Youth Well Wasted!

Greener Pastures

2011-04-16T17:13:00.000+08:00

This might be a tad late, but better to be late than never amirite? My new blog is up and running. If you're even mildly interested to view the improvements I have made to my writing and design, please visit this link.

End Of The Road

2010-11-19T19:21:00.005+08:00

T'is a sad day today, for I will no longer be updating this blog with new content. Instead, I will now concentrate on building a website to accommodate the new direction that I will take my writing to.

The reason I am retiring this blog is due the decrease in quality of its writing and topics. No longer do I possess the vocabulary, humour and wit that once existed in my earlier posts. Lately I have relied too heavily on gaming news, ingrained with crassness and foul language. It is shameful for me to read through my posts from the last few months. I used to mock bloggers who publish narcissistic posts laced with camwhore pics, not realising my blog's standards would drop to almost their level. Almost.

I will be keeping this blog online instead of closing it forever. There is too much sentimentality for me to do such a cruel thing to my beloved Youth Well Wasted. Rest assured, I will roll out my new site in the coming days.

I'll still continue swearing though, that will never fucking change.

Living Second Lives: Animangaki 2010

2010-11-02T22:31:00.002+08:00

The dust has finally settled over Animangaki 2010. You'd be hard pressed not to find any photos, videos or plain old anecdotes from satisfied attendees anywhere on the Web, yours truly included.

While many of them were for personal purposes, mine had a more professional intention. I am a member of the Young News Network, which is the youth arm of The Star newspaper's online video portal Switchup.TV. Desperate to contribute, I was more than grateful to come across Animangaki a week before the event. Seeing this as an opportunity to shed light on the growing cosplaying culture in Malaysia whilst polishing my portfolio, I emailed Ju Eng, the executive editor, to request for equipment. So with a Nikon D5000 DSLR, ambition and nervousness in hand, I set off for Sunway University to shoot my first YNN video.

It is obvious that there are plenty of mistakes in my video, and I will not deny them. In retrospect, I should have also requested for a mic, as the loud background noise destroyed any semblance of atmosphere I had intended for the video. In addition, you could even tell that I was trying to place more focus on the cosplayers interviewed and blur the background. Unfortunately, my lack of experience with a DSLR proved to be my downfall.

However, I see these mistakes as lessons to be learned in the future, and rest assured, I will definitely be producing more videos. Franklin P. Jones had a quote that rise to the occasion. He once said, "Experience is that marvellous thing that enables you to recognise a mistake when you make it again.". If you have any events that you feel are worth covering, please do let me know. I look forward to my next shooting.

My video is also on The Star's website. Do visit to give it more page views. Thanks for your support and cooperation, folks!

Say Hello To The Playstation Phone

2010-10-27T20:48:00.003+08:00

There's a new PSP coming to stores near you, and its not a successor to Sony's portable gaming device. Instead, it is the Japanese tech giant's attempt at combining its Sony Ericsson line of phones with the functionality and form of a proper console (no,Apple fanboys, the iPhone is not a gaming device).

Leaked pictures of the Sony Playstation Phone prototype have floated on the Net for a while, with Sony Europe issuing a quick statement that they were fake. However, when asked to comment on speculation abounding to the product's possibility, the spokesmen for both Sony and Sony Ericsson refused to comment.

Forums were abuzz with rumours that Sony was merely covering up while others accuse it of purposely releasing the pics to build hype. Whatever the reason, it has certainly gotten gaming circles talking.

According to Engadget, the website that first featured the story, the Playstation Phone operates on the Android 3.0 OS, good news for emulator fans. It also reportedly runs on a 1 GHz Qualcomm CPU, 512 MB of RAM and 1 GB of ROM.

One notable addition is the touchpad, in place of the missing analog sticks. The touchpad has been hinted to be included in the next build of the Playstation Portable.

Whether real or not, the Playstation Phone will definitely be a gamebreaker in the gaming phone market and erase all memories of the ill-fated Nokia N-Gage.

Express Yourselves With The My Mind Notebook Exhibit!

2010-10-21T15:23:00.005+08:00

Got a flair for words and pictures but no platform to put them to use? Y Gallery hears you, and brings you the My Mind Notebook Exhibit. Here's everything you need to know about the event.

What is My Mind Notebook Exhibit?
Unlike other brick in the wall art exhibitions, you won't find any framed paintings, photographs, installations or sculptures here. Instead, the canvas is much much smaller. A5 notebooks to be exact.

If you're familiar with the Newgrounds Notebook Collab, this event's pretty much in the same vein. Y Gallery, a local online art website is giving away free homemade notebooks to all participants. No rules, no restrictions. You can basically do anything you want with it. Draw, write, cut, paste, stick, paint, shape, so long as it looks good, it's all good.

The only condition is you gotta send the notebooks back by a deadline, originally the 10th of November, but has been delayed indefinitely. Once all the notebooks have been collected, Y Gallery will put them up for show in a full-fledged exhibition. Of course, you can just keep the notebooks and not do jackshit, if you are utterly contented to be a top tier A-hole.

Okay, okay, I'll send mine back. Details please?

Deadline: TBA
Notebook collection: Move your mouse pointer away from Farmville for a while and go here to ask the organisers politely for one.
Fee: None, its all free
Exhibition date: February 28th to March 6th
Exhibition location: Annexe Gallery

So, there you go. Paint a portrait. Write an epic. Make a pop-up storybook. Paste your camwhore photos. Show the world your creative side.

What's on your mind?

TEDxYouth@KL Open For Registration!

2010-10-12T19:02:00.005+08:00

Calling all Malaysian youths! The TEDxYouth@KL is officially signing up delegates for the conference. Here's the lowdown on the whole event.

What is TEDxYouth@KL?

To know more, you have to first understand its parent organisation. TED is a nonprofit organisation that invites prominent people from around the world to speak for 18 minutes at a conference. This conference is held yearly for the past 2 and a half decades in California. Here, they speak on a variety of issues that are in some way related to the annual theme. One running message behind these conferences is the belief in Ideas Worth Spreading.

TEDx is an offshoot of TED that, like the picture mentions, allows for independently organised conferences by individuals or groups from other states and countries.You might be surprised to know that Malaysia had its own TEDxKL conference a little while back, in March this year.

If TED is the parent, that must make TEDxYouth@KL the grandson(or granddaughter, if you wanna be anal about gender equality), to put it metaphorically. The theme for this inaugural event is Be The Change, led by a lineup of speakers made up of youth leaders. One can hinder a guess that they will be speaking on their previous projects as well as youth related issues like youth empowerment.

Go if...

you're passionate about the local youth movement.
you're interested in local youth issues.
you want to meet like-minded individuals.
you want to hear about the speakers' success stories in person, and in turn be inspired and take charge of your own youth initiative.
Don't go if...
...you're a dick. I apologise for the crassness, but I am unable to come up with a reason NOT TO GO.

Why should I care?
Its not everyday that we have something this big arrive on our shores. How many of us have envied our foreign counterparts for always getting the best events? Now, we have one and we should definitely give our show of support to the team that have tirelessly made this conference become reality.

The team consists of youths like you and me, regular college and secondary school-going students. TEDxYouth@KL is a completely student-run conference. This brings the term "for youths, by youths"to new heights.

Well, colour me interested. What are the details?
Duration: 10am to 2pm (tentative)
Seats: limited to 150 delegates only.
Speakers: Still kept under wraps, but we'll know soon enough!
Registration fee: RM20 per person, which includes refreshments and some goodies.
Nice. Where do I sign up?
Head your mouse pointer over here.

I'm a volunteer, so you'll definitely see me around come event day. Just look for the loud, obnoxiously arrogant guy. That's me. If you're impatient, head on over to the website and check out the Special Supporters section. I'm the guy in the 3rd pic.

See you when I see you. Tristan out, bitches.

"To My Dearest Wife": An Eulogy By Lee Kuan Yew

2010-10-08T23:02:00.005+08:00

Last Saturday, Singapore lost a very special woman in the form of Madam Kwa Geok Choo. While citizens and family mourn her passing, nobody felt more pain than her husband of more than 60 years, Lee Kuan Yew. Here, sourced from the MSN news website, is Mr Lee Kuan Yew's full eulogy presented at her funeral.

"Ancient peoples developed and ritualised mourning practices to express the shared grief of family and friends, and together show not fear or distaste for death, but respect for the dead one; and to give comfort to the living who will miss the deceased.

I recall the ritual mourning of my maternal grandmother died some 75 years ago. For five nights, the family would gather to sing her praises and wail and mourn at her departure, led by a professional practised mourner. Such rituals are no longer observed. My family's sorrow is to be expressed in personal tributes to the matriarch of my family.

In October 2003 when she had her first stroke, we had a strong intimation of our mortality.

My wife and I have been together since 1947 for more than three quarters of our lives. My grief at her passing cannot be expressed in words. But today, when recounting our lives together, I would rather like to celebrate her life.

In our quiet moments, we would revisit our lives and times together. We had been most fortunate. At critical turning points in our lives, fortune favoured us.

As a young man with an interrupted education at Raffles College, and no steady job or profession, her parents did not look upon me as a desirable son-in-law. But she had faith and confidence in me. We had committed ourselves to each other.

In February 1952, our first son Hsien Loong was born. She took maternity leave for a year. That February, I was asked by John Laycock, the Senior Partner, to take up the case of the Postal and Telecommunications Uniformed Staff Union, the postmen's union. They were negotiating with the government for better terms and conditions of service.

Negotiations were deadlocked and they decided to go on strike. It was a battle for public support. I was able to put across the reasonableness of their case through the press and radio.

After a fortnight, they won concessions from the government. Choo, who was at home on maternity leave, pencilled through my draft statements, making them simple and clear.

Over the years, she influenced my writing style. Now I write in short simple sentences, in the active voice. We gradually influenced each other's ways and habits, as we adjusted and accommodated each other. We knew that we could not stay starry-eyed lovers all our lives; that life was an ever on-going challenge with new problems to resolve and manage.

We had two more children, Wei Ling in 1955 and Hsien Yang in 1957. She brought them up to be well-behaved, polite, considerate and never to throw their weight around as the prime minister's children. As a lawyer, she earned enough, to free me from worries about the future of our children.

She saw the price I paid for not having mastered Mandarin when I was young. We decided to send all three children to Chinese kindergarten and schools. She made sure they learned English and Malay well at home. Her nurturing has equipped them for life in a multi-lingual region.

We never argued over the upbringing of our children, nor over financial matters. Our earnings and assets were jointly held. We were each other's confidant.

She had simple pleasures. She would walk around the Istana gardens in the evening, and I hit golf balls- hundreds of them, to relax. Later, when we had grandchildren, she would take them to feed the fish and the swans in the Istana ponds. Then we would swim. She was interested in her surroundings, for instance, that many bird varieties were pushed out by mynahs and crows eating up the seeds and vegetation.

She discovered the curator of the gardens had cleared wild grasses and swing fogged for mosquitoes, killing off insects they fed on. She stopped this and the bird varieties returned. She surrounded the swimming pool with free flowering scented flowers and derived a great deal of pleasure smelling them as she swam. She knew each flower by its popular and botanical names. She had an enormous capacity for words.

She helped me draft the Constitution of the PAP. For the inaugural meeting at Victoria Memorial Hall on 4 November 1954, she gathered the wives of the founder members to sew rosettes for those who were going on stage.

In my first election for Tanjong Pagar, our home in Oxley Road, became the HQ to assign cars provided by my supporters to ferry voters to the polling booth. She warned me that I could not trust my new found associates, the left-wing trade unionists led by Lim Chin Siong.

She was furious that he never sent their high school student helpers to canvass for me in Tanjong Pagar, yet demanded the use of cars provided by my supporters to ferry my Tanjong Pagar voters. She had an uncanny ability to read the character of a person. She would sometimes warn me to be careful of certain persons; often, she turned out to be right.

When we were about to join Malaysia, she told me that we would not succeed because the UMNO Malay leaders had such different lifestyles and because their politics were communally-based, on race and religion. I replied that we had no choice and that we had to make it work . But she was right. We were asked to leave Malaysia before two years.

When separation was imminent, Eddie Barker, Minister for Law, drew up the draft legislation for the separation. But he did not include an undertaking by the Federation Government to guarantee the observance of the two water agreements between the PUB and the Johor state government. I asked Choo to include this. She drafted the undertaking as part of the constitutional amendment of the Federation of Malaya Act- the Constitution itself. She was precise and meticulous in her choice of words. The amendment statute was annexed to the Separation Agreement, which we then registered with the United Nations.

After her first stroke, she lost her left field of vision. She slowed down her reading. She learned to cope, reading with the help of a ruler. She swam every evening and kept fit. She continued to travel with me, and stayed active despite the stroke. She stayed in touch with her family and old friends. She listened to her collection of CDs, mostly classical, plus golden oldies. She jocularly divided her life to BS and AS- "before stroke" and "after stroke", like BC and AD.

She was friendly and considerate to all associated with her. She would banter with her WSOs (woman security officers) and correct their English grammar and pronunciation in a friendly and cheerful way. Her former WSOs visited her when she was at NNI. I thank them all.

Her second stroke on 12 May 2008 was more disabling. I encouraged and cheered her on, helped by a magnificent team of doctors, surgeons, therapists and nurses.

Her nurses, WSOs and maids all grew fond of her because she was warm and considerate. When she coughed, she would take her small pillow to cover her mouth because she worried for them and did not want to infect them.

Her mind remained clear but her voice became weaker. When I kissed her on her cheek, she told me not to come too close to her in case I caught her pneumonia. I assured her that the doctors did not think that was likely because I was active. When given some peaches in hospital, she asked the maid to take one home for me, for my lunch. I was at the centre of her life.

On 24 June 2008, a CT scan revealed another bleed again on the right side of her brain. There was not much more that medicine or surgery could do except to keep her comfortable.

I brought her home on 3 July 2008. The doctors expected her to last a few weeks. She lived till 2nd October, 2 years and 3 months. She remained lucid. They gave time for me and my children to come to terms with the inevitable. In the final few months, her faculties declined. She could not speak but her cognition remained. She looked forward to have me talk to her every evening.

Her last wish she shared with me was to enjoin our children to have our ashes placed together, as we were in life.

The last two years of her life were the most difficult. She was bed-ridden after small successive strokes; she could not speak but she was still cognisant. Every night she would wait for me to sit by her to tell her of my day's activities and to read her favourite poems. Then she would fall asleep.

I have precious memories of our 63 years together. Without her, I would be a different man, with a completely different life. She devoted herself to me and our children. She was always there when I needed her.

She has lived a life full of warmth and meaning. I should find solace at her 89 years of her life well lived. But at this moment of the final parting, my heart is heavy with sorrow and grief."

For more photos as well as tributes by citizens, visit The Straits Times.

Calvin Minus Hobbes: Fantasy Or Insanity?

2010-09-30T21:48:00.004+08:00

The beauty of art is that it can be interpreted differently, depending on who you asked. Some would consider the works of Picasso genius, while others are insistent that their four year old child is better.

The same can be said for comics, especially Calvin and Hobbes. To the layman, Hobbes is nothing more than the product of a child's imagination. Others would say that Hobbes is very much real, a magical stuffed tiger that only comes to life for Calvin alone. Then there are some that say Hobbes is the manifestation of a troubled youth's insanity.

Taking a cue from Garfield Minus Garfield, Jeff's Ocean replaces Hobbes with its doll form and erased all of his speech bubbles. Suddenly, the strips lost their charm, and offer a bleak view of the possibility of Calvin's mental disability.

For more depressing shit, go here.

4 Ways To Tie A Tie Every Man Should Know

2010-09-21T14:11:00.004+08:00

If there was something important to be learned from school assemblies, it would be the knowledge at tying a tie. First thought of as a nuisance, the rule grew on me, and I soon appreciated the formality that wearing one lent to an otherwise mediocre morning ceremony. It gave a sense of power and class. There were even numerous times where I kept it at the neck for the entire schooling day, eventhough I was allowed to remove it as soon as assembly was over.

However, I have unfortunately forgotten even the most basic of techniques after I hit the college-going age. I can blame the lax dress code or the complete lack of need to wear one, but I know that tie-tying is a skill essential to any male.

