Wife: GO, Husband: STOP

My wife is going back to school. She will be taking law to advance to a more comfortable and higher paying position at her work at Court. She will take classes in the afternoon after work has concluded.

I can't say that she has my full support, because one percent of it was the baby in me saying, "Oh no, my wife won't be cooking dinner anymore." and the husband in me saying, "Well, there goes the weekday sex". It's just me being selfish, I know. I just have to suck it up for the next five years

But of course, it's for a better future, and I know she can do it. I know nothing is more gratifying than a life with a purpose, and as far as I am concerned, my life had no purpose if it wasn't for my wife.

Have you seen my wife on jeans wearing a backpack? Yeah, I think she will fit in with college, she does look like a High Schooler sometimes.

On a different note: I will be in hiatus for an uncertain number of weeks. This time, I can honestly say that it has nothing to do with my gaming, I just ran out of ideas. The few ideas I do have, I'm unable to make coherent to be deemed postable (yeah, I think that's not a word.)

So yeah, a break. Now I know how Eiichiro Oda feels.

My nephew Rafael

I have a cute nephew.

I find him rather amusing. Raphael is completely cute and overall agreeable. I've rarely seen him cry and he actually watch me play video games. Twice has he sat on my lap while I play. My wife said he even swayed when my game character moves.

He fidgets alot, my wife said it's normal but I'm not so sure. He looks like he's dancing an awkward boogie. It's more twitchy rather than normal baby movement, but it could just be my perception.

He likes to pout alot too. Like he's sucking teensie weensie nipples.

From time to time, he looks like the most serious baby in the whole wide world, likes he's plotting or dreaming some world domination scheme.. in a cute way, of course, even the most evil expression becomes cute for a baby.

He has a round face, like a dumpling. I call him Siopao, or in cute lingo, Chupaw. If you know Momotaro, you get the general idea. Ah, maybe I should call him Momo when we're alone. *Evil Laugh*

So far, I am liking this baby, There might be a chance he could be an introvert. We might share a silent "I feel you, bro" dialogue. We'd be like the most awkward Nephew and Uncle tandem. 

IF he is an introvent, he might be the first baby I won't mind learning to talk..because chances are, we'll probably stare at each other and enjoy every awkward moment of it.

Student Life

Since I breached the topic of High School, I might as well tell you how I am as a Student.

Elementary

Let's skip Pre-school, because I completely don't remember if I attended one or not. But I probably didn't because we weren't as well to do then as we did now, to put it lightly.

As an Elementary student, I was a nobody, a wallflower. Chances are none of my classmates remembers me because I surely don't remember them. Well, I haven't really forgotten all, I do remember bits and pieces like being forced to perform in a group on the school's foundation day and participating in class because the teacher mildly hinted that I might fail the subject if I don't participate. So yeah, I might have remembered the bad parts and completely forgotten everything else, what can I say, I was a ghost in Elementary school. As far as I know, the school still exist albeit in a different name. I heard they installed a pool a year after I graduated.

High School

This was the period where I was thrust into the spotlight and where I was finally figuring out what I was. I was Class President on my first year, although honestly, I have no idea why I was even picked. I did not know anyone and they surely did not know me. 

Then the next year I changed schools and stayed there for the duration of my High School life.

Honestly, It was fun. 

I was surrounded by puberty and raging hormones. Adults that say kids today talk too much about sex have obviously forgotten their HS life. It was rampart then as it is now.

Of course, not me included. It was hard to get a semblance of an early sex life if you have a few idiosyncrasies and romanticized thinking about sex. OK, Talking about sex might be the wrong starter topic when talking about High School, specially since I didn't get any, thankful for that though. Let's back up for a bit.

I was either number 2 or 3 in class. My Science Teacher insisted that I might have stayed on 2 if only I have kept a notebook. Yep, never kept a notebook. Earlier in my HS life, I realized listening to the teacher beats taking notes why they talk, although there was this time I sat down one night and copied 30 or so pages from my textbook so that I have something to show my teacher the next day. Yep, filled a blank notebook in one night.

From time to time, this one classmate gets to take my place as number 2, smart enough dude, skipped a couple of years in Elementary for being smart. We we're friendly enough but I think he was competing with me for the number 2 spot, it was a one-sided competition, though. If you know me well enough, you know I don't care how other people are doing and it does not affect my work.

I joined a few poetry writing competition during school events, proud enough to say I've always taken first place but I never attended the awarding ceremonies. Never, Assholes! *Evil laugh*

Sorry... er... being the center of attention wasn't really my thing, then and now. They did manage to get me upstage once when they changed the time of awarding to a regular school day when I was (cruelly) expecting the regular flag ceremony. My classmates endearingly boo'ed me as I approached the stage. No, my class likes me, they just want to embarrass me more that I already was. It was fun, I guess.

College

I was unprepared. No one discussed College life to me, no one told me what to expect in college, no one told me the subtle importance this time on my life was to my future. I was like going to war unarmed and naked. I promised to never make that mistake once I become a parent. I was a wreck, temptations surrounding the campus. It was also the time where Ragnarok Online entered the scene and completely screwed College for me. There was this one Subject where I did well, though. I got a highest score any student could ever get on a subject. It was a mixture of Psychology and Philosophy, I was doing great that most of the exam questionnaires was taken from what I said. I had my moments when I took the time to attend classes, but it was few and rare in between.

I had to drop out and was able to resume College when I was older and fully comprehend what College really meant. On round 2, I was fully dedicated. I was hungry to learn and finish it.

And I did. I learned, I hungered and I was fed. I devoured all the knowledge they can give and sought elsewhere when it was insufficient. I was the ideal student, and at times the bane of the school administration. I had to transfer classes a few times because I felt the professor incompetent and unable to impart his knowledge. I had to explain to the School Administration why I wished to change classes and arguments often ensued. I, of course, won. It was my right to choose and I was assigned to a more senior professor where I learned a lot. 

The senior Professor I got was said to rarely give a high grade. I was told that I was the 3rd ever in his teaching career to receive a high grade. Something I was definitely proud of, Programming was a complicated subject. I was supposed to be a candidate to receive honors on graduation, but unfortunately, transferees aren't eligible for awards.

And I did not attend the graduation ceremony. Never, Assholes! *Evil laugh*

Nah, I was working by then.

So here it is, my student life in summary. Though my life as an actual student may be over, I am always learning something new. Education is not something you tie to a diploma or to an establishment. Learning is something you never stop doing till the day you breathe your last breath.

