Mobile blog - Seafood Market scouting...

After 'pigging out' at Jollibee, we went to the Seafood Market/Grocery to check out what they had to offer.

It does bring back memories, seeing products that are from back home. Being in the mall itself felt the same - you hear the native language and the hustle and bustle of the crowd (and the inherent indifference for personal space of which is something that is not cool...).

I didn't buy much, just some pastries at the bakeshop. It's neat that they have a small food court that serves local cuisine from home.

If Chickenjoy and Palabok weren't coming out of my ears I would've jumped in line and ordered some 'Crispy Pata' (deep fried pork leg) and 'Chicharon Bulaklak' (fried chitterlings, though they say that it is actually 'omentum' that is the main ingredient of this dish), and a side of garlic fried rice... dang I'm hungry just thinking about it. Not the healthy choice, yes, but hey...

The selling point of the Seafood Market is (yes, captain obvious...), well, seafood!

They have a good selection of fish common here and also a lot of stuff common back home. It's amazing to see fresh (or so they say) fish on the counters full of ice, such as the 'Bisugo' (Threadfin Bream) and the 'Bangus' (Milk Fish). And the usual fare of shrimp and clams/shellfish. I immediately thought 'backyard BBQ'...but then the smell of fish being BBQ may not really pan well with the neighbors... :-D

They even have a deli that serves the 'Crispy Pata' and 'Chicharon Bulaklak' and other fancy stuff (sounds like a song line there...).

All in all, it is a good drive and worth the three hours.

Will come back to this place since when I do some test drives/reviews - a perfect excuse for a break after a 3-hour drive.

And I'll get some of those smoked Bangus (milk fish) too!

Mata ne!

Mobile blog - 'Teh Cute'...

The Japanese really know how to package and market their products and make them the epitome of 'cuteness'.

I'm impressed with their detail in presentation, not only with packaged goods but also with the way the prepare food.

You immediately see the simplicity, and know that time and effort was put into it. That's discipline for you I guess.

Just like the in the picture above - it's just a sauce container. But a very cute and unique one at that. They always manage to evoke that little kid in us even with the smallest and simplest of things ;-)

Mobile blog - Jollibee Tukwila

Driving 3 hours from PDX to Tukwila to have a burger... Yes, a burger. And some 'Chickenjoy' and 'Palabok'.

A well known burger franchise back home finally opened a branch close enough for us for a day trip.

I honestly have not eaten this much for a while. I guess it's that nostalgia from when I was a kid. Or just the mere fact that it feels like I am in a mall back home while eating.

Whatever it is, I sure am glad they opened this franchise here.

Now... on to the next endeavor...

Bento time!

Who doesn't like Bento? Well, I guess some do.

I for sure like it a lot.

A good friend just recently started making bento boxes for her kids for lunch. And they're pretty neat (aside from tasting good too)!

Check it out - linky here

Hmm, I wonder if I can order some for myself? :-D Or maybe I should start packing bento boxes myself. Mmmm...katsudon or oyaku-don...

Itadakimasu mina-san!! :-D

Muramasa's Momohime - sculpted in 3D

From the Wii action game, Muramasa: The Demon Blade. - here is one of the main characters, Momohime, finally sculpted as a 1/8 scale figure by Alter.

The figure is really, really well made. Impressive in person as it was when it was first announced last March 2010. The sculpt and coloring, all done very well. It is really amazing to see the amount of detail and work that was put into this figure.


The box itself is very well made! First for me time to order direct to a Japanese hobby site (Amiami.com.).
A very good experience so far.
The colors used matches exactly as it is in the game. Not to mention Momohime's overall look and features.


Momohime's got a dynamic/flowing pose. This is the option with the samurai unsheathed.
Momohime's arms are removable, so that you can adjust the pose with the Samurai - about to be unsheathed or out and ready to swing. I opted for the latter as it adds to the 'movement' effect of the figure.

Though because of this feature, the seamlessness of the figure is broken, since you can see the line in one of her arms. Personally I don't mind it at all.


The details of the figure are amazing. I can imagine how long it took for the design to get things just right and exact as what is in the game.
Sorry for the 'warm' pics as this was a quick pictorial and done with just indoor lighting (and white balance set to Tungsten). But judging already from the initial pics, Momohime is really fun to take pics of. The dynamic pose makes it even better.


