Friday, March 9, 2007

Japan 2007 : Day3

9 March, 2007; Friday, 0800 sg-time:

Blogging in Japan again. It is convenient to post entries here, thanks to the computer room provided by the hotel I am residing at.

Yesterday was quite a busy shopping day for me. Me and my mum went down to Akihabara, aka 'Holy Land of Otaku'. It is actually a huge and well-known Japan district for electronic goods, but we otaku-s recognise that place as the anime paradise.
Everything anime\games\manga are there on sale, and if for some reason you can't find the thing you want, you will probably have worst chances getting them elsewhere.

Due to really-limited budget, I could only cry silently in my heart as I literally go around window-shopping the area looking at rare goodies. Doujinshi (fan-made stuff) shops actually covered 50% of the place, and I never went in any of them. Sole reason was because majority of Doujin-stuff have hentai-related contents, and THAT doesn't go very well with my mother. >_>

The other half of stores were maid cafe (expensive), and multi-floor department stores (!!). Not your typical shopping department mall; they purely only sell anime-related goods. Each floor is split into stuff like manga/books, figurines, music dvd etc. There's basically a lot to see. I could walk around for a whole day actually, but my mum was expectedly bored, so the time-length of visit was 3hrs. Sad.

Anyway, that said, I bought a couple of stuff. I ain't satisfied with my purchases; I want more!. But with so many things at Akiba, who would say they can be satisfied? Got two figure models, two magazines, and two music cds. That already, totalled up to near 20,000 yen = S$200++


Above, is one of the music cd I bought (must-buy!). Ahh..my beloved Mizuki Nana-chan. I believed that is her 7th album, and apparently is special cos her name 'Nana' can mean 'seven'. I haven:t listen to it yet, but I already knows it gonna be great hear. =D

While at Akiba, I also took the time to get Jun Wen's gift. Not sure if he will like it or not, but if he complains or something, I am always happy to keep it for myself. =)

Alright, it is a new day today, and that means more shopping to be done. I have a rough idea on what to buy for Zi Kiang and my other pals, but I will have to see if the present I am looking for can be found in the first place. There's also Andrew, which I totally have no clue on what to get for him. For some reason, the first thing that pop into my mind was porn dvd (av) for him. Hahaa.

Impossible though. All payment are done directly by my mother. So, sorry, no porn for you guys.

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Thursday, March 8, 2007

Blogging in Japan!

Heya こにちわ (Zz..wtf am I typing)

Like the topic says, I am doing an entry at my hotel. They have those funky Japanese keyboard so some of the keys placement are different to what I am used to. I spent like mins trying to find the `@` key. There`s also this curious key that you can click to change the typing style to hiragana etc.
Even signing on to Blogspot, the whole setting is in Japanese whoa. neato. That means the people in Japan are also using Blogspot for their blogging needs.

Anyway, it is the second day of my visit. I am staying till Sunday, reaching Singapore at midnight or so. Yesterday was totally just shopping, and I believe this will be my schedule plan for the rest of the trip =P


Interesting note, I managed to stumble across the famed "Sakura Cafe". I have been looking for it for ages, and I can`t believe it was so near to my hotel in Ikebukuro.
Big YEAH for that lovely encounter!! No stuff purchased, but it was great enough to pay a visit.

On that topic, I kinda promised to get my friends gift or something. The problem is, I ain`t really sure on what to get. Non-edible and no porn stuff I suppose. Well, I will probably be checking the net/blog on the next few days, so if so-and-so of my friends are reading this, let me know or give me some idea on what to buy via tagging me.
No expensive stuff. I got a tight budget, ya know.

For now, cyaz
じゃね
(typing gibberish again)

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Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Movie, Gaming, Japan...

It seems like it has become quite a habit for me to leave backlog on blogging. =P

Anyway, I am gonna make this entry a real-quickie. Some will know I am going to Japan for a few days vacation. In fact, I am about to leave home in approximately 15mins to catch my flight. For my good pals, I will be bring some gifts back for you. =D

So since I am in quite a rush, I won't go through the past days events in detail. -> Make that really brief topic.