Story time

A long long time ago, in a land known as High School, our then young protagonist (me) decided, for whatever reason I could not even begin to fathom, to go to his High school Prom.

Hence he went and bought a clothes specially for the occasion. One of the lesson I can impart at this point is that never ever let a high schooler pick his own clothes because what he thinks he looks and how he really looks might be completely different.

Obviously, we was completely unaware of how his swank full zipper maong polo looked on him; and he won't know for a couple of years when he's older and wee bit wiser. Ah, the ignorance of youth, saved alot of embarrassment, or rather; conveniently delayed it.

Back to the story.

So the night of the enchanting prom came and our young hero thus embarked on his way to adventure..ADVENTURE TIME!

On the way, our hero of the story was struck with one of the insightful, eye-opening, enlightening question that rarely comes to a young man. En route, his inner psyche, his common sense had to rear his ugly head and ask our hero:

"What the hell am I gonna do there?"

So he detoured to a PC shop two block from the school and play Counter-Strike the whole night. No regrets, ever.

THE END.

Penspinning

One of my hobbies (that's not gaming) is Penspinning which is the art of spinning a pen using your fingers in an aesthetic manner.

Before committing to learn the harder tricks, I first encountered Pen spinning in High School where a classmate thought me a basic 1-2 combo that I now know to be called a Thumbaround Harmonics. That trick has been in my "repertoire" for over a decade.

The only one for over a decade; because I was not aware that it was actually a thing, or that it was even called Penspinning, or that there's a huge international community dedicated in disseminating information, competing and glorifying Penspinning.

Truth be told, it was boredom that made me take interest in Penspinning. I was, around two years ago, between jobs to put it lightly. I needed something to occupy my time that would somehow compliment my primary pastime: Reading.

My thought at that time was that while a hand is holding a book (or my Kindle), the other would be idle which is unacceptable (yeah)... and then came Stumpleupon to solve this dilemma. an article featuring Penspinning was featured in one of the websites that Stumbleupon randomly feeds its users. I was like "Hey, I knew a bit of it, why not give it a try."

So long story short: I gave it a whirl.

Funny thing is "training" became so engrossing that it was no longer a complement to reading, it has become a full blown hobby that it needed it's own time apart to master some of the trick. I even bought pens specially for Penspinning from the US.

Now, I can't really call myself an expert Penspinner, I'm way way still out there, but I'm pretty confident enough to say I'm no longer a novice because I know enough to freestyle, and I know at least 1 difficult trick. I think they call the next level Intermediate so I think I'm in that area.

Unfortunately, I think I'm stuck on that level as I have not tried to learn anything new for a few months now. In truth, I'm running out of easy tricks to learn and the difficult ones are.. well.. really difficult. I also have alot of things going on so i don't have enough time to train a new trick.

But maybe someday.. you never really know, and you can't really unlearn all the tricks you've learned, it's not something your muscle memory can forget like touch typing.

I hate DataBlitz

As far as online transactions go, my dealings with Gaming store DataBlitz is the worst online experience I have ever come across, enough that I will never be buying from the ever again.

I usually buy all my gaming needs from Game One Gadgets, because it's easier to talk to them, but they did not have an R1 of Borderlands: Handsome Collection at that time so I had no choice but to buy from DataBlitz.

The email conversation with DB took only four emails from me but it took around four hours, they respond to emails like one every hour. Minus points already.

Deposited the money to their account on Friday noon so they can have it delivered later and I could have the game by Sunday. To my surprise, the response I got on 3 PM that day was that they don't deliver on Weekends thus the game will be sent on Monday, Take note, DataBlitz shops are open everyday. Minus a ton of points.

I asked for a refund then and there or at the very least, have the money diverted to a branch where I can have a relative pick them up and deliver it themselves (faster than waiting for Monday). They said no refund on confirmed orders and my idea was impossible. Not flexible and Greedy as hell. Negative points.

On Monday, after around five emails to them asking the status on my order, they replied at 4 PM telling me they don't have a stock on hand so they have to get one from one of the branches so it won't be delivered that day. Has it ever occurred to them that they could have just had their employee at that branch send the game instead of pulling a copy that said branch? How is it not like my suggestion? What did they do for three days?

I understand protocols, I love protocols, but that was not protocol, that was red tape, red tape that pisses customers and made them lose one. So far from the reviews around online, their face to face service sucks as well, sucks enough that DB has a Facebook hate page (inactive though.)

Mind you that that was the Holy week, so I received my game after eight days, instead of the two days I usually get if I ordered from Game One Gadget any day of the week. You can be certain that my Four-day no-work was ruined because the game arrived on the third day.

Damn you, DataBlitz.

Most Played Game

List time.

Here's my most played games of all-time in order of most played.

1. Borderlands 2

I have to admit, I've avoided first-person shooters for a long time and I only played Borderlands 2 because it came as a bundle when I bought my PS Vita. Playing BL2 change my game genre preference dramatically, now shooters will always be on my to-buy list. My game time is around 350 hours total for all my characters.

2. Final Fantasy VII

It's probably the first game I have ever played on a Playstation unit. I fell in love with it completely, enough to have played it around eight times. Though I have probably given up on it being remade on the current generation Playstation, and also how I detest Square Enix from milking its popularity (Not just me, I guess. Just look at Square Enix's Facebook page and you'll see walls of rage post about it). Still, it has a place in my heart, right next to..

3. Vagrant Story

Another Square Enix game around the time Final Fantasy VII became popular; and though the world loved FF7, Vagrant Story went pretty much slightly under the radar. It was due to the fact that its powering up concept was revolutionary at the time that most had a hard time getting around it. No level up system required: Use a weapon repeatedly on a certain type of enemy type or elemental affinity and it will deal more damage to that enemy/elemental type, You can pretty much kill a human boss with your default weapon (or your fist) if you've attacked enough humans with it. I love it. From time to time, I imagine they made a part 2 of it where Ashley Riot is training his successor. Played it almost as many times as FFVII. I was generally unpopular that there was rumour of its developing team being demoted/deported because how poorly the game was selling. *Shrugs*

4. Super Mario Bros.

Is it any wonder? You can't save your progress and the Gameboy uses Four AA Batteries but I beat the game a few times before the batteries dies. It was pre-GAMEFAQs era so I might or might not have found every secret in the game. Probably won't be playing any platform games anymore but it was nice to being able to play it when I was a child.

