On the gaming side..what’s keeping me busy

Yes, even though I have a pretty heavy work load, and hectic blogging schedule, I still find time to de-stress and play games on my PSP and desktop PC.

on the PSP

Little Big Planet

Ever since this came out on the PSP, I couldn’t put it down. You might think it’s a pretty easy game but I found myself getting stuck sometimes and I suffered a lot of frustrations. I’ve customized my “sack girl” to be the girliest and prettiest ever and I’m having loads of fun! The icing on the cake for me in this game though, is the game level creation mode. I can create my own little world using pre-set tools that I discover during the story mode. It gets the designer in me challenged and although I haven’t finished my own level yet, it’s going to be fantastic when it’s done. Hopefully I can upload it and share it with my friends as well.

  Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Yep, I’m still playing it and I still haven’t grown tired of it. Ranking now at HR9 and clocking in a 160 hour worth of gameplay hours, I still am quite engrossed with this game. I’m still working on getting that Gclass Rajang and Fatalis and of course crafting the highest level weapons and armors.

On the PC

Bioshock

I’m halfway through the storyline of this game and the low grumbling sounds that the Big Daddy make still scares me. I really should stop playing this very late at night. Rapture is definitely one world that gave me nightmares at one point.

Dragon Age Origins

Finally satisfying my RPG fix, I was ecstatic when this game came out and the rave reviews made me anticipate the game even more. Now that I’m playing it, I’m giving the developers and designers a pat on the back, this is one gaming epic that I know I would see through till the end. Woohoo! 500 gaming hours here I come! (Uhm, I’ve played 7 so that’s technically 493 more to go! )

Technorati Tags: little big planet,monster hunter freedom unite,bioshock,dragon age,psp,PC game

Going vintage

While browsing through some design blogs, I came upon some vintage soda can designs through inspiredology.com and got an idea to compile some other vintage bottle and soda can designs as well.

Here are the cans featured at inspiredology.

Since we are going vintage, here are some vintage bottles from coke that has been collected by avid fans throughout the years.

Technorati Tags: vintage cans,vintage coke cans,vintage soda bottles

Adidas Sale!

Looks like we have something to look forward to this long weekend. Adidas is having a huge sale at The Podium on Nov. 27 – 30. I just read this off Carlos’ Blag (nope it’s not a blog typo) and I’m sharing it to my readers.

  As a special treat, you can email carlos.palma@nuffnang.com to get a chance to get invites for the exclusive sale on Nov 27 to 28 to get first dibs on all the products. Hurry and send out those emails now!

Technorati Tags: adidas sale

Hearts everywhere!

These are some shots of heart shapes found all over. Great creativity by the artists. Most of these were found on Flickr via the Creative Commons Search. Click on the photos for a larger view.

 

 

Great Candy Macro Photos

I’m craving for something extra sweet today, so I’ve scrounged around for the best candy macro photography I can find. Enjoy! Something for your virtual sweet tooth. Just click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

 

 

Technorati Tags: candies,macro photography,candy macro shots

Bangga's Special Bagoong

Arguably the best bagoong I've ever tasted. Their booth served mangga't bagoong of course, plus bicol express, laing and bagoong rice. The bagoong wasn't too sweet and it wasn't too salty. For my taste, it was just the perfect blend.

The bicol express was also good, it was spicy enough for me and I can't take too much spice. For avid lovers of authentic bicol express this might generate negative feedback though. The laing was also yummy and of course the bagoong rice. The laing wasn't swimming in coconut milk sauce but you can definitely taste the essence there.

Contact info:

Bangga’s Special Bagoong

6457768, 09178860706

cruz_patrick@yahoo.com

Technorati Tags: bangga's bagoong,bagoong,anton planet,food tasting

8 Twists Culinary Creations

To satisfy our sweet cravings, we headed on over to the dessert aisle. I was surprised to find an acquaintance as one of the concessionaires there at the event. They owned the 8 Twists culinary creations. These were what they offered.

Roca Luxury Cookies

Butter cookies topped with a kind of chocolate like jam.

*These cookies were very light, they kinda reminded me of the cookies that can be bought from the Pink Sisters. It wasn't too sweet and I think if I were to spend an afternoon just reading a book, these cookies will be by my side with a nice hot cup of coffee.

