Oasis: Wonderwall

Calm Before The Storm

Not feeling well at all today. Whole body aches. MAJOR back pain. Eyes burning. Hands and feet cold. Extreme fatigue and weakness. 

I have a feeling of whats to come, and it doesnt look good... 

This is still the calm before the storm...

rOar

Music Monday

Reality Check

Thats right. Let the image burn into your mind. 

You're welcome. 

rOar

痞子英雄

痞子英雄 (English: Black & White), the latest drama series that aired in Taiwan, finally broadcasted their finale episode yesterday. I've been following this series throughout its first release, and I must say, I am very impressed at the quality at which this series presented itself. 

The story involves around two cops where one of them is, for a lack of a better word, a slacker, while the other is a cop who sees every thing with only two sides (good or evil). The two of them are at the extremes when it comes to cop work. One day, their lives becomes intertwined with the Triad boss's daughter, and since then, their unusual relationship begins to develop. 

The series aired their final 24th episode yesterday. To put it frankly, this series is nothing like I've ever seen before. Everything in it is believable: story, dialog and action. From the production quality to the level of acting skills, this drama series truly presented the high level of cinematic skills that Taiwan now possess. That said, each episode is of Hollywood movie quality. Dont believe me? Check it out for yourselves. 

Action packed, suspenseful and crazy plot twists with a tint of love interests made this drama my number 1 of my list. If you havent check it out yet, shame on you. You can watch the entire series here on Youtube, although it is not English subbed. 

A movie of this was announced right after the last episode was aired. In continuation of the story, the movie will follow the plot that was left at the end of the series. Scheduled shoot date begins at the end of 2009. 

So if you've been living under a rock and not heard any of this amazing series before, shame. Get out there and start watching. You'll thank me later. 

rOar

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

Just got back from watching the new Transformers movie. All I can say is, if it werent for Megan Fox and the giant robots, I would've choked a bitch in the theater. Quite frankly, Michael Bay and his crew made this film according to what they think us fans of the first movie would want. Unfortunately, to them, we are stripped down to nothing more than robot-fanatic Megan Fox stalkers who doesnt care much for a plot. 

The movie is 2.5 hrs long, with 30min of plot, 30min of Megan Fox and hot girls, and 1.5hrs of big explosions with robots fighting each other. Not that I'm complaining about Megan Fox and the hot girls, but c'mon, 30mins of plot?? WEAK! Gimme something I can chew on and believe in! 

Compared to the first movie, this one went overboard with the action sequences and too little in explaining who the new robots (the Fallens) are. If you want a movie where you can just sit back and not use the thing between your ears, then this would be a good flick. Otherwise, you might as well wait for it to come out on BlueRay or something. Or better yet, Red Box. 

Rating: 75/100 (First movie: 90/100)

rOar

Michael Jackson: 1958 - 2009

Michael Jackson died 2 days ago. So that just happened. Sad. 

RIP King of Pop.

rOar

Hot Babe (Friday)!

Windows XP Easter Egg

Saw this one recently. Go to "Start" -> "Run" -> then type in "telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl" (with a space between 'telnet' and 'towel' -> then hit "Ok"

Pretty neat easter egg. Wont tell you what it is yet, but guarentee its not dangerous to your computer.

rOar 

HTC Announces Latest Phone: HTC Hero

HTC launched their latest product, the HTC Hero, at a London phone exibition yesterday. The new phone, following the G1 model, is an android touch phone. What does this mean? Look out iPhone 3G S, you got competition. 

Basic specs:
- Qualcomm MSM7200A (528MHz) processor
-512 MR ROM / 288 RAM
-Support 7.2M HSDPA and 2M HSUPA
-GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, WLAN
-5M auto focus camera
-3.5mm standard hearphone jack
-MicroSD card slot
-Touch Sense (upgrade of the TouchFLO 3D)

Further details (Traditional Chinese webpage)

Release dates are as follows: Europe: June 2009, Asia: 3rd quarter of 2009, North America: late 2009. 

rOar

Transformers 2!!

