The promise to update every other week seems to be going down the drain, so we'll have to settle for fortnightly for the updates instead. Still, if videos count, my update rate is still pretty healthy :p. I have tons of pictures uploaded to my Facebook account on a very frequent basis, so do add me if you haven't already so that we can stay in contact that way. Much easier too, since I'm on FB pretty much every night, even when I'm on my PS3 or watching TV. Since the last video, I've been planning a major effort, but it's time to go for broke, and if I'm not hapy with the results I'll have to give up. No details to be given yet, however all I can say is that I'm working on something else, rather than another picture slide show. Still, I have no idea how it will work out, so perhaps it's still a long way off from ready for showing. I've also decided not to submit my videos to Stomp, since I don't think they will allow me to win another camera, and that the way the butcher the video quality given today's bandwidth is a little bewildering. Rena is now over 8 months all, and she's practically learning new things everyday. She's already sitting up very firmly these days, and have solid food for meals. She has 4 teeth to show off, and likes the attention that she's been enjoying in front of friends and relatives. It's much easier to bring her outside these days, but she has a temper that even I am afraid of. Similar to me, I guess, just that I rarely rarely show any signs of anger. Though, I get mad and frustrated pretty easily. Hopefully she'll be able to control her emotions and save us from all the stress of having to settle a screaming, hungry baby. :p
No major purchases this month, though I got myself KOF XII for the PS3 once it was released in Singapore. I spent hours on it with my DS3 controller, and got a sore thumb with a nice blister on it. I made up my mind to get a joystick, and immediately seeked and got one the following day. There were many high end controllers which were very nice, but I was pretty low in cash and settled for a korean brand named Joytron. It looked good, and the packaging and art were pretty nifty too. The stick felt good, but the buttons seem a little loose and felt like the spring effect won't last too long. Well, I only need it for KOF so hopefully it lasts, like my previous Hori one for the PS1 which still works and I use it for emulation on the PC. The PS3 version came with a few goodies, but were mostly useless. 2 collector cards, and a screen cleaner. Yeah nothing to shout about but the art was nice. The game itself, has disappointed many with lousy reviews, mostly due to the lack of characters, stages, and modes. The online component has been complained for being laggy too. I agree, but the bottomline is that it is a KOF title, and the gameplay is rock solid. I thought the combat system was flawed at first, till I realise the tremendous amount of depth and combos which were packed in all the characters. I'm hooked, and constantly trying out new characters and combos. Hopefully, SNK will give us fans more download contents such as new characters and stages, to build upon this engine which is already really fun and pleasing to the eye. Having cleared my Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level 2 last December, I can finally join the Standard Charted Singapore Marathon this year. I've been waiting to clock a 42km run for a long time now, but always didn't have the chance, either due to overseas trips or my JLPTs, level 3 and level 4. Now that I've completed most of my Japanese modules and have achieved my aim of level 2, I'm definitely signing up for this year. Hopefully I can survive it, and perhaps go for a few more in the years to come. :)
From Wiki: Kamen Rider Double (仮面ライダーW（ダブル）, Kamen Rider W) is the upcoming eleventh series in the Heisei period run of the Kamen Rider Series and the twentieth Rider series overall. It is set to premiere following the finale of Kamen Rider Decade on September 6, 2009, and will air alongside Samurai Sentai Shinkenger in TV Asahi's Super Hero Time programming block. End Quote. So far, I'm liking the Rider's suit design, but I'm HATING the 2 main guys which will henshin into the rider. Yes, 2 guys into 1. As if that doesn't sound gay enough, the 2 teenage guys really look and dress like gays. They disgust me so much I'm not going to put their pics here, save the video. Their gayness even top Shinken Blue, whom I thought was girly since appearing with bunny ears on his blog. I'm not gonna be giving up on the series because of this, but man, I'm so going to be complaining about them. Seriously, they really LOOK gay. I can spend hours bitching about them, but I really just wanna slap them. Decade's been doing well so far, with Black showing up in recent episodes.
Well, that's it again. For us, we have a whole list of activities upcoming in August, such as a photoshoot, a visit to the zoo, the video project, and of course our anniversary celebrations. Expect more pics soon. Till then, ja! Will leave you with a kick ass trailer of the upcoming Decade movie featuring all the riders in an epic rider kick!
Rena loves playing with toys and here are some of the pictures we took while she's busy having fun. This is part 1 of my video project, so look out for part 2 coming out real soon!