Very nice sculpt indeed. Alter made good on this one.
Kudos to Alter for bringing in another masterpiece!

Now as to whether Muramasa will be animated...that still remains to be seen. But not an impossibility ;-)

Cheers!

To PSP or not to PSP...Ah, why not?

I had been pondering lately about getting a PSP. Not that I adore
Sony products - I actually don't like their 'elitist' marketing and
product placements - though I do admit their ideas and technology are top notch.

The main reason for my looking into the PSP is because of the upcoming games being ported into it, and a majority of those games I like.

So one sunny day while hanging out with a friend and his family, I pulled the trigger on a limited edition MGS Peacewalker PSP bundle.

It's nice...and green :-D

Yes literally green, take a look:


Metal Gear Solid 4: Peacewalker bundle version. The emerald green color makes it quite unique.
Immediately I noticed how fragile the system feels. It is something that I would really need a robust play-in case for. And that I did, first getting a PSP travel case (awesome deal at $6.97), while I waited for my online order of the Logitech PSP hardcase.

The screen is very nice and sharp. The controls are placed nicely, however the casing is a bit slippery, so another good accessory to have is a lanyard.

The unit also features a neat 'remote play' feature for those with PS3s. The PSP can actually remote to the PS3 and it displays the actual PS3 screen on it. You can play games (not all though), listen to music, and watch videos stored on the PS3. There are still restrictions on the video and audio streaming, for example you can't stream Blu-ray or DVD movies.

Now about the battery life. It is dismal.

In fairness, the unit does have a larger screen and the drive it uses to run it's media (UMD) is bigger and uses more power. Good thing there are extended batteries available and I pounced on this one too. The extended battery significantly lengthen play time indeed.

And the wifi connection uses the Wireless B protocol. Yes...Wireless B only...

With all the funding and tech Sony has, they managed to only squeeze in a Wireless B unit in the PSP On all three iterations of the PSP at that. Maybe there's something special about sticking with B at a 'blazing' 11 mbps versus going with either G with 54mbps or N with 108mbps...


The PSP wins the 'pretty screen' contest. However, the Nintendo DSi still holds the game library and overall playability trump cards.
In summary, I still say Nintendo's got the portable console gaming in the bag (adding to the fact Nintendo realized that 54 > 11, good job!). The PSP is more of a 'mature' platform, with it's enhanced display and strong multi-media capabilities. The PSP's game library is small, but growing, but will still need a lot of ground to cover to be on par with Nintendo's handhelds.

The PSP is an excellent portable RPG console though, and that's what this unit is going to be for me. Lucky for RPG gamers that a lot of games coming are also ports from the larger consoles.

The ability to interact with the PS3 is a big plus for PS3 users,

I've been asked if I'll go and 'hack' my PSP. I guess we'll see in a few months ;-)

PS: And I did choose the classic PSP, and not the PSP Go. Never liked the idea of the PSP Go and the download-only gaming capability. I think the 'Go' in PSP Go means 'Gone Overboard'...

Mata ne!

Mobile blog - Ferretzzzz...

This is one pooped out Ferret! I guess it had enough play for one day.

I kinda feel the same as of this writing ... Zzzz.

Oyasuminasai!

Mobile blog - Precision parking!

Finally 'organized' my garage somewhat so that I can now park my car in.

There are still some stuff that I'll need to clear (i.e., donate, sell, give) and one of these is a mini fridge. I decided to put it temporarily in front of my tool chest, thinking that there's enough clearance when I back the car in.

So I backed the car in and I just guesstimated and stopped. And good thing I did!

As seen in the pic below, a little more and that mini fridge would've been more 'mini' :-D

Though now I can't get to the toolbox drawers. But hey, the car fits!

Cheers!

Mobile blog - A sushi plate a day...

Grabbed some sushi at Sushi Town to go the other night. Wanted to eat in but the place was packed!

It feels a bit different having sushi to go. For one, the ambiance is different. And I personally tend to go through it fast!

It's funny to look back then at this cuisine that I avoided so much - and now, ironically, is one my top faves. I guess conditioning and willingness to give things a shot plays a big role in it.

However, my disdain for raisins will hold for good :-)

Good thing there is no 'raisin sushi' ... Or is there? God help us all if so!

Itadakimasu, mina-san!