Anyway, that's it. Final Fantasy 7 and Vagrant story can be bought and downloaded from the PSN story so you can relive or try the Game. Final Fantasy 7 is also available on Steam.

Trivia Crack and Quiz Up

I've always loved Trivia. The weirder, the better. One of my favorite shows as a child was Ripley's Believe It or Not!, both series hosted by Jack Palance and Dean Cain, though my preference is leaning more towards Palance.

I've joked before that my early childhood memories has been deleted to make room for the useless information, like a full memory hard drive. I don't remember much of my childhood, but sure, I can tell you off the bat what L.A.S.E.R means. (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, read it off a book when I wan in elementary school)

I also know that prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, Filipinos did not have a last name and that later after the Spaniards arrived, Filipinos were allowed a last name and were given a chance to actually choose one. Makes you wonder why some people has unpleasant family names, eh?

Anyways.. I feel that I need some trivia in my blood again, maybe get some new information flowing or re-read old bits so I downloaded two apps from the Play store: Trivia Crack and Quiz Up, both popular trivia related app.

But if you want to know if the two apps are OK, I couldn't tell you, It require Internet connection to actually make it work/run that after trying to use it when the WiFi was turned off and learning I couldn't, I uninstalled it without even bothering to see if it was OK to use.

What's the use of trying a trivia app that tethers you to a network? I understand why the YouTube or Facebook app needs constant connection to work, buQt I don't see the point in a Trivia app that can't work offline.

So that's that.

Skype and me

As an introvert, I make plenty of efforts not to be noticed.

Honestly, I prefer to be ignored by the general public because talking to them is a grueling task.

I come off as rude at times, I know, but they are just not aware that at most, I have no idea how to respond so I end up not responding at all.

One of the "I don't know how to respond to that" instances are when people greet me on my birthday. It is just a very awkward encounter for me that I have gone to great length to delete any way people will get notified of my birthday.

I have removed my date of birth from my Facebook page, as an example. I have told my agents that I don't celebrate my birthday and would prefer that they don't broadcast it if they ever knew when.

And then there's Skype. If I can only stop using it, I would; but I use it at work. I don't know who developed Skype but I bet they like to be greeted on their birthday and assumed everyone else in the world likes the attention.

You see, you can't hide your birthday from all your contacts at Skype. Not only can't you hide it. Skype makes it impossible for them to ignore your birthday by notifying them with an automated message. You can't even change it to the wrong date, because if you forgot to change it to a much later date, people will not greet you at the wrong date, which is more embarrassing to both greeter and you.

I hate you, Skype. If I had a choice, I will never use you again.

Alternative to Google for specific information

Google is a big help, but sometimes, no matter what keywords you use, you can't find the right information you need. It happens, no matter what specific keywords you use, the topic you are researching might have too common words to find good results.

So what do you do when Google just isn't cutting it? You find a topic specific forum/board. Want to know something about a specific aspect of a computer that's hard to explain to google? Talk to a human on a computer-related board. You might be surprise to know how very knowledgeable, technical and eager to help these people are on forums.

Google might misunderstood your query, but a forum member will know what you are talking about, and even if you're question is confusing, you can explain it in more details to get the message across.

The first time I joined a forum was for a different reason. I just learned touch typing and I needed a medium to practice it more till I became comfortable enough. So I joined the now defunct One Manga Forums. 

I learned plenty from OM that casual Manga readers don't even know. For example is that there's no releases on a certain holiday in Japan, Categories and sub categories and what suits you. What goes into making a manga like assistants, Mangaka's (that's what they call Manga authors/creators) health affecting the artwork and production of a certain manga, who dead, dying, and died. The politics that went into what Manga gets published from what gets cut.

Another benefit you get from forums, specially if the forum is localized geographically is that forum members might know where you can locate a specialized vendor selling an item cheaper. For this my example is PinoyPS, a forum for Playstation fans and enthusiast. Members recommended (without even me asking) an online vendor that sells PSN cards cheap. I wouldn't have found it on my own, and even if I did, I would have considered it a scam for selling it so cheap. But it was mentioned and recommended repeatedly by different members. There's the risk, but can't go wrong when alot of people are recommending it.

So in need of answers, information, technical help, cheaper parts, trusted online vendors? Look for the right forum. Knowledge is power and people in forums love to empower people.

A post that is not about the Playstation 4

So yeah, I guess I'm back to blogging but I'll be releasing posts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only...

No, it has nothing to do with me buying a Playstation 4 a couple of weeks ago (Well, maybe a bit. still awesome, though) but it has something to do with not having much ideas for topics (because, yeah, you can't think of anything else when gaming... so... ok, it might have something a bit more to do with the PS4..)

Okay, goddamit.. Let talk about my PS4. ;)

I bought it when I learned about the new update for the PS4, codenamed "Yukimura". It has a feature that caught my attention so I just went along and bought it the next day. To be specific, Yukumura features a button assignment configuration. In short, button X can be square, if you want it to be.

If you read my previous post. You can tell that I do not love the Asian button configuration where Circle is "Confirm" and X is "Cancel" because Region 1/US games uses the opposite; X is "Confirm", Circle is "Cancel."

It can be confusing.

Now, that is the only reason why I went ahead and bought a PS4 the next day Yukimura was released. Though thinking about it now, I should have done a bit more research first.

Apparently, the button configuration doesn't just work on the PS4 home screen, it works though all the games.. through all my Region 1 games.. Meaning I have to turn off the Button assignment once I'm actually playing the game, unless I want to use Asian button configurations on my US games. Somewhat pointless, so I opted to turn that setting off. *Shrugs*

Still.. Playing Borderlands 2 on a bigger screen is much much better after being wow'ed by it on my Playstation Vita. Cross-saving Borderlands 2 between PS4 and Vita is kinda-crappy though, they should fix that.

Among other thing whilst tinkering with the unit. I learned that I can use my Sony TV remote to control navigation of the PS4's home menus. You can also setup the TV to automatically turn on when you turn on the PS4. Kinda neat features, if you ask me.

So yeah, I think building that dream PC might take a while more than I figured.

PC build and frustration

I have high standards for myself. At times it's good because there's a level of quality; at times it's more of a road to heartaches since my wallet can't reach that certain level of quality.

So there I was, thinking of building a gaming PC from scratch. Checked the parts I want, researched it to make sure it is what a really want, compared it so I don't have doubts, read all the pros and cons of the specific parts. In short, all the extensive routine I usually do when I want to buy a piece of technology (Believe me, every piece, even the thermal paste, has been exhaustively researched.)

