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.