 

White Lava Cake

Moist chocolate cakes filled with white truffle and topped with caramel sauce.

I loved the fact that they were bite-sized and I wished there were more white truffle inside but nevertheless they were also very yummy.

 

 

 

Contact info:

8 Twists Culinary Creations

9967935, 09214976937

8twists@gmail.com

Technorati Tags: 8 twists,anton planet,food tasting,desserts

Lechon delights

There was a specific area in the event for 3 types of lechon. Sadly when we got there, the Cebu Lechon booth had no more to offer. Their meat "choppings" were gone in a flash. And I'm still left wondering what the real taste of Cebu Lechon is like (I've never had one and I heard it's soooo good), still eludes me.

What I tasted though were the lechon from Sabroso and Leonardo's Lechon.

The Sabroso Lechon looked like any other lechon but the meat was seasoned with "Batang" spices and the skin was very very crispy. Their sauce was also laiden with spices.

Leonardo's Lechon offered the pig roast with a twist. They roasted the pig while there's chicken meat inside. This gives it an extra flavor aside from the succulent meat of the pig. I found this quite interesting.

Comparing the two lechons, I would say that I liked the Sabroso lechon better. The herbs and spices were just right.

Contact Info:

Sabroso

E Rodriguez Ave. Cor Tomas Morato QC

5158253, 5158259, 3570659

Leonardo's Lechon

89 J. Basa St. San Juan, Metro Manila

7243068, 7269828, 7445172

Technorati Tags: lechon,sabroso,leonardo's lechon

More than just finger food: Canapes Chef

This was the first thing I tried at the Anton Planet's food tasting event, because they were conveniently located near the entrance. My eyes were immediately drawn to the display of little taquitos and canapes on the serving platter. They were so cute and just the right size for a bite. Little meals in itself.

The Canapes chef offer a variety of hot canapes in various meat flavors and cold canapes in just a selected few. They also offer little dessert tart-like panna cotta's with fresh fruits. Their canape line up is as follows:

Hot Canapes

Chicken Pastel, Beef and Mushroom, Taquitos, Grilled Lamb/Beef/Chicken Wraps, Mini Pitas, Seafood Thermidor, Lengua Bites, Mini Beef Burgers, Mini Quiches, Spinach and Artichoke, Aubergine Tapenade, Pizzettes, Marguerite

Cold Canapes

Smoked Trout, Salad Selection (Asian Chicken, Pomelo, Crab and Mango, Caesar)

 

Contact Info:

Canapes Chef

09217878378, 09152259312

canapeschef@gmail.com

canapeschef@multiply.com

They also deliver for a minimum order of Php2,000.00

Technorati Tags: anton planet,food tasting,canapes,canapes chef

Anton Planet's Food Tasting Event

I got invited to spend my Sunday afternoon to Anton Planet's Food Tasting Event last November 8. I was ready to tickle my taste buds with my friend Ayet. And so donning on a red sun dress and my appetite...off we went. At first we didn't know exactly where the venue will be, although the email stated the Old Dencio's place at the Fort, I wasn't really familiar where it was. There was even a note in the email saying "..just follow the line of hungry people." So I met Ayet near NBC tent and felt a moment of panic when we couldn't see the mob of hungry people. Haha it turned out we were on the other side. As we made our way to the venue (finally!) we saw that there were really a lot of people inside. Oooh, my tummy grumbled in anticipation. Good food here we come!

I'm going to post separate entries on the food that I liked best during the event. Forgive the pictures though, I forgot my camera's memory so I had to resort to using my phone's camera. Watch out for the succeeding posts.

Technorati Tags: anton planet,food,pinoy food,food tasting

Vote Earth

Earth Hour Copenhagen

On the eve of the summit, the full force of Vote Earth will be seen by the world in an historical Earth Hour event. At 7pm on 16 December 2009, the people of Copenhagen will unite in darkness in a show of support for a brighter future. They will be ambassadors for the 6.7 billion citizens of Earth calling positive action on climate change.

This is what's happening in 6 days time. Cast your vote now and show your support for Earth. If you have a blog, please do add the vote earth badge on your pages. Learn how you can also spread the word and contribute by clicking here.