Looking at the final build, it hit me that I might never see the PC I wanted to have just because I have no sense of compromise when it comes to quality. The final build costs around $1500.

Can I settle for some cheaper parts? Maybe, but I'm certain that knowledge that I've lowered my standard will nag my subconscious. Can I save long enough to buy the parts? I don't know, I am an impatient man.

What is a guy like me to do?

Idea brainstorm!

I suggested that in order to eliminate the hassle of choosing what clothes to wear to work every morning, I should just buy fifteen pieces of the same shirt.. and voila!, no more time wasted choosing what to wear.

My wife turned it down, vehemently. Said people will think that she's not taking care of her husband if they saw me wearing the same clothes all the time.

Sometimes, being married sucks..

Hiatus

It has not gone over my head that its been a few days that I haven't posted anything new. It is not an indication that this blog has died like the other blogs I've made in the past. There's some few topics I still plan on tackling and I actually have two available drafts that I could publish right now.

But the truth is I'm not in the best of moods, definitely not in a sharing mood. The month of March sucks for me and unless it makes a turnaround, I won't be publishing anything close to any of my interests.. I might post one or two, but that would be erratic and it might not happen. 

So I will return when things get a visage of normality, but right now, I. Will. Brood.

Mood: Sulky

Previously Read: Airframe by Michael Crichton (Sucks, only "aircraft people" will appreciate)

Currently Reading: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Currently Watching: Bones Season 9

Currently playing: Borderlands (via Steam)

Currently pondering: Damn PC Gaming Rig

Playstation Vita 3rd Birthday Celebration Sale

Playstation Vita is celebrating it's 3rd Birthday this month (I had mine for around ten months) and PSN is commemorating the event by giving a sale on Vita games.

Now, if you haven't read my previous posts about the vita then do so now. [LINK]

If you have, you understand my frustration on the games available on the Vita. The list of games for sale only strengthen my point that Vita is awesome, its just the games that are lacking.

Of the 26 games for sale, I counted half to be casual games or at least close enough that it can be considered casual games. On the other half, its either ports from PSP or minor titles. There are major titles, but most of this major titles are from endeavors that failed to make a profit or piqued the interest of buyer like the Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.

Is it a birthday-worthy sale? Of course not, I don't even think it's worth announcing in such a manner.

I wonder who decides these sale, I wonder what process goes into it. It looks like PSN is just trying to earn some money on the game's overall poor profit. Where's the celebration? Where's the sale on actual high earning games? Killzone: Mercenary has been popular download, I don't think I've seen it go on sale, the price has been the same since I've bought the Vita.

So to make it short: PSN sales are for forgotten titles, casual games, and flops. Popular title just won't cut it, even if it's a once a year deal. No wonder Vita is not getting some love it deserves.

[SOURCE]

Tomb Raider Film Reboot: Oh yes.. and Oh hell no

Holy crap, I just learned that a Tomb Raider movie is in the works.

The latest Tomb Raider game was awesome so you can understand my excitement in a film reboot. It will feature a younger Lara (like the last game) so I guess no Angelina Jolie.

Little information on possible casting but the little detail we can gather is not at all good. The story is going to be written by the same person who wrote (i.e screwed) the rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

This news makes me wring my fists skyward in frustration going:

[SOURCE]

Lands And Hopes part II

We went property hunting with my wife yesterday after work. We went to three lots to see if we like it.

I was expecting to deal with one or two persons but the group that showed us around consisted of seven people. I don't know if it's just me but when people starts the sales talk or I've come to realize that they are selling something, my defense goes up, part of my brain refuses to believe anything that comes out of the seller's mouth, but it was fun and I actually have part of my defenses down.

The first lot for sale is actually a lot and house. They're selling the house as well. The lot itself is big, near 400 square meters. There's three problem; the lot's elongated and curves at the front, not symmetrical. being elongated means the house it elongated as well, which in turn means it will always be too close to the neighbors even if there's a property wall, and there's actually alot of neighbors. The house itself is not to my liking as well. The design is not well thought of, kind of like a Hydra monster after its head has been cut off too many times. Third problem is that the lot is at the end of a narrow road where it will be difficult to park a car.

The second property is more to my liking, 480 square meters of a wide farm land so you can bet the land is surrounded by agricultural plants. No neighbors, at least, none yet. Symmetrical and by the road, meaning the front will always be without obstruction. The lot iself is big enough to have a front and back yard. It's also nearer to the city than where we currently live. The only problem I have, and its a mere speculation at this time, is possible flooding but the flood dam near the river seems to have eliminated or significantly reduced that risk.

The last property, I did not even see, I did not even know how big or small it was, the selling price was way too high, almost 4x per square meter of the other lots we checked and it was around fifteen minutes away from the city (which can get longer when you consider progress.) But the area was great, it was clean and has the air of a well-maintained subdivision. The hut we stayed has a TV outside, no fence of any kind, which tells me that the people are great too if residents leaves their TV outside at night without worry.

I think the second lot is the best choice of the three. It's as close enough but not within the city proper, right now neighbors are non-existent but the area has room for possibilities. Property values near the city always goes up. So it's a prime location, with all the plans we hear for Laoag. It's by the road so we have easy access.

So I told my wife we should go for it. We have our fingers crossed.

[UPDATE] *Sigh* The seller dropped by my wife's workplace to show the land's title and Mae's boss's evaluation is that the title has problems. Enough problems for us to backout. Well, I guess the hunt continues.

Sony fanboyism at an end

My brother is a Sony Fanboy. I don't think he can deny that fact since he has two Sony TVs, a Sony home sound system, a Vaio laptop, a Sony camera, and a PS4 (I might have missed other gadgets)

Admittedly, I think I am too. I bought a Sony smart phone and a Bravia TV last year, I have a Playstation Vita and I'm saving up for a PS4.

My smart phone did not come with any games installed, something which I like. Multi-tasking devices are nice, but I see no point in having games on a phone when I have a Vita, and all mobile phone gaming has to offer are casual games, which I am tired of already. I like my smart phone, it has a no BS look.

I bought a TV in preparation for buying a PS4, other than that, I don't really watch network TV so it's not connected to an antenna or home cable. But it is being used daily.