Transformers movie is out today! w00t!
Megan Fox is smoking hot! w00t!
Wont be able to watch till this Sat! FUCK!

rOar

Blog Site Notice

I've decided to stop doing my usual "Fashion Wednesday" and leave this space for my fellow blogger The Lazy One, for his insight on the video game world. 

Also because I ran out of fashion stuff to talk about, so sue me. This average Joe's wardrobe is finite. 

So be on the lookout for this new weekly update!

rOar

china: On The Move

Ever wonder how chinese people keep on the move? 

Taylor Swift Ft. T-Pain

Please tell me shes not into rapping now... oh god...

Racing on the ps3

Hey all - now that I'm in Asia I have been hitting the arcade constantly....and I must say that one thing that I've really been missing out is racing games. That said, I think that I will be investing in a controller with stick shift when I return back to the US. Additionally, I think that I will be purchasing Initial D and some other racing games to go online and play...

Think about it...

Round-Island Scooter Around Taiwan Update #2

Recently there has been some concerns on the mode of transportation that I should take when embarking on this journey. The issue is of traveling between a scooter and a car. After some thinking, heres my conclusion:

5 main categories can be argued between these two vehicles. These are:
-Safety
-Quality of Experience
-Equipment
-Ease of Travel
-Cost

Here are my opinions on these issues. 

Safety:
Indeed. Safety in this trip is of the highest priorty, especially this is a week long of traveling. Seeing how Taiwan has many scooter accidents in regards to careless bikers or ruthless drivers that hit them, it is clear that the obvious choice in terms of safety goes to traveling in a car. 

Quality of Experience:
Here the quality of experience is defined as person enjoyment of this trip. As such, it is more fun to travel in the less conventional way to go round-island. This trip is meant to be more about the journey, and not so much on the destinations that we'll visit. That being said, riding in a car would yield less rewards in completing this trip. My vote here goes to the scooter.

Equipment:
Equipment here represents everything that we might need for a week-long trip. This includes, but not limited to, personal clothings, safety equipments, first-aid, ration, and others. This category is a bit iffy in terms on which of the two vehicles would win, since it depends on the equipment we'll be carring. If there are alot of things to be brought along, then a car would be better. But if the items can fit in a heavy duty traveller's back-pack, then a scooter would be enough. So at this moment, I'm taking a conservative approach, and assume we'll be carrying alot of equipment. So my vote stands for having a car. 

Ease of Travel:
This category encompasses the whole aspect of travel. This includes how easy it is to find parking, to find repair shop, and to find areas of rest along the road. My vote here goes to the scooter. Heres why: First, parking will be ALOT easier with a scooter than a car. Especially in Taiwan, it is near impossible to find parking for a car with little effort and cheap parking rates. Next, a scooter wins in finding a repair shop than a car would, since scooter shops are littered throughout the entire country. Imagine the process needed if a car needs to be towed into a repair shop. Not only that, the time for repair of a scooter will be significantly faster than  of a car. Thirdly, a scooter is alot easier to pull over on the side of the road, if we were to get lost, or need some temprorary rest along the way. This goes back to the parking issue also. A scooter would be better when we pull in at night, since the places that we'll be staying would be in home-owned hostles, most of them have little or no parking for cars (unless motel). So in this category, the scooter has my vote. 

Cost:
Lastly, the cost of having a scooter versus a car is of an issue. Considering the cost of rent (including deposit/insurance), gas, and repair fees, my vote goes to the scooter here. 

Heres a summary between these two vehicles:

Scooter wins 3:2. And this is assuming conservatively in favor of a car too. 

More updates to come soon. 

rOar

Back in Asia

What's good everyone. Been out of the loop for awhile because I've been travelling. Of course, I won't bore you with long stories about how my adventure was (for those interested, my ass officially had roots growing out of it by the end of the bloody trip).

For those who are into sports - be sure to watch wimbledon, as its the "biggest" tennis event of the year. Why they decided to host it yearly in a rain prone area is beyond me...

