anyone can add me as a friend but after so many random requests from people I don’t really know I changed my setting and only those who have mutual friends with me can add me as a friend. Although, I still don’t accept the request if I haven’t played with them for some time. ^[3]

4. Get to know the people behind the characters. Gamers will say that once they are logged into their characters, they transform into a different person. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t turn into superheroes nor they are bipolar, they just simply exhibit attitude they don’t normally show in real life. Like a shy person turns into a boastful, mean monster online or a real man pretending to be a lovely, helpless girl to get free items. I make it a point to talk to them beyond game topics. Yes, I ask them personal questions, really personal questions. Most of the time they are game in answering even the most embarrassing questions I throw them.

3. Build rapport and establish relationships. The people you always play with online is like a network. They’re from diverse cultures. Making an effort to get to know them beyond superficial level in the cyber world will bring wonders to your social life. You’ll never know if some of them will be your real friends in the long run especially if you have met them in person. That is why I understand that some organized guilds require voice chat programs for their recruits. It’s one way to get to know the players personally because you to talk to them in runs you do. My guild uses RaidCall; we are encouraging the players to go online in RC but is not required. I also occasionally set up meet ups within Metro Manila or I meet the members I often talk to when I visit their home towns.

2. Create unusual IGNs. I am not brave enough to create crazy in game names. The best I can do is use food names as IGNs. I’d been using TwisterFries in multiple games. Some of the IGNs I’ve used are SariaBelle, TeaLemonade, CoffeeGirl and Cheesecake. Unique, funny and totally inappropriate IGNs are not my forte but I know many who love impossible IGNs. You want samples? Amoypekpek, Regla, TightKeps, SqueezeMe, Aktarub, BaklaAko, Devirginized, IAmaVirgin and PootAH. That is just a fraction of the unbelievable names you’ll see in game. I’d stick to food names, novel or movie characters, thank you very much.

1. Trash talking. Yes, I learned how to f*ck*ng trash talk. Thanks to my mentors Justin and Sase. However, I still can’t do it the same as my mentors do. I can’t and won’t trash talk players that are not my guild mates. I do it in jest and my guildies know that. It’s why they don’t take me too seriously if I start trash talking. But if a random player do that to me? I’d take a screenshot and file a ticket. I still and won’t ever tolerate trash talking. It’s a different matter if it’s Justin or Sase though. They taught me how to do that so I often practice it on them.

Here’s one party chat I had with Justin and Vinz in game. Please take note that I won’t be using our actual IGNs:

Justin: Pinutulan na ata nila akong net. Gagong Globe yan.
Alona: Gago, kapag pinutulan ka ng net dapat diconnected ka na ulol.
Alona: Tangina ka.
Vinz: Hahaha. Tumatrashtalk si Alona.
Alona: Oi si Justin nagturo sakin nyan.
Justin: Di ako nantatrashtalk ate.

That’s what Justin always say. But in reality? This is how he trashtalks:

Justin: PUTANGINA NIYONG MGA TAGA S*****A. MAMATAY NA KAYONG LAHAT. ANG BOBOBO NIYO.

See? Isn’t he angelic? He is extremely nice if you meet him in person though.

***

Many players who play online games have different reasons why they spend most of their time in MMORPGs. If you take the time to get to know them you’ll eventually know that it’s either they’re going through something or they’re using the game as an escape from reality. For some time, I had my reasons too. Lately it became a habit. I can still walk away from it but I’d probably visit from time to time. Because of the time I spend with this, sometimes my real social life suffer or there are things I have to drop to focus on this.  Probably the best lesson MMORPGs taught me is to find balance. I’m not just juggling work and life balance; virtual, social and personal time are also part of the equation. Right now I still do most of the things I love. I find time to write, read, travel, go out with friends, be healthy and work out. I gave up watching Asian Dramas not just because of this but also due to the fact that it eats a lot of my free time and you guys know that my free time recently is dedicated to gaming. I’m also waiting for new MMORPGs I want to try. There are many things I want to do. There are organizations I want to join. There are numerous changes I want to do in my life. It’s not question of if but a question of when. I don’t know when am I going to give this up. I know eventually I’d come into that but one thing I know is for sure, the relationship I build with the friends I made here will stay for a long long time.

