Thursday, November 25

Long Break

By virtue of Monday being a public holiday, the coming weekend is going to be a bit longer and a bit more restful. Got a game or two I have lined up to play, a bunch of anime and movies to convert to mobile format and hours of sleep to catch up to. Of course, there are some odd chores to catch up on, like pages of art and stuff that will earn me a pretty penny. Hopefully I'll be able to make the most of the break, so I'll free up the rest of my time for the inevitably hectic task of holiday shopping. Ah, just one more day to bliss...

Wednesday, November 24

Me Got Game

Three new games for The Sanctum's pleasure. These include the latest tactical-stealth action title, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the swashbuckling run-and-jump adventure sequel Prince of Persia 2: The Warrior Within and the blatant titillation all-female wrestling game, Rumble Roses.

I've played and finished both previous MGS titles, so I'm fully intending on playing and finishing MGS3 as a matter of course. The reviews have been good, and I am dying to get back into Snake's boots again. The story and the new characters look great- there's a whole new crop of freaky villains to take on, which once again reinforces my view of Metal Gear as the Ninja Scroll of military action games. That's something to get into over the long weekend.
I'm not really a big fan of run-and-jump titles- my coordination and attention span is pretty limited- but the cool visuals and storyline of POP:TWW is intriguing. The new Prince of Persia takes up the story a few years after the end of the first game, with the embattled Prince still being pursued by death, this time in the form of a mysterious island swarming with deadly foes. His only hope- to slay the mysterious Empress of Time. Ooh. With Ninja Gaiden-esque play, maybe I can get through this game and see the saucy stuff. Like actress Monica Bellucci's sexy onscreen NPC, Khardreena. Yum.

Finally, Rumble Roses. Let me say that as a DOA fan, I appreciate fan service and beautiful girls doing martial arts onscreen. That said, RR basically stuffs your face into the proverbial crotch. This game is pretty much interested in one thing- and that's to make gamers play with their joysticks. Not that there's anything I dislike about that... this really takes guilty pleasure to a whole new level.

Well! Lots of stuff to occupy myself. Anyway, there's stuff to do as well, so I'll try to keep some hours productive before I dive into these new distractions. Heh.
Upgrade Complete


Pocket PC Full Plate Mail+3

For the past few days since I got my XDA II, my brother and I have been pretty much regularly meeting late in the night when we're both at home. Since we both have the same device, our favorite thing to do now is to show off the newest thing we've discovered, the latest app or game we've installed, or the latest accessory we've added. I guess I was right to convince my bro to keep his XDA instead of going for the P910i. He'd probably be soooo green with envy and bored with the P9 when he sees me tinkering away on my Pocket PC phone.

The last couple of days saw us installing several games, including a version of the classic Ms. Pac Man, the excellent shooter Sky Force and the incredibly addictive Bejeweled. We also installed the demo version of Age of Empires for the PC, which amazingly seems true to the PC original, except for the size of the screen. I am fully intending to get the full version of this great title. I have to say though that I will keep gaming down to a minimum, since it is such a power hog. With minimal use of games and apps and just texting, the XDA II will easily last the whole day on a full charge. With normal use, you may probably reduce the power to about a third by the end of the day (late night). To remedy this, I got an extra charger for the office, so that should keep me powered up no matter what.

The next upgrade is a 1 Gigabyte SD Card, which pretty much lets me stuff hours of anime, action scenes, game and movie trailers and R-rated clips for anytime, anywhere viewing. My old 256 MMC card is now dedicated to music, and I've stuffed that full of tunes long enough for any road trip.

The last addition to my XDA II's arsenal is... armor! Yep. I decided that the leather case included with the phone was just too bulky, and the beltclip was not securely fastened enough for my liking. So I got a metal case that fits the phone like a... well, a metal glove. The effect now is that my XDA II looks like a liquor flask, which is kinda cool. The fit is perfect- there are orifices for all the buttons and connections, and the whole shell is snug and pretty slick. There's even a cool little slot for holding back-up memory cards in the inside. Excellent! But of course, the most important part of the metal shell is the belt clip, which is much more secure and resistant to removal than the simple clips of most other holsters. I tried it out, liked and it, and took it. Excellent!

And so, my little mobile warrior is prepped up and girded for any battle. All I have to do now is take care of it, and see that I take special care from now on, even weeks from now. That is, of course, assuming that I don't find another super phone in the next few weeks. Heh. Kidding... No, really. Gah.

