ESRB

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (of the U.S.) has rating symbols that suggest age appropriateness for video games and accompanying content descriptors that indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern especially to parents.


EARLY CHILDHOOD
Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.

EVERYONE
Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.

EVERYONE 10+
Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.

TEEN
Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.

MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

ADULTS ONLY
Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

RATING PENDING
Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game's release.)


I haven't actually seen an Adults Only game...
...Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror is a tactical shooter game that is rated M. I am not yet finished with it but the game looks short. The game is very good and it already falls under PSP Greatest Hits. Offhand, I'd agree with online reviews (giving it an 8.8/10).

The Redemption of Althalus

The Redemption of Althalus, by David and Leigh Eddings, is their newest book and first stand-alone epic. The book is reminiscent of The Dreamers series in that the story invloves gods actively involved in the affairs of men. The lead character Althalus is a thief and makes for an unlikely hero. All the ingredients of classic Eddings are in the book: good dialogue with a healthy dose of humor; action, and the quest for companions; intrigue, devious planning and outsmarting the enemy. At 794 pages it cannot be finished in one sitting. The story is fast-paced and well-aportioned such that one is not bored and one can also stop yet not miss the thread of it all.
4 stars.

Remember Me?

I usually read a lot... and because of this I sometimes read whatever I can find or get my hands onto. I also sometimes read what I think would be a good or intriguing story. This is the reason why I have, on occasion, been able to read chick lit. I've read Cecelia Ahern and Sophie Kinsella (not the Shopaholic books, though) before. When my sister bought this new Kinsella book, I also read it after she was through.
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella tells the unlikely story of Lexi Smart. Lexi has an accident and loses consciousness. When she wakes up, she learns that it is 3 years later and she does not remember anything that has happened during those 3 years. Her present life is so much more different from what she actually remembers and at first she thinks it has changed for the better. As the story goes along though, she soon learns that things are not really what they seem as she uncovers truths about her new life.
I find the story is somehat reminiscent of the movie 13 going on 30 in some aspects. Kinsella writes easily and this modern love story is simple enough to be able to finish in a short while.
3.5 stars.

DLSU-M WVT

Sadly, my favorite volleyball team (DLSU Lady Spikers) lost to SSC-R in their best-of-three semifinal round in the 5th season 2nd conference of the Shakey's V-League. They now play for 3rd place against AdU... DLSU started out impressively in the single round-robin eliminations going up to 4-0. They then lost 2 consecutive matches (against UST and AdU) and then won their final elimination match (against sister school CSB). Even though they did not reach the finals this season, they still gave it their all and their hard work and training really showed in their game. Hopefully, the experience they gained from this tournament will teach them and motivate them further for the upcoming UAAP 71 volleyball league.

In the other semis series, UST prevailed over Adu. SSC-R and UST will meet for the championship crown. This is SSC-R's 4th finals appearance and 3rd time to meet UST in the finals (DLSU defeated them before and UST won the latest 2).

(pic courtesy of Bro. Ceci)

Rice Toppings Supreme

May bagong labas na pagkain sa Jollibee at ito ay ang Rice Toppings Supreme. May dalawang klase ito at nagkakahalaga ng P59 (solo). Parehong masarap (lalo na pag mainit) at kakaiba ang lasa. Kung kayo ay nagsasawa na sa manok o burger steak sa Jollibee ay sulit na pamalit ang dalawang ito.

Ito ang Savory Beef with Veggies:


Ito naman ang Meatballs with Mushrooms in Sweet Soy Sauce:


... simula sa ika-29 ng Nobyembre ay magkakaroon na naman ng mga koro na kakanta ng mga awit pang-Pasko sa Glorietta 4 (park). Tampok ang mga magagaling na grupo ng mang-aawit ng bansa at kasama ang ilang piling soprano/tenor ay kakanta sila sa bawa't sabado (ng gabi) ng Disyember. Ito ay pinamagatang "Yuletide Evenings at Glorietta".

CC: FF VII

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is one of the highest rated games on the PSP (9.0 on Gamespot) and I had to try it out. After playing it already for more than a total of 24 hours, I simply had to agree...

Fantastic graphics, excellent voice acting, very nice cutscenes (and superb opening and ending scenes), good BGM, and a great story (and characters, prequel to FF VII) all combine to make this game a superb buy. Multiple side missions during the game make for additional hours of playability and enjoyment. The levelling up and fight rules are unique (because of the Digital Mind Wave system). Loading times are acceptable. The game itself is not that difficult except later in the last few stages, where I finally needed to look up a walkthrough.

4.5 stars.

Madagascar 2

Madagascar Escape 2 Africa unfortunately did not live up to it's predecessor. The new movie is not as funny nor interesting as the original one. It still has it's funny moments, but none of them are outright hilarious. One needs to have watched the original movie in order to fully understand and appreciate the present story, which I think should not have been the case (since this is animation). The soundtrack is quite good though. 2.5 stars.

'tis the season...

It was already mid-November and I really wasn't feeling the holiday spirit yet. I was on my way home and as I passed by Glorietta, I saw a poster announcing a free concert at the Activity Center featuring Erik Santos, Mark Bautista and Sarah Geronimo. Being a lover of good music (and yes, a fan of Sarah) I just had to stay and watch the show.
The event was supposed to launch the Cristmas celebrations at Glorietta. It started on time and it was opened by the three "champions" singing well-known Cristmas carols...