[1] Quote from Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.
[2] Yes, I am still sour graping over the 80,000 zeny lost (stolen is such a strong word for a misunderstanding if you can call it such but I guess not really) in my Odin account in Ragnarok Online 2. It wouldn’t have been such a blow if I only spent time to get that. I am a paying player and I earned that zeny with items I bought from the cash shop which I sell in the Auction House.
[3] My posts are still filtered. So even if I accepted them as a friend they are still categorized under Online Games which is part of my exception list for too personal posts or status updates.

I don’t usually watch local films in cinemas but lately I find myself seeing some in its opening day depending on who directed and wrote it.  My movie buddy, who is a certified kaladkarin ^[1] friend, jokes that we’ve matured when choosing what commercial films to watch. One of the reasons I gave up seeing local films before is because I felt that the Philippine movie industry have not moved on from patweetum ^[2] plots and focuses heavily on the leads’ chemistry or popularity. For the past 2 or 3 years, we’ve been seeing the industry mature and slowly deviate from the norm. It’s not just in the big screen but we also have television series dealing with issues that aren’t normally being shown in nationwide television. Some of it worked, some did not, and others fared well. The point here is we now have a variety of shows/films to choose from that are not made out of a well received formula.

The Breakup Playlist

Star Cinema & Viva Films, 120 minutes
Released on July 1, 2015
Romance Drama

Watched on July 1, 2015

I’ll be honest, the reason I got interested is because of Piolo Pascual. Come on, it’s THE Piolo Pascual. A superb acting is something that you can always expect with Papa P though sometimes it’s not reason enough to pay for a movie ticket. I can always wait a few months until a DVD copy comes out but what pushed me to spend money on it in its first week, technically first day, is seeing Sarah Geronimo do a more mature role compared to her previous blockbuster movies. Yes, SG had always been my guilty pleasure. Another push is the writer, Antoinette Jadoane. I haven’t seen EOP yet, her first collaboration with her real time beau, Dan—a shame I know given that it was such a big film when it came out, so I can’t tell if a Villegas film is worth seeing.

The movie started showing the couple breaking up and then jumping to the present for a talk about a possible reunion concert. It’s not the usual timeline we see in Pinoy Romance but I noticed that this new narrative is starting to be a trend which I think would be the new “formula” if this would continue to sell to viewers. I am hoping that won’t be the case because first, I am not a fan and second, I’m pretty sure people (actually more of me) will easily get tired of it. There is nothing wrong with non-linear narrative; it actually depends on how the director/writer executes it. I just don’t like the past-present or vice versa sequence because most often than not, I’m having a hard time dissecting if it was the present timeline or the past. Luckily in this film, they presented the chapters with titles similar with a playlist which basically where the title came from.

Piolo Pascual’s portrayal of a cocky, overconfident rock star musician is spot on. However, I feel like the role is not for him. It’s totally different from the last role he played on the big screen and it also shows the variety of roles he could act. It’s just that I see the musician role for someone like Sam Milby. Although I’m giving him applause on the groveling scene because no one can pull that off better than Papa P. Superb acting? Definitely. Rock star musician? No. Sarah Geronimo, on the other hand was a surprise. I said in numerous reviews of her films that she is my guilty pleasure but that doesn’t mean I don’t see how she acts. I hate her love struck roles in her “formulated” films. But seeing her on a much mature role that is not at all cutesy is a refreshing take in her acting repertoire. In all honesty, I have someone in mind who I think could pull off her role in flying colors but she did give justice to the role in her own way. What I don’t like in the emotional transition of the characters is that it feels unnatural. I know that the sequencing of the conflict as the story progress even with this kind of narrative is predictable but the changes in the characters didn’t really reach me in an emotional level. Yes, most of the scenes are perfectly executed but the emotion I was looking for wasn’t there. The actors deliver. It’s right. It’s there. But I don’t feel it. As for their chemistry, I’m not sure because I really didn’t look into that. I was more into how they attacked and presented their characters.

The product placement is another thing that I wish commercial films should forego. Come on, I can read that in the ending credits (fine, not everyone stays until the ending credits) but do I have to see it in the film more than once? It’s very obvious with popular artists whom we see almost every day in national television with their commercials. Why do I have to see it in their films as well?

