Car Wash Cops

I'm at the car wash having my car cleaned and in comes a police car, an anti-vice patrol to be exact, to have his ride cleaned. One thing comes into my mind: are the cops who drove in going to pay for the wash? They look like your typical everyday big-bellied government "servants" which makes me conclude that they have the typical attitude as well. It's funny because as I write this one is sitting on either side of me. I know what I've been taught, respect those in authority, even the slime bags in authority. Well, to respect them doesn't mean I have to like them. They better pay for their wash.

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1st Birthday In Heaven

It's been almost 6 months since my Mom passed on to be with the Lord yet it seems like only days ago. There has never been a day that I didn't think of her, how loving, patient and caring she has always been to me. Ever since my Dad passed on more than 2 years ago, she has always showed strength, never showing that she was sad yet I could not imagine the pain she must feel when she's alone and missing my Dad. She was always cheery, singing as she would do the dishes or as she pressed our clothes. It was easy to make her laugh and she would always appreciate every small thing I did for her, every small gift was something grand to her as long as it came from me and Jel. She always saw the bright side of everything. She never got in our way and would always make sure not to burden us with anything. When she was not with us, she would always be excited when I would call her on the phone and tell her about my day at work. She would always listen and laugh at the corniest of my jokes. And tell me to be careful as I went home. She gave unselfishly of herself, her time and whatever little money she would have from her pension just to make sure that I had what I need.
Today is my Mom's birthday and if she were here she would cook her specialty - Sarsa Prinsesa and make sure that she made it with all love and care as she always did. I miss my Mama. I am filled with sadness today but at the same time I have a bit of gladness knowing that this is her first birthday with my Dad again and with the Lord, overflowing with inexpressible joy in heaven. I love you Mama and I miss you.


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Another Week Is Done

It was quite a busy week for me. I feel a sense of relief that the week is done but at the same time, a sense of anxiety. I wonder why though. Maybe it's because a good friend of mine has done what he shouldn't have done, at least not yet. I let out some strong advice, but better are the wounds of a friend than kisses from an enemy.

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Writing This Entry from My iPhone

This is truly amazing! I'm actually writing this on my spanking brand new iPhone 3GS! I'll write more as I go along. In the meantime - sweet!

Motorstorm Arctic Edge Review

The original Motorstorm on the PS3 was considered one of the console's great launch titles.  With stunning visuals and real-time track deformation, Motorstorm was a showpiece for any PS3 owner.  After one sequel on the Playstation 3 (Motorstorm Pacific Rift), another version makes it to Sony's handheld in the form of Motorstorm Arctic Edge.  This time it takes us to snow-covered terrains while retaining the original game's premise of any vehicle versus any other vehicle and multiple paths to the finish line.  You have the usual line up of ATV's, big rigs, bikes, rally cars with additional vehicles to suit the environment like the snow mobiles and snow pluggers.  Depending on your vehicle, you need to run on the right path to help you get to the finish line the quickest.  Taking your snow mobile through a river is not the best way to go.

To speed your vehicle up, you have a boost meter that eventually overheats with use.  If you continue to boost, you blow up.  You can help cool your boost meter by running through thick ice or water.  By winning events, you can earn new selections of vehicles to satisfy your craving for offroad mayhem.  The graphics department may not live up to its console brothers (give it a break dude, it is a PSP and not a PS3, duh) but the diverse tracks are an accomplishment worth noting on a portable device.

One thing I noticed about the dificulty though is that during the opening events, the AI opponents don't seem to put up much of a fight once you gain 1st place.  You get past to 1st place and you never get to see the guy in 2nd until the end of the race.  The difficulty seems to escalate around the 3rd level events.  This is still a good thing for me because it does allow casual racers to enjoy the rest of the game without frustrating you to death (the original Motorstorm on the PS3 was tough as nails and winning at 1st was the only way to advance in the game, blink too long and you'll be left behind).

Motorstorm Arctic Edge is a great addition for every Motorstorm fan.  The wide selection of vehicles and the adrenaline rush that this game provides goes to show other PSP racers what a racing game should be.

Prince of Persia Rocks!

As I have stated on an earlier blog, I was working on finishing Prince of Persia on the PS3, one of Ubisoft's monster games so far.  I was able to finish it a few days ago and it so totally rocks!  Here's why.

Forget your other ideas of earlier PoP games.  Forget the mild-mannered Prince we got to know on Sands of Time and of the other succeeding titles that were really not that good (they're Two Thrones and Warrior Within I think).  The unamed Prince comes back this time as a grave-robbing, tomb-raiding, smart-mouthed thief, that's right, a thief.  But he's not alone because he joins a runaway princess named Elika for the ride.  The objective: to ride the kingdom of the corruption that covers the entire land.  Hmm.. sounds like the government to me.

As expected from a PoP game, there is a lot of platforming and crazy acrobatics/gymnastics when moving from one point to another in this open world game.  The controls are spot on and wall running and other off-the-wall stunts (literally!) are easy to accomplish.  Battles with the creatures of corruption (this really sounds like the government) is one-on-one with a little help from Elika and her magic attacks.  For completists out there, you can spend a lot of time collecting each light seed from every nook and cranny in the kingdom.  Light seeds, by the way, are used to unlock more areas for you to heal of the corruption.

The game tends to be gentle on the player though as it tells you when to block or what technique to use (sword, gauntlet, or Elika's magic).  Elika's compass acts as your GPS when you tend to get spun around.  In this game, you can never die as Elika always catches you when you miss a jump and saves you when you get your back end kicked by the corruption.  The penalty though is that the enemy's life bar goes up when you were supposed to "die" and Elika saves you.

Over all, this is one game I highly recommend for fans of the PoP franchise or adventure games in particular.  This surely makes up for the other episodes in the franchise that felt empty and mediocre.  This new Prince of Persia will definitely be on the throne of your Playstation 3 adventure game list for a while.