Technorati Tags: Earth Hour,climate change

Lucky You

My personal style has always been on the funky side. It can shift from smart casual to sophisticated elegance one day after the next but one thing remains with my fashion choices, there has to be something striking or unique with the piece of item or clothing for me to fall in-love with it. It can be a bold pattern, a unique trinket or charm.
Among online stores I've seen, I think the Lucky Brand, shows much more of what encompasses my personal style. They have a really wide range of products on their website. The Lucky Brand started to become popular when the creators decided to embed the "Lucky You" phrase on every pair of jeans that they carry and the unique additive caught on.
I am posting especially some wallets, nano cases, tops and bottoms that I particularly liked while browsing through the site and I’m posting them here so that you can have a sneak peek of the products they have to offer. Although the original Lucky Brand clothing started out more the rock n' roll side, their products have shifted into a wider array of fashion styles making it more appealing to women with their own particular sense of fashion.

Technorati Tags: lucky Brand,clothing,funky clothing

Relax in a resort? Why not?

While being tasked to do a resort design for a prospective client, I was searching through the internet for some inspiration photos to get the creative juices cranking. I came upon the website of Myrtle Beach Resort.

The Resort in Myrtle Beach was a picture of a calm getaway. Perfect for a relaxing vacation. I browsed through the galleries and found the available amenities quite good. The rooms are beautifully designed particularly the ones in the Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Hotel.

For people who are within the vicinity of this resort, it's worth a look. The online site provides easy booking and contact details for such inquiries.

The real weight of Gold

I've just looked into the schedule for Star Movies today and it's showing National Treasure: Book of Secrets tonight. This was the movie where they were searching for the city of Gold right? My thoughts immediately strayed on another movie, this time a cartoon: The Road to El Dorado, also about the city of Gold. Gold, gold and more gold.

What is it about gold anyway that made it as the ultimate status symbol for wealth and power? Rich people all over the world aim to acquire at least as a part of their immense "accountable worth", pieces of gold coins, gold bars, gold bullions and the like. An ordinary person can only dream of such things and see them in movies.

Well if you do strike it rich, it would help to know your gold. Gold Coins Gain provides such kind of information for investors alike. The site provides the current prices of certified gold coins from all over the world, complete with a thumbnail shot of the coin. The site is pretty much straightforward and it's quite easy to navigate.

Now where was I? Oh right, now I'm thinking about the movie Fool's Gold. Dreams of treasure hunting can be a nice escape sometimes...or be like Tomb Raider even. Haha

What's your Personality? Recommended Personality Tests

If you've got extra time in your hands or if you've just got nothing better to do, try out these fun personality tests. These are great time wasters and who knows you might get to discover a little something new about yourself. I took these tests myself (for a bit of distraction) and I'm posting my results here as well.

The Big Five personality test

This was the first test I took and I had to answer 40+ random questions. The results were presented in a slider format in percentile form. Explanations to these attributes were given in detail at the results page.

Youniverse. Be Understood. Personality test.

I loved taking the test on this site. Although it requires a signup, the test was fun to do anyway. It was different from the other because you get to choose your answer from a gallery of thumbnails. The results were presented in a tabbed journal format categorized into four: mood, fun, habits and social.

Personality Patterns Test

This site also requires a sign up. There's about 75 or so questions to go through. You get to input your answers by rating format.

Personal Dna

They also have an interesting questionnaire. I particularly like the rating type of tests but with a twist, you get to empty a cup with your answers in slider format. You'll get what I mean when you take the test yourself. The results are presented in a color cube or colored timeline format. The colors represent a part of your personality. Mouse over the colors to see what they mean.

Queendom Personality Test

A pretty straightforward test as well. There was about 30+ questions or so. You'll get a snapshot of your result and if you want the full analysis, there's a minimal amount to pay. There's no need though because the snapshot result offers enough inisight into your personality.

Technorati Tags: personality tests,personality

How to Fall In-love without Losing Oneself

It's the same old story over and over, a woman is on the top of her game, good career, healthy relationships with friends and family and generally good disposition. She finds a man, falls in love and suddenly he becomes her world. She loses herself more and more as time passes by, until she is only the shadow of the amazing woman she used to be.