How about just pictures then? You know, pic = 1000 words thingie.

Buddies Zi Kiang (left) and Jun Wen (right) giving me the lamer looks =P

That photo is in relation to the movie trip I went with the abovementioned duo. Movie = Protege...or whatever the name was, can't recall. Good show anyway; and better choice among all the other crap-movies that were airing at that time.

More or less like the decently-good Hong Kong police-triller tv series, but super-summarized and with more gore to boot.

My bad. Blurry image don't give justice to the greatness of Ar tonelico

Next up, I FINALLY got my hands on Ar tonelico; PS2 game fantasy. No time to describe about it, but let's just say I spent my whole past week playing through. Not completed yet still~

So, Japan... yep. I will be going for my holiday. Not particulary that excited, since I have been there almost as many times as my current age number. Goodness. Well, it is still great to go anyway - very much like returning to my second home country. You can defintely count on me snapping tons of photos in the trip.

I will blog if I get the chance in Japan. Don't miss me while I am away~ Cyaz readers!

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Thursday, March 1, 2007

Clement is BACK! (ala not dead)

Oh boy...I am wayyyyyy back-log with the blogging. So much things had happened over a short period of time during February. My schedule was so packed that I could barely breathe ...yea. Things have been settling down lately though, with the darn exams finally over. That's why I can finally come back here and type something.

Instead of posting multiple topics to cover the several events that were left uncovered, I am going to try and squeeze as much as possible in this very post. Go ready a cup of coffee or something. This one is gonna be a long write-up~

"Mr. Time Machine... time to backdate!!"
=====================================================================

Feb 10th : National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA)

2.4km Run? Standing Broad Jump? 10m Shuttle run? Those were few of the many stations/tests to be completed. Mandatory event for final year students in TPoly. The event that grants you a Gold, Silver or Bronze award depending on your overall fitness performance.

"Look at me! I can even take photos while running 2.4!"

Unfortunately, there is also the standard 'Fail' award if you performed below expected level. Foreigners/gals do not have to fret, but if sg males got themselves bestowed with the Fail mark, it is a guaranteed extra 2months or so enlistment in the army. Woot~

Frustration. We are SO bored.

Well, to cut the long story short anyway, I failed. Probably for all stations too. Worst still, I suffered complete body ache for the following few days due to sudden over-exertion of muscle tendon. Terrible stuff; only my arms got away without problem. God knows what would have happen had I not skip the Pull-up station. >_>

0363; Go buy your 4Ds now!

I got a hair-cut too, on the very same day. Similarily, it was that day that I missed the fresh shipment of the PS2 game Ar Tonelico. Darn crap title was totally sold out and I couldn't even get my hands on a single copy until today...

Today's Blue Minute post is sponsored by: Nestle MILO

Feb 14th : Valentine Day

Sweet day for lovers. But I got no girlfriend to share this day with. Ahh...such is youth.
What was supposed to be a day-off for me, turned into a one hella' hectic time.

First, I had to report to CMPB for my third NS medical checkup. THIRD!! Gosh. I already felt something was amiss when I was called for a third check, but still I had to go. And of all days they had to choose Valentine Day. If I had a girlfriend, I would have her tag along and show those NS losers my cutie. Alas, I don't.

Got there at 9am. And guess what? They double-checked my identity, and said it was a mistaken appointment. Oh wow. Speechless.
Since I was already there, they told me my Pes for NS. And the verdict is???

Pes B L1.

Don't ask me what that means in details. I am just quite physically fit. End of talk.

Regardless of the result, I had to then rush to school. Submission of work for my Free-hand Drawing cds was due today, and I still got crap to complete. If you think Free-hand Drawing is slacker stuff, you better go for some other CDS. Trust me, the stuff they teach in there is nonsense and the workload is frustrating. It doesn't help that my teacher is really picky with drawings too.

Managed to make ends meet and submitted whatever was required. By then I was already at the stage of half-dead, but still it was not the time to rest. Web Service project was up next, and so I slogged the rest of the evening with my partner Jun Wen.