Thankfully, I stumbled upon a great article while trawling the Internet. Below are the 4 classic knots that everyone should know, which are the four-in-hand, half windsor, windsor and shelby. All credits go to Brett McKay of The Art Of Manliness. For the full article, go here.

Four-In-Hand Tie Knot

"Also known as the “schoolboy,” this is probably the most widely used tie knot because it’s so easy to tie. It’s a good tie knot to use if your tie is made of heavier material. It looks best with smaller spread collars.

1. Drape the tie around your neck. The wide end should extend about 12 inches below the narrow end of the tie. Cross the wide part of the tie over the narrow end.

2. Turn the wide end back underneath the narrow end.

3. Continue wrapping the wide end around the narrow end by bringing it across the front of the narrow end again.

4. Pull the wide end up and through the back of the loop.

5. Hold the front of the tie knot with your index finger and bring the wide end down through the front knot.

6. Tighten the knot carefully to the gills by holding the narrow end N and sliding the knot up. Center the knot."

Half Windsor Tie Knot

"This is the Windsor Tie knot’s little brother. Like the Windsor, you’re left with a symmetrical triangle tie knot, but the Half Windsor is not as large. This tie knot is appropriate for lighter fabrics and wider ties. It’s best worn with a standard collar.

1. Drape the tie around your neck. The wide end should extend about 12 inches below the narrow end of the tie. Cross the wide part of the tie over the narrow end.

2. Bring the wide end around and behind the narrow end.

3. Bring the wide end up and pull it down through the hole between your collar and tie.

4. Bring the wide end around the front, over the narrow end from right to left.

5. Bring the wide end up back through the loop again.

6. Pull the wide end down through the knot in front.

7. Tighten the necktie knot and center it with both hands."

Windsor Tie Knot

"The Windsor necktie knot gives you a wide triangular tie knot that’s good for more formal settings. This tie knot is best worn with a wide spread collar.

1. Drape the tie around your neck. The wide end should extend about 12 inches below the narrow end of the tie. Cross the wide part of the tie over the narrow end.

2. Bring the wide end of the tie up through the hole between your collar and the tie. Then pull it down toward the front.

3. Bring the wide end behind the narrow end and to the right.

4. Pull the wide end back through the loop again. You should have a triangle now where the necktie knot will be.

5. Wrap the wide end around the triangle by pulling the wide end from right to left.

6. Bring the wide end up through the loop a third time.

7. Pull the wide end through the knot in front.

8. Tighten the knot and center it with both hands."

Shelby Knot

"The Shelby knot is a more obscure knot and was popularized by anchorman Don Shelby in the 1970′s. It works best with wider ties that are made from heavier material.

1. Start with the tie draped inside out around your neck, wide end on the right.

2. Bring the wide end under the narrow end.

3. Bring the wide end up and pull it down through the loop between your neck and your tie. After you pull the wide end all the way through, bring it to the left.

4. Bring the wide end over the knot to the right.

5. Pull the wide end up through the loop between your neck and your tie.

6. Thread the wide end through the knot and pull tight. Center as needed."

Happy Birthday,Super Mario Bros.!

2010-09-08T21:21:00.005+08:00

In five days time,an icon of gaming will be celebrating its 25th birthday.Launched on the 13th of September 1985,the Super Mario Bros. game has sold a total of more than 40 million copies worldwide.A record it proudly held for two decades before Wii Sport knocked it off its throne.

To commemorate the occasion,Nintendo has issued a special logo that will most likely be used on reissues of the game or any merchandise planned for this year.The logo is similar to the one created to celebrate the 20th anniversary.One can only hazard a guess that the awkward empty space between Mario and the word 'anniversary' is for the convenience of Nintendo to update the number for every year the game ages.Expect to see the number 25 sooner or later,and the recycling of this logo in years to come.

This is of special importance to not just the gaming industry,but to me personally.Super Mario Bros. was the first ever console game I played.I became hooked to gaming when I was 6 years old,mildly addicted to Snake on my uncle's black and white Nokia phone.When my other uncle grew out of his Gameboy,he handed it to me and my sister,and the rest as they said was history.

A childhood joy would be to watch yet another uncle(Chinese families were huge back in the day)play the game.I was bad at it and could not make it past the stage after the Egyptian themed one.He,on the other hand,was a pro and could have finished the game if not for his quick disdain for repetition that made him switch to Battle City.

The game is available on most if not all emulator websites.Maybe I should give another shot at progressing further in the game.I owe it that much.

Happy birthday,Super Mario Bros.

Stop Jumping On The Government Hate Train

2010-08-31T19:44:00.007+08:00

If there's one thing I've noticed during this time of the year is the general hate people have for the government.Instead of celebrating the achievement of 53 years of independence,many are instead directing their concentration towards reliving racial sentiments.I'll be frank here:this group is predominantly made up of my fellow Chinese and Indians,in the age range of secondary school to 30-something adults.

The question is:why?Here are some typical answers.

The government is corrupt.
The government is racist.
Therefore,I have no future in this country and will migrate if given the chance.

But when you ask for evidence,they find it difficult to find any.Even if they did,it would be something they speed read through in the papers or a passing sentence that came up over a meal.

Nowadays,it is considered "cool" to hate the government.If you don't,you are weird,a government hugger and are "wrong".Therefore,the rising popularity of Namewee's videos and anything Raja Petra Kamarudin or his entourage writes.

In my opinion,all this hate is borne out of generalisation,which can be broken down into upbringing,and the view of the government as a single entity instead of as a collective.

On the point of upbringing,we have been taught since young to discriminate.In fact,disliking Malays is a very "Chinese" thing to do.The stereotype of Malays being lazy,stupid and reliant on the government for handouts is created by our forefathers.Having come to a new land all the way from the Orient,they play the unfamiliar immigrant.Therefore,they base their views on the locals on their encounters with them.Somehow or the other unfortunately,a few bad apples rubbed our ancestors the wrong way,and these bad experiences are taken to describe the locals.I have been taught this by my grandmother,who revealed to me how my grandfather kept a Malay mistress and she cheated him of his money and disallowed my family from visiting his grave.

"You can marry anybody,but not Malays."she said to me.

"Okay."I replied.I was 10 years old.

I sorta broke this promise when I had a puberty-induced crush on a Malay chick when I hit 13.I refused to eat pork,and I was immediately the outcast during family dinners.Thank god it did not last long.Pork is the meat of kings.

On my second point,the rakyat tend to focus more on the faults on the government rather than the achievements.This can partly be blamed on the mass media."Boring,old" news relating to Parliament get compressed into Page 2."Scandals!Sex tapes!Bribery!" get the front page and Page 3,which lies on the right when we open the paper.We always look at the page on the right first before turning our gaze to the left.

If a BN man is being indicted for corruption,we do not curse his name.We curse the government,because that is who he works for.His crime now becomes the government's crime,eventhough the latter had nothing to do with it.Take for example,Bung Mokhtar.He is arguably the worst MP ever.He made sexist remarks,not once but twice and married another woman illegally.All of a sudden,the public assumes every member of UMNO and BN is sexist and unfaithful.

My point is,for every Bung Mokhtar we have in government,there is a Khairy Jamaluddin.The latter is smart,rational,a proponent of social media(he subtly made fun of Information Minister Rais when the geezer said that Twitter and Facebook are the poisonous propaganda of the West) and is sincere in giving youths a voice(he set up BN Youth Lab early this year).

Stop seeing the government as a single entity,because you are undermining the work of the many other good men and women in Parliament as well.

This is in no way an endorsement of the Malaysian government.I am not a big fan of them either.However,please be able to separate truth from lie.Not everything the Opposition says is true either.If you are gonna hate,please back it up with solid points and reasons instead of plain old anecdotes from "victims".

Oh yeah,fuck you,Bung Mokhtar.

How To Be A Famous Youtube VBlogger!

2010-08-25T14:52:00.003+08:00

It's funny because it's true.

Breaking Fast With The Prime Minister On Thursday

2010-08-17T21:27:00.002+08:00

I guess the header is pretty much self-explanatory,isn't it?I apologise.The creativity well has been drying up lately.

What isn't drying up however is Michael Teoh's ability to turn everything he touches into gold.Besides being the founder of Youth Entrepreneurs Malaysia,he's responsible for making many youth events a reality.Fresh off that tireless noggin of his is the Super Special List.Under the banner of Youth Call For Action,its basically an open-to-all collection of youths who wish to keep up to date on special meet-ups with prominent members of society,networking events,workshops as well as be part of a large talent pool for job openings and opportunities to collaborate with other youth leaders.

On the 5th of August,the blog's first post was published,calling for the first 500 members.I registered immediately after Lorraine Siew,a friend,tagged me in a Facebook link.

Little did I know that I was one of the first 30 to sign up.As an incentive,we will be breaking fast with the Primer Ministro Datuk Seri Najib this Thursday at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya.The only catch is that we must be in formal wear(batik shirts omg!!!).Other than that,I'm pretty pumped up for this.This is the perfect chance to network with the other 29-probably bigtime student leaders in the community.

Michael's hinting that there will be more rewards in the future for members.Whatever they are,I'm pretty sure they're gonna be BIG.Hit the link to assure yourself a chance at them.

On an endnote,what do you think I should ask or say to Najib?Please,no profanities or anything that will put me in lockup,please.

Infographic,I Choose You!

2010-08-10T17:38:00.005+08:00

Ever wondered about the current number of Pokemon?The official ages of Misty and Brock,Ash's companions?The country that banned the series for allegedly promoting Zionism and gambling?

No?

What's wrong with you?Did you have a childhood?Official Schools have compiled all the info you need on the world's 2nd best selling video game franchise in handy infographic form.

Thank you,nerds!

The Complete History Of All Video Game Consoles(in video form!)

2010-08-03T20:03:00.006+08:00

The Insane Console History Video 2.0 from Elder-Geek on Vimeo.

Ever wondered about the history of video game consoles?The guys over at Elder Geek have put together this handy video for anyone curious.From the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972,to the 8-bit goodness of the 1980s,and finally the 3 major console giants we know today,they even covered the limited and obscure like the Industria Argentina Activision Family Game and Cougar Boy.

I hope that chair is comfy,coz you're gonna be sitting there for 23 MINUTES.The list is so impressive,that I had to agree with a Kotaku commenter when he said,"You know you're a geek when you can watch the entire video without being bored once."

HELP University's School Achiever Scholarship Awards Calling For Applications!

2010-07-28T18:29:00.003+08:00

You may recall a previous blog post where I managed to snag RM12k from the miserly corporate hands of HELP University College for my Foundation in Art studies there.Well,I haven't lost it yet,that's all you need to know about me.Another thing that you should know is that HELP has once again developed a subconscious and offering the School Achiever Scholarship Awards(or SASA for short) to all SPM,STPM and UEC Senior Middle 3 students.

If you think this is another scholarship that places the value of book smarts over street smarts,think again.How else would you think a slacker like me could get it?All you need is proof of your active co-curricular life in secondary school and voila!You'd be guaranteed a place in the interview sessions.But lest you think that ends there,applicants will go through a much stringent selection method this year than previously.You'd also have to participate in a series of group challenges that will test your leadership abilities and teamwork.There'll be people at hand to assess you personality-wise.Impress them enough,and your scholarship value goes higher.

Still,it is not a really difficult process when compared to the likes of Sime Darby and Khazanah.Once you get called up for interview,you're a shoo-in for the scholarship.The question is...how much?That all depends on how well you do.HELP's idea of rejection is to offer you a measly RM4k.An amount that they know you will surely refuse.Clever bastards,those HELP men.

Anyway,here's a breakdown of how much you'd be receiving for each of the programs.

Foundation in Arts/Science= RM4k to RM15,400(full)
Edexcel A-Levels= RM4k to RM18k(full)
American Degree Program= RM4k to RM18k(full)

Don't be fooled by the colourful prospects other colleges offer.What HELP lacks in facilities they make up for in character building.All successful applicants are required to intern under the Customer Marketing Department,where they'll have a hand in organising some big scale events like the HELP Biz Quiz,HELP's Debating Tournament,Law Apprentice and the recent Fete de la Musique.This'll give you a taste of what it's like to be a real citizen of the working world.At the risk of sounding like a shameless promoter,the experience is priceless.

So move your mouse pointer away from Facebook and your porno and click on this to apply online.For more details,go here.

See you guys at the interview!

1970's Japanese Spiderman Is Amazing

2010-07-25T17:13:00.006+08:00

Most comic book fans would know that the Spiderman movie series will be given a reboot,this time without the services of Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire in favour of Marc Webb(500 Days Of Summer) and Andrew Garfield.

What most comic fans would not know is the existence of a Japanese live action show on our favourite wallcrawler's exploits.Dubbed Supaidaman in the Land of the Rising Sun,it was in the same vein as the mega popular Super Sentai series(otherwise known as Power Rangers in the West).In fact,according to Wikipedia,it made famous the concept of human-piloted mechs versus giant monsters(Spiderman's one is called Leopardon) and the main character even had his own Spidermobile!It also pioneered two scale battles:where our hero first fights enemies his own size before battling Godzilla-sized versions of them using his mech.

The plotline is typically Japanese,where Spiderman takes a sci-fi turn.Our Peter Parker is Takuya Yamashiro,with an infinitely cooler origin as a motorcycle racer rather than nerdy high school student.One day,he encounters a crashed alien mothership.While investigating the wreckage,he is bestowed a bracelet which grants him spider powers and the ability to control the ship which can tranform into Leopardon.Meanwhile,the crash attracts Professor Monster and his Iron Cross Army into ruling the universe.Like Uncle Ben said,"with great powers comes great responsibility".And so Takuya sets forth to stop Professor Monster's plans.It is interesting to note that this version of Spiderman DOES NOT SWING ON WEBS,instead relying on his trusty car.

Since 2009,Marvel has released all 41 episodes for free viewing on their website.And I must say...your time will not be wasted.Fans of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider will definitely enjoy this series,seeing as it was one of the granddaddies of its genre.Spiderman fans will enjoy this different take on him,seeing as this show is a part of Spiderman's history.Comic book fans and everyone in general will enjoy the 70s cheesiness,whether intentionally or not is still pretty humorous.

Watch the first episode here.Believe me,it will not be a waste of your time.Because when else will you be able to witness Spiderman holding a submachine gun?No wonder Stan Lee has gone on official record to say he liked this version better than the West's live action series.

Moral Studies Video:Malaysian Food In Pusat Bandar Damansara

2010-07-22T21:55:00.006+08:00

Deep.Inspiring.Insightful.

Words that do not describe the video my group did as our Moral Studies presentation.Faced with the topic "Unique to Malaysia",we decided on the favourite foods of the 3 main races namely roti canai,nasi lemak,thosai,char koay teow and chicken rice.

As you might have clearly guessed from the opening theme,I was trying to go for a Lonely Planet vibe there.Unfortunately,there is only so much that Windows Movie Maker and scriptless filmmaking could do.The result is 8 excruciating minutes of grandfather story-telling laced with impromptu lies and obligatory "humour"(I use this word very loosely).

You know that feeling where you imagine yourself as a proud father holding his beautiful baby in his arms for the first time?I have that feeling alright,but this is one kid I'm ashamed to be related to.

What about you guys?Think my self-criticism is too harsh?Or too lenient?Comment with your opinions please!

The Faces Of EVO 2010

2010-07-18T17:26:00.006+08:00

EVO 2010 from richhhard on Vimeo.

The dust has settled over EVO 2010,the world's biggest fighting game tournament,and the winners are hailed and celebrated.But as we all know,there cannot be a champion without his people.Richard Li,a video producer for 1UP,was a contestant.In between matches,he took the time to take shots of audience reactions to the events shown on screen.The result is this glorious video,which successfully recaptures the roller coaster of emotions present at EVO.Guaranteed to make you all warm and fuzzy inside,regardless of whether you game or not.

Camera: Canon 5D Mark ii and T2i
Lens: 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM and Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
Music: "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young
Editing software: Magic Bullets

Cheer Crazy

2010-07-11T21:08:00.004+08:00

Mention the word cheerleaders, and one would most likely imagine a group of girls holding pom poms on the sidelines cheering on sports athletes. However, any good observer of cheerleading would be aware that they do just as much work during matches. And sometimes, they need some cheerleading themselves.