I like things Sony makes, They are innovative (innovations are sometimes a hit or miss) although I am not happy how they are handling the Spider-man franchise. They are a company that likes to have a finger or two dipped in new technology. Like most company, there are sides to the business that they are handling not so well, mostly with the pricing of games (my opinion, if you read my older posts.)

So understandingly, I want my products in the future to be Sony as well. But sadly, Sony are closing off the smart phone and TV part of their business and will mainly focus on their constant high earner: Playstation.

According to the news, the smart phone and TV side of the company isn't making enough money enough to be profitable. They are opting to just close it off and focus on the Playstation.

As a gamer, my heart says "YAY!" but as an Xperia phone and Bravia TV owner, I somewhat breaks my heart to think that It might be the last Sony smart phone and TV I will ever own.

I understand why Sony is making this move. It's only right to cut losses when it's not making money. I'd do the same if it was me. It's just unfortunate that it happened when it did.

Can it still be called fanboyism if I only buy Playstation Stuff?

Tomb Raider

I've been playing Tomb Raider for 2-3 weeks now with a game time of 32 hours.

The overall ambiance is that of the TV show Lost. Crashed into a supposedly deserted Island, then you realize it's filled with murderous villains. Trapped by a mystical force, you are forced into an adventure where you meet the not so friendly residents of the island and solve its mysteries. Pretty much like Lost.

Considering how Lost went south in the end, I'm hoping Tomb Raider's would be at least satisfactory. Let's not pretend it might not end well for Lara Croft because, let's face it, its LARA FREAKIN' CROFT. She's a timeless leading character that fans have been trying to undress for almost twenty years. I would not be surprised if she lasts twenty more.

Tomb raider is a brutal game, particularly for Ms. Croft herself. More that once have I been sorry for Lara, being tossed around by nature and men like a human rag doll. The first ten minutes of the game made me feel like Lara Croft is one unlucky gal (ouch). And the Lara death scenes (game over scenes) are Mortal Kombat brutal with Lara falling off cliffs, being skewered on spikes, head snapped by wolf's jaw, axed, stabbed, and all manners of death. 

I think this game is best played alone with the lights off. It gives off a sense of horror that leaves you on the edge of your seat going "What the fuck!" again and again. Definitely a must buy.

Weekend with the new baby

I thought with the new born and all, the weekend will be crazy but so far it's been peaceful.

My wife slept alot but that's normal since spent 3 days with little or no sleep at all. It game me time to play Tomb Raider without being interrupted.

My new nephew, Rafael (ignoring the "C" name) Asher has been quiet, its kind of sweet. If all babies behave like him, I'd want one too. He fidgets when he's hungry. So far, I haven't really heard the baby cry longer than three seconds bursts.

He opens his mouth in a cute way as well, like he's going, "Really?! That's awesome! Tell me more," it's a sarcastic look, really, but its cute.

Overall, he has the look of complete concentration, like he's trying to poop like nothing else matters (it might actually be true.)

Dexter Is Dead

The Winds of Winter will not be coming this year. That's a fact. Even GRRM said he will not be BSing the release. Once the novel is ready, he will be direct to the point.

Although massively disappointing. There's still something to be thankful for this year.

I find out that Jeff Lindsay will be releasing the final book of his dark-humoured Dexter series. Dexter is dead will be the last novel in the series.

Although I had to thank the TV show for discovering the series, I have to say that the show did the books little Justice. Another example of TV version being too "afraid" to show some dark scenes that gives depth to the story.

Dexter's Final Cut was a total cliffhanger that after reading it, I was worried that it might really be the final book, hence the name.

I am glad that Mr. Lindsay did not go for an open-ended ending. That give his fans some blood lust.

Anyway. Mark your calendars, folks. July 7 is the date where we find out what will become our murderous Dexter Morgan. Will the system catch up to him, or will he squirm his way out of a very sticky mess.

PS: Hhmm. I'll re-read the series in Mid-May to get reacquainted with Dex before the July release.

Why I hate social networks

More that once did I consider deleting my Facebook account. Oftentimes a see no point in social networks. There was a time that I barely looked at my news feed, only focused on notifications as I was following updates from businesses I follow.

If it wasn't for this important updates I follow, I would have definitely deleted my accounts a long time ago. I tried some alternative sources for these wanted updates but some sources needs frequent updates themselves. Some uses FB as a primary and only means of distributing information, not to mention they are very easy to communicate with on FB.

I have one "friend" that most of the time, post like an average Joe, but wears his heartbreak on his sleeve, to the point that it's uncomfortably embarassing. I see no point in letting the world know that a woman broke your heart. Passive aggressive posts about your ideal love because some girl broke the "rules of love", don't these people have real friend they can talk to face to face about these things? Has the world gone mad that it is socially acceptable to air all your BS in public? Do they expect some invisible force to correct a wrong because you've subjected everyone to your constant whining?

There's also some who broadcast their sickness. Do the world need to know you're constipated, really?

I'm not against sharing because Blogs can be like that, I am merely stating that FB asking you what's on your mind that you should willynilly share everything. Misery, troubles, and advices should be face to face, personal. Positive things can be public, share it.

You can share your negative experiences from time to time, just don't make it a weekly or daily habit, it's not cute and it will not endear you to anyone, unless you want to be that pathetic asswipe that does not know the meaning of privacy and self control.

I am looking for other means to be updated from the pages I follow, One I have managed that, goodbye Facebook.

Die Trying book review..sort of

Finished reading Die Trying by Lee Child.

I'm afraid I suck at these kind of book reviews because no scene really stood out for me. Well, the sex scene was kind of expected, but it was tacky, at best; leading lady + leading man, what else did you expect, right? And I think it will be the same for series #3.

It was a "Meh" kind of book, Not that good, not that bad either. Just... OK, and I think I will have the same so-so reaction for the rest of the Jack Reacher Series. So for Lee Child novels, unless a particular novel stood out, I'll pass commenting on Jack's exploits.

Currently Reading: Tripwire by Lee Child

Wife at the hospital

This is probably the longest time my wife and I have been apart since we got married.

My wife is watching over Lee Ann and her baby at Laoag's provincial hospital. They will be staying there for 3 days, up to Friday.

Being alone does not really bother me since I am used to being by myself before. I have to admit though, the house is super creepy without my wife to brighten it up.

My wife usually cooks for me, but with that concern, I think I'll survive three days without her.

I have time to play Tomb Raider though, which is nice.

I dropped by the hospital in the afternoon yesterday and my wife was cradling the baby in her arms. Had fun trying to make my wife laugh while she's trying to keep the baby from waking up.