Speaking of wimbledon, I'm personally cheering the Taiwanese crowd (which consists of two contestants). If memory serves there is a male and female competiting for the island...sad part is that the Taiwanese male is playing against good ol Roger Federer for his first round. Whoop dee fucking doo.

For those into games - playing inFamous now...should be done with it soon. Perhaps a review will follow eh? Take care people

Music Monday

Twitter Kills

"Vapid social networking site Twitter claimed the life of another hapless victim with more finality than usual recently when the girl in question accidentally electrocuted herself whilst trying to keep up with her tweets.

The 17-year-old girl in question, a resident of Romania, was using the web-based social networking application in the bath; it seems her Twittering session extended for such a long period of time that the battery of her laptop died.

Rather than interrupt either her bathing or her Twittering, she instead attempted to plug in her laptop to the adapter, but unfortunately did so with wet hands.

It seems it was either the shock from the mains or from subsequently dropping her laptop into the bath which killed her, for she was found by her parents lying lifeless with her laptop by her side.

Via the Austrian Times.

We do not hear what her last Tweet was…"

Via Sankaku

Cooking Lesson: Dagron's College-proof Drumsticks

Heres a page from my book of self invented college culinaries. Today's menu: my own receipe of delicious drumsticks. 

Time required: 24hrs of marinating, 40 mins of baking

Materials:
-6 medium size chicken drumsticks

Spices:
-Kimlan soysauce (50mL)
-Bull's Head Brand BBQ sauce (1 tsp)
-Chopped parsley (1 tbsp)
-Black ground pepper (1 tsp)
-Sesame oil (1 tsp)
-Minced garlic (2 tsp)
-Maggi Sauce (1 tsp)

Other essentials:
-1 large ziplock bag
-1 conventional oven

Directions:
1) Place all listed materials into large ziplock bag. Mix well. 
2) Allow the drumsticks to marinate for at least 24hrs (for a thorough flavor). 
3) When ready, preheat oven to 400F. Place drumsticks onto tin foil-covered tray and bake for 40mins. 
4) Serve. 

Important: Remember to plan accordingly as the 24 hrs marinating is required to have a crispy-on-the-outside-juicy-on-the-inside finish. 

Enjoy.

rOar

Hot Babe (Friday)!

Happy late Friday guys! 

rOar

【けいおん】 Don't say "Lazy"を叩いてみた 【ドラム】

Next Gen In Covert Combat - FMG 9

Simply put it, its a modded glock pistol concealed in a laptop battery-esque compartment. Bad. Ass. 

Cooking Tips

Aight, this is an update on the tea eggs I was talking about the other day. So I decided to try making some today. Heres some trial-and-error I had to deal with:

1) 4 yellow Lipton tea bags only manage to add little flavors in 8hrs of broiling. Mental note: use black tea leaves next time. 
2) 1 tablespoon of soy sauce is NOT enough. Prepare to add a good 30-50mL for a batch of 10 eggs.
3) 3 aniseeds would be better than 2. 
4) Prepare to add more salt and 5-spice pepper according to personal taste. 

I'm letting the eggs sit overnight. We'll see how they are tomorrow. 

*Update: The eggs have sat overnight (a good 24hrs), and the flavors only manage to penetrate about half way in. Use more soy sauce and tea leaves next time. 

**Update 2: I left another patch for 48hrs. The results are similar to those sitting for 24hrs. 

rOar

Music Monday

Hot Babe (Friday)!

K, was away from blogging this past week cus was away/busy. So to compensate, heres a beauty I've found recently:

Name: Larisa Angela / 瑞莎
DOB: 2/21
Nationality: Greece-Ukraine mix
Occupation: Taiwanese talent/model/race queen/actress
Official Blog: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/reishacem (more pics there)


Saw her in the latetest Power Sunday episode, with her sexy Rumba dance. All I can say is: GAWD DAMN! lol

And of course, what kind of Taiwanese would I be if I didnt show this following picture?

Beautiful, dances, a European mix, and loves Taiwan! Perfect girl? Hell yea! :)

rOar

轉吧!七彩霓虹燈

FINALLY FOUND IT!!!