Hi. I've been posting for a bit the last month, but it's been a while since the last official blog post, with pictures and updates of Mabel and Rena. Well, I've been in a writing mood lately, hence the lengthly Transformer review, the article about finding passion in work, as well as the last 2 posts on the Leader Class Optimus Prime toy as well as Rena's latest video. I've been neglecting the normal updates and talks about what I've been up to, so hopefully with this post I can go back to the weekly regime of blog updates. Some of the factors which have prevented me from updating as frequently as usual are of course work and Rena, who was ill last week. She had a slight fever, and wasn't as lively as before, although she could still play and smile. We were a little worried due to the H1N1 situation, and decided to play it safe and give the doctor a visit. Well, she hated the medicine but thanks to it she made a speedy recovery. Aside from taking care of Rena during the weekends, the weekdays have also past by relatively fast. I haven't been spending too much on games and toys of late, although I did get that Optimus Prime and a few other Kamen Rider figures along the way. No new games so I'm still stuck on Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2, with nearly 80 hours of game play clocked, but still plenty of things to do and upgrade. The game is getting a little boring due to the hack and slash nature and the cumbersome method of unlocking new missions and parts, but it's still a good game for Gundam fans. Wanted to get either Prototype or Infamous, but they were pretty expensive at the shops which I happened to visit. Will have to put them on the waiting list for now. I recently bought and watched the DVD of 20th Century Boys. The movie is part of a trilogy based on the manga by Urasawa Naoki. The plot (wrom wiki) goes like this: In 1969, young boys Kenji, Otcho, Yoshitsune and Maruo build, in an empty field, a hideout they name their secret base, in which they and their friends can get together to share manga, stolen porn magazines and listen to a radio. To celebrate the event, Otcho draws a symbol for the base, that would represent their friendship. After their friends Yukiji and Donkey join the gang, they imagine a future scenario where villains would try to destroy the world, and in which the boys would stand up and fight; this scenario is transcribed and labeled "Book of Prophecy".
The series itself opens in the late 1990s, where Kenji is a convenience store owner, finding solace in his childhood adventures as he takes care of his niece Kanna and his mother. After Donkey is reported to have committed suicide, Kenji stumbles upon a large cult led by a man known only as "Friend". The cult has a plan to destroy the world on New Year's Eve of 2000, (referred to in the latter half of the story as the Bloody New Year's Eve,) and the events that are currently unfolding are suspiciously close to the plan documented in the "Book of Prophecy". Kenji begins to recruit some of his older friends, including Otcho and Yoshitsune, in an attempt to stop "Friend".The series spans several decades, from 1969 to 2017, which in the chronology of the series, becomes 3FE (3rd Year of the Friend Era.) The series makes two distinct timeline cuts during the story; one from 2000 to 2014, and one from 2014 to 3FE. Several parts of the series are also told in flashbacks to previous events as the characters attempt to unravel the mystery of who "Friend" is and how to stop his plans of world destruction; most of the children's backstories through the 70s and 80s are told in this fashion.And after watching the first movie, I went online and read the entire manga. All 22 volumes of it, within a week of late nights. The story is amazing, and the plot interwoven into the entire manga series. Lots of unexpected twists and turns along the way, making the manga full of suspense and surprises. So far, the first movie follows very very closly to the source, from the characters to the plot, and even the dialogue. Sure, they have to cut some corners to fit the plot into 3 movies, but so far it seems really faithful and that's a sign that the movies will serve to please the fans, old and new alike. For those yet to see the movie, please do so and better yet, read the manga!
As of the last update on Kamen Rider Decade and the Shinkenger series, I'm still downloading them, but only watching Decade. I also downloaded the Tomica Heroes Resue Fire series, but I still hate the designs and will leave them for rainy days. On the other hand, Decade is done with the 9 main worlds and is moving towards other worlds, including the Showa riders (Black is coming real soon), and even the Shinkengers' world. Yes, a cross over! First time ever, this year's rider and sentai are forming a team together. Even if it's just for a 2 episode period only, this marks a first and hopefully we get to see more such cross over productions soon.