The baby's small, and somewhat hairy though my wife assured me the extra hair will shed off by itself.

PS: My wife failed to convince Lee Ann to leave off "Caden", Now I have to call the boy Caden Kho just to annoy Lee Ann (Hahaha)

Final Fantasy XIII and Steam

Admittedly, there are long overdue games on my list, 2008-2014 are the years I stopped playing games because I could not finance them at the time. So there's been Iconic and popular games that has totally gone by that have totally missed me.

I am slowly catching up with games that I have always wanted to play. I have always been an RPG fan and you just can't be one if you haven't played at least three titles in the Final Fantasy series. XI, XII and XIII is only ones I haven't played yet. XI, I'm not really into that MMORPG gaming since I hate interacting with strangers overcompensating. XII, sadly, I irreparably broke my Playstation 2 while in the middle of playing this game and Playstation 3 was, I think, already in the works at that time, so I did not bother buying a new PS2. XIII, couldn't afford a PS3, so the PS3 era went and gone unnoticed by me.

Thanks to steam though, I've bought and downloaded Final Fantasy XIII and have played it this weekend. Visually, it was incredible, Final Fantasy has always been ground-breaking CG rendering and cinematic cut-scenes. Unfortunately, the weird outfits and hair no longer great when a game has much details. Gameplay-wise, it was mediocre. Gameplay difficulty setting, really? I was expecting a incredible way to level up and an engaging battle system, as was seen in FFX and Vagrant Story, I think they focused too much on aesthetics. Story and plot-wise, I've only played two hours of it but the direction of the story is bland and forced. It was generally disappointing that I stopped and just continued playing Tomb Raider.

But I did learn a few things from trying FFXIII. Namely, Go for games intended to be released and optimized for PC gaming, like FPS games. Avoid later ported games. Controller support might not always be a good thing.

Buying from Steam is a hit and miss kind of relationship, but I haven't given up on PC gaming. I'll know definitely if PC gaming is right for me once I've tried an action-packed First-person Shooter.

Lee Ann

Mae's sister, Lee Ann, gave birth to a boy, 4:40PM today.

The supposed name is Rafael Caden Asher but I'm hoping that my wife has convinced her to leave out Caden.

My wife will be spending the night with Lee Ann in the hospital as she recuperate.

Visiting my wife's grandma

My wife went to her Grandmother's house yesterday and I went there to pick her up once my work was done.

When I entered the house, My wife's grandma held my hand and guided me to the kitchen to feed me. En route, she said that I'm her favorite grandson-in-law because I was always respectful, she said that within earshot of my wife. As an introvert, the only response I could have mustered was a weak thank you, I was happy inside, of course. Mae jokingly calls me "my lola's (grandma's) favorite grandson-in-law" from time to time since then.

So there I was, eating quietly whilst grandma was telling my wife how her phone went missing after a few acquaintances came to visit her. Mae relayed the message to me as grandma told the story in Ilocano (I don't understand the local dialect). My reaction was a shrug, things like that happens, you can't really tell from visitors.

Then my wife explained to be that her grandma's said visitors were priests and "in-training" to be priests (I don't know what you call them.)

After mulling over the details for about ten seconds, my only reaction was a resounding "WOW!" to which my wife agreed..

again.. WOW, right? WOW!

So Far, So Good.

Comment-wise and viewer-wise, the blog has been a big flop. Fortunately, I'm not really blogging for an audience, I'm more of blogging for my sanity or lack of it.

Blog-wise, Switching to Blogger has been a success. I've made more post than any of my previous blogs. Google's connected services has been a great help in getting my thoughts across easily and efficiently.

I love you Google but sometimes you worry me.

Do no evil.

The Philippine Sin

I believe in a global sin, a general fault that makes a county what it is and what makes its citizen passionate about all the wrong things in life.

These global disease, when removed, can make a country rise to new heights of excellence; but sadly, these sins are so part of the national consciousness that people will actually rally up and fight to protect these same sins that are bringing them down. These sins can only be removed by great force.

I will not tell you what I think the American sin is because that would be presumptuous, but I will tell you what disease has be gripping the Philippine nation:

Comfort.

Yes, comfort is the crime of the Filipino nation. We, in complete comfort, can ignore everything wrong around us, claim the success of others, lost our will to fight, protect our image even if it is an illusion, value and devalue life at the same time.

Look around and see wrongs being done left and right to people and society, yet we do nothing because comfort demands nothing be done unless that same wrong is done to you. It is easy to criticize and voice your opinion from the comfort of your couch.

National Pride has become, from the pursuit of innovation, progress, and the effort to exceed, to claiming someone who made a name for themselves as having Filipino blood. Having Filipino Blood is not a source of pride, we should stop taking credit for other people's achievement and start making the achievement ourselves. Stop saying you are proud to be Filipino just because some relatively unknown person became famous half the planet away. On this one, the Japanese have it right, international recognition means little to Japan. There's no more will to excel in a national level, we have been dwindled down to waiting for the next best international sensation to be proud of.

We have become international sheep, we bleat for mass hype. Obsessed with the good thing in life because some famous people halfway around the planet says it's the best thing to have. The comfort of being in the know. We have become a country of babies, thrust any breast and we suck at it hungrily. We are so engrossed by hype that values become obsolete, common sense became uncommon. Many times I want to slap people wanting a new car, or nice gadgets but can't even give their children a good education. I fear what the coming decades hold for us, when the shades that blinds us are forcibly removed and we see ourselves for what we really are, empty with nothing real to fill it.

You see protesters and individuals raising issues and problems of the country every time, people making a point, and you think that these people know what they want, and they are fighting for their beliefs, surely they are the examples we must follow since they are going out of their comfort zones for our benefits, but do you really believe they do that for the benefit of our country, or for their own self-serving interest? In a way it makes sense, one attacking another's way of life, but is it really the way of life worth fighting for? You fight to get more money, at the cost of of national instability. You want to big corrupt officials to pay, yet you are willing to break the laws to do it. You say you need the job yet you slack off when no one is looking. People want to be comfortable, but it is wrong to go about getting it the wrong way.

It is a dark blotch on our nation when life means so much but valued so little. That we go to extreme length, for that piece of twisted happiness. At the cost of national stability and other people's happiness, we throw away our morality and ignore common decency so that we feel safe, wanted, and normal. 