This is where supporters come in.

And at CHEER 2010, they came in droves. Armed with noisemakers, blowhorns and all manner of noise pollutants, there was never a silent moment as they lent their support to their schoolmates. Support which required months of planning and practice sessions even.

Nobody knows this more than the supporters from SMK Damansara Jaya, which is represented by two teams this year in the forms of Dynamitez and newcomers Mickeymitez All-Boys. They may not be competing, but they are just as serious about cheerleading as the teams.

Stompers

“We started getting the supporters team together in April,” said Daena Marissa binti Iqbal Hakim, a hardcore veteran. “As the event drew closer, we became increasingly engrossed, even skipping classes after recess to make merchandise.”

Muhammad Syazwan, Stomper supporters team captain, concurs. Cheerleading does not receive much support from the administration of his school, SMK Bandar Utama (3). Thus, the teams acted as if they were a separate entity of the school and relied on themselves to make transport arrangements. Yet, their love of the sport overshadowed the obstacles they faced.

“We had to provide buses to ferry around 200 supporters to Bukit Jalil. We raised the funds to rent the buses from sales of merchandise and food.”

The lack of support did not just came from members of staff, but their peers as well. Day 1 was an especially stressful time for Daena. Many attendees usually skip the first day of competition because they assume the finals would be more exciting.

Dynamitez/Mickeymitez

“Yesterday’s turnout was embarassing.” she laments. “We tried calling everybody but they were giving a lot of excuses.”

Fortunately, they made up for it today, decked in custom-made headbands decorated with small dynamites and Mickey Mouse ears. Amongst the other supporters, the Dynamitez and Mickeymitez supporters teams definitely stood out.

The meticulously-crafted merchandise is just one of the examples of the love the supporters share for cheerleading. Others, like Lim Pei Yee and Ooi Soo Yin, show it through their staying power.

Both of them have been members of the supporters team since Form 1. Now 16, they helm the positions of captain and co-captain respectively. This year, they have the added pressure of retaining the Best Supporters crown.

“Cheerleading enjoys a huge following in our school,especially from the First Formers,” said Lim Pei Yee. “The title of Best Supporters from last year actually encouraged more of them to join out team.”

Blitzers

Hazirah Syaza and Low Huei Chuen, attributes their passion to another reason altogether. The captains of the Shirtlift supporters team are cheerleaders themselves.
“Participating in the same sport, we develop a deep connection to the team,” said Hazirah. “Eventhough we are just exhibition cheerleaders, that does not stop us from supporting our team.”
CHEER 2010 is not just about the cheerleaders. It is also about the people behind them, the supporters and schoolmates who put an equal amount of blood, sweat and tears into their favourite sport.

Shirtlift

This article can also be found on

The Star BRATs Tumblr.

Out State,In Style

2010-07-10T16:24:00.004+08:00

If you had told me that Bandar Baru Uda, Georgetown and Johor Bharu produces the nation’s best cheerleaders, I would have laughed, insulted you and carried on with what I was doing. Great cheerleaders hail from places like Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, not from the northern and southern reaches of Malaysia.

Well colour me wrong, if the competition this year is anything to go by. Spectators who sacrificed their Saturday morning sleep-in were treated to spectacular performances from Northern Region Finals winners Ignitez of SMK Bandar Baru Uda and runners-up Vixens of SMK Sultan Ibrahim as well as the Northern Region Finals winners Vivacious of SMK St. George.

This is truly commendable, especially the huge obstacles that these teams from out of state endure compared to their big city counterparts. Did you know that Ignitez and Vixens did not even have any formal training?

Ignitez of SMK Bandar Baru Uda, Johor. Muhammad Faiz is in the middle row, 2nd from right.

“The cheerleading scene in Johor is smaller and younger in contrast to Kuala Lumpur,” laments Muhammad Faiz Luqman bin Azlan, captain of the Ignitez team. “Because of that, there is a lack of experienced coaches.” As a last resort, the all-boys team had to turn to Youtube for tips and tricks.

Penang cousins SMK St. George were more fortunate, though by a smaller margin. “While attending a CHARM workshop, a few cheerleaders offered to come to all the way to Penang from KL to train us,” said Andrea Ong Kar Lym, captain of Vivacious. “However, they can make the trip only once or twice a month.”

Vivacious of SMK St. George, Penang. Andrea Ong is in the bottom row, far right.

The lack, or rather, the absence of coaches were not the least of their problems too. The teams were faced with objections from certain quarters at school.

Saibah binti Sainel knows that situation very well. “SMK Sultan Ibrahim is a cluster school, so the administration places more emphasis on academic pursuits rather than co-curricular activities.”

Vixens of SMK Sultan Ibrahim, Johor. Saibah is in the middle row, far left.

“There were initial hostilities, especially to our attire and frequency of training sessions,” adds Andrea Ong. “But after we showed excellent results, they laid off our backs a little.”

The adults were not the only opposition to their participation in cheerleading. The sport is still seen as a mainly female activity by many and male participation is met with criticism. Muhammad Faiz can testify to that fact. He and his teammates regularly receive the short end of the stick at school.

These factors may be the reason for the low number of competitive teams in both regions. According to Andrea Ong, her team was the only one from Penang to take part in the Northern Region Finals, and this has been going on for at least two years.

“There used to be six, but now there is only us,” she said. “The rest are just exhibition teams, performing at school and corporate events instead of competing.”

She sees this as a major disadvantage in the improvement of out of state teams. “The higher the number of competitors, the more the pressure which is a good thing. Pressure would definitely drive us to work harder.”

Still, the teams are adamant that their quality is on par, or even better, than the teams of KL and Selangor. Saibah attributes this belief to the huge amounts of sportsmanship that the northern and southern teams have.

“Everytime we make a mistake, we make sure to rise up and try again. We do not believe in crying over spilt milk. Most important of all, we came to have fun.”

Ignitez, Vixens and Vivacious may be out of state, but they are certainly not out of style.

My article also appears on The Star R.AGE's website.Click here to give it more page views!

How Would Pokemon Look Like If They Were Real?

2010-07-09T18:39:00.006+08:00

Fucktardedly awesome,if artist Alysia was God and had a hand in the creation of life on Earth.Unfortunately,she is not,so we'd have to make do with her most epic renditions of Pokemon drawn realistically,whether it'd be looking badass or engaging in some one-on-one battles.This is pure Discovery Channel shit yo.That picture of that determined fucker Altaria and that mad-as-hell Gyarados is now etched onto my laptop screen FOREVER.

Until Alysia tops it with a more face-melting,jaw-dropping,smoking-inducing artwork,that is.

Shiny Steelix

Ninetails and Shellder

Lapras

Jigglypuff is now the stuff of my nightmares.

Stantler

I can so imagine Mewtwo going "My precious..." all over that Pokeball.

Sandshrew

Kyogre.Tears were brought to the eyes.

Gengar.Looks like a Nidorino to me,but I ain't gonna argue with Alysia.

Entei

Chatot

Absol

Espeon vs Jolteon.

The first rule of Pokemon Fight Club is,you do not talk about Pokemon Fight Club.

The second rule of Pokemon Fight Club is,you DO NOT talk about Pokemon Fight Club.

Absol seeing its dinner in Rapidash.

For more heaven-piercing artwork,visit Alysia's Deviant Art gallery.

The Human Avatar Project

2010-07-08T22:15:00.002+08:00

In conjunction with the impending release of All Points Bulletin,a crime MMO brought to you by the people who worked on the Grand Theft Auto series,comes a unique marketing stunt unlike anything we've seen before.

Presenting the Human Avatar Project.The developers have hired two living,breathing people to become real life characters,their appearances editable based on YOUR votes.Spread over three weeks,the project allows players the chance to vote for their preferred tattoo,haircut,piercing and clothes.Each choice is carried over onto the human avatar.

The project is currently at the Player stage,a choice between dancer Jordan or free runner Josh.As you can see from the picture,Josh is leading the race with a whopping 75% over the 25% held by Jordan.Will the results stay the same,or will last minute voting tip the balance to Jordan's favour?

Either which way,I would not volunteer myself for something like this.Knowing the Internet,Jordan or Josh could look like real tripped-out psychopaths at the end of the project.

Decide how Jordan or Josh will transform at the official site.

Get Your Game Face On For Game Max 2010!

2010-06-28T23:39:00.007+08:00

If you're a keen follower of the cosplaying scene here in Malaysia,you'd have heard of C2AGE coming up this July 17th at Tropicana City Mall.If you hadn't,the initials stand for Cosplay,Comics,Anime and Games Exhibition.The event is a yearly fixture on the HELP University College events calendar,and is organised by students from across all faculties.

Running concurrently with the exhibition is Game Max,which serves the gaming community.This year,we will be running tournaments of arguably the two most played games in Asia:Warcraft Defense of the Ancients(D0TA) and FIFA 10.Up for grabs in the 5-vs-5 DoTA tournament are cold hard cash and Warcraft Battlechest sets while FIFA participants stand a chance to get their hands on some money and original games.Here's the breakdown of what gamers can expect to receive:

DoTA
Champion: RM500+5x Warcraft Battlechest+5x Cetificate
1st runners up: RM250+5x Warcraft Battlechest+5x Certificate
2nd runners up: RM100+5x Warcraft Battlechest+5x Certificate

FIFA 10
Champion:RM100+1x original game
1st runners up: RM50+1x original game

For the rules,please refer to the images below.

I'm the head of Game Max on the C2AGE committee,so if you're interested in signing up,please hit me up with an email at tristantoh@c2age.com.For DoTA participants,here is what you need to submit:

Team name
Names,IC,phone number and email of all 5 team members.Please indicate who the leader is as well.

For FIFA participants,please submit:

Name
IC
Phone number
Email address
Team of choice

Like the poster said,spaces are limited so register fast!

My Moral Studies Presentation on Buddhism

2010-06-27T21:32:00.003+08:00

Moral Studies Presentation:Buddhism on Prezi

Continuing the trend of posting my project work on my blog,here's the slides to a presentation I did on the religion Buddhism for Moral Studies using Prezi.As I've highlighted in a previous blog post,it definitely has the capability to jazz up any boring old presentation.Powerpoint has been a reliable companion for many years,but I'd take Prezi over Powerpoint any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Anyway,I chose the topic Buddhism for many reasons,not including the fact that I am currently in pursuit of being a follower.For one,I am absolutely enamoured by the culture of the religion and wanted to share with my classmates the stuff not found in the textbooks.The fact that I have been hit by the Asian pride bug lately due to Japan's entry to the knockout rounds of the World Cup and Buddhism being a major religion of Eastern nations also play a part.

If you have motion sickness,I'd advise you to not view my presentation in slide mode.I've implemented a lot of zooming for dramatic effect,so you have been warned.

My Group's Human Communication Video

2010-06-24T21:27:00.003+08:00

This is long overdue,but better late than never,eh?A few weeks ago,my team made a video based on the topic "Non-Verbal Communication" for our Human Communication Class.Call it a need to break out of the mold or a simple cry for attention but I wanted to be different from the other teams who were basing their vids around the themes of young love,"hilarious misunderstandings" and R-rated sexual content(I'm looking at you,Jerrie).

So I banged out the idea of making an educational video on basic greetings in sign language to my teammates.Fortunately,they accepted the plan and we got ahead with it.All we had to do were master a few signs off of Youtube and voila!A Distinction for our efforts(please,Mr Murali?).

Personally,I liked it but I had to succumb to the fact that the length is too short and the transitions are too fast.But don't take my word for it.Why don't you take a look by yourself?

You can also support my team's work by viewing it on Youtube.

The New Nintendo 3DS Is So Sexay I Jizzed My Pants

2010-06-16T14:26:00.008+08:00

Not really, but you get the idea. Though hinted in major Japanese newspaper Asahi in January this year, Nintendo still managed to draw cheers from the crowd at E3 when they revealed the Nintendo 3DS. A successor to the wildly successful Nintendo DS, the handheld could very well be a fashion statement rather than a gaming device. With its colour templates and gloss finish, this is one piece of tech you won't be embarassed to show off in public.

Just check them out below.

My personal favourite would have to be the red and black ones. Lest you think the 3DS is all style and no substance, here are its specs, found on trusty gaming site Kotaku.

• As promised, this is a glasses-free 3D device
• Two cameras on the outside of the device are for 3D picture taking
• There is a 3D depth slider on the side of the device
• The round nub analog stick is called the "Slide Pad"
• The bottom screen is a touch panel
• Below the touch screen are Select, Home and Start buttons
• Underneath the A, B, X, Y buttons is the handheld's power button
• It has a motion sensor and gyroscope
• The 3DS is compatible with Nintendo DSi
• There is a camera facing the player above the portable's 3D screen
• It has the ability to play 3D Hollywood movies, like Legends of the Guardians from Warner Brothers
• The 3DS launch game will be Kid Icarus: Uprising
• It is a powerful system, featuring improved graphics
• The 3DS periodically searches for WiFi spots and other 3DSs
• It offers easy online navigation
• There is no monthly fee for Nintendo's 3DS online access
• Nintendo is developing 3D Nintendogs
• More than twenty companies have signed on to develop for the 3DS
• The top screen is 3.5 inches
• Nintendo is aiming to have the 3DS's battery life to be the equivalent of the DSi's.
• Nintendo would not provide specifics on the effect of 3D on battery life
• Nintendo is remaking classic games, including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• No cell phone carrier will be needed for the wireless functionally
• The stylus going in from the top part of the lower hinge unit

Commentors at Kotaku have also posted the list of launch titles for the handheld.

With the 3D tech, Nintendo has spruced up the graphic capabilities of its handheld, something which the company is not known for. This brings the 3DS to be comparable, or even more graphics intensive than the Sony Playstation 2 and Playstation Portable.

Here are some shots from cutscenes of the launch titles to lend testament to that fact.

As of now, Nintendo has not yet announce the release date and pricing of the 3DS. Whatever the time or cost, Nintendo fans and gamers in general will be waiting in line by the thousands come launch day. E3 still has a few days left, but Nintendo are clearly the biggest winners this year. After its casual-heavy focus last year, it's good to see Shigeru Miyamoto and Co. coming back to the hardcore.

Mortal Kombat Movie Coming To Cinemas Soon?

2010-06-10T13:16:00.008+08:00

The answer to the question could turn into reality soon,if the bigwigs at Warner Bros. give the go-ahead.Kevin Tancharoen,famed director of the Mortal Kombat:Rebirth fan short years ago,recently released a pitch piece for a new movie adaptation of the notoriously violent video game.Looking at the vid,he seemed to be leaning towards the grittiness and realism not unheard of in thrillers like Saw or Se7en,a far cry from the campiness of the first two movies.

Jeri Ryan,who portrays Sonya Blade in the vid, posted this on Twitter:
“Okay, so… Mortal Kombat. It’s not a game trailer. Actually was made for the director to sell WB on his vision for a reimagined MK film. [...] I did it as a favor to a friend. No idea yet what WB’s reaction to it was. And I’m not sure how you can contact WB to push them to make it. But you guys are resourceful…! ;-)”

With the success of The Prince of Persia,does this signal the coming of age of video game movies to be taken seriously in the same vein as comic book movies?Maybe not,but I am looking forward to watching Scorpion and Subzero duke it out on the big screen.

MAKE IT HAPPEN,WB.

My YOUTH'10 Articles In The Star!(Animax Cosplay Comp Pics Included)

2010-06-02T17:50:00.006+08:00

If you're a keen follower of my blog(which is kinda rare I must admit),you'd remember that I once proclaimed that I wanted my own byline when I wrote the article on the Tomoi comp.Well,wish granted as Sandra Tan,awesome intern of R.AGE gave me one.

Although I was a bit disappointed that my cosplay comp article was shortened to mesh together with Sandra's and my article on Shobana went uncredited,this was definitely more than I bargained for.I had half expected to only get one article published while the other relinquished to the travesty that is the R.AGE official website.You can read the online versions of my articles here and here.

Okay,enough with the ungrateful whining.On to the pictures!!!