The musical score of TBUP is the highlight of this film. I find myself singing “Paano Ba Ang Magmahal” after watching the movie and then adding the album in my To Listen queue in Spotify. It does give you a serious case of LSS. I also like how they incorporated the songs in the story as Trixie and Gino’s relationship blossomed. Yes, it seems that they had too many musical scenes in the movie which I think is typical for Star Cinema, it’s tedious at times but I’d say they really have a good soundtrack. I’m not very familiar with the Pinoy rock scene because it’s not my genre. I asked Louie if the timeline is correct since there was a period a few years ago when alternative Pinoy music was the “in” music. I wasn’t just sure if it was in 2009.

Overall, The Break-up Playlist is a good film. It’s not a superb film that would leave you flabbergasted for a few days but it’s enough to make you say you didn’t waste Php240 and 2 hours of your life. If you are looking for a different type of romance that is not too big on the comedy or romance bordering to romanticism with unrealistic romantic gestures and a public embarrassing denouement, you should watch this. It’s a down-to-earth film that focuses in the relationship, the reality of the music industry without the glitter and screaming fans, and all the feels.

Mediocre: I can tolerate it but I want more!

4.5 Drama Awards – Worthy of my praise.

I would have rated this higher if they didn’t end up together, like really together. It would have been more realistic if it’s open ended not that I loath happy endings. I just feel that forgiving each other and patching up without being together immediately is a better ending for this story.

Since we have Antoinette Jadaone as the screenwriter, I won’t miss sharing the best lines I liked in the film: (source: spot.ph)

On forgiving yourself:
“Sa tingin ko, kailangan mong magpatawad. Hindi para sa kanya, ha. Kundi para sa sarili mo. Kasi hangga’t hindi ka nagpapatawad, andun ka lang sa past, sa part ng buhay mo na masakit. Isipin mo umiikot ‘yong mundo, tapos ikaw asan ka? Andiyan ka pa rin.”

On being happy for someone:
“‘Di mo ‘ko mahal, Gino. Ang mahal mo lang ‘yong sarili mo. Kasi kung totoong mahal mo ‘ko, magiging masaya ka para sa ‘kin.”

On being selfish:
“Mabuti nga magbilangan na tayo, para malaman mo, mapansin mo man lang, sa ating dalawa sana magbigay ka naman. Huwag ka lang puro tanggap nang tanggap, mahal kita pero nakakapagod na.”

Other Reviews:
Pinoy Movie Blogger
MOVIES(PHILIPPINES)
my reel thoughts

[1] Someone you can tag along somewhere without any arguments. A person who is always on the go.
[2] Uberly sweet, romantic, cheesy plots that would make you puke.

A busy, full of activities day one.
We first had dinner at Chili’s at SM Megamall as a post birthday treat of Tina and Beejay. JL, Monique and Angus came. Little Allie (Monique’s baby girl) also dropped by. The food and company is great. We laughed, eat and laughed some more over the silliest of things and of course we can’t avoid talking about books and the book club when you are with this group. It was a reunion of some sort for Mae and Beejay who haven’t seen each other for a year. After dinner we stayed at CBTL to wait for midnight but later on decided to stay at Beejay’s place. What made that little impromptu detour memorable is that no one ever thought that Tina and Mae would step foot in his house again.

Dinner at Chili’s. (c) Atty. Monique

Going up. (c) TIna

We went to Partas Terminal past midnight and boarded the bus going to Vigan at around 2AM. The travel is for 6 hours so it’s more convenient to travel at night or early in the morning so you can sleep during the trip, just remember to wake up when you’re nearing your stop because you might miss it if you oversleep. We arrived at Sebay Surf Central at 8 in the morning; however, the hotel’s check in time is still at 2PM. We want to eat breakfast, get ready for the beach and start the vacation immediately so we paid the early check in fee for Php500. Ranee arrived in time for breakfast. She’s the only one who didn’t travel with us because she’s coming from Pangasinan which is just a few hours away from La Union. We ate at Fat’s Bar ‘N Grill, a beachside restaurant where all of us ordered Longsilog when we knew that it’s Vigan’s Longganisa. After we filled our tummies, even if it’s just a few hours before 12 noon, on to the beach! Who cares about sun burn? We need to feel the beach ASAP!