After that, they each took to the stage individually. Erik Santos walked to the audience while singing some of his hit songs. Mark Bautista intially sang hip-hop tunes and then proceeded to sing some very old hits. Sarah Geronimo was a revelation because she was also dancing and moving while she was singing! I didn't know she could dance that well. (Now I understand why her concert video "Sarah Geronimo In Motion" became the first concert video to becom Platinum... she really can MOVE!) Sarah was a bit under the weather that time, but she still had an impressive performance and was the most applauded among the three singers. Erik, Mark and Sarah then regrouped to sing some well-known love songs and then they finished the show with a happy Christmas song.

The affair was very festive and after the show the Christmas tree at the center was lit. I left the event really feeling the Cristmas spirit, humming a Christmas tune on my way home...

This is the tree at the Glorietta Activity Center after it was lit:

I am now again taking pictures of Christmas trees that are found in malls and different public places...

The tree at (Rockwell) Power Plant Mall:


The tree at Robinson's Midtown in Ermita:


Another shot of the tree at Robinson's Place:


more to follow... :-)

Obama

Congratulations to Barack Obama for being the 44th President of the United States of America! He is the 1st African-American U.S. President. I was able to watch his elction night speech and I was impressed by his eloquence and delivery. Unlike before when he was still campaigning, he became very president-like and more imposing and dignified... I agree with what my sister commented, Obama is now (one of) the most powerful and influential man in the world.

PSP games!

Talk about having fun while wasting precious time!.. :-)


I am about 43.2% through with Lego Batman. What is nice about it is that the game is compartmentalized and you don't need to finish everything right away in one sitting. There are two main storylines (the hero and the villain sides), each divided into 3 arcs with 5 levels each. I have not previously played any Lego video games but it is said that Lego Batman is pretty much true to the Lego series. The level of difficulty is fair enough and the game has a high replay value. The BGM is simple and redundant but the game is really for everyone and the cut scenes are quite funny. This game makes me want to buy the real Lego Batman figures and toys...
4 stars.


It is a good thing that I listened to online previews/reviews regarding this game, I haven't regretted getting it since. (NBA Live 09 still has poorer reviews until now...) I am about 37% finished (overall) with it and I have already won an NBA title using the Miami Heat as my team in the game's Franchise mode . There are a lot of fun mini-games (team games as well as solo ones) as well as game modes, giving the game high replayability. I haven't tried uploading new rosters although the option is there. The graphics are okay (no real likenesses to the players), but the fluidity/motion and BGM are simply superb. I've only played in the Rookie mode so far and the learnig curve is quite easy. Veteran and All-star modes promise to be quite challenging.
4 stars.


Tekken Dark Resurrection (equivalent to tha arcade Tekken 5) is Tekken's foray into the PSP and after 2 years it has achieved PSP Greatest Hits status. I was intrigued as to why this game got really good reviews among users and critics alike such that it garnered several gaming site awards... I also remembered playing Tekken before on the PSone and really enjoying it ... These reasons prompted me to check it out. With great graphics and a cool BGM, the game really brings the Tekken feel to the handheld. Cool features are a variety of characters (>30), customizable character costumes, unlockable scenes in the story mode, upgradeable status in dojo mode, and also a some mini-games.
4.5 stars.


I am a tennis fan and I always wanted to play this game ever since I got a PSP. Seeing the Sega arcade game in Time Zone made me want to get it even more. This game actually had relatively poor reviews online. This game is proof, however, that one's interests really affects one's perceptions of what is really great or not. I really enjoyed creating custom characters (male and female) in this game and competing in it's World Tour mode (where you start out as ranked 300 in the world and work your way up to world number 1). Mini-games also make this game a favorite for playing during short breaks. Sports games in general have high replay value and this game is no exception. It has 5 difficulty levels in the Tounament mode (very easy, easy, normal, hard, very hard) option. Doubles (men's, women's as well as mixed) games are also very interesting and challenging. Although only few tennis stars (14 men and 7 women) were licensed and appear in the game, the choice and mix of them was handled well. There is also a relatively long loading time for matches. The matches themselves are shortened versions only, which is a good thing because playing actual-length tennis matches would be too long and tedious.
4 stars.


Except for Lego Batman, all of the games have a quick play option, and also ad-hoc/online multiple play options (which I have not tried). God of War: Chains of Olympus is said to be a really great game but is rather short, making me reluctant to get it. As of now, there are really no new upcoming games until the end of the year (on the PSP) that seem interesting to me. Need For Speed Undercover looks promising. There are still relatively few announcements for upcoming games next year so I think I'll hold out on getting new games until the 1st quarter of 2009.

Terry's

Terry's is a newly opened restaurant at the Lafayette building across the Makati Sports Club in Legaspi Vilage. (It is the same building where Apartment 1B resto is located.) The original Terry's is at P. Tamo extension. It is a family-owned Spanish resto and store. They also sell Spanish wines and other spices/food items. The entrance is along Leviste and it is a small place painted primarily in white. The furniture is minimalist and it occupies 3 floors. The 3rd floor houses the mini-store. The menu features mostly Spanish cuisine.
This is a picture of their unique olive oil/soy sauce container, which reminds me a lot of chemistry class...

I went there with my sister for dinner. We had Croquetas de jamon Serrano y pollo (chicken and Serrano ham soft croquettes) and Tawilis adobados (crunchy, deep fried Taal tawilis) as appetizers.



Albondigas en salsa Jabugo (mixed-meat meatballs with Jabugo sauce and buttered rice, topped with shoestring potatos) was my main meal. (click on the pic for a larger image)


For dessert, Tocino de Cielo (extremely sweet leche flan) provided a perfect end to a filling meal.

The prices are moderate and the servers were helpful. Terry's is a clean and cozy place worth trying out. 3.5 stars.