She was the most interesting interviewee I had all 3 days at YOUTH'10.Her story was humorous and sad,both at the same time.Unfortunately,she did not want to provide me with her real name,so I couldn't put a lot of focus on her in my article.However,I did quote her in the original write-up.

I met this guy on the train to PWTC.I instantly knew he was a cosplayer by the large bulge in his backpack.What I didn't knew was the character he was dressing up as.Nice one,Bob!

This is,without a shadow of a doubt,my most favourite costume at the competition.Not many can pull off the look,but Edlin Rizal does not belong to that category.

Gan Kok Khai,I'm happy for you and I'm gonna let you pose,but Masamune Date is the manliest character on Sengoku Basara of all time!OF ALL TIME!

Another one whose name I did not manage to retrieve,this cosplayer can definitely rock the Hakane Mitsu look.

Be warned,more Vocaloid cosplaying coming up.

Ng Jia Xin and Tsu Jean.Names forever engraved in my mind for their..."tasteful" posing in another photograph which I am keeping for..."sentimental reasons".*cough*

You can't have a cosplay event without at least one guy from Final Fantasy.

If there ever will be a time I fall in love with a cosplayer,Tan Cho Kuan will be the one.

Marina Shukry,or better known by her online persona Version Reiter,all smiles after winning the Best Cosplayer award.A no-brainer actually,seeing the painstaking work on her get-up.

(from left to right)The-Girl-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named as Alice from Pandora Hearts winning for Best Skit,Marina Shukry as Seth Nightroad from Trinity Blood for Best Cosplayer and The-Guy-Whose-Name-I-Forgot-To-Ask for Best Craftsmanship.

If you're a cosplayer and you got any cosplay event that you would like coverage for,hit me up on this blog or at my email,saya_orang_cina@hotmail.com

My Critical Thinking Skills Slides Presentation

2010-05-29T18:31:00.003+08:00

Critical Thinking Skills Presentation on Prezi

Óne of the many subjects I have taken for my 2nd semester in Foundation in Art at HELP is Critical Thinking Skills.In layman's terms,CTS is basically an advanced version of Study Skills.Both are very unpopular subjects,much like Moral and Civics back in high school.

So anyway,my 1st assignment was to prepare a few slides and give a presentation in front of class.While my classmates(and possibly the whole college) were using Microsoft Powerpoint(yawn!),I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a brilliant presentation tool called Prezi,While my Prezi isn't of high quality,you'd get the basic idea of how powerful this tool can be in gripping your audience's attention and breaking out of the dreary Powerpoint mold.

There are 3 plans available for users of the tool.While students and those hard-pressed for cash can opt for the Public account which allows you to create prezis online and present offline,the Enjoy account allows you to change the privacy settings of your Prezi and removes the watermark together with increased online storage space.The more expensive Pro account allows you to create prezis offline and offers 2000 MB of online storage space.Enjoy and Pro are going for US$59 and US$159 a year respectively.

Please be informed that this is not an advertorial.I was not paid to write this post.It's just something I want to share with everyone,a powerful presentation tool that will guarantee you high marks on the use of visual aids.

Farmville Ice-cream Invades 7-Eleven

2010-05-26T23:12:00.007+08:00

Unfortunately(or fortunately for some),only in the US and its neighbour Canada.Zynga,notorious dealer of Facebook game crack,has teamed up with the convenience store giant to deliver various related products to 7000 branches.

The promotion,which will last from June the 1st to July 15,also provides customers with codes to redeem valuable in-game items for Farmville,Mafia Wars and YoVille.Below are the products up for sale together with their accompanying freebie.

FarmVille

* Fun Slide – Slurpee cups

* Big Splash – Big Gulp cups

* Coffee Cart – Large iced coffee

* Sandwich Cart – All fresh sandwiches

* Chocolate Persimmon (Tree) – Cut fruit

* Neapolitan Cow – 7-Select vanilla ice cream (pint size)

* Water Tower – 7-Select bottle water

* 10 Fuel Tanks – Prepaid FarmVille game card

Mafia Wars

* Showman (weapon) – Slurpee

* Trio Diva (vehicle) – Big Gulp

* Lone Wolf (weapon) – 20-ounce coffee

* Sleek Bulletproof Vest (armor) – pizza, chicken wings, Big Bite products, chicken tenders and breakfast quesadillas

* Pepper Shaker (weapon) –hash browns, taquitos, Burrito Rollers, potato wedges

* Palermo Prowler (vehicle) – 7-Select chips

* Combat Helmet (armor) – Prepaid Mafia Wars game card

YoVille

* Wall Freezer – Slurpee

* Hamburger Stand – Big Gulp

* Coffee Machine – 7-Select packaged brownies

* Donut Display – 7-Select packaged cake donuts, four-pack

* Candy Stand – 7-Select candy

* Soda Machine – 7-Select orange soda

* Nacho Machine – Prepaid YoVille game card

Expect to see a spike in the number of obese people in The States sometime this summer.

My Muay Thai Article In The Star!(plus Muay Thai photos)

2010-05-19T18:45:00.010+08:00

Some of you(and I use this term very loosely)must have heard of the National Youth Day celebrations held in Putrajaya last weekend.As a member of The Star BRATs,a young journalist program,I volunteered to cover the kickboxing competition,also known as tomoi.

Well,today my article was published and it was welcomed with mixed feelings.On one hand,I'm really glad that my story appeared especially when compared to the other BRATs there who could not find enough stuff to write about.But on the other hand,I'm pretty bemused by the fact that my 800+ words article became something of a footnote to Sandra Tan's overall cover story of the whole event.Granted,I'm not a big shot and don't rate my own page,but the work that has gone into writing it seemed to go down the drain.

Nevertheless,I can be comforted by the fact that I now have a new addition to my portfolio.With any luck,I will be able to amass a sizeable number to present to the Astro Scholarship Awards committee next year.

Anyway,below are the pics of my article(headlined 'Just for Kicks...and Punches) which appeared on page 4 of Star Two.Click this to read it online.Scroll further down for the photos I took during the demo and competition.

One day,I will receive my own byline.

Btw,my article was the 3rd most read story on the R.AGE website.Consider my ego stroked.

Gender Bender:What If Mario Was A Woman?

2010-05-14T22:56:00.004+08:00

He'd be pretty hot actually.From the same guys who gave Lara Croft a beard,famous video game characters are reimagined as members of the opposite sex.From the stunning(Ezio of Assassin's Creed) to the plain disturbing(Kratos of God of War),they got you covered.

What If Video Game Characters Grow Beards?

2010-05-07T21:51:00.004+08:00

It's true,a beard does make anything better.Had Chuck Norris not had his manly facial hair,he'd be stuck doing B-grade movies all his life and not have a thousand jokes about him doing impossible things.

But how do gaming mainstays like Mario,Sonic or even Lara Croft look like if they grown beards?Courtesy of The Examiner,now we know.

Street Fighter Short Film Coming Soon!(UPDATED)

2010-05-05T00:09:00.001+08:00

Actor,stuntman and now director Joey Ansah will release an official Street Fighter short film online this Thursday entitled Street Fighter Legacy.Most notable for playing Blackbriar assassin Desh in the movie The Bourne Ultimatum,Joey collaborated with his longtime friend Christian Howard,who also plays Ken in the shorts,and Streetlight Pictures to make a more faithful movie adaptation of his favourite video game.

Here's an excerpt from his website:
"As an actor, film maker and a fan, I have been repeatedly disappointed by the many diluted, unfaithful and outright butchered movie adaptations of fighting video games. It was clear to me, that given the way the movie industry worked, we would never see a super faithful, darker toned and more adult themed (or just plain good!) incarnation of Street Fighter unless a die-hard fan director or film-making team with the game canon knowledge, film making know how and connections stepped up to the plate to helm such a project.

So almost a year ago, I began writing treatments and a production design brief and partnered with Streetlight films before proposing my concept and vision to Capcom. I'm pleased to say they gave their blessing and permission for the project to move forward."

Joey has also roped in Top Gear director Owen Trevor, producer Jacqueline Quella, and Anthony Wayne, a man with senior production credits on the last eleven James Bond films, along with post production/VFX house Prime Focus.

So far,he has released two teaser trailers for Legacy.Judging by what I've seen,I have high hopes for this short film.If Joey can even match half the awesomeness of the Assassin's Creed Lineage shorts,I'd be a very happy gamer.

The final product is done!Watch it here it all its glorious detail.

Joey Ansah,here at the premiere of The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007

How Do Video Game Voice Actors Look Like?

2010-04-29T20:55:00.000+08:00

Many of us grew up with video games,and have now developed the ability to recognise the main characters by their voices alone.But we've hardly given credit to those that provided them.Some voice actors look like their in-game counterparts,others...not so much.Why don't you take a look and judge for yourself?

Gordon Freeman vs Some dude

Kratos vs Terence 'TC' Carson

Master Chief vs Steve Downes

Unless Bungie originally intended for MC to look that way,there is absolutely no match.
Nathan Drake,The Prince,Desmond Miles,almost every action game character ever vs Nolan North

Sam Fisher vs Michael Ironside

Michael Ironside is most famous for starring in Starship Troopers.
Niko Bellic vs Michael Hollick

Lara Croft vs Keeley Hawes

~~Keeley Hawes on the other hand is most famous for baring her body in the pages of The Sun UK's Page 3 section.~~

EDIT: With the Internet at my fingertips, it is embarassing to admit that I should have done a wee bit more research.The Page 3 model in question is actually Keeley Hazell, and not that woman as pictured. Keeley Hawes is a Brit actress perhaps well-known for starring in the hit BBC series Ashes to Ashes. Thank you for the tip,BloggingMolly.

Marcus Fenix vs John Di Maggio

Sonic vs Jason Anthony Griffith

Solid Snake vs David Hayter

David wrote the screenplays to X-Men 1 and 2 as well as one for the Watchmen movie,which was not chosen but had a few bits made the final cut.

Agent 47 vs David Bateson

Why the fuck was Timothy Olyphant picked over this guy?

Mario vs Charles Martinet

For the full article which contains other likenesses,please visit Games Radar.

The Evolution Of The Pokemon Centre

2010-04-22T17:56:00.000+08:00

With every new game in a franchise,you'd expect major changes in gameplay.Not Pokemon though.With the exception of improved graphics and scope,the series has remained unchanged over the years.Like the old cliche goes,"if it's not broken don't fix it".

But a staple has been undergoing an evolution.And I'm not talking about the Pokemon.It's the Pokemon Centre,the first stop you go to when you reach a new town.From the first game all the way to the upcoming Black/White,the humble building has changed,aesthetics and functions-wise.

Scroll down to witness the change yourself.

Red/Blue

The first version is truly non-descript,blending in with the other buildings.The only way to identify it is the "Poke" inscribed beside the entrance.

Red/Blue (GameBoy Colour version)

Colour comes to the series,though not making much of an impact.Without the "Poke",players would miss it.

Gold/Silver

A wider range of colours were used,though the "Poke" is still necessary in knowing which building is what,as the Pokemon Centre follows in the colour scheme of its town.Each continent sports a different theme,from the brown roofs of the Kanto region to the maroon of Johto.In addition,the PokeCentre allows players to link up to a friend's GameBoy to trade Pokemon or do battle.

Fire/Leaf

Better graphics bring improved designs.The "Poke" has now been traded for the much shorter "P.C.".Again,each continent differs in the style of the roofs.

Diamond/Pearl

Actions speak louder than words.Or in Diamond/Pearl's case,symbols.The curved roof and white PokeBall motif is enough to inform players where to heal.

Heart/Soul

If you thought the game designers are over and done with the Pokemon Centre's design in Diamond/Pearl,you're far wrong.The curved roof is gone,making way for a flat one and glowing windows that show the time of the day.Dark when it's daytime,glowing at night.

Black/White

From early impressions of the yet-to-be-released game,the PokeCentre is now part of a larger building.But the cheerful colours definitely makes it stand out among the monochrome towers that surround it.Rumours online also persist that the PokeMart and PokeCentre are now integrated,making the place the most important to visit second only to the Gyms.

For the complete article on Kotaku,hit the link.

Top 5 Best Cartoons From My Childhood(theme songs included!)

2010-04-17T22:21:00.000+08:00

I confess:I am in denial.In denial that I am no longer a teenager.In denial that I now have more responsibilities than before.In denial that I cannot wriggle my way out of problems anymore just by saying that I am still a kid.

It doesn't help matters either that all the things I loved as a child is now just a click away on the Internet.While I retreat into my quiet,computer screen-lit room,here's 5 of my most favourite cartoons ages ago.

#5. Captain Planet

The show may advocate environmentalism,but the only thing kids learned were the lyrics to the theme song.And the horrible fashion sense of the early 1990s.Pantyhose that cover the lenght of the legs,shoulder pads,fanny packs,seriously?Till today I shuddered at the thought that I once actually considered the idea of dyeing my hair green.

Barring the producers' failure in hiring a fashion consultant,the show provides just the right amount of 80s corniness and baddassery to warrant a place in my heart,and reruns in several countries today. I couldn't find the theme song,but here's the intro anyways as consolation.

#4. Pokemon

Israel banned Pokemon when it was first released due to fears that it would promote neocolonialism and animal abuse.This may be the reason for the influx of Jewish immigrants to America,coz goddamn this was a show to swim across seas for.The English dubbing was great,if not better than the original Japanese voices;there was ample amount of Pokemon-on-Pokemon action without the SPCA getting their knickers in a bunch and there was the Team Rocket chant.The last factor is good enough reason already to love this show.

#.3 Digimon

I am sure that this decision would draw plenty of hate and disapproval from you Internet people.YES,I PLACED DIGIMON ABOVE POKEMON.To each his own and all that right?Right.

There are several reasons why Digimon holds a special place in my heart more than Pokemon ever would.Firstly,it was the earliest show I ever watched that contained death.During the course of the 1st season,plenty of Digimon allies sacrificed themselves in order to help the chosen kids escape.There was character development,and the show did a fine job of pulling a kid's emotional heartstrings,even though we don't have them those days.Pokemon the cartoon was different from the manga in the way that the Pokemon do not die,even when engulfed in flames or pounded on by beasts levels above them.Next,the show played a lot on adult themes,like war,oppression,generation gap,digital divide and things like that.Of course,the issues were dealt with lightly,but it was dealt with nonetheless,unlike Pokemon where all the main characters care about is obtaining the next gym badge.

I could go on and on about how the show is greater than Pokemon.But I won't.Because one should never explain why his choices are different from others.The world would be a boring place if everyone liked the same things.

#2. Vandread

I may seem like I am lying when I say I did not love this show because of the gratuitous implied sex,blatant homosexuality and boobs that seem like they were struggling for air under those tight suits.But I'm not.Really.

Maybe.

#1. Cooking Master Boy

When you are a 12 year old boy, there are very few cool as fuck occupations that you will aspire to.From fireman to policeman to anything that involves violence,that's pretty much it.Cooking Master Boy added chef to that list.

Even at 12,I am aware that Japan tends to overexaggerate various things in their anime,like gasing and those cheap RM5 Tamiya cars.But nothing could prepare me for the awesomeness of Cooking Master Boy.Chopping vegetables and putting them into the wok at the same time,secret underground cooking clans,food so shiny the light pierces the heavens,Legendary Kitchen Utensils.Yakitate Japan and Ristorante Paradiso just pales in comparison.

Bic 1Malaysia Short Story Competition Up And Running

2010-04-08T22:40:00.000+08:00

Tristan Toh here with another competition update.Bic,a local stationery brand is organising a 1Malaysia short story writing competiton for college and varsity students only.All you guys gotta do is to write a 1000 to 1500 short story on what 1Malaysia means to you.Cheesy I know,but bullshitting should be a skill all writers master and the prizes ain't half bad.

35 finalists will be picked from the submissions and only 5 out of them will receive the grand prize.Not only will they be the Brand Ambassadors for the company,but also receive RM300 cold hard cash,a Sheaffer Pen ridiculously worth RM85,one year supply of Bic stationery,a Philips MP3 player and a certificate to show off to scholarship and job interviewers.If you're a fame monster and would love to see your face forever associated with Bic,then this is the competition for you.

For the other 25 unfortunate people,10 will receive the Special Prize of a Philips MP3 player and certificate while the 20 consolation winners will get a hamper worth RM50 and a goddamn certificate.