We had lunch at Urbiztondo Grill House where they serve home cooked Filipino meals. If you don’t want to go far away to eat, this place is good since it’s just a few minutes walk across the resort. They serve mostly Ilocano dishes so you should try some of the viands that you can only find here. Of course, pinakbet is a must. Every town up north has their own version of cooking pinakbet so if you’ll travel to different towns in Region 1, always include that in your to-eat-meals. We had tea after that at MoonLeaf Tea House a few blocks from where we ate. We enjoyed goofing around the café and then took some awesome solo shots and spent an hour talking about nonsense. Tsismisan ^[1] is something that we will never ever grow tired of. We are enjoying a few hours of doing nothing because after that we’ll go surfing. Why go to a surfing central if you’ll not try it, right? It’s the first time I surfed and I tell you, I fell in love.

Mind you, an hour of surfing is equivalent to a couple of hours in the gym. It was fun, exciting and difficult the first time you do it. You’ll fall trying to balance yourself on the board numerous times, you’ll make mistakes, and you’ll feel frustrated at one point, but the feeling when you are already riding the waves? Ah, it’s worth all the pain and effort. We had dinner at Sea Nymph Café, a nearby food place from the resort; it’s also a beachside café. After that we went to El Union for some coffee and a serious chat. We all fell in love with El Union’s s’mores. You should not miss this one if you visit San Juan, La Union. It’s a chocolate haven, I promise you. We spent a few hours at the beach, too bad bonfires are not allowed, listening to good random music while nursing a beer and talking of what we want in the next five years.

***

A subdued, ready to go home day two.
I spent the morning walking along the beach, barefoot, savoring the morning breeze while the sun isn’t fully up yet.  The calming sound of the waves hitting the shore clears your mind and makes you enjoy the beauty in front of you. I tend to over think yet that feels like, I can’t think at all. I had coffee with Mae and even if we don’t want to hit the beach because of body pains from yesterday’s surfing, we can’t say no to Tina. We spent the rest of the morning in the waters, trying to survive the angry waves while letting out all the #hugot lines about waves we can think of.

We had brunch at Gefseis Greek Grill and went home at 12 in the afternoon. It was another 6 hours spent sleeping on the bus.

The last time I step foot on a beach was in 2011 with the book club friends in Alabat Island, Quezon Province. I wasn’t even considering coming to this trip. I’m glad I came. It was the breather I was looking for weeks before this trip and finally feeling sand beneath my feet and the waves after 4 years.

Travel Details:
Here’s a simple breakdown my expenses for the trip:

*because it took me a while to document this trip, the expenses are approximate (near the total price though. I think I still have a hundred something remaining when we came back. The money I brought was exactly Php 3500.*

Aaron, Mae, Beejay, Ranee, Alona & Tina
Sebay Surf Central, Urbiztondo, La Union
March 28-29, 2015

Restaurants:
Fat’s Bar ‘N Grill
Urbiztondo Grill House
MoonLeaf Tea House
Sea Nymph Café
El Union
Gefseis Greek Grill

* All images in this post are owned and edited by Alona unless otherwise stated.
You may view the images in high resolution here.

You have to let go.

You have to accept that things between the two of you will never be the same. You have to learn that when you ended your relationship, your friendship will eventually fall apart. You have to see things through his eyes and not just what you want to see. You have to stand up on your own. Stop finding reasons to hold on to something you have let go.

I know you don’t understand why your friendship has to suffer when you are willing to fight for that friendship without second thoughts. I know you consider him your bestest friend not that you have many which makes it even harder for you. But you hurt him when you chose to walk away and the pain is far greater than being your friend. You have to think not only of yourself but of others as well.

Change is inevitable. It’s bound to happen. You want to go out of your comfort zone, right? Isn’t this your comfort zone? All changes are scary. You aren’t used to it but you have to be brave and courageous and have faith that everything is going to turn out right. Save yourself from disappointments. It’s not the same anymore.

It’s hard to say goodbye to a ten year friendship. It’s difficult to break old habits—turning to him when things get tight. You have let go. This time you have to really let go. Maybe in the future when you see each other again, the friendship would still be there. A true friendship will stay even if you don’t see or talk to each other. Time can only tell.