Some background on this song first. As with any distinctive culture, music is of course a major element in identifying oneself. For example, some would think of rock & roll when it comes to America, Bollywood-style music when it comes to Indian music, or Enka songs from Japan. 

This song is a classic example of the subculture of 'ghetto' Taiwanese, more commonly known as 台客文化. This song's title is "Spin! Rainbow-Colored Neon Lights", and portrays a style of music commonly heard in cheap karaoke bars or pickup trucks with speakers mounted out back blasting it in night markets.

From what I've manage to find on the web, this song first came out in late 2000, but it wasnt well known then. It is only until in 2008, with the release of the huge blockbuster Taiwanese hit movie 海角七號, that this song gain its momentum. As it turns out, one of the actors in the movie 海角七號 was the lead singer of this song. 

And the rest, as they say, was history. The song snowballed into a big hit in the underground scene. Along with its corny lyrics and catchy tune, it also gained popularity in the rising Y-generation. 

I'm so proud of our 台客文化. 

rOar

Everyday Sightings

Front lawn sign reads: "Assata Highschool"

Across the street from where I live is a highschool. If it weren't for a sign on the front lawn, no one walking by would think that it is an educational institution. Why? Its because this highschool appears to be a 3 story studio apartment converted into a school. Not only is the school small, the bus that works for the highschool is also small. Tiny, I should say. 

I want one of these, then pimp it out with hydraulic wheels and 22' spinners. 

rOar

Fashion Wednesday - Graphic Tees

Aite, its been 2 weeks since last FW entry. Today's topic is simple: Graphic Tees. 

The name speaks for itself. These simple articles of clothing are one of the most versitile things you can wear. They go well with pretty much anything you want to match. And with a billion colors and graphics design, rest assured you've got choices. 

Whether you like your graphics large, small, intregate, goofy, retro, weird, or down right simple, almost all the designs goes well with a pair of jeans. 

Pics to follow when my camera is working again. 

rOar

ISB Class of 2009

Congratulations to all of the graduates of 2009! 

Video streams live on June 10th, 1pm Bangkok time.

*Update* Doing live chat right now, my alias is Alumni06. 
Current locations at which this is being watched: 
-Milwaukee, WI
-Washington, DC
-Germany
-Toronoto
-Hong Kong
-Falls Church, VA
-Vienna, VA
-BKK, Nichada? (really? c'mon)
-Mexico
-Secramento, CA

Also congratulations to James Meyer and Setthawat Hetrakul!

rOar

iPhone 3G S Announced

Yesterday at the WWDC (World Wide Developer's Conference), Apple announced the long awaited next gen iPhone! Introducing the iPhone 3G S!

Cant tell the difference from the iPhone 3G? Dont worry, because there are'nt any. According to Apple, besides an increased battery life, the ability to copy-paste (wow, whats that?!), a compass, 3.2M camera with video recording (wait, WHAT?! Recording?! I didnt know cameras can do that!), landscape keyboard (holy cow!),  MMS capability (say waaat?!), and twice the speed on the HSDPA network (supposed 7.2Mbps), there isnt anything too special about it. 

According to a hard-crazed fanboy, whom just so happens to be one of my friends, the iPhone 3G S generated a too big of a hype prior to its release. And now, when its finally announced, it didnt live up to its expectations. 

Here's the kicker: Because of such a big demand of the iPhone overseas, Apple has built into the new iPhone 3G S with abilities not able to be accessed here in the good US of A! According to PCWorld, AT&T executives decided that the ability of Tethering (hooking up the new iPhone to a laptop and using it as a internet modem for 3G surfing) is not one of the top priorities. As such, American users will not be able to connect their new 'pocket bricks' to their laptops/netbooks and surf with 3G speed. To add insult to injury, the newly announced ability to send MMS is said to be unavailable at launch, mostly due to unprepared AT&T hardwares and telecommunication equipments. 

C'mon Apple. I know Steve Jobs is recovering, but dont slack off THIS badly! 

