Nendo Al Azif by Good Smile Company (GSC)

Al Azif (from the game, and anime, Demonbane) photoshoot with the T1i.

As always, the patented Nendoroid 'cuteness factor' is shown in full force in this chibi version of the mystic grimoire.


Al Azif's 'smirk'.
Good Smile Company's quality is again present, and each part is well made and detailed.


Al Azif's accessories - communicator headset and her clear-cast 'familiar'.
Another hit Nendoroid from GSC. And this is even one of the earlier releases (number 29, to be exact). 9/10.

Camera: Canon T1i
Mode: Av mode, F-stop range 7-8, 1600 ISO (I keep forgetting to play around with this, but the T1i loves to default to 1600), manual selective focus points, AWB

Cheers!

Transistion

Today is my last official day in our company. And same for a couple of more other very good co-workers and friends.

You can say we are 'collateral damage' of the current economic situation that is affecting not only companies here in the US, but everywhere. It is sad, but the situation will eventually spring back, in due time.

On the other hand, a couple of us were very fortunate to have been re-employed and still work with the company (albeit, re-badged). Very lucky to have been given that opportunity, specially with the state of jobs and openings nowadays.

It is kind of sad, and weird at the same time though, to be given an 'exit interview'. Never have I experienced that before, but then again I guess there is always the first time. And as I have noted, I guess the impact isn't that bad, since there is work already set for me, though a very humbling experience during those moments when things were up in the air and everything was just uncertain.

Come Monday, me and a couple of co-workers will be 'returnees' of sorts, back on the saddle and with more challenges and new people to work with (including a group that is in a different continent and time zone). It will be very interesting how this pans out.

As for our friends and co-workers who will no longer be working with us, thanks very much for the experience and chance to have worked with you all. It's the company (meaning the people themselves, the ones we work with everyday), that really matters in the end.

Cheers to all of us and best wishes to our new endeavors!

Gambare, mina san!

Zig-zag-zoom!

The other night I was at the local Fred Meyer and just finished getting some groceries, and as I was pulling out of the parking area, I saw these orange cones that were positioned in the parking lot to redirect traffic away from the line used by those who are gassing up at the Freddy's gas station.

For fun, I decided to go through that route following the cones and cutting it close on the last cone of the 'curve'. Reminded me of my autocross days with the Subie at PIR.

Autocross is definitely fun. And I highly recommend it. You get to see and experience your car's (actual) maneuvering potential (and your driving skills) in a controlled and safe environment. And you don't need to have a fancy car at that (but lucky if you do have one). There are different classes for how each car is (stock or modified). You'll be surprised at how your car (and yourself) react in the course.


Taken from my first autocross session - back-to-back. Looking at this pic, it's interesting that the car in front of me was a Mazda Protege (which I have now). The Mazda in front of me is the Mazdaspeed (turbo) version though.

And you get to learn a lot and meet really cool folks. Aside from learning your car's handling, you get to know more about the vehicle dynamics - say how tire pressure affects handling. Understeer vs. oversteer. Proper exit speed. Trail braking. See how ABS really works (and how some don't care for it much). Rain or shine. Plus if you like working on cars (like I do), there's a lot of info and ideas readily available - just don't be shy and ask around!

One of my more memorable autocross events is the back-to-back rainy day session we had at the PIR. AWD was everywhere and pushing it. It was also the first time that I drove my Subie with summer tires in pouring rain, and that was interesting. Feeling the AWD pulling you straight when you oversteer is neat (I do not recommend this being done on regular roads though, ok?).

Braking to negotiate a 'box'. As odd as it sounds, the Subie is quite challenging to drive, despite the AWD. The AWD doesn't mean 'invincibility' at curves. Plus in stock form, the Subies just love to understeer (hence one of the first mods being made is to the suspension and front and/or rear sway bars).

Though I do not have my Subie now, I think I'll consider some autocrossing sessions for the 2010 season, with Yuki, my Mazda Protege. I'll be in stock class, so it will be interesting driving a FWD car - though they say it is much easier to drive FWD in autocross (no drifting though :-P). I will be running HP Summer Tires though, so I might be bumped one class (or sub class) up. Thinking of running lower suspension too, so that plus the tires will bump me out of stock class for sure. We'll see come spring/summer 2010.

But whether you are a motorsport/car fan, or a casual driver, I'd highly recommend taking a day or two at your local autocross course. Just don't go overboard - you'll enjoy every minute of it.

Drive safe! :)

Funky windy night!

The wind is gusting pretty hard outside. Well, not 'that' hard, but hard enough to be noticed.

I've read about the Columbus Day storm that had winds that would make this night's wind look like a cat's sneeze. Here's the Wiki Entry about the Columbus Day storm.

I'll be checking on my Jeep outside - I hear some debris flying around already - more likely plastic garbage cans and can covers.

Hey, on the bright side, I don't have to sweep all those leaves outside my walkway tomorrow. Nature's 'leaf blower' is in action tonight!

Stay safe everyone!

Go Pac-Man!

TKO win by our very own Manny 'Pac-man' Pacquiao, in the Welterweight title fight with Miguel Cotto last Saturday, 11/14/2009.

A very good friend of mine and his family hosted a PPV viewing of the event. As always, good food, very good company, and everybody had a very, very nice time. Which tripled in fun with Pacquiao's win a few moments into the 12th (and final) round.

You got to hand it to Miguel Cotto, who fought hard. We actually were kind of worried for a while, since Cotto had a good assault in the first two rounds. But Pacquiao's speed went into action and he slowly turned the tide to his favor.

At least we got more for what we paid for, unlike Pacquiao's last event with Ricky Hatton - which lasted a mere 2 rounds with Pacquiao knocking Hatton out in the closing seconds of round 2.

But congrats and cheers to Manny Pacquiao for a well deserved win! And also a big hand to Miguel Cotto for staying in there, and being a good sportsman all the way.

Cheers all! ;)