Be brave. You’re a strong person. You have a path you want to take. It may not happen now but you know you’ll get there because you want to be there. Don’t let your current struggles bring you down. It’s not the end of your journey. It’s the beginning of a new one and whenever you close a chapter of your life, there are characters that you have to leave behind because they don’t fit the story anymore.

People come and go but there is someone who will stay with you no matter what, if you let Him. Hold the hand of someone greater than you—greater than what people can give you. You have forgotten. No one said this journey is a piece of cake. There are times you won’t feel okay. You can always go back and strengthen your connection with Him. Then one day you’ll realize that everything is according to His plan. The road getting there seem difficult but remember what they always say, there is a light after all of this.

Be kind to yourself and be happy—even without a best friend.

Love,

Your Rational-Positive-Self

I never thought I’d feel the need to move somewhere else, again.

For the past seven years, I’ve been living in the hustle and bustle of the metro, (almost) on my own, thinking of how to survive each day without the comfort of family. Seven years of pollution, crazy traffic, busy schedule and high cost of living. Life as an adult in the city isn’t the same as when you’re a teenage girl thinking only of your studies, friends and your daily allowance. As a grownup it entails responsibilities and unending commitment either from work, peers, and colleagues or to whatever endeavor you have right now. The first five years were fine. I get by. I still have the drive. I was living in a place that is demographically a part of a province but is only a few hours from Manila depending on traffic and a few minutes away from one of the metro’s business districts. I still get to spend my rest days in a town that is almost urban but still laid back which is probably why the urge of moving to a different place is easy to ignore—until six months ago.

I was living with relatives at first in Caloocan then moved to a rented room somewhere in Sampaloc near the University Belt. A few months after I moved to a condo in Cainta, stayed for a year and then transferred to an apartment in a different Barangay of the same town for almost 3 years. I moved back to the same condo in Cainta two years ago and then things happened last November, I decided to temporarily stay with my Mom’s friend in Caloocan for 2 months. I looked for an apartment in the same area, packed my things and started living on my own, alone this time, last February. I moved seven times in seven years. That’s a lot of packing and unpacking boxes, getting the feel of the place, adjusting to new travel time to work or when going out with friends in meet up places far from my place, and making an effort to make the house I’m living in a home, not to mention the money spent whenever I move. Those seven times of moving places is out of necessity. It’s not like I have an option. I moved because I need to not because I want to.

I’m tired of the city life.
Living alone for the past months means going home to an empty house. No pets. No housemates. No boyfriend. No neighbors. Technically, you have neighbors next door but you don’t see them, once in a while maybe. Apartments for those who just relocated to Manila to work aren’t like the ones you go home to where you grew up. It’s not a neighborhood; it’s a house where you sleep in. It’s literally a place where you leave your things and take a bath then go somewhere else to earn money. I should have gotten used to it, considering that I’d been here for years, going home to my hometown only if time permits it. Sometimes I don’t even go home because after the busy week you had in the office, you’d want just to lie in your bed and sleep the whole day. The difference this time is that I’m alone—in a chaotic, hot as hell (in terms of the weather), not really a remarkable city of Caloocan. Yes, I lived here before. I practically spent my growing up years in this area. I know how the life here is. I can tolerate it but no one said I should like it. Moving to different places made me see how better other cities are compared here. I know I can just move again, however, it’s just a 30-minute travel to the office, a big advantage from my usual 2-3 hours travel time coming from Rizal, and the apartments here are a lot cheaper. See? Necessity.

I want to pack my bags and move somewhere far from the frantic, non-stop life of the metro.
I went to Malolos, a city in the province of Bulacan, to see a friend last May. It made me realize how tired I was with the kind of lifestyle I have right now. Of how I am barely surviving. I’d been pushing this at the back of my mind for so long now. I started thinking of moving back to the north late 2013. I want it so bad in the beginning of this year but I knew that I am not emotionally and financially ready. It has to wait. And then when I saw the life my young friend is living, of the neighborhood they have, of the laid back lifestyle of the place, I suddenly missed my hometown. I missed the simple life of the province, of the people going through life at their own pace as if they have all the time in the world.

I missed home.