Now, anyone want the new iPhone 3G S? Hmm? Oh, and dont forget, the cheapest iPhone 3G S, with a data plan and text messaging, will cost the average Joe a minimum of $2000 over the 2 year contract. Sure, we all want a $2000 piece of paperweight in our pockets when it is released on June 19. Just cant wait to see which idiot is the first to buy one. 

rOar

Definition of a God

Impressed. But by the time one can play like this... you might as well switch to real drums...

殺很大

The above two short commercial clips are the the recent buzz going around Taiwan these days. The commercials portrait a girl (瑤瑤) saying the signiture phrase "Sha hen da" (殺很大), meaning "kill very big" in promotion of a new online video game. 

Not exactly sure why the people who made this commercial would think using the words 'kill very big' would be a good idea. But with the aid of the girl's cute appearance and her 'other' qualities, the phrase 殺很大 has become an internet meme and slang for describing a girl with an appearance that takes a person's breath away. 

Other variations of the phrase 殺很大 has also risen over the past few months:
殺 - (adj): sha, 'to kill'; 'hot', 'stunning', 'beautiful'
太殺了- (adj): tai sha le, 'too killed' ; 'too gorgeous', 'too hot'
殺太大了- (adj): sha tai da le, 'killed too big', 'overkill'; 'too beautiful beyond belief'

So the next time you see a 90+ grade girl, you know she is 'killing very big'. 

rOar 

Music Monday

In memory of my memory... of you.


最怕空氣突然安靜　最怕朋友突然的關心
最怕回憶　突然翻滾絞痛著 不平息
最怕突然　聽到妳的消息

想念如果會有聲音　不願那是悲傷的哭泣
事到如今　終於讓自己屬於　我自己
只剩眼淚　還騙不過自己

突然好想妳　妳會在哪裡　過得快樂或委屈
突然好想妳　突然鋒利的回憶　突然模糊的眼睛

我們像一首最美麗的歌曲　變成兩部悲傷的電影
為什麼妳　帶我走過最難忘的旅行
然後留下　最痛的紀念品

我們　那麼甜那麼美那麼相信　那麼瘋那麼熱烈的曾經
為何我們還是要奔向各算的幸福和遺憾中老去

突然好想妳　妳會在哪裡　過得快樂或委屈
突然好想妳　突然鋒利的回憶　突然模糊的眼睛

最怕空氣突然安靜　最怕朋友突然的關心
最怕回憶　突然翻滾絞痛著　不平息
最怕突然　聽到妳的消息

最怕此生　已經決心自己過　沒有妳　卻又突然　聽到妳的消息

Yeah...

So for those wondering what the post below is about...I'd have to be honest and say I'm as stumped as you. Seems like the poor bugger is talking about some girlie he threw away aeons ago, and she has someone found him or something (who knows really, I'm just pulling straws here).

But anyways - because our ol friend Dag seems to be preoccupied I thought I would throw in some words of wisdom (or words of insanity depending on how you look at it). 

Right now I am in the midst of finals, which isn't too bad since I've prepared everything in advance. Suffice to say, I am rather tired from beating bioshock within 2 days. Absolutely awsome game 10/10 stars. The graphics and gameplay are truly superb (considering that it is a ps3 import and was made before the ps3 even came out). 

There's something chilling about a little girl singing about angels while stabbing a corpse to extract the blood [ADAM for those who have played the game] (and then drink it). And if that's not enough there is  the big lumbering bastard right behind her with a drill for an arm that makes creepy cow noises. Oh and the little girls call him Mr Bubbles too. Nothing bubbly about that personality I assure you. The joys of video gaming. 

Here's the trailer for the game which came out aeons ago. Note that the sequel will be coming out  soon...THAT should be awsome. Guns + superpowers + FPS = Awsome 

Untitled

Why now? Why can't it've been before? Why not before all the tormoils I had to put myself through? Before all the sleepless nights and thoughts that stand on the verge of insanity? So much pain could've been avoided if it was before...

...Why...? Why now? 

I closed you. I froze you in the deepest place I can find. I wrapped you in a million layers and sent you to the ends of eternity with a one-way ticket. 