Interested yet?Hold on,there are some terms and conditions.Your submission must be HAND-WRITTEN ON A PIECE OF FOOLSCAP PAPER WITH BLUE OR BLACK INK ONLY.Good news for technophobe Luddites,bad for computer addicts.The short story must be submitted with a copy of the entry form,which can be downloaded here .They can be dropped off either at your college's Student Affairs Department or snail mailed to the address found on the entry form.Deadline's June the 3rd,so you guys can procrastinate a bit,but mark your calendar just in case you leave it aside for too long and forgotten all about it.Winners will be contacted and announced in the July issue of Campus Plus magazine.Losers don't get contacted,so do check up on the mag if you can get your hands on a copy.

However,please note that there will only be 4 Grand Prize slots in contention.One is already earmarked for me,suckers.

My Video For Malaysia Airlines Is Done!O Happy Day!

2010-03-29T22:00:00.000+08:00

Three momentous things happened last week.I got fired,I was hospitalised for high fever and my team completed our video submission for the Malaysia Airlines' Detik-Detik MH Competition.Without exploring further the first two events,I have to say I am really relieved to get this baby done.There's been a lot of blood,sweat and tears involved(not really) and I feel like the proud father of a newborn when I viewed it on my computer.

My partner,Andrian Tam has burned the video and the DVD data onto disks and its only a matter of time before I send them over to the folks at MAS.I couldn't have asked for a better teammate than him.Sure,we were at loggerheads once or twice,but that usually comes with working together with another stubborn,creative individual.The work he's produced is phenomenal.If he and I weren't so homophobic I'd marry him.

So,what is our video about?Without revealing much,all I can say that it involves a lot of running around my college campus grounds.

Closing date's 15 April,and soon after that MAS will post up the vids on the site.I'll post the link to my team's vid here then,and make sure you guys vote on it!

Shoot A Commercial For Malaysia Airlines!

2010-03-17T18:54:00.000+08:00

This might be old news,but it's better late than never,eh?Plus I am getting a bit tired of just posting gaming news here,and so are you readers too.

Malaysia Airlines has organised a competition for all you budding filmmakers out there,and it cannot be more simple enough.All you guys have to do is shoot a video not more than 3 minutes long around the theme 'Malaysian Hospitality'.For those who are blur about our country's going-ons,Malaysian Hospitality is MAS's tagline,based on their international flight code,MH.

The winners will not only receive return trip tickets to ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD but also get your commercial shown on the airlines' in-flight entertainment system.To put it in another way,thousands of people flying Malaysia Airlines will be witness to your work.Pretty daunting,eh?Who knows,a famous Hollywood bigshot might give the public tv in front of his seat a glance and be interested in what he sees.

But winning isn't everything(O RLY?),this is the perfect opportunity to have your work judged by the cream of the crop of the local movie scene.Below are the judges who will be reviewing hundreds of entries and pick the winners.You might know some of them,or have seen their flicks.The descriptions are taken off the official site.I have paraphrased some of the sentences but the source is gratefully acknowledged.

Indira Nair,Senior General Manager, Communications

Indira's only been appointed for 4 years in her current position for MAS,but her real accomplishments come way before that.As the Chief Talent Officer,Asia Pacific at Ogilvy and Mather,a renowned advertising company,she has "helped the network attract, grow and retain the right people in the right roles. Her role included identifying and recruiting senior talent, developing and leading strategic training programs, internal communications and knowledge management.

Indira has worked with a number of networks, including Edelman Worldwide, Burson-Marstellar and MDK Consultants. She also worked with the Berjaya Group, where she helped set up Inter-Pacific Communications, the Group’s in-house marketing communications agency."

Tan Chui Mui

Perhaps most famous for her first feature film Love Conquers All,you might also know her as the director behind A Tree In Tanjung Malim and Everyday Everyday,all winning a slew of awards at international film festivals.

Tan Chui Mui is also very versatile in the way that she can play the roles of producer,scriptwriter and occasionally actress as well.Together with James Lee(Beautiful Washing Machine) and Liew Seng Tat(Flower In The Pocket),she set up Da Huang Pictures in 2004.

She is currently working on her next film while still being in the judges chair for this competition.Talk about dedication to her work.

Liew Seng Tat

Flower In The Pocket,though released a couple of years ago,still manages to rake in awards,most recently the Jury prize (Lotus du Jury) in 10th Deauville Asian Film Festival, France. Like studio mate Tan Chui Mui,he also produced a number of shorts before his first feature film.The shorts Bread With Strawberry Jam was a fave at the Malaysian Video Awards,and he has never failed to score the Audience Award each time he takes part.

Bahir Yeusuff

Bahir broke into the public limelight with the release of the "critically acclaimed" film S'kali and has never looked back.He took part in the 15Malaysia Project organised by Pete Teo last year,being at the helm of the short movie Meter,notable for starring UMNO Youth leader and ardent Twitterer,Khairy Jamaluddin.

Besides these guys,you also got Y.Bhg. Datuk Dr. Victor Wee Eng Lye,Chairman of Tourism Malaysia and George Aveling,CEO of TMI Malaysia to please.

if you think you got what it takes to be Malaysia's latest up and coming filmmaker,hit the link to sign up.Hurry though,as the closing date for submission of movie is the end of March!

Me and my mates are entering too,so hopefully we'll meet each other if we end up on the winners' list.Of course,you'll place lower than us ;-)

New Super SF4 Character Completes The Roster

2010-03-10T22:27:00.000+08:00

Finally,the last addition to the Super Street Fighter 4 game has been revealed.And he's none other than Hakan,the long rumoured Arab grappler.Fans may recognise his voice from the not-so-well-hidden voice clip found floating on the Internet.What they aren't prepared for is his appearance.

To sum it up,he looks like what would happened had the Red Hulk mated with Raikage from the Naruto series.He's got the same snarl,and facial hair to boot.

As you can see from the character trailer below,he loves his children and enjoys splashing oil on himself.So,don't expect to receive a very deep story when you're playing him in Single Player Mode.Like Dan Hibiki and Rufus before him,expect some laughs and silliness.And cringe-worthy accents.

Happy 10th Birthday PS2!

2010-03-05T00:41:00.000+08:00

While Google celebrated the birthday of a certain Italian priest,a birthday of another kind took place in the homes of gamers everywhere.On the 4th of March 2000,Sony brought to the world a behemoth of gaming,the Playstation 2.Even today,developers are still making games for the PS2,with the long-awaited Sakura War's:So Long My Love Collector's Edition arriving later this year.The game is available on the other next gen consoles,but only the PS2 receives a collector's edition.

Since its release,it has proved to be undoubtedly the best console of all time,bringing to us a number of unforgettable games.It launched with Gran Turismo 3 and Final Fantasy 10 for god's sakes!Definitely a better choice than its decendant's launch titles which include one the worst reviewed games ever,Lair.Game stores still stock the console and sales did nothing but increase.

Eventhough the PS2 has been around for such a long time,I only got it in 2004,four whole years after its release.I still remembered the day clearly,even listing down the games I chose as part of the package the store sells the console with.One Piece,Smackdown Here Comes The Pain,Midnight Club 2,Crash Bandicoot Racing and some obscure US footie game.Looking back,I should have done more research.At least instinct brought me the most fun wrestling game I've ever played.

Over the course of the years since I became an owner of a PS2,I've played a great deal of games.To rephrase a quote from Charles Dickens,"there were the best of times,there were the worst of times".

Here,I bring you my five personal favourites,in no particular order.I did not choose them in terms of gameplay,graphics or story.I chose them based on their replayability,that one thing that makes me hit 'new game' straight after finishing them.Read it and weep.With nostalgia.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

San Andreas has jetpacks.San Andreas has territory wars.San Andreas gives you the ability to swim.San Andreas has 'Hot Coffee'.

Vice City has you cruising Miami Beach during a sunset on a PCJ600 with Billie Jean on the radio.Vice City is the only game where I spent a chunk of my time just exploring the map,ignoring the main and side missions.Vice City is the only game where I left it on and did something else,just to listen to the in game radio.

And that is why Vice City triumphs over San Andreas.

Shadow of the Colossus

Team Ico are the masters of atmosphere,and common sense.There are no generic minions to mow down just because they block your way to the boss.There are no locals to interact with while villains are slaughtering their village.There is no item shop that charges exceedingly high prices even when you are the only one who can save the world.

But there is a damsel in distress,and you must kill a number of colossi(the plural of colossus.Colossuses just sounds weird) to wake her up.You don't know why but you must do it for the woman you love.The rest of the engaging story I leave to your playing it.

Like I said earlier,there is no one else but you and your horse and the colossi.You must traverse over plains,mountains and rivers to find each one of them and do battle with.There is no life bar,just weak points scattered about their bodies.How you kill them is entirely up to your imagination.And they are a spectacle to behold.The first time they hover over your puny self,you'd just stare at them with your mouth agape.It almost feels sad to kill them.But there is that matter with the damsel.

Final Fantasy 12

A confession:I love this game.I love the battle system,the world and I especially love the hunt quests.I swear there is no more interesting side mission in the world of video games than the hunt quests of FF12.I literally pour hours into this feature of the game,and even grinded just so I can last longer when battling the next hunt.

The storyline is meh.The cast of characters have annoying accents.But oh fuck do I love me some hunt collecting.

What is this Monster Rancher that you speak of?

WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain

I stopped watching after I realised that Rey Mysterio will never win the World Heavyweight title.But I did not stop playing the games.Here Comes The Pain is the best of the bunch,allowing plenty of freedom and faux exploration during the career mode.Players are able to visit 5 or 6 places in the game and interact with other wrestlers,either becoming allies or plain pissing them off.You can barge into the general manager's office and demand title fights.You can interrupt matches with just a press of the L3 button.

I watched wrestling again when Rey Mysterio pinned Randy Orton to become World Heavyweight Champion in 2006.He lost it a month later.I stopped caring after that.

Bully

If you have been reading my Top 5 posts,you'd have known this game will appear here.I'll just summarise the entire game in one decription:it's GTA set in a school.Nuff said.

These are games that you must give a try.There is life in the old PS2 yet,and it deserves more respect than being relegated to the closet while you buy a PS3.Sing it a birthday song.

So,what are your favourite PS2 games?

Would You Pay US$41,300 For An Old Game Cartridge?

2010-02-28T00:45:00.000+08:00

Well,not you obviously,but that's what a hardcore video game fan did.Days after a copy of Stadium Events was placed for auction,the biddings closed at a whopping US$41,300,making it the most expensive video game ever sold in history.

That is almost double the previous record holder,a Nintendo Campus Challenge cartridge bought by JJ Hendricks,an online entrepreneur and owner of VideoGamePriceCharts.com. Surprisingly,he opted out of the bidding war,as he felt that the price got too high and he was not interested in buying sealed cartridges.

But someone else didn't mind.The identity of the successful bidder is unavailable as of press time,with no plans in sight of him ever revealing himself.

JJ Hendricks reckoned he's seeing a surge in interest in buying vintage game cartridges.Since the sale of an old NES and 5 games worth US$13,500 a few months ago by a mum,JJ has seen an increasement in prices as well as traffic to his site.

So what makes this game so special?I quote directly from Kotaku,"The NTSC version of Stadium Events is believed to be one of the rarest games ever; fewer than 20 copies of the game, only one of them factory-sealed, were known to have existed before last week's auction began. Its rarity is owed to the fact the rights to it and its dedicated controller, what later became the Nintendo Power Pad, changed hands to Nintendo soon after its limited 1987 release in North America."

It is interesting to note however,that the same game in the exact same condition is currently selling for only US$7,500 on another website.However,noone can really say for sure if it's the real deal,as the only proof comes from the photo and not the headline.

Recession?What recession?

9 Down,1 More To Go For Super SF4's New Fighters

2010-02-17T22:20:00.000+08:00

And Ibuki,Makoto and Dudley make 9.That number represents the current new fighters added to the roster for Super Street Fighter 4,leaving only one more fighter left unannounced.The last member could very well be Hakan,a new character and also an Arab.Capcom aren't very good with keeping secrets and fans have already expected these fighters to join the list since Day 1.

Knowing Capcom and its racist take on its fighters,fans have speculated on the appearance and stage design of Hakan.After a quick check on the forums,Hakan has been described as a dark mustachioed man who fights in a desert,probably with some oil dredgers in the background.Representative of Arab culture indeed.

Fans might remember Dudley,Ibuki and Makoto from SF3.In fact,fans have been literally begging Capcom to include these 3 fighters,who enjoy enormous popularity( check the 4chan message boards for proof).

If you haven't been following the game's developments,here's a quick recap of the fighters already announced.

Like Hakan,Juri will be a new character,playing an important role in Super Street Fighter 4's storyline.She is Korean and will do battle in a Korean marketplace.As you can see by the screenshot,she's evil.

T.Hawk makes a return to the series,with Capcom finally bringing someone to match up to Sagat's insanely huge hitpoints.His old moves are back and better than before,dishing out massive damage equal to Zangief's Piledriver.

Dee Jay returns to bring us more pain with his horrible rapping.Hopefully,his plot will be enhanced further than trying to sell records.But don't hold your breath.

Guy,a ninja much like Ibuki.Super Street Fighter 4 has introduced the Rival System,where fighters will receive extra taunts and new cutscenes when faced with their nemesis.

As you can guess,Cody will be Guy's nemesis.On an unrelated note,it is baffling to see Cody still hasn't ditched his prison uniforn years after SF3 was released.

Adon comes back to give his former master Sagat another beating.Muay Thai has always been my favourite style to use in fighting games,so his inclusion is a welcome treat.

Dudley also brought a huge smile to my face.IMO,he was the saving grace of SF3,with a ridiculous storyline centering around him losing his car to Gill in a bet and entering the competition to win it back.

Stay tuned for more gaming news,and hopefully the announcement of the new fighter!

Happy 10th Anniversary Sims!

2010-02-04T18:02:00.000+08:00

For ten whole years,The Sims franchise has entertained millions of households worldwide,picking up the title of best selling PC game on the way.Your brother,your sister,your teacher,your neighbour,your bus driver,almost everyone's gotten their hands on Will Wright's baby.

The Sims celebrated ten whole years of existence on Jan 31st,the date when the first game hit the stands.Though the founder has already left to set up StupidFunClub,the series is still going strong,even releasing the most recent expansion pack High End Stuff and Apartment Life 2.

For the next few days,Maxis,the developers,will be giving away free in-game items for The Sims 3.So keep checking the official North American site out(the other territories aren't actively updated).

From Africa With Love

2010-02-02T19:28:00.000+08:00

For something else other than myself actually.I don't know what I did online,but I was suddenly hit by a surge of emails from a variety of Africans(and one Malaysian) desperate to give me money.

Well,who am I to refuse?Unfortunately,they are all obviously online scams.But it did got me thinking about the number of people who actually fall for these bunch of small-time crooks who probably operate from a dingy cybercafe in the deepest,darkest reaches of Africa(on dial-up too,no doubt).Almost everyday,I've heard of people,people who have respectable careers,lose a significant amount of cash to these criminals.

Now,I'm not implying that whoever that actually buys the emails' stories are dumb,but it is baffling that they can fall for them.

Take these points into consideration for example.The people who sent these emails always claim to be a member of royalty/bank manager/rich widow who seemed to be in a spot of financial trouble and entrust you into taking care of their money,so long as you sent some first.

The thing is,how the fuck do you even know them?Did you join MyAfricanKingSpace or RoyalTwitter or something?!Lest you are a diplomat or Facebook friend whore,there is absolutely no chance of you being acquintanced with them.

Also,why would they trust a complete stranger in handling their bank accounts?If I ever will be in a state of money problem,the last thing I would do is send an email to some dude halfway across the world asking them for help.

Anyway,why don't you be a judge for yourself?Here are a few excerpts from the emails I got.