I have this ongoing argument with some friends who lived their entire lives in their respective cities in the province that their lifestyle is laidback compared when you are in the metro. “It’s a city,” they said.  “Yes, it’s a city in THE province,” I pointed out. “It is not a city in the metro.” They would just roll their eyes and let me win the discussion. If you haven’t tried the way of living in the metropolis and if you are planning to move to the big city coming from a smaller town to experience the adult independent life, you have to be prepared. Leave your comfort zone and be brave. Don’t forget to be smart because if not, the big city will eat you alive.

Am I really giving up?
I’m asking myself if I am just running away from the memories of my life here. Partly, yes. I want to start over. Like a reset. I realized that nothing is really holding me to stay here aside from practical reasons. I need my job. I need the money. Even if I want to go now, I can’t. Not yet. If only Pangasinan is just an hour or two travel from Manila, I would go home every weekend to rest before going back to face the crazy life of the big city. I wouldn’t feel so tired or alone.

No, I am not giving up. I just want something else.

I didn’t expect that what I want seven years ago is not the same with I want seven years after. It’s also true that there are things you can’t have right now. I’m giving myself enough time to prepare and do what I want.  I’m done pushing myself to something that is not going to happen yet no matter how much I want it. He has reasons why He isn’t giving me what I want now. Probably He has another plan for me or maybe He feels that it’s not the right time yet. I’ll leave it up to Him. I just have to remind myself to be patient and wait. I know I’ll get my answers—in His time.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11

Image Source

It was our first time to go there (and hopefully not the last). We all had our own favorites. I was really fascinated by the exhibition of Abi Dionisio entitled Backbone & Stitches. It truly was a feast for the eyes. After our eyes were satisfied, we headed down to Café Sabel to silence our grumbling stomachs.

Duck Flakes, Strawberry Salad. Yum. The strawberry vinaigrette was definitely something. We did find the Tuyo pasta a wee bit saltier than needed but nonetheless, our hunger was satiated.

Next stop: Tam-awan Village

We weren’t able to appreciate the view once we reached the top deck, but we did enjoy the cold climate and not to mention the exercise.

You haven’t seen everything Tam-Awan Village has to offer if you haven’t spotted THE Dreamcatcher. Hahahaha.

We headed off to Camp John Hay later in the afternoon and made a quick stopover at Treetop Adventure just to check the prices (which were out of our budget for this trip, sad to say). We went to see the Cemetery of Negativity where we had our fair share of oohhs, aahhs, and laughs as we related to the epitaphs written with such wit. Then the ampitheatre.

Bell House (feeling American Christmas!)

This a feels like a Christmas in [insert US state here]!

After that we had a quick stop at the Christmas village which was Frozen-themed (who would have guessed?). We missed the “snow” so we decided not to enter the premises. We also made a quick visit to Chocolate d Batirol but changed our minds about eating there. We headed out to Oh My Gulay to have a quick snack.

The food was delicious. Bulaklak Tempura was a winner. Too bad Alona wasn’t able to get photos of our food.

But she got a panoramic shot of the view outside Oh My Gulay. She was so enthralled with the place she forgot to take a photo inside which is as lovely as this. Imagine entering a regular building, going up the stairs to the fifth floor and seeing garden inside.

Once we were tired enough (finally!) we decided to head back home to rest before travelling back to Manila. It was a weekend worth remembering. I don’t get to explore the city much because well, I’m a local and I’d have all the time to explore compared to visitors. And obviously, it’s best to explore when in the company of friends. I’m looking forward to our next (mis)adventures!

If you wish to see better copies of the images, click here .
Click here to see the first day of our trip.

Portmanteau Stamp:

Visited: Bencab Museum, Cafe Sabel, Tam-Awan Village, Camp John Hay
Place: Baguio
Travel Dates: November 22-23, 2014
Adventurers: Alona, Ingrid and Cary

Feature:

Portmanteau’s (mis)Adventures (3)
A semi-regular meme of the things Portmanteau did (adventure or not) or any activity we had together that is worth mentioning.

***** All images in this post are owned and edited by Alona unless otherwise stated.

An original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I’m not sure if I have some quirks I can share because I’m not a year-round blogger. I blog only when I feel like it. I still can’t believe I’ve been doing this for 4 years, albeit not very often, I still consider this a milestone. As part of my 4^th year blogversary related posts, here are some blogging things you don’t know about me (or maybe you do).