I'm finding time to work on another video production, this time will be a more directed effort to capture different shots of Rena, but mostly it will be a fun video again. I've already selected the song, and will spend some time on the transition and textual effects while collecting photos worthy of putting into the video. Will take some time though, so be patient! Mabel's also deep into planning for Rena's 1st birthday celebrations (yes, in fact she started way before you can imagine), and we're making arrangements to make the event as memorable as her first month celebrations. This time though, it will be bigger and definitely not at our place. We're also planning for a few upcoming excusions, to the zoo for example, so hopefully we'll get to take some good shots and post them on facebook or here. Until next week, check back again or add my on Facebook at psyke0808@yahoo.com.sg!
The promise to update every other week seems to be going down the drain, so we'll have to settle for fortnightly for the updates instead. Still, if videos count, my update rate is still pretty healthy :p. I have tons of pictures uploaded to my Facebook account on a very frequent basis, so do add me if you haven't already so that we can stay in contact that way. Much easier too, since I'm on FB pretty much every night, even when I'm on my PS3 or watching TV. Since the last video, I've been planning a major effort, but it's time to go for broke, and if I'm not hapy with the results I'll have to give up. No details to be given yet, however all I can say is that I'm working on something else, rather than another picture slide show. Still, I have no idea how it will work out, so perhaps it's still a long way off from ready for showing. I've also decided not to submit my videos to Stomp, since I don't think they will allow me to win another camera, and that the way the butcher the video quality given today's bandwidth is a little bewildering.
Rena is now over 8 months all, and she's practically learning new things everyday. She's already sitting up very firmly these days, and have solid food for meals. She has 4 teeth to show off, and likes the attention that she's been enjoying in front of friends and relatives. It's much easier to bring her outside these days, but she has a temper that even I am afraid of. Similar to me, I guess, just that I rarely rarely show any signs of anger. Though, I get mad and frustrated pretty easily. Hopefully she'll be able to control her emotions and save us from all the stress of having to settle a screaming, hungry baby. :p
No major purchases this month, though I got myself KOF XII for the PS3 once it was released in Singapore. I spent hours on it with my DS3 controller, and got a sore thumb with a nice blister on it. I made up my mind to get a joystick, and immediately seeked and got one the following day. There were many high end controllers which were very nice, but I was pretty low in cash and settled for a korean brand named Joytron. It looked good, and the packaging and art were pretty nifty too. The stick felt good, but the buttons seem a little loose and felt like the spring effect won't last too long. Well, I only need it for KOF so hopefully it lasts, like my previous Hori one for the PS1 which still works and I use it for emulation on the PC.
The PS3 version came with a few goodies, but were mostly useless. 2 collector cards, and a screen cleaner. Yeah nothing to shout about but the art was nice. The game itself, has disappointed many with lousy reviews, mostly due to the lack of characters, stages, and modes. The online component has been complained for being laggy too. I agree, but the bottomline is that it is a KOF title, and the gameplay is rock solid. I thought the combat system was flawed at first, till I realise the tremendous amount of depth and combos which were packed in all the characters. I'm hooked, and constantly trying out new characters and combos. Hopefully, SNK will give us fans more download contents such as new characters and stages, to build upon this engine which is already really fun and pleasing to the eye.
Having cleared my Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level 2 last December, I can finally join the Standard Charted Singapore Marathon this year. I've been waiting to clock a 42km run for a long time now, but always didn't have the chance, either due to overseas trips or my JLPTs, level 3 and level 4. Now that I've completed most of my Japanese modules and have achieved my aim of level 2, I'm definitely signing up for this year. Hopefully I can survive it, and perhaps go for a few more in the years to come. :) 
From Wiki: Kamen Rider Double (仮面ライダーW（ダブル）, Kamen Rider W) is the upcoming eleventh series in the Heisei period run of the Kamen Rider Series and the twentieth Rider series overall. It is set to premiere following the finale of Kamen Rider Decade on September 6, 2009, and will air alongside Samurai Sentai Shinkenger in TV Asahi's Super Hero Time programming block. End Quote. So far, I'm liking the Rider's suit design, but I'm HATING the 2 main guys which will henshin into the rider. Yes, 2 guys into 1. As if that doesn't sound gay enough, the 2 teenage guys really look and dress like gays. They disgust me so much I'm not going to put their pics here, save the video. Their gayness even top Shinken Blue, whom I thought was girly since appearing with bunny ears on his blog. I'm not gonna be giving up on the series because of this, but man, I'm so going to be complaining about them. Seriously, they really LOOK gay. I can spend hours bitching about them, but I really just wanna slap them. Decade's been doing well so far, with Black showing up in recent episodes.
Hi. I've been posting for a bit the last month, but it's been a while since 