"Dear friend
I am Mr.basheru albu, the audit and account director in Bank of African Burkina Faso.Thus i humbly request your kind assistance to claim Twenty-five Million Two Hundred Thousand united state dollars ($25.200.000.00). The account holder suddenly passed away 26th december 2003 plane crash benin republic.left no beneficiary who would be entitled to the receipt of these fund.
For this reason, i have found it expedient to transfer this fund to a trustworthy individual with capacity to act as foreign business partner. Upon the transfer of this fund in your account, you will take 40% as your share from the total fund, 10% will be used as the expense incur during the process of the transfer to your account and 50% will be for me. "

"I decided to contact you because of the urgency of my situation here ,I am Miss Hellen Harry Johnson 25years old girl from Liberia,the only daughter of Late prince Harry Johnson the deputy minister of national security under the leadership of president Charles Taylor who is now in exile after many innocent soul were killed ,My father was killed by government of Charles Taylor ,he accuse my father of coup attempt.I am constrained to contact you because of the maltreatment I, am receiving from my step mother. She planned to take away all my late father's treasury and properties from me since the unexpected death of my beloved Father.Meanwhile I wanted to escape to the Europe but she hide away my international passport and other valuable travelling documents.
Luckily she did not discover where I kept my father?s File which contains important documents. So I decided to run to the refegee camp where I am presently seeking asylum under the United Nations High Commission for the Refegee here in Ouagadougou, Republic of Burkina Faso. I wish to contact you personally for a long term business relationship and investment assistance in your Country.My father of blessed memory deposited the sum of US$5, 7,Million Dollars in Bank with my name as the next of kin.However, I shall forward you with the necessay documents on confirmation of your acceptance to assist me for the transfer and investment of the fund.As you will help me in an invsetment, and i will like to complete my studies, as i was in my ist year in the university, when the crisis started.It is my intention to compensate you with 10% of the total money for your services and the balance shall be my investment capital. "

The second one had me in stitches.Seriously,he should consider a career in making soap operas.Here's the Malaysian one.

"£950,000.00 and a BMW Car has been awarded to you in the BMW NEW YEAR BIG
DASH,send us your:-
Names_____________
Address__________
Tel______________
Country___________ "

I'm disappointedlah to say the least.It just seems horribly lazy compared to the previous ones.Malaysia Scammers Boleh!!!

BRATS 2010 Workshops Open For Registration!

2010-01-27T18:25:00.000+08:00

Do you wanna see your name immortalised in print or video?Do you wanna know what it's like to be a journalist?Do you wanna have as much fun as those guys in the above pic?

FYI,I'm the guy 2nd from the right,so you'll know this info's legit.Today's Star newspaper has a page calling for fresh faces to join The Star's BRATs Young Journalist Programme.It's a four day camp,with multiple activities planned that enchance your journalistic skills in four major areas:writing,blogging,photography and video-making.You'll be in good hands,as the R.Age team themselves will be the ones divulging expert advice and stuff like that.

There will be 3 camps this year,namely Penang: March 13-16,Kuching: June 5-8 and Kuantan Sept 4-7.In your respective camps,you'll be taken around the place and discover things you won't find in those goddamn tourist books.

Interested?Here's how to apply.

Words - In an English essay of not more than 1,000 words ( to read my application,click here.)

Images - Photo essay or graphic work (in JPEG format)

Video - This is the easiest way.Just bullshit in front of the video cam not more than one minute.But bullshit like a pro,the R.Age team won't settle for amateur BS.

There's also some terms and conditions,so check these out before submitting your application.

a. You must be a Malaysian between 16 and 19 years old.( don't lie about your age,girls!)
b. Include your biodata, with your contact details.
c. The participation fee is RM120, inclusive of accomodation, meals and travelling during the workshop. Note that travelling expenses to the workshop venue will be borne by the participant. Do not send payment with application (only selected applicats are eligible to attend the workshop).(This is counted fuckin cheap already.I paid the amount,and I never was hungry,thirsty or sleepy throughout the camp)
d. Be sure to indicate which workshop you'd like to attend - choose one.

For further enquiries, please e-mail brats@thestar.com.my (or email me at saya_orang_cina@hotmail.com)

Send your essay (in words or images or video) and biodata to:

BRATs, StarYouth
Menara Star
15, Jalan 16/11
46350 Petaling Jaya
Selangor

or email to brats@thestar.com.my

Who knows,you might see me there was well,if my college schedule permits it.

PS3 Games At Your Doorstep

2010-01-21T17:34:00.000+08:00

Without a doubt,2009 was a great year for gaming and 2010 will be no different either.But with the price of originals today,many just can't afford them and would resort to buying from pirates.This practice should be condemned,as the developers have spent many resources making those games.

Thankfully,not all Malaysian gamers fall into the Asian stereotype.There's Ben Chan for example,owner of PS3 games and Blu-Ray movies rental service,Blackmango Games.

Unlike Gamer's Hideout,a popular video game franchise with stores at Cineleisure and Tropicana Shopping Centre,BMG does not have a time limit for renters to use their products.Instead,all a renter has to do is pay the refundable deposit,pick up the game and pay a monthly fee.Other than that,they can rent as many games as they desire.

BMG currently offers three packages,each differing based on the gamer types.Below is the pricing and conditions lifted from the website itself.

"Option 1: The hardcore gamer

1-game package

Refundable deposit: RM180

Monthly fee: RM50

Choose 1 game from either the Game A, B or blu-ray list, play til you drop, return it and
pick another game. No time limit.

2-game package

Refundable deposit: RM320

Monthly fee: RM80

As above, except you get to take 2 games out.

Members who subscribe to the Hardcore Gamers option may alternate between games and
movies at their preference. No limits to the number of titles per month, subject to a
maximum of 1 title/game out each time for the 1-game option and 2 titles/games for the
2-game option. You get the best of both worlds! For 1 fixed monthly fee, you can enjoy an
unlimited number of PS3 games and blu-ray movies!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Option 2: The basic gamer

The Game B catalog consists of older titles so if you're not in a hurry to play the latest games
or if you're not interested in watching blu-ray movies, this may suit your gaming needs.
1-game package

Refundable deposit: RM100

Monthly fee: RM30

Choose 1 game from the Game B list, play, return it and pick another game from the list.
No time limit.

2-game package

Refundable deposit: RM200

Monthly fee: RM60

As above, except you get to take 2 games out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Option 3: The casual gamer

Refundable deposit: RM180 per game.

OR you may use a copy of your own PS3 game as deposit. The game can be used for partial or full deposit
depending on the value of the title.

Rental fee: RM10 for the 1st night, RM2 for subsequent nights

Prepaid option: RM60 for 30 nights' rental (flat RM2 per night).

You may stop and start anytime you want as long as there is credit in your account.
No deductions from your credit are made if you are not renting any game.

Time limit: The prepaid credit expires in 6 months.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blu-ray rental

Refundable deposit: RM150 (limited to 2 titles at a time)

Rental fee: RM10 per title for 1 week (additional nights at RM2 per night) "

Besides rentals,gamers can also trade in their old games and receive a rebate on the membership charges.

Those interested to check BMG out can do so at these outlets

Bangsar Telawi

Bangsar Shopping Centre

Pusat Bandar Damansara

Mid Valley Megamall

Desa Sri Hartamas

KL Sentral

or call the despatch service to have the games delivered to you if you're a resident of the Klang Valley.

Venezuela's President Condemns Video Games...Again

2010-01-20T18:40:00.000+08:00

Hugo Chavez,Mickey Mouse of politics

Hugo Chavez is back,finding new ways to convince the world that video games are indeed harmful towards human beings.

Labelling them as "poison"and "leading kids down the capitalist road to hell",Hugo also specifically named two major console makers in his list of criticisms.Nintendo apparently,promotes "selfishness,individualism and violence".He could have a point there,as Mario is notorious for keeping all the coins to himself,overshadowing his brother in the games and unnecessarily jumping on random Koopas' heads.

Sony also received some love,being the platform of choice for most hardcore gamers."Those games they call Playstation are poison.Some games teach you to kill.They once put my face on a game,you've got to find Chavez to kill him".

An obvious reference to Pandemic's Mercenaries 2:World in Flames,which courted controversy two years ago for placing its setting in Venezuela.In the game,players were instructed to take out a certain figure of authority,though he is a fictional character.Nevertheless,Hugo found reasons to be incensed for having his beloved country becoming a bloodsoaked arena of exploding buildings and one-versus-one hundred battles.He was wrong about the cover though,as evident by the very badass picture of heavy metal listening,head banging Swede Mattias Nilsson.

Hugo had more,adding that any "game that bombs cities or just throw bombs" were sold by capitalist countries to increase the need for "cigarettes,drugs and alcohol" among players.Which if true,doesn't explain why I never had a single craving for anything other than more time when playing Bomberman.

Barbie dolls weren't spared either,as Hugo urged local toy manufacturers to produce educational and indigenous dolls instead of Mattel's line of slim mannequins,which "have nothing to do with our culture."

Haiti is suffering from the aftermath of an eathquake,and it's this shit that's keeping a leader of a South American country awake.The same could be same for me,as I was more concerned with finishing Final Fantasy 12 while the world mourned MJ's death.

New Megaman 10 Bosses Revealed(with sprites!)

2010-01-16T02:07:00.000+08:00

If you been following Megaman 10's development progress,you'd be happy to know that the game will ship sometime this year.A few days ago,Capcom decided to release info of the bosses together with the eventual game sprites.Below are the bosses you will meet at the end of the levels contained in the latest game.

Strikeman

Shaped like a baseball with limbs jutting out of it,Strikeman resides in a sports themed level.

Solarman

This boss has the ability to absorb your energy blasts with that glowy thing above his head.

Sheepman

Basically a rip off of the Pokemon Mareep,he shoots lightning strikes and can multiply in every direction.

Pumpman

Unfortunately has the most ridiculous name of the lot,he shoots water blasts out of the pump on his belly.

Nitroman

Capcom has disclosed nothing else other than the fact that he can transform into a bike.

Commandoman

What is it with Capcom and collectible trading card games?Bearing a resemblance to a certain Digimon,he is a tank,in damage and health.

Chillman

Other than not having its character design translating well into sprite form,he shoots ice blasts.

Blademan

The ninja of the Megaman bosses,he also has the worst character design.

Video Games Reimagined With Classic Book Covers

2010-01-13T19:39:00.000+08:00

Anybody who's known me long enough is aware how passionate I am about gaming and the culture surrounding it.Yes,there is a culture,you ignorant pricks.Gamers,unlike their stereotypes in the media,have a life away from the screen and are a pretty well-read lot.I've had the opportunity of chatting with many gamers capable of quoting excerpts from a variety of tomes ranging from Shakespeare to Kurt Vonnegut.

While strolling through Kotaku recently,I came across a pretty interesting article.It seems that a few creative visitors to the Something Awful forums(a griefer community) have started an artist collab,to create classic book covers to their beloved electronic entertainment.

If you love the Vintage Puffin or Penguin series of books,you will appreciate these works of art.Below are a few handpicked ones,the best of the bunch.

Personally,I love the first Hitman Blood Money.the first Sims and Team Fortress 2 covers.How about you?Feel free to drop a few words in the comments section or cbox.

The Ten Most Influential Women In Games Of The Past Decade

2010-01-02T00:23:00.000+08:00

Every year-end,websites release their own top ten list of...whatever that was impactful to their relevant field.This can range from best songs,best film to best Youtube vids.But variety they do not have.So it was by great chance that I found this interesting list while I was browsing Kotaku recently.These ten have greatly contributed to gaming at large,and they're not male.Here's the ten most influential women in gaming,by Gaming Angels founder,Trina Schwimmer.

"This is the time of the year where most sites are doing their top ten lists about different subjects. Personally, I hate top ten lists. If I'm going to do one, then it's going to be about something I'm passionate about. Therefore, we have two top ten list articles on GamingAngels.com. Here we are looking at the ten women that influenced the gaming industry in a big way over the last ten years. This isn't an all-inclusive list and I'd love for you to join in the conversation by including your nominees in the comments. The game industry is starting to see change and some of it is due to the women on this list paving the path. Here in random order, are ten women that really changed the game industry over the last ten years."

"Lucy Bradshaw has to start the list with her work on the Sims beginning in the year 2000. Lucy and the Maxis team created a game that would be named the best selling PC game to date. The Sims is also credited for bringing more women into playing games. Lucy Bradshaw now leads the efforts of the Maxis team on the various Spore titles. She is an amazing speaker and is always pushing the industry forward."

"Kim Swift took the game industry by storm with the much praised hit, Portal. Swift was hired by Valve after graduation and won many awards with a title that appealed to casual and the hardcore. Swift has now joined Airtight Games to assist with games aimed at a more diverse audience."

"Jade Raymond was the producer on Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. While she had been a producer on previous titles including The Sims Online, Jade definitely had to put up with controversy from men that couldn't get over her looks. Yes guys, it is possible to be gorgeous and talented."

"Corrinne Yu is an amazing woman. She's the principal programmer at Microsoft's Halo team. I met her at a GDC Women in Games luncheon where she was rewarded for her work on the Halo series. She dresses like a rock star and talks about programming theory unlike anyone I know. Corrinne is an inspiration as we look at the problem of not enough women going into programming as a discipline."

"Megan Gaiser is the President and CEO of Her Interactive. Through her work at Her Interactive, she has helped make intelligent games for the younger female audience. Her Interactive games create the Nancy Drew series of games that are very popular. Megan works hard in both talks and through her work at Her Interactive to get more girls interested in gaming both as a hobby and as a career."

"Kellee Santiago is an amazing young woman from the Interactive Media program at USC. She is the president and co-founder of ThatGameCompany, a company that strives to create games that create an emotion in the player. Their first two games, flOw and Flower on the Playstation 3 are not only beautiful but also appeal to a more diverse audience. During our interview with her at the Spike VGAs, it was great to see her passionate and excited about the future of ThatGameCompany. We look forward to Kellee pushing the boundaries of what we think about games."

"Amy Hennig works at Naughty Dog as the Creative Director on Uncharted and Uncharted 2.Uncharted 2 is second in the top 20 ranked Playstation 3 games on Metacritic. Amy concentrates on story and actors and it shows. Uncharted 2 has some of the best voice acting of any game out there. It will be interesting to see how close to films that Amy and the Naughty Dog team can take video games."

"Deborah Mars is the Managing Producer at SCEA Santa Monica Studio who worked on PSN title, Fat Princess. The title had early uproar from various websites because the game was built around the mechanic of feeding your princess cake so she would weigh more and be harder to kidnap. In the end, Deborah and her team proved that Fat Princess is an incredibly fun title."

"Cammie Dunaway is the executive vice president of sales & marketing at Nintendo. As one of the most powerful people at Nintendo, she led the way to reach out to women gamers with the Nintendo DS and Wii. She has had a rough road being criticized for being too nice or even fake. I interviewed Cammie at the 2007 Women's Conference and she was sweet but also very knowledgeable about the products available. She genuinely wants to see a more diverse audience enjoy gaming."

"We end our list with a female that has taken community on the Xbox 360 to another level. Christa Phillips Charter, better known as Trixie360, was responsible for many community initiatives for the 360 that is what makes us feel at home on the 360. She organized Game with Fame nights, Community Spotlights, Gamer Spotlights, and created/founded GamerChix a place where female Xbox gamers can gather to talk about gaming. Christa has always made herself available to gamers. Her new title is Social Media Lead of Xbox LIVE and we can't see where she takes Community and Games next!"

"I hope you enjoyed our list and I'd love to hear who you think should be on the list. We didn't include the wonderful women that run amazing communities or clans, but they definitely could be here as well. I'd like to thank Robin Yang for working with me on ideas for this list. Here's to another 10 years of greatness from women in games!"

Trina is not just another girl gamer caught in the Wii and Yahoo Games boom.She's been hooked ever since she got hold of the Atari 2600.At eight,she's already programming her own games with Basic and started on her comic book collection.During her time playing Phantasy Star Online,Trina created a female-based guild.From there,she had the idea of forming an online platform for girl gamers.Thus,Gaming Angels was born.Initially a cosplay site,it has transformed into an online community where girls are able to share everything geek with their peers.

"I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script" by Josh Olson

2009-12-31T21:07:00.000+08:00

So you wrote a script.You spent hours,days,weeks,on the thing.You haven't had proper sleep or practised hygiene in a while.You risked straining your already close to non-existent relationship with loved ones.When you finished,you thought it was the most mind-blowing awesome script ever written.But before looking around for professional feedback,read what Josh Olson has to say.