Needless to say, we ended up working till 9... with nothing significant accomplished. Haiz. Whatever. Sad, sad 21st Valentine Day.

Feb 17~20th : Chinese/Lunar New Year

The time of the year where typical chinese families get together and do house-visiting. And it also involve lots of EATING. And for the unmarried, the race to collect as many hongbaos (red packets) as possible.

'Lou-hei': the art of messing up one's meal with multiple arms

My father is the dude secretly snacking away in the above pic >_>

Reunion dinners x2, several get-together meals, at least 15 houses visited, and tons of CNY snacks consumed = that was roughly what I went through. It would be no surprise if I pack up extra pounds over that time.

Home-cooked steamboat is still the best for reunion dinners

Eat. Eat. and more Eating... *burp

As I am fortunate to come from a roughly huge family background, the hongbaos I accumulated at the end of the festive season was more than the average chinese kid would have gotten. With at least 30 packets gotten, I received a sum of S$720 in total. Pretty nifty eh? Of course, the money was stashed away (in the bank). No touchie till future.

Feb 17~25th : Granado Espada gaming spree!

MMORPG that was (and still is) under closed-beta. I happened to be chosen as one of the many beta-testers, so I jumped into the game and had a roll of fun time levelling my characters through massive mob-grinding.

Meet my GE family: the Twilight(s)!

One of the many things I liked about this game was that you could control max 3 characters, instead of the usual 1 in the game. It is like playing a typical offline rpg, but now in mmorpg style! How cool is that? You can go through quests too, and recruit powerful npcs who would then be playable and allowed to be add into your party.

Meeteooorr STORM! mwahhaha, die critters~

My lead character eventually hit Lv50 before I finally stopped playing. Closed-beta session was ending soon, and all accounts will be wiped when that happens. I guess I will resume playing only when the actual server is up running.

Feb 26~27th : Semester 3.2 Exams

The greatest obstacle of whole February. Final paper exams!? *gasp

All I can say is that I will be taking the supp paper for my Java programming. =(
Wish me luck for the rest of my subjects though~

Man...I am beat from all that typing. Check back next time for more blogging. ><
Before you go, try some of my cousin's ??? drink o_O

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Monday, February 5, 2007

"Let's talk about PS2 games I want...!!"

Okay. I figured it has been quite some time since my last blog entry, I will post something...
Something rather pointless.

This was inspired by today's uneventful evening of dropping by my fave' game store ; only to be disappointed that the game I want suffered delayed shipment.

SO, instead of being off to play the much-expected game, let me share some thoughts on what PS2-release games (*cough* rpgs) I intend to get when they hit our shores.

Clement = I know, non-japanese speaking gamers usually get the short end of the stick on rpgs stock cos' most never get translated/localized. Fortunately, some DO make it over and here's what we, rpg-lovers, can look forward to:

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Rogue Galaxy by Level 5
US release date: Jan 30

Arguably the biggest rpg to hit the western shores after the overrated (and imo crappy) Final Fantasy XII. Produced by the same company which released Dark Cloud 1&2, it is expected to be awesome; both in gameplay and story aspects.
This game is probably what Star Ocean 3's planetary exploring galaxy wished it was, instead of that pathetic excuse of a single planet. With 6++ whole planets to explore, each with a distinctive environment and alien civilization = dozens hours of playing... what's there not to like?? Darn gameshop still hasn't import it over ><

My interest: 3.5/5

Will definitely be a good-buy, though not at the very top of my 'MUST-PLAY-NOW' list. The lack of cute rpg gals in this game is saddening. I am no space-flick fan either, but to not play it will be such a waste.

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Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia
by Gust (+ Banpresto)
US release date: Feb 6 (omg, today?!)

Anime-styled rpg, utilizing 2-D sprites instead of the current mainstream 3-D graphics. This game is not for graphic-whores, but for gamers like me, it is nothing short of a potentially good title to pick up. Gust is well-known for its fun Atelier series, and with the co-help of Banpresto, I have high hopes for this one.
The biggest win for this game imo is there are THREE cuties for the main character to be paired with, and you as the player, have the final say of who he will end up with! From the looks of it, I may have to go through the game 3x to complete all gals. Talk about high replay value~

My interest: 4.5/5
I have a sure-feel I will fully enjoy this one. Publisher, NIS America will also leave the Japanese voices intact. This means I can listen to Miyazaki Ui, and Nogawa Sakura's moe voices~
0.5 point deduction due to male lead expected to being quite a jerk in story (think Luke from Tales of the Abyss).