Comfort is vital, we endure hardship for a sliver of comfort, but I believe that we have deliberately ignored decency, morality, equality, common sense, and the search for truth for the illusion of comfort. That illusion is fragile, and I'm afraid it will be our undoing when we are thrust to an unforgiving truth.

Let it be noted that I hate politics, and as an introvert, I hate the general public.

Fifty Shades

Damn, my news feed are flooded with post about Fifty Shades Of Grey. What's wrong with people these days? How is that crap romantic?

My wife read the book but she hasn't said a word about wanting to see it and hell, I am not going to remind her..

Got to keep her busy.

Lands And Hopes

My wife, Mae, and I will be canvassing lots near where we currently live this weekend.

It's big step for Mae and I. I am excited and worried at the same time.

There's some prerequisites we have for buying a place:

1. It has to be near but not within the city proper.
2. Easily accessible by vehicles.
3. We don't have to see my father-in-law's face.
4. Quiet neighborhood.
5. A big enough lot that I can't hear the neighbors having sex (never experienced it but I don't want to risk it.)
6. Enough space for kids to run around on the yard.

By this point, I am speechless.

UPDATE: Our "tour guide" did not come so we were unable to check the lots. Probably because it rained a bit.

Console VS PC

Exposure to media networks and various blogs since last year, I've come to be aware that there's a type of gaming console war between Playstation, XBox and PC where in PC seems to be leading. 

Truth be told, I've never considered my PC as a source of gaming, I even removed those free games that was bundled in with the OS when I bought my laptop.

Through much internal deliberation, I tried Steam and played my first ever game on my PC a few weeks ago. My initial disposition was mind enthusiasm. imagine that, two full games for less than 200 PHP (around 5$) and now I know what the whole "The cake is a lie" thing is all about.

After going through Portal 1 and 2, I bought other games as well and therein I understand the meme concerning empty wallets and Steam sale. It was, honestly, frustrating.

For a person who has grown up along Playstation, My experience with PC gaming is that of mixed feelings. I am accustomed to having a controller on hand. Although I could buy a gamepad for the PC, I have struggled with questions - Is it worth it? Could it replace my long-time love with the Playstation? My answer is no, or at least it depends on the game.

I bought Tomb Raider from the recent Square Enix Publisher Sale on Steam recently, I played it and I was impressed on how much Tomb Raider and Lara Croft has changed through the years. Although the keyboard interface was easy to learn and optimized for PC gaming, part of me wished I was Playing it on a PS4 with a controller layout I am familiar with. Playing Portal 1 and 2, I think First-person shooters are great on a PC, so on that genre, PC gaming has won me completely, I think most of you would agree on that.

I also bought and downloaded Murdered: Soul Suspect as well, but for the life of me, I was unable to make it run. I tried every troubleshooting suggested by Steam, and later on, by Square Enix. I double-checked the specs and I was well near the recommended setup. The game just would not play for me. On the Playstation, problems are usually resolved by restarting or re-installing the game, there's not much brainstorming to figure out how to fix the problem.

Console gaming is best depending on how you want to approach a particular game. Controllers might be great for that game but too complicated when played with a keyboard. There's no compatibility issues so there's little factors to prevent you from playing games you've bought. Also, playing console games means you are actually giving your PC a rest that it might need, the problem with all-in-one devices is that even when extreme care is made, wear and tear happens faster than in dedicated machines.

The problem with consoles are actually not on the consoles themselves but with the companies that sells them. Companies like Sony and Microsoft has complete control on games and their pricing. Exclusivity that has made players resentful and weary, it has fuelled the console wars. Unapologetic high pricing for games,infrequent price drops and irrelevant sales that at times leads players to try other services like Steam. And why would they lower the price? It's not like you can download games from other sources. To make it worst for Sony's Playstation, they have region difference as well on game releases. It's like having an island inside an island. This unfair practice of separating east and west and anything in between, from units, games, and PS stores are causing much frustration on people like me. I find the button difference between Asian and North American versions completely annoying. If you're living in Asia without an American credit card, your only way to purchase from the PSN store is through US PSN cards and they are expensive in Asia. As I've said, the problems are not in these consoles, its how the companies behind them deal with its fans, and it's these dealings that are steering them away to other markets.

PC gaming's primary attraction, specially through Steam, is game availability and incredible and frequent sales, my wallet can attest to that. There's thousands and thousands of games to choose from (that being a good thing, as I've said in a previous post, is subject to personal preference). Steam even made old games readily available. I doubt if you'll ever find some of those on game shop's shelves anymore. Steam is impressive. Period.

While possibilities are limited only by the imagination, games you can play and your gaming experience are limited specially by your PC's rig: OS, RAM, Graphics card , storage space, and relevant software packs, ETC. There's also my point on multi-purpose machines, you don't just use it for gaming, you use it for a multitude of things: image editing, Internet browsing, watching porn, it is also where you mostly keep your digital treasures. It is not like the body where the more you use it, the more it becomes durable and rugged, it is quite the opposite. Overtime, you will start to worry about all those overwrites to the hard disk. I'll also add that troubleshooting a PC problem can be messy and frustrating, leading much to the dreaded "Reformat it" last ditch solution.

So my final judgement is that it really depends on how fat your wallet is and your preference on what games to play. You can have one or both. Really, as long as you enjoy the game, who gives a damn what platform it is.

What's Wrong With the Playstation Vita

I bought a Playstation Vita last May, the one with the Borderlands 2 bundled in. It initially WOW'ed me but after a few months, I see a flaw in Sony's approach on that specific console and why gamers are giving it much heat.

It's not that the hardware isn't great, because it's the best hardware by far for a dedicated mobile gaming device. The problem is on the games being released on it.

One of the reason I bought the Vita is because I have grown tired of casual games on mobile phones. Thousands and thousands of games for people that gets distracted easily, games that lack a deep story and hours and hours gameplay. Is it any wonder that I don't have any games on my phone? Casual games are addicting but after a while you feel like a dog chasing its tail.

So there I was, with my Vita in hand last December, checking out new games and my Playstation Plus free games of the month, and all there are are mini games. New games for every week and 99.9% of them are casual games.

That's what's wrong with the Vita, it has become an extension of Mobile phones. Another platform for casual games because smartphones are not enough. Hundreds and hundreds of games and 99.9% of them are not worth the time and effort I invested buying the goddamn Vita.

Another problem, and I think it applies to any online store that sells digital content, is that even if there are great games worth the time and money, it is being buried by hundreds of new crappy games being released weekly.