I'm not claiming to be an expert and I know I've fallen into this pattern myself. So how do we do it? How do you fall in-love without losing oneself? Here are some tips I've gathered. Tips that I think are sensible and doable.
Get to know "YOU"
First and foremost, you should know who you are inside and out. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What makes you happy and what ticks you off? What do you want? What do you think do you need to improve in your personality and lifestyle? The better you get the answers to these questions, the better you keep track of who you are as a person and who you are in your relationship.
Learn something new.
Don't fall into a boring relationship pattern. Go out and do something exciting. Sign up for a class or a hobby. You can do this with or without him and still have fun. Trust me, I've done this and it is a very liberating experience. Find something you are passionate about and take the time to focus on it.
Be fabulous.
Don't neglect your looks, your body and health. When he becomes your world, you tend to overlook taking good care of yourself. I'm guilty of doing this too. Now I know better. Constantly re-invent your look, don't compromise your beauty habits and keep a healthy lifestyle. Looking great on the outside gives a good dose of confidence boost which will greatly help your self-esteem.
Don't ignore everyone else.
Just because you're lost in love, it doesn't mean that you have to alienate everyone else from your life. Remember friends and family will always be there when he isn't.
Just be you.
Don't worry that you have to please him all the time. Being a part of a relationship doesn't require you to lose your individuality. A friend told me once that you shouldn't be in a relationship with a guy when you start to wish that you are someone else.
You first.
Above all else, give time and effort to pamper yourself. Take the necessary break away from him. Don't take this as a negative thing, this is actually good because you can reconnect with yourself. Love yourself. Loving yourself is just as important as loving someone else.

---

I know that after reading this you'll think, these are pretty easy. I assure you that even though it sounds simple, every relationship and every situation has very unique complications and what is simple can get very difficult. I've learned this the hard way and I've tried. But the key factor here is that you'll keep trying. These keypoints are merely guidelines, and by knowing how...then that's a start. Find the will and do it.

What about you? Are there any other ways that you can share on how to fall in love without losing yourself? If you do, please share it with me and my readers.

Technorati Tags: fall in love,love,relationships,women's issues,life

MTV Emerge: a showcase for untapped talent

There's a new buzz in town. The Philippines has always been a haven for music artists with great untapped talent. MTV Emerge provides them an online playground to showcase their music and share it with the whole world. The online community will be featuring artists from different genres of music like indie, rock, hip-hop, R&B, metal, solo artists, DJs, etc.

Aspiring artists were asked to register onto the site and uploaded their profiles, photos and original music during the contest submission period. The voting process have started since November 2 and 7 winners will be announced on November 20 by a panel of judges which includes Apl de Ap from Black Eyed Peas and the founder of Jeepney Music.

Jeepney Music is a record label created by Apl de Ap where artists are provided amazing opportunities to collaborate with Apl de Ap and be featured on Jeepney Radio or have a chance to be part of the Jeepney Project. The Jeepney community is also an online hub of music, gossip, travel, food, entertainment and living histories from the Philippines.

Through MTV, Jeepney Music and Department of Tourism collaboration, seven grand winners will win a one year recording contract and mentorship with Jeepney Music under Apl de Ap. The contract includes artist management and promotion, digital distribution of 3 – 6 songs and a strategic marketing plan for the signed artists to break into both the Philippines and international markets. And finally on November 27, the said winner will be introduced at a live showcase event by Apl de Ap himself.

The Department of Tourism (DOT), supports the said project under their marketing slogan which highlights amazing Philippine destinations and activities. As part of their campaign, the DOT encourages everyone to explore and be proud of the rich treasures that our country has to offer.

You can browse through the entries submitted on the MTV Emerge site and listen to the tracks. Cast your vote for the entries that you like. My vote goes to Good Morning High Fives - Let it Go. I loved the song and the melody. The ballad has beautifully written lyrics and the voice of the lead singer is just amazing. You can listen to their entry here. Don't miss out, grab this chance to give Filipino artists their chance to be in the spotlight and be able to share their talent to the world. Cast your vote now!

Technorati Tags: MTV Emerge,Jeepney Music,Good Morning High Fives,Filipino Music,OPM,Philippines