I will not read your fucking script.

That's simple enough, isn't it? "I will not read your fucking script." What's not clear about that? There's nothing personal about it, nothing loaded, nothing complicated. I simply have no interest in reading your fucking screenplay. None whatsoever.

If that seems unfair, I'll make you a deal. In return for you not asking me to read your fucking script, I will not ask you to wash my fucking car, or take my fucking picture, or represent me in fucking court, or take out my fucking gall bladder, or whatever the fuck it is that you do for a living.

You're a lovely person. Whatever time we've spent together has, I'm sure, been pleasurable for both of us. I quite enjoyed that conversation we once had about structure and theme, and why Sergio Leone is the greatest director who ever lived. Yes, we bonded, and yes, I wish you luck in all your endeavors, and it would thrill me no end to hear that you had sold your screenplay, and that it had been made into the best movie since Godfather Part II.

But I will not read your fucking script.

At this point, you should walk away, firm in your conviction that I'm a dick. But if you're interested in growing as a human being and recognizing that it is, in fact, you who are the dick in this situation, please read on.

Yes. That's right. I called you a dick. Because you created this situation. You put me in this spot where my only option is to acquiesce to your demands or be the bad guy. That, my friend, is the very definition of a dick move.

I was recently cornered by a young man of my barest acquaintance.

I doubt we've exchanged a hundred words. But he's dating someone I know, and he cornered me in the right place at the right time, and asked me to read a two-page synopsis for a script he'd been working on for the last year. He was submitting the synopsis to some contest or program, and wanted to get a professional opinion.

Now, I normally have a standard response to people who ask me to read their scripts, and it's the simple truth: I have two piles next to my bed. One is scripts from good friends, and the other is manuscripts and books and scripts my agents have sent to me that I have to read for work. Every time I pick up a friend's script, I feel guilty that I'm ignoring work. Every time I pick something up from the other pile, I feel guilty that I'm ignoring my friends. If I read yours before any of that, I'd be an awful person.

Most people get that. But sometimes you find yourself in a situation where the guilt factor is really high, or someone plays on a relationship or a perceived obligation, and it's hard to escape without seeming rude. Then, I tell them I'll read it, but if I can put it down after ten pages, I will. They always go for that, because nobody ever believes you can put their script down once you start.

But hell, this was a two page synopsis, and there was no time to go into either song or dance, and it was just easier to take it. How long can two pages take?

Weeks, is the answer.

And this is why I will not read your fucking script.

It rarely takes more than a page to recognize that you're in the presence of someone who can write, but it only takes a sentence to know you're dealing with someone who can't.

(By the way, here's a simple way to find out if you're a writer. If you disagree with that statement, you're not a writer. Because, you see, writers are also readers.)

You may want to allow for the fact that this fellow had never written a synopsis before, but that doesn't excuse the inability to form a decent sentence, or an utter lack of facility with language and structure. The story described was clearly of great importance to him, but he had done nothing to convey its specifics to an impartial reader. What I was handed was, essentially, a barely coherent list of events, some connected, some not so much. Characters wander around aimlessly, do things for no reason, vanish, reappear, get arrested for unnamed crimes, and make wild, life-altering decisions for no reason. Half a paragraph is devoted to describing the smell and texture of a piece of food, but the climactic central event of the film is glossed over in a sentence. The death of the hero is not even mentioned. One sentence describes a scene he's in, the next describes people showing up at his funeral. I could go on, but I won't. This is the sort of thing that would earn you a D minus in any Freshman Comp class.

Which brings us to an ugly truth about many aspiring screenwriters: They think that screenwriting doesn't actually require the ability to write, just the ability to come up with a cool story that would make a cool movie. Screenwriting is widely regarded as the easiest way to break into the movie business, because it doesn't require any kind of training, skill or equipment. Everybody can write, right? And because they believe that, they don't regard working screenwriters with any kind of real respect. They will hand you a piece of inept writing without a second thought, because you do not have to be a writer to be a screenwriter.

So. I read the thing. And it hurt, man. It really hurt. I was dying to find something positive to say, and there was nothing. And the truth is, saying something positive about this thing would be the nastiest, meanest and most dishonest thing I could do. Because here's the thing: not only is it cruel to encourage the hopeless, but you cannot discourage a writer. If someone can talk you out of being a writer, you're not a writer. If I can talk you out of being a writer, I've done you a favor, because now you'll be free to pursue your real talent, whatever that may be. And, for the record, everybody has one. The lucky ones figure out what that is. The unlucky ones keep on writing shitty screenplays and asking me to read them.

To make matters worse, this guy (and his girlfriend) had begged me to be honest with him. He was frustrated by the responses he'd gotten from friends, because he felt they were going easy on him, and he wanted real criticism. They never do, of course. What they want is a few tough notes to give the illusion of honesty, and then some pats on the head. What they want--always--is encouragement, even when they shouldn't get any.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to tell someone that they've spent a year wasting their time? Do you know how much blood and sweat goes into that criticism? Because you want to tell the truth, but you want to make absolutely certain that it comes across honestly and without cruelty. I did more rewrites on that fucking e-mail than I did on my last three studio projects.

My first draft was ridiculous. I started with specific notes, and after a while, found I'd written three pages on the first two paragraphs. That wasn't the right approach. So I tossed it, and by the time I was done, I'd come up with something that was relatively brief, to the point, and considerate as hell. The main point I made was that he'd fallen prey to a fallacy that nails a lot of first timers. He was way more interested in telling his one story than in being a writer. It was like buying all the parts to a car and starting to build it before learning the basics of auto mechanics. You'll learn a lot along the way, I said, but you'll never have a car that runs.

(I should mention that while I was composing my response, he pulled the ultimate amateur move, and sent me an e-mail saying, "If you haven't read it yet, don't! I have a new draft. Read this!" In other words, "The draft I told you was ready for professional input, wasn't actually.")

I advised him that if all he was interested in was this story, he should find a writer and work with him; or, if he really wanted to be a writer, start at the beginning and take some classes, and start studying seriously.

And you know what? I shouldn't have bothered. Because for all the hair I pulled out, for all the weight and seriousness I gave his request for a real, professional critique, his response was a terse "Thanks for your opinion." And, the inevitable fallout--a week later a mutual friend asked me, "What's this dick move I hear you pulled on Whatsisname?"
So now this guy and his girlfriend think I'm an asshole, and the truth of the matter is, the story really ended the moment he handed me the goddamn synopsis. Because if I'd just said "No" then and there, they'd still think I'm an asshole. Only difference is, I wouldn't have had to spend all that time trying to communicate thoughtfully and honestly with someone who just wanted a pat on the head, and, more importantly, I wouldn't have had to read that godawful piece of shit.

You are not owed a read from a professional, even if you think you have an in, and even if you think it's not a huge imposition. It's not your choice to make. This needs to be clear--when you ask a professional for their take on your material, you're not just asking them to take an hour or two out of their life, you're asking them to give you--gratis--the acquired knowledge, insight, and skill of years of work. It is no different than asking your friend the house painter to paint your living room during his off hours.

There's a great story about Pablo Picasso. Some guy told Picasso he'd pay him to draw a picture on a napkin. Picasso whipped out a pen and banged out a sketch, handed it to the guy, and said, "One million dollars, please."

"A million dollars?" the guy exclaimed. "That only took you thirty seconds!"

"Yes," said Picasso. "But it took me fifty years to learn how to draw that in thirty seconds."

Like the cad who asks the professional for a free read, the guy simply didn't have enough respect for the artist to think about what he was asking for. If you think it's only about the time, then ask one of your non-writer friends to read it. Hell, they might even enjoy your script. They might look upon you with a newfound respect. It could even come to pass that they call up a friend in the movie business and help you sell it, and soon, all your dreams will come true. But me?

I will not read your fucking script.

That really hit the nail in the head,eh?But before you disregard the essay and continue living in your ignorant dream of splendour,consider this.Josh Olson wrote the screenplay to History Of Violence,which won an Oscar,BAFTA,WGA and Edgar.He is also the writer and director of the horror/comedy cult movie Infested, which Empire Magazine named one of the 20 Best Straight to Video Movies ever made. Recently, he has written with the legendary Harlan Ellison, and worked on Halo with Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp. He adapted Dennis Lehane's story "Until Gwen," which he will also be directing. He is currently adapting One Shot, one of the best-selling Jack Reacher books for Paramount.

Left4Dead Gets The Porn Treatment

2009-12-26T14:30:00.000+08:00

You know you've hit the big time when your video game gets spoofed in a porno parody.World of Whorecraft anyone?What about Womb Raider?Video game nerds are often portrayed as online smut junkies,and the porn industry tries to cash in on the stereotype everytime.

The latest to receive the XXX treatment is Left4Dead,or Left4Head as it is entitled on Sleazegroin Theatre,a website specialising in fetish flicks.Yeah,I watched it,so what?Dont judge me.

The first episode(yes,there is a WHOLE SERIES) is 12 minutes long and shows our heroine,now named Blowie instead of Zoey,walking through a barren wasteland looking for the rest of her squad.

The scene then cuts to what seems to be a house,conveniently dark and devoid of human life.She enters a room and encounters two zombies.Hold your horses perverts,she's not getting fucked...yet.A few slugs to the zombies' chests later,and she continues her exploration of the building's interior.

But hey what do you know,she's being followed by a Hunter the whole time.And hey,isn't that a Smoker right there?This being a porno flick,don't expect his tongue to be the expendable weapon like in the game.Oh no,it has to be his dick.The Smoker then uses it to strangle Zoey,but not without trying to force it into her mouth as well.In what is probably the worst acting ever,our heroine hardly struggles and lifts her shirt up for no reason.After a good minute of wriggling around with the Smoker's member,she shoots him off-screen and walks off,unperturbed.

Remember the Hunter from before?He reappears again,pinning Zoey to the floor and stripping her off her pants with ease.Call it idiocy or amnesia or whatever you want,Zoey forgets she has a gun and just struggled briefly.Then the Hunter launched into a minute of awkward butt-groping before opening his pants and receive a blowjob from Zoey,who now seems comfortable enough to stop moving and just take it.This goes on for the remainder of the episode before the Hunter shoots his load and drags off an unconscious Zoey.

Overall,it was both hilarious and painful to watch.I am aware that great acting is the least of a porno's problems but here,you'd be cringing and making vomitting sounds almost every minute.Also,there seems to be a lack of the other bosses,which nicely sets them up for future episodes,now totalling at 12.The only credit to be lent to the episode is the use of the original sound effects from the game.You'd recognise the familiar shrieks,wails and grunts of the Smoker and Hunter.

So,should you watch it?Yes,if you're a gamer and are curious about how the Left4Dead series is butchered beyond recognition.No?Yeah right you big liar.Just good luck finding the clips on the Internet.I am not posting the link here.

OhgodwhydidIreviewthisohmygodsomebodyshootme.

Video Game Themed Wedding Cakes

2009-12-21T20:15:00.000+08:00

Sure,you might say you're the biggest fan of a certain game.You might also add how you've bought and played every ititeration of the series.You might also proclaim that you can beat them without getting hit once or losing a single life.

But is that hardcore enough?

Not so,if you compare yourself to the fans who've not only placed their favourite games in their hearts,but also placed them atop their wedding cakes.Below are some of the best I've seen uploaded online.

Warning:awesomeness ahead.

Tetris

Master Chief,Halo series

Katamari Damacy

Rockband

X Box

Super Mario Bros.

Portal

And The Winners Are...

2009-12-18T21:18:00.000+08:00

Face it,gaming is in the same league as movies and music when it comes to entertainment,if not bigger.An example would be the release of Halo 3 last year,which grossed over US$170 mill on opening day,far surpassing the record set by The Dark Knight.A more recent example would be James Cameron's Avatar.It's a pretty well-known fact that the director plays World of warcraft,and it shows in the movie.Night-elf like Na'Vi,the world tree,floating islands,it's all reminiscent of the popular MMORPG.

So a glitzy awards show attended by big name celebs should be an option.Though it lacked it merit,the Spike TV VGAs is still one of the biggest.Several big announcements were made at the event,namely the revealing of a sequel to Star Wars:The Force Unleashed,Arkham Asylum and also Green Day:Rock Band.Trailers to Halo:Reach,the new Prince of Persia movie,Crackdown 2 and True Crime,this time in Hong Kong.And once the dust settled,the winners were revealed.

Drumroll please...

Game of the Year: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Studio of the Year: Rocksteady Studios
Best Independent Game Fueled by Dew: Flower
Best Xbox 360 Game: Left 4 Dead 2
Best PS3 Game: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Wii Game: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Best PC Game: Dragon Age: Origins
Best Handheld Game: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Best Fighting Game: Street Fighter IV
Best Action Adventure Game: Assassin's Creed II
Best RPG: Dragon Age: Origins
Best Multiplayer Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Best Individual Sports Game: UFC 2009 Undisputed
Best Team Sports Game: NHL 10
Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 3
Best Music Game: The Beatles: Rock Band
Best Soundtrack: DJ Hero
Best Original Score: Halo 3: ODST
Best Graphics: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Game Based On A Movie/TV Show: South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play!
Best Performance By A Human Female: Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Best Performance By A Human Male: Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Best Cast: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Best Voice: Jack Black for the voice of Eddie Riggs in Brütal Legend
Best Downloadable Game: Shadow Complex
Best DLC: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Most Anticipated Game of 2010: God of War III

Not a lot of surprises there,though the awards based on movies were pretty questionable.In fact,the whole genre is laughable.Movie tie-up games have not been known to be any good,and the existence of the awards are most probably just to have an excuse to invite the starlets of Hollywood and lend the show more viewer ratings.

LEGO Harry Potter Video Game Is No Illusion

2009-12-08T20:10:00.000+08:00

I shit you not.The much speculated collaboration between LEGO and Warner Bros. Pictures is a reality.TT Games,the developers responsible for mashing the popular Danish toy with popular movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones,is once again at the helm of the project.Titled LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4,the game focuses on the famous boy wizard's exploits at Hogwarts during his first four years.Expect LEGO-ised versions of familiar locales and characters.Even Quidditch is not spared from the LEGO treatment.

The game comes fresh on the heels of TT Games' last project,LEGO Rock Band which was a big money maker like its predecessors.Whether the fans will take a liking to this new game is unimportant at this point,as kids,and some adults are definitely gonna grab the copies off the shelves.

Oh JK Rowling,does your need to milk your franchise knows no bounds?

Want Some Assassin's Creed With Your Sackboy?

2009-12-04T15:36:00.000+08:00

Due to the popularity of the latest instalment in the Assassin's Creed franchise,LittleBigPlanet developers Media Molecule released a Sackboy version of Ezio Auditore de Firenze's outfit on the Playstation Network.The complete get up includes a cloak and cowl, breeches and boots, tunic and cape, and most importantly, his hidden blade glove for LBP players to deck their Sackboys out in.And even if they do not fancy having a tiny Ezio running across the screen,downloaders will be able to fashion each piece of the costume individually.

If that does not get you pumped up enough,here's an alternate shot to seal the deal.

Cardboard hidden blades!!!

P.S.,this may be a little late,but Ubisoft has released the full Assassin's Creed 2:Lineage movie on Youtube.Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcE8xJkK6t4

Spike TV VGA 2009 On Animax!....Singapore

2009-12-03T00:19:00.000+08:00

I hate to admit it,but being a Singaporean does have its perks.No religious zealots protesting against an international act for being too 'provocative'.No litter on the streets in sight.No unannounced delays and price hikes in public transport.

Now,our neighbours down south have something else to boast about to their Asean counterparts.Animax Asia,or more accurately Animax Singapore,has the Spike TV Video Game Awards 2009 among its lineup of 2010 shows.Starhub is the only media station in South East Asia to hold exclusive right towards the screening of the event.

The Spike TV VGAs is arguably the most prestigious awards show dedicated to gaming around.Though it has been plagued by endless accusations of handing nominations and wins to undeserved studios,many still tune in to the proceedings each passing year,making it one of the network's highest watched programmes.

Below is the full press release.