Monday, November 22

Battle Angel

James "I'm the King of the World!" Cameron has gone on record that his next film will be an adaptation of the Yukito Kishiro manga/anime Battle Angel Alita. In order to fully capture the image of a lethally-cute cyborg-sprite with octopus lips, Alita aka Gally the Battle Angel will be a fully-CG character. Will the whole film be in CG, ala the Pixar films, or will it be like Who Framed Roger Rabbit with real settings?

Anyway, this should be pretty cool to wait for. The film is supposedly in pre-production already. Still a ways off, this one is. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait.
19 years of bloodshed

Yesterday, Comic Quest, my favorite blood bank, turned 19.

I remember my first experiences with CQ, as a student in my white polo and khakis. I'd go over to the branch in Greenhills to ogle at the colorful rows of comics, graphic novels, toys and other goodies I could only dream of holding and affording. I remember asking the shopkeeper to let me look at the books... and I'd remember them covered totally in plastic, with the man hovering over me, knowing that I could not afford them and just itching to snatch them back from my hands.

Yep, my experiences early on with CQ weren't the best. But thanks to the fact that Vin is nowhere near as hostile as his short-sighted old man was then (Don't displease your young customers, merchants- they grow up to become your valued clients) I buy pretty much ALL my comics at Comic Quest. Doesn't hurt that it's cool to browse and see the stuff you're spending your hard-earned blood on.
Anyway, CQ's my second home, the oasis amidst the chaos that is Megamall, tambayan for the gang and domain of the Time Twister himself, Vin. May it see more comics, fantasies, toys, fun, friendship and bloodletting for decades more to come.
Test Run

Okay!

I woke up LATE and had to rush. I clicked on my XDA II to the belt clip, packed my bag and was off.

Rode the MRT, arrived at Cubao. As I entered Farmer's Plaza, there was a hubbub as a female shoplifter was apparently caught and surrounded by a crowd of angry shopkeepers and cashier girls. A guard came running and collared the sullen bitch, who was defiantly snarling 'My relative is a policeman! A Major!' (In tagalog, of course) even as she was led away (no doubt to be put in stocks).
Rode the second MRT, arrived at Buendia. Rode the FX.

One slight mishap- the belt clip actually LET GO, so I'll be thinking of either putting the XDA in my pocket on commutes, instead of on my belt. Either that or I have to find a more secure belt holster.

Anyway, looked at the power supply. After the night's initial charge, it's half a day and the main power is still at just below 90 percent. We'll see how much it lasts to the end of the day. WOOHOO!!! Looks good and things went smoothly. And even in a hectic commute, I didn't lose my new toy! Yay! Now, back to work.

Um...


Where's my laptop..?

Kidding.

Sunday, November 21

Crash, Crash. Crumble, Crumble.

I got my brand-new O2 XDA II today. My brother eventually decided to keep his XDA since I reasoned that he'd probably feel limited if he got my P910i. So, we went to Greenhills and switched from Sony Ericsson to O2. After an early pizza dinner, we were off home again to charge up my new toy.
It took some time (and one CRASH), but I was able to synch the XDA to my PC and install a couple of apps, including my favorite Smartmovie. I never thought I'd find myself using Microsoft Outlook, but then again, a couple of years ago I never thought I'd find myself using cellphones. Heh.

I was able to text right away, but it still remains to be seen how it performs on a working day. The larger size is also something I have to get used to. I am thinking of getting a metal shell/jacket accessory. Also want to find by hook or by crook a copy of Age of Empires for the PPC. Conquering civilizations in real time on the MRT.... DAAAAAMN!!!! I'm also planning to buy a Gig-size SD or MMC card... perhaps for Christmas. Well, the holidays came early this year... TWICE now.

Well, with no superphone likely to come out before Christmas, I guess this is it. I've run the gamut, from a crappy walkie-talkie Motorola to a portable computer that was at one time the most expensive phone device around (48K, down to these days at about 43K in proper shops). There really is nowhere else to go from here.

Is that a tear in my eye? Oh well.

To Kat: Yep, the O2 XDA II's pretty awesome, but it IS a computer, with computer tendencies and faults (like occasional crashes). But otherwise, it's DAMN cool. It WILL take quite a bit of time for me to get used to this new OS, way of communicating, the various options and the stuff the thing can do.
To Apostle: Thanks for the warning. Anyway, I'm pretty used to charging my phone daily. If the battery lasts me a full day, It's fine with me. We'll see.