Sony, be selective, for chrissake. Accepting any games that want to join in on the Vita bandwagon and praising its "unique style and gameplay" is not how you win gamers.

I certainly did not buy my Vita to play freaking mini games.

The Philippine Piracy

Piracy is big in the Philippines, that's a fact. It has become so prevalent that most Filipinos aren't aware that they've purchased a counterfeit. They don't know the difference.

Stroll the main streets and you're bound to come across at least three vendors selling fake products: Movies, music, watches, even popular phones are faked and sold here.

It has become part of the Filipino culture that the common street cop doesn't even register these type of vendors.

These merchants are not frowned upon by the general public, and these supposed "raids" they show on Network news are as effective as traffic lights for the blind.

Most of the counterfeits comes from China. I am not being racist, I am merely stating a fact: China is the Philippines' number one source of Pirated junk. Chinese fakes became so common that "China made" became synonymous for "fake". I know, an unfair cliche since there's plenty of international and legal companies that has factories in China. Heck, My phone is made in China, but cliches have a grain of truth in them, that's how cliches are.

I've told a friend that I've bought a couple of apps from the Play store and his comment proved my point. He said that I'm the only one he knew that has ever bought an app. I've met people as well who has held off buying a device just because the said device hasn't been "cracked" yet to use counterfeit materials.

I have yet to meet, in person, people who have bought anything from the Steam Store, PSN Store, or Google Play. I know they are out there, I know they exist because I'm a member of a gaming forum, but they are rare, very rare. I am stating this fact because I want to go multiplayer sometimes and I don't want to bother a stranger from my forum to help me with some of the multiplayer trophies.

the members of this gaming forum that I frequent and I share the same frustration with gaming piracy. For us, game piracy can scare a big game publisher away, it can prevent a potentially good game from being made, it can even kill a console's line.

Admittedly, I am not rich and legal games are hard on my pocket, but I do it for the principle that we owe them for entertaining us, also the fact that I love my devices and don't want piracy to corrupt them, literally and figuratively.

Big companies, specially those who release some sort of digital content and widely popular products, tend to steer away from the Philippine Market. The country has a big red paint of Piracy shame across it, and sadly, the general public does not care. But the select few suffers from it, those who goes legit can't buy whatever they want because those items are not being sold or distributed to the Philippines.

It's easy to say that those who buy counterfeits are to blame, but it's not that black and white. Those who cannot have tend to take the other route, and the Philippines is one of the countries that "cannot have" because the country is sadly poor. We are so immersed in the fake thing because the best thing is unattainable, piracy is so normal because children and the generations before them are raised in that environment. How do big corporations fight piracy when all they've know since birth is that piracy is OK? 

I think companies punishing pirates are one way, but for the Philippines, they should also show how legitimate sources are more beneficial that the counterfeit. Companies should energetically promote the benefits of going legit. Don't just stop on "Go genuine" and don't add "or go to jail", it's not going to work in this country. Make it "Go genuine because the benefits and perks are better than what pirates offer.."

Educate the Filipinos, not threaten them to submission.. we are a stubborn and ignorant lot.

On Reading A Song of Ice and Fire

I read GRRM's phenomenal A song of Ice and Fire series way before it became an HBO show, one of my proud accomplishments as a book lover. That accomplishment made the TV show boring, condensed and all about boobs. 

I have to admit though that some of the TV cast was great in portraying their characters that it mattered little that they look different from the book; Peter Dinklage as Tyrion, and Charles Dance as Tywin, for example. Some, like Emilia Clarke, needed some warming up; Every time I have a negative criticism about Clarke's acting, she has managed to improve upon it on the next season, to the point that I can't find anymore fault on the 4th. I don't understand why Kit Harington is popular, I just don't see Jon Snow in him.

Ah, I think I've talked too much about the show after commenting on it being boringly short and too much sex. I guess both have merits, but the book still stands the higher ground.. a much higher ground.

Back to book rambling. 

I would not have tried the book series if it was not for GRRM's exceptional vampire story, Fevre Dream. I discovered it at the time where Twilight was the fad, to my frustration, and I've given up finding original vampire mythos, the has story has just been recycled too much. 

Fevre Dream WOW'ed me considerably that I took a gamble and bought Volume one to four in one go. I remember reading A Game Of Thrones' first chapters with the voice of Dillos, narrator in the film 300, and it was an awesome inner voice, you should try it.

I'm talking about ASoIaF because I've recently re-read A Game Of Thrones and currently re-reading A Clash Of Kings as a refresher,in high hopes that The Winds Of Winter will be released this year. Sadly, that will not be the case, the 6th volume will not be released this year so I've paused reading Clash, and will resume once I've got positive news on Winds' release, hopefully, soon. I love the series, but I have plenty more unread books and little time to read ASoIaF three times.

Don't worry, GRRM, I still love you. I have my fingers crossed for 2016.

Currently reading: Die Trying by Lee Child

Pamulinawen Festival 2015

Today is Laoag City's Pamulinawen Festival. The Festival itself happens on February 10th but the celebrations and events are for the whole month. It celebrates the city's founding.

The name Pamulinawen comes from an Ilocano love song. If you're not from the Philippines, Ilocano is the primary language in the Ilocos region of the Philippines. On Googling this info, I learned that Wikipedia has an Ilocano version.. stuff you learn everyday huh.

I'm not a native of Laoag City myself so the best comparison I can give is it's like Christmas season here when February hits. Lots and lots of street vendors comes out, a parade, some beauty pageants here and there. There's the carnival near the main bridge. It's very much food galore left and right. 

If you want to visit Laoag City, The best times are when it's around the Christmas holiday and February. Laoag City is a classic beauty, but it gets more beautiful around these times.

NEVER go here during summer if you are sensitive to heat because it gets very humid here. You think you've experienced humid weather because you're from Manila or came to Manila, but believe me. You've never experience Laoag city humidity. It's the only thing I truly hate about Living here in Laoag.

More about my life in Laoag City later..

Hello Blog World... again

Ah, the euphoria of starting something new and hoping to have the time and effort to follow it through.

One thing that makes this blog different from the other blogs I've made is that this one will not be made anonymously. Hopefully keeping it close to Google will make pumping up ideas to post more frequent and not at all forced.

I will also try to make my posts coherent but I will not apologize if my thoughts become fragmented; It's my blog, after all, so I can do what I want on it.

So let's get this ball rolling.