1. I don’t write everyday. Most of my reviews are written weeks, some months, before I post them.
2. I like writing in the office especially if I don’t feel like working. (I know, I should be working my ass off but tamad ^[1] days are really tamad.)
3. I used to write my reviews in my Nokia N900. When it died I switched to android which made my writing life a lot difficult because whenever I try to write using Bluebell (my Sony Xperia Z2, I started naming my gadgets last year) I always end up playing android games and browsing social networking sites. This reinforces #2 because we don’t have access to those sites (even Google) in the office.
4. I seldom write my entries in my desktop at home because all types of distractions are there: online games, unlimited net browsing, lurking in social networking sites, browsing for new books to read and downloading them even if I don’t really have plans to read it, watching Asian dramas, and there was also an Xbox with dozens of downloaded games which makes it more difficult to sit down and write. This was before the big change; I am now using my old laptop that doesn’t have games, I cancelled my internet connection, I don’t watch Asian dramas as of late, and there is no console anywhere. BUT. I still seldom use my laptop to write because Bluebell has an unlimited net connection, I stay up very late almost everyday talking to someone in Skype and/or Viber, I have tons of books to read (ebook and actual books), and I started to get freaking-addicted to American shows. Again back to #2.
5. I haven’t joined any blog tour or author interviews yet. I’m afraid to make a commitment because I may not meet the deadline or post on the day I committed but I’ll TRY to change that this year (or next year).
6. Whenever I review Asian shows and films, I make sure that the hype is long over or it’s not yet shown here in the country. I don’t know why but I don’t feel like posting things just because it’s the talk of town and it’ll generate lots of traffic.
7. I have a writer’s block 70% of the time—okay, make that 75%.
8. I try not to judge people who read E.L James but sometimes I can’t help raise my eyebrows if they act as if it’s the best book they read when in reality it was the only trilogy they read next to Twilight. We have tons of better books out there.
9. In my earlier years, not just in blogging but in my social life as well, I tend to be so obstinate to the point of sarcasm whenever I give my opinion. I toned that down a bit as I aged. Part of growing up I guess. I’m still very honest and *cough* harsh but I try to balance them and be a little sensitive at times. That is a conscious effort, I tell you.
10. I rarely talk about personal things in my blog. I’m not comfortable sharing too much of my personal life. If the mood strikes and I wanted an outlet, I use my blog to let it out. I also have the tendency to bottle it up and then be on a blogging hiatus when I’m going through something. I write about it when I’m ready or I’m already through it. I go back to blogging, reading, watching series and such, and seeing my friends when I’m emotionally okay. So if you see months where I seldom post, you’ll have an idea something is up. If you’re asking me my state now, do I have to spell it out? =)

#OfftheWall@4

***
[1] Lazy or as Bruno Mars said, “Today I don’t feel like doing anything. I just wanna lay in my bed.”

Echo of Soul is an MMORPG developed by the Korean game developer Nvius in 2013 and is published by Aeria Games in North America and Europe ^[1]. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of it, it’s the most anticipated MMORPG of the year. Promotion and teasers of EOS started roaming around late last year, building the hype and enticing bored players (definitely me) to a new game. They launched CBT last week so even if we knew they’d wipe out our characters after beta testing if we don’t purchase a Founder pack, a few friends and I decided to waste our time and see what it may offer to gamers. There is no exact date yet for OBT. Let’s all hope it won’t take more than 2 months.

It’s enough for a past time.
For a while or for a few months of endgame or until a new game comes out. I haven’t played a bunch of online games, I can still count the games I tried with my two hands and feet, yet I see that EOS is a traditional MMORPG that doesn’t really have very unique features that gamers haven’t seen yet in previous MMORPGs for the past 5 years. If you are playing with friends, you would probably enjoy the company more than what the game has to offer.

I’m not much into graphics (I’d rather play console games if I’m looking for good visuals without spending too much on hardware, just the console which basically would burn a hole on your pocket) because if I am I have to spend bucks on my rig which is not an option for now so I would leave the bashing to other players who likes top of the line visuals. It has good visuals not the best out there but not the least either. EOS has the usual MMORPG gameplay with 5 playable classes that has two specializations which you can choose from at level 10. The classes are gender locked, a turn off if you want to play a particular class but doesn’t want the predetermined gender. That would bother me so much, I want to play and dress up my character with my gender preference, thank you very much. I haven’t played a male character in any MMORPGs I tried. Luckily, the class I want is female.