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.hack//G.U. vol.2//Reminisce by CyberConnect2
US release date: Quarter 3 (around July)

I am a huge fan of the .hack//G.U. series, and so the 6months period between vol.1 and this vol.2 is a real pain to wait. At this rate, I will be serving NS midway when vol.3 finally comes out here.
Vol.1 was terribly short, and the darn thing left us players with a cliff-hanger that we are all so dying to continue on. Fret not, vol.2 is bound not to disappoint; with additional playable characters (Sakubo, Endrance etc), better game mechanics, side-quests, it will be one heck of a blast to play when it reaches Q3 '07. ....RENGEKI!!

My interest: 5/5
Anticipation level is at its highest with all this waiting. There better be no further delays, or someone could be in for some... pain. (I will probably go grab Jun Wen and smack him to vent some frustration =D)

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Persona 3 by Atlus Co.
US release date: June?

This will be my first Persona game, and it is supposingly reported to be quite different than it predecessors. Not a bad thing, as this one features a full-fledged school relationship sim aspect. You read it; the point of this game is to lead the male protagonist through a virtual length of school semester. Tackle academic life, social pressure, and battle demons, all in one game!
Again, this is one game where you decide how you build your main boy's relationship with the girls (and boys) around him. As a twist, the relationship varies how his stats will be, and the effectivenes against his adversaries. I say; FUN~

My interest: 5/5
The art looks stylish. Music sounds retro-cool. Gameplay seems uniquely-fun. And I have waited near 1 year for this to be released. I do pray this game will be followed by the similar-titled expansion 'Fes', so we can have more goodies to play in Persona 3 world.

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Growlanser V Generations by Career Soft
US release date: unconfirmed

Ever since my precious purchase of Growlanser Generations 2 years back, I have grown attached to this turn-based strategy rpg series. Already past 3 sequels and still no news of localization for this gem, there is almost no hope of me playing anymore Growlanser title.
But great news come around. I may soon get to play the fifth installment, as it is rumored that a private company will be taking effort to translate it. Unconfirmed it may be, but I will take any chances for this game to be released in english.

My interest: 4.5/5
Yet another game with a relatioship (love-sim) feature. I am a definite sucker for such kind, and Growlanser series is also s-rpg to boot; a favourite genre of mine. I will be sure to grab it off the shelf the moment it hits Singapore.

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Sakura Taisen 5: Saraba Itoshiki Hito Yo by Sega
US release date: n/a

Love-simulation + srpg... notice a pattern here? The Sakura Taisen series has never been localized in the states and sadly, this latest installment will be of no exception. Even if the game intentionally sets itself in the heart of New York city.
So if this isn't gonna be in english, why am I blogging it here? Dood, it is cos' I want to play it, and by any means - even if it implies buying the upcoming chinese-version for the PC. Time to hit SimLim Square soon~

My interest: 4/5
In comparison with Sakura Taisen 1-4, 5th's cast of girls ain't really my cup of tea; appearance wise. When the main set of characters fail to impress me at initial, my enthu' for the game tends to drop quite a notch. But I will still have a go at it - it is afterall a 'Sakura Taisen'.

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Noteworthy titles:

Wild Arms the Vth Vanguard: The fourth one was abit of a disappointed. But I expect fun times in this latest pack. 10th anniversary game, and featuring my top-fave seiyuu Mizuki Nana-chan, you can count me in!

Super Robot Taisen Original Generations: Banpresto original mecha fans cheer!! Enjoy your favourite SRT OG Gameboy Advance games, in high resolution PS2 format! This must definitely be localized in the US.

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Phew, I finally reached the end-part of this post. I realized how boring this whole entry is after a brief runthrough on my own, but heck....whatever. More games, banzai!

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