Let it be that. A needle tossed into the ocean is not meant to be found. Neither is a sunken treasure chest sealed with a million nails. 

I cant let Pandora's box be opened again.

I cant. 

　

　

　

　

　

　

... for its temptation is too strong if it were to be truly opened once again...

MAG (Massive Action Game)

E3 News - Sony's Presentation

Following's Microsoft's presentation yesterday, Sony came to stage today with quite a few surprising announces in its arsenal. Despite the leak of its new handheld device, the PSP Go, Sony's CEO Jack Tretton was still optimistic about their new lineup of upcoming games and services.

Most notable announcements are as follows:

• Hideo Kojima, despite breaking news of MGS Rising to be available on the XBOX 360, announces a new MGS titled MGS PeaceWalker available on the new PSP Go and PSP handhelds. Updated news about MGS Rising is said to be multiplatform, so PS3 gamers were not cut from Hideo Kojima-san's next big creation. 
• Fumito Ueda, director and lead game designer, along with the team that brought us Ico and Shadows Of The Colossus, has announced their next new title. The next sequal to their franchise, titled The Last Guardian, features a young boy with a dog-face-hippogriff-mixed creature exploring a strange and mystical land. 
• A new trailer of FFXIII was released, along with voices of the characters, and new gameplay footage. 
• Following FFXIII's new trailer, Sony CEO Jack Tretton shock the whole audiences as he announces the never-before seen trailer of FFXIV (thats FF14 mind you)! The minute long trailer shows a Final Fantasy-esque land with a epic war fought in the skies. 
• A playable demo of God of War 3 was shown. Demo featured Krato's insane moves and grotesque executions of his victims. 
• Final Fantasy VII re-released is to be available on PSN tonight (June 2nd) at midnight for download. Whether or not this will be an upgraded version with better graphics (like that of Advent Children or just a port from the PS1 version) is still unknown. Will have to wait till midnight to find out. 
• MAG (Massive Action Game) live demo was shown with 256 online players engaging in the largest scale battle in online gaming history.
• A live demo of Uncharted2: Amoung Theives, was shown. The demo showed off PS3's amazing processing power, as the demo was fill with nothing but spectacular graphics and gameplay.  

Of course, new ideas that are still in development stages were showcased, including a LBP-concept based sandbox game called Mod Nation Racers, and a new PS3 motion-sensing controller. All these are not due for release till at least mid 2010. 

Other than that, Sony's presentation was its usual self in an E3 conference; statistical presentations, guests, demos, and a few surprising announcements. 

Lets just hope FFXIII and MGS Rising will make Microsoft's XBOX 360 feel inadequate with their DVD drive. I'm still pissed at them. They do not DESERVE to have such great titles. 

rOar

E3 News - Microsoft Announces The Next Metal Gear Franchise Available on XBOX 360

Just saw this news on G4TV. If you don't know, E3 is an expo held annually in California solely for the gaming industry. It is the equivalent of major auto shows or electronic expositions. 

Now, heres the sad news. Microsoft just announced the next Metal Gear franchise, officially named by Hideo Kojima as Metal Gear Solid Rising, will be available on XBOX 360. The story this time will no longer focus on Solid Snake, but instead on Raiden. Speculations are building as to whether or not this will be a XBOX 360 exclusive title or a multi-platform game, for the official words of this announcement was that "the development [of this game] is coming to XBOX 360", and not "XBOX 360 exclusive". Lets hope for the latter, as Sony seems reluctant to let this blockbuster title go.

Not much details are given on the game at this moment, as only this above image was released. The only thing known is that this upcoming title will be a continuation from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and Raiden will be the main protagonist. 

It saddens me to see that Sony is losing its exclusive titles to other companies that still thrive on a DVD drive. I mean, seriously? First we lose Final Fantasy XIII exclusive title, and now Metal Gear? Whats next? Crash Bandicoot?! Knowing Hideo Kojima, he'll have to think of a damn good story for Raiden in order to make a game worthy of his name for under 8gigs of memory. 

Damn you Microsoft. 

rOar

Music Monday