Image Credit

There is no dedicated healer in this game. This almost—almost made me want to play Cabal 2 instead, however my gamer friends are here and Cabal 2’s OBT will be on the 23rd. It will make my life easier playing with those who are already familiar with how I play and how mean I am in game (Not really. I’m nice. Sometimes.) I still didn’t go with an all out DPS or tanker, so as expected I took the Bard path.

I was tempted to try the mage class but the semi-support marketing of Bard won me over. Thinking of it now I don’t know if it was a good decision or what. It’s a difficult class to play especially when you are starting. I’m 5 levels shy from 60 and I kind of like the class or maybe I’m a bit used to it by now. I’m someone who doesn’t have the patience of trying every class out there, trying to find my niche, because I already know what I want to play—a healer. Too bad they don’t have that here so I’ll settle with this. It’s not as OP as Duelist, Huntress or Earthguard but knowing how to play your class will make you a good player. Sure, you still might not win in a PVP with either of the three but you’ll fair well.

Thanks to the reset skills the team gave I’ve tried the PVE/PVP build and I like the latter more. Here’s my build which I followed from a beginners guide from Asian gamers. If you wish to see what’s for other classes, click here.

The Battlefield is addicting.
Yes, it is. Others may find it boring and repetitive. I’m usually partied with friends so I don’t find it that much of a burden. It’s fun and frustrating, especially when you are in a raid with players who aren’t familiar of how to play the maps of the Battlefield. Everyone starts as noobs here; we are still in CBT unless you played in the Thai version; players would eventually learn what to do inside BF because if you are not the type of player who would patiently go through the quest line, you’d probably be here until you reach level 60. It gives big exp which will make you level up in no time, two to three days max if you don’t sleep, no wonder we see a lot of level 60 hanging out in Ignea.

Solo dungeons are a pain. Not because they are uberly difficult, I just don’t like doing solo dungeons again and again and again to complete my gears. My patience would go out in a poof. Doing the party dungeons would have been different, however, only a few would want to go in party dungeons for level 35 and 50. You’ll find it easier looking for party members once you reach level 60 to hunt for your gears. They have this Smart Matching feature that makes the find party automatic, eliminating the public announcement of looking for party members. If I didn’t mention it yet, they don’t have a dedicated public chat where anyone can freely chat for everyone in the server can read. You have to purchase a speakerphone for 1 gold to make a public announcement. So if you find players who love to make useless public announcements, they’re most likely rich.

The downside of not having a dedicated healer when you are already doing level 60 stuff, as what a fellow gamer who’ve reached level cap the other day shared, is it makes the dungeon raids a lot longer and a pain in the ass to finish using pots and scrolls that cost so much you’d think twice using them in useless runs. If they will not have a healer in game, they should have at least lower the cost and cool down of the items because most probably you’d be dead before you can use another. That is if you have enough gold to purchase those. The challenge here is, even for seasoned players who are used to having healers, is to work as a team because once your tank is obliterated, it would only mean one thing—run. There’s no problem with trying again and again as long as you are making progress but if the cost of the supplies stays at that price, you’d certainly go bankrupt.

I don’t think I have to dig deeper. There are things I don’t like in the game like the repetitive maps and mobs for one, you can go try it and find faults in it if you want, you’d help the developer so much if you are going to do that. Writing this for me is enough. Overall, Echo of Soul is a generic game that players would easily like. They have this Soul System which makes them different from other MMORPGs. It’s something that I would play for a few months but it’s not a game that would make me want to stay for years. I don’t even know if I’ll stick till OBT or migrate to a new game. Honestly, I’m waiting for the OBT of Cabal 2 though I have to upgrade a few parts in my pc since they are using CryENGINE 3 but that’s another game to talk about for another time.

Playing with friends I met from RO2. I met two of them for real while I have spoken with the other over Skype.

If you are playing feel free to whisper me, if I’m not in one of my spells I’d answer back. You’ll easily recognize me in game, as one player said I’m a junk food which I didn’t take negatively because I know when no one is looking you can’t stop eating junk food, you love them, even if though it’s bad for your health. Add me up—TwisterFries.

Sources:
F2P
mmosite
mmohuts
MMOs

[1] Brief introduction from Wikipedia.