02 December 2009, Singapore – Asia is set for an unforgettable evening of electrifying entertainment as Animax brings to the region Video Game Awards 2009 (VGA 2009) – the greatest global video gaming TV event! Prepare to witness the biggest game studios in the world unveil the most highly-anticipated new video games including ‘Halo: Reach’, as the hottest celebrities from Hollywood and beyond honour the very best of the video games industry at the outrageously unconventional VGA 2009!

Taking worldwide audiences by storm, Video Game Awards 2009 (VGA2009) is set for an unprecedented international broadcast across 180 territories around the world including Animax TV networks worldwide! VGA 2009 will be unleashed across Asia on the region’s first and leading anime and youth entertainment destination, Animax Asia!

To be held 12 December 2009 in Los Angeles by Spike TV and premiering 16 January 2010 Saturday, 9pm (SEA/PH/SA) on Animax, VGA 2009 will see a total of 28 awards including top honours ‘Game of the Year’ and ‘Studio of the Year’ presented, based on results from online votes cast globally. Fans anywhere in the world can play their part to determine the results of VGA 2009 by voting for their favourite nominees at www.spike.com/event/vga2009 from now 11 December 2009.

Animax viewers can look forward to a sneak preview of the highly-anticipated ‘Halo: Reach’ in an exclusive world premiere of the game’s opening video on VGA 2009. ‘Halo: Reach’ is the latest prequel instalment to international blockbuster video game hit ‘Halo’ trilogy for the Xbox console, by Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios, to be launched in fall 2010. In addition to ‘Halo: Reach’, a whopping 11 other world premieres of upcoming games are being lined-up specially for VGA 2009. These include exclusive showcases by gaming giants including 2K, Activision, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts, LucasArts Entertainment, Microsoft Game Studios, THQ, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, among others.

“Truly dedicated to the many passionate gaming fans among the millions of Animax viewers worldwide including Asia, Video Game Awards 2009 pays the ultimate tribute to one of the most popular forms of entertainment loved by youth and young adults everywhere. Showcasing an art form that breaks new ground each day, VGA 2009 provides important recognition for video games which continue to inspire and be inspired from anime – the genre of content that has made Animax the leading youth entertainment destination that it is today,” said Gregory Ho, Vice President & General Manager, Animax Asia.

Topping the VGA 2009 nomination list with eight nods including for ‘Game of the Year’ and ‘Studio of the Year’ prizes is game studio Naughty Dog with action-adventure game ‘Uncharted 2: Among Thieves’. Chalking up seven nominations including ‘Game of the Year’ and ‘Best Voice’ for Mark Hamill’s part as The Joker character is ‘Batman: Arkham Asylum’ the dark and edgy new installment of the Batman franchise from Rocksteady Studios. Valve’s zombie thriller ‘Left 4 Dead 2’ and Infinity Ward’s military first person shooter ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ notched six nominations each. Refer to Annex A for the full nomination list.

Nominees for VGA 2009 were selected by the VGA Advisory Council which comprises industry experts from video game media including GameTrailers.com, Game Informer, USA Today, Wired, Penny Arcade, GameSpot and IGN.

Get set for a mind-blowing night of video games action as fans around the world bestow top honours to the very best in the gaming industry at the electrifying Video Game Awards 2009, premiering January 2010 across Asia, first and exclusively on Animax!

Video Game Awards 2009 premieres 16 January 2010 Saturday, 9pm; first & exclusively on Animax (StarHub TV ch 84)

Personally,I'm rooting for either Assassin's Creed 2 or Arkham Asylum to take away most of the honours that night.However,there is a trace of disappointment in me over the choice of nominees this year.It is clear that Spike TV is catering to the general public instead of gamers,as evident by the A-List stars dominating the Best Voice and Best Performance categories.Bad voice acting from Megan Fox and Shia Labouef overshadow gamer favourite Claudia Black,who has voiced characters in 2 of the biggest games of the year(Uncharted:Drake's Fortune,Dragon Age).Nonetheless,I'm stoked for this show and am highly anticipating the videos on Youtube,eventhough it would not be as awesome as watching it on the bigger-screened television.

My YES2009 Articles Are In TheStar!

2009-11-25T15:36:00.000+08:00

Though I doubt many of my fellow youths read The Star newspaper,I'm pretty sure at least a small number is aware that the Youth Engagement Summit 2009 took place at PICC last week.I had the opportunity to attend as a member of The Star BRATs,a young journalist programme organised by the newspaper.One of my tasks was to write a few pieces on the youth leaders and speakers present.

In today's paper,you would be able to read the articles written by yours truly and my team members as well.The original ones were definitely a lot longer,but due to space constraints(and possibly the quality of our work)Sharmila Nair,a member of the R.AGE team had to edit them into two pages.Nonetheless,I was still able to recognise my work at places.

I am aware that the SPM exams are still ongoing as I am after all,sitting for it too.But I'm sure you can take just a moment of your time to read the articles.My team and I really worked our butts off at YES2009 and we would be just a bit little happier to know that our work is appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by my blog,and happy reading!

I was also on the front page of StarTwo!If you'd look closely at the first post,you'd recognised my Facebook profile pic.Double score!

Youth Engagement Summit 2009:Preview

2009-11-14T22:58:00.000+08:00

Observe the following situation.Your parents invited a few of their friends over for dinner.After the meal,they enjoy dessert in the living room,talking about whatever it is adults talk about.You,overhearing their conversation as you were passing,give them your insightful views or opinions of the matter.You,pause a while to let them absorb the full impact of your answer,expecting a retort or a pat on the back for your efforts.It didn't go as planned.The adults laugh simultaneously,shake their wrinkly heads,'compliment' you on your cuteness and resume talking.

Feels familiar?If you've ever found yourself in the above situation,you've definitely experienced one of the many pitfalls of being a teenager.Though you might think the adults would understand given they were young before,you cannot be far wrong.Age drains whatever memories they have of also being in your shoes.Grownups assume that kids these days are more concerned with technology and friends rather than the world,therefore are out of touch with current events.But not all of us act like our counterparts in those horrible American teen movies.We are capable of observation,analysis and problem solving,maybe a little better than adults.Our views should be given just as much respect and thought as another adult would have.

Some world leaders are aware of this,organising a variety of youth conferences.They declare that these conferences serve as a platform for youths to express their pent-up ideas,but are nothing more than showpiece events to subdue and appease potential voters.

So it is definitely a breath of fresh air for the Youth Engagement Summit to be held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on the 16th and 17th of November.For starters,the organising commitee involve and receive input from prominent youth leaders like Khailee Ng,founder of YouthSays and various youth organisations in Singapore.Secondly,YES are bringing a number of influential people to speak,together with 500 delegates who recieved free air travel and accomodation.Finally,the whole thing is broadcasted live to leading unis across the globe such as Harvard and Cambridge,with a SEACHANGE Report at the end presented to world leaders.

I've been lucky enough to be accepted to represent The Star BRATs to attend YES2009.My tasks will mainly be conducting interviews with my peers,and updating the RAge website regularly on the day's events.

There is no doubt to the impact YES2009 would bring to getting youths worldwide heard.Our opinions and views are finally being compiled in a report for the presidents and PMs out there to read,with the chance that they would be taken seriously and acted upon.Now,there's something for the adults to laught at.

Which The Best Company In The World?

2009-11-03T23:55:00.001+08:00

Valve,that's who!Famous for being the developers of popular games such as Half Life,Left4Dead,Portal and Team Fortress 2,the guys at Valve are also famous for their wonderful sense of humour.In this case,it's Team Fortress 2.

Saxton Hale,a fictitious CEO of weapons supplier Mann Co.,features prominently throughout the game,whether it be the spoof ads promoting the latest updates or as Easter Eggs in the class trailers.This time,his company's address can be seen in the most recent "Team Update".Curious gamers who note that oddity actually took the effort to mail inquiries to it.

Their work was not to waste.

Valve's writing team,assuming the character of Saxton Hale,replied to a few lucky senders with a hilarious form-letter and two random comic book covers.A reader of Kotaku posted about his experience on the website as soon as he received the surprise gifts.

"I guess I'll forgive them for not having my spy crab kit in stock,"says Wayne T.,"P.S. the woman probably wasn't impressed because I did not send enough money.I'll fix that next time."

Click on the images to enlarge em.Trust me,the effort is worth it.

A bunch of gamers who created a mock tenth class in conjunction with the update were also rewarded with a unique form-letters.They were personally commended by Saxton Hale himself,with the news that Mann Co. might be considering the production of the Guard Dog class.Of course,it was all just a joke as Valve have not expressed any intentions to introduce a tenth class anytime soon.

Despite being a big time developer that can afford to disregard a few of its fans,Valve stayed true to its creed of being a community-based company.The form-letters and comic book covers are not the only incentives that Valve has given to its fans.The company has been noted for organising free LAN parties and also occasionally play the game with the fans through their in-house gaming channel,Steam.

And that is why Valve is the best company in the world(well,at least to me).

16 Bad@$$ Video Game Pumpkin Carvings!!!

2009-10-31T20:49:00.000+08:00

For the past couple of weeks,Kotaku,an American gaming website called upon its loyal readers to submit photos of pumpkin carvings based on popular video games.And boy,did the fans responded.Literally hundreds of submissions spammed the inbox of the Kotaku team,and they were hard pressed for space to publish them all.

For your convenience,here are a select few which quite frankly,blew my fuckin mind away.

Get an extra pair of pants.You're gonna wet your current ones.

Guilty Gear

Eddie Riggs from Brutal Legend

The Spy from Team Fortress 2

Ganon from The Legend of Zelda series

Black Mage from Final Fantasy

Generic Halloween pumpkin,foetus and Akuma from Street Fighter series

Master Chief from Halo series

Hellboy.Technically not a video game character,but its too pretty to pass over something like that.

Big Daddy from Bioshock.My favourite of them all.I would give my right arm to carve pumpkins as awesome as this one.

Don Vito Corleone from The Godfather.Well,the younger generation recognise the video game more than the film anyways.

Heavy from Team Fortress 2

Pipboy from Fallout 3

Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet

Wario from Warioware series

King Koopa from Super Mario Bros. series

Red Bean Pepsi,Anyone?

2009-10-27T00:35:00.000+08:00

Ahh,Japan.Land of maid cafes,Harajuku fashion and used underwear dispensers(of which has since been banned).A place in which oddity is celebrated and sometimes,strived for.Take Pepsi for example.Not content with finishing second behind Coke in popularity,Pepsi Japan released three limited edition flavours synonymous with Japanese culture.

I'll bring you the least stomach churning one first.

Shiso flavour!Shiso is a Japanese term for Perilla,a herb belonging to the mint family and most households.Not surprisingly,it tastes like cough syrup.

Ice Cucumber flavour!A popular food during those hot sweltering summers,Pepsi has turned the vegetable into liquid form.Probably for those on the go who are to busy to prepare a meal out of it.Which is at least more appetising than the flavour.

Red Bean flavour!It can be found in paus,crisps,dumplings,sweets,chewing gum and now Pepsi!Though the last choice would not be a common sight in your refrigerator anytime soon.

China's RM284.80 PSP

2009-10-09T21:15:00.000+08:00

The motherland's done it again.Each time a new console rolls out,China's top pirating brains would follow suit with their own version.The Polystation anyone?

But this isn't just any knockoff.Oh no.As gaming becomes more technologically advanced,why not the innovative Chinese?Dubbed the PXP(no points for guessing which name it borrows after),this little fake baby boasts a built-in camera,FM radio,drag and drop MP3/MP4 player,SD card slot and 4GB of internal memory.It also contains an emulator allowing it to play NES,Gameboy,Gameboy Colour and Sega Megadrive games.

Not only that,it contains an MP5 player,which hasn't even been invented till those brilliant scientists working at the pirating plants came up with it.

Here are the full specs of the PXP:

Memory: 2GB (holds 500 songs, or Countless Games)

External Memory: SD Card (4GB Max)

TV-Out Function

Display: 3.5 Inch QVGA(320×240) LTPS TFT LCD (16:9)

Video Format: AVI

Conversion formats: RM, RMVB, AVI, WMV, ASF, MPG, MPEG, MPE, MP4, DAT, MOV, DAT

Video Resolution: 320×240

FPS (Frames per Second): 25fps

Music Format: MP3, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC, RM-Audio, AMR, AAC+

Bit rate: MP3 8-320Kbps WMA 5-384Kbps

Picture Format: JPEG, GIF, BMP with zoom

Record Format: WAV

Earphone Jack: dual 3.5mm

SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio): >90dB

Output of earphones: 2×23mW(16Ohms)

Output of Speaker: 23mW

Languages: English, Chinese

USB: 2.0

System: Windows 98/SE/ME/2000/XP Mac OS 10 Linux2.4.2

Power Source: Built-in Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

So what can we learn from this?That we should not be ashamed for wanting the PXP.

RM12,000 In The Mail

2009-10-06T18:22:00.000+08:00

If this letter had come a little bit later,I would have suffered anxiety attacks.Since hearing news of calls from my friends who've also applied,I had been waiting by my handphone all week,never letting it out of my sight.Like a bitch.Like a pre-pubescent schoolgirl waiting for that guy in school to call back.

Well,the waiting is finally over!Yours truly managed to squeeze the rather generous sum of RM12,000 from the meaty paws of HELP University College's principal.This should pay off most of my Foundation in Art course fee,relieving my parents of one less financial burden come the time to finally get me a car.

A second hand Proton will do,thanks.

Anyway,I can't say that I hadn't expected to receive the scholarship.Though I failed 4 subjects in my midterm exams,I have the co-cu record that other applicants can only dream of.Which goes to show that a subpar student who has a life away from books is better than a straight A student with no life whatsoever.

Here's to many more scholarships I'll pry from the hands of other more deserving candidates!

Youth Well Wasted!

Greener Pastures

End Of The Road

Living Second Lives: Animangaki 2010

Say Hello To The Playstation Phone

Express Yourselves With The My Mind Notebook Exhibit!

TEDxYouth@KL Open For Registration!

"To My Dearest Wife": An Eulogy By Lee Kuan Yew

Calvin Minus Hobbes: Fantasy Or Insanity?

4 Ways To Tie A Tie Every Man Should Know

Happy Birthday,Super Mario Bros.!

Stop Jumping On The Government Hate Train

How To Be A Famous Youtube VBlogger!

Breaking Fast With The Prime Minister On Thursday

Infographic,I Choose You!

The Complete History Of All Video Game Consoles(in video form!)

HELP University's School Achiever Scholarship Awards Calling For Applications!

1970's Japanese Spiderman Is Amazing

Moral Studies Video:Malaysian Food In Pusat Bandar Damansara

The Faces Of EVO 2010

Cheer Crazy

Out State,In Style

How Would Pokemon Look Like If They Were Real?

The Human Avatar Project

Get Your Game Face On For Game Max 2010!

My Moral Studies Presentation on Buddhism

My Group's Human Communication Video

The New Nintendo 3DS Is So Sexay I Jizzed My Pants

Mortal Kombat Movie Coming To Cinemas Soon?

My YOUTH'10 Articles In The Star!(Animax Cosplay Comp Pics Included)

My Critical Thinking Skills Slides Presentation

Farmville Ice-cream Invades 7-Eleven

My Muay Thai Article In The Star!(plus Muay Thai photos)

Gender Bender:What If Mario Was A Woman?

What If Video Game Characters Grow Beards?

Street Fighter Short Film Coming Soon!(UPDATED)

How Do Video Game Voice Actors Look Like?

The Evolution Of The Pokemon Centre

Top 5 Best Cartoons From My Childhood(theme songs included!)

Bic 1Malaysia Short Story Competition Up And Running

My Video For Malaysia Airlines Is Done!O Happy Day!

Shoot A Commercial For Malaysia Airlines!

New Super SF4 Character Completes The Roster

Happy 10th Birthday PS2!

Would You Pay US$41,300 For An Old Game Cartridge?

9 Down,1 More To Go For Super SF4's New Fighters

Top 5 Best Chinese Video Game Characters

Happy 10th Anniversary Sims!

From Africa With Love

BRATS 2010 Workshops Open For Registration!

PS3 Games At Your Doorstep

Venezuela's President Condemns Video Games...Again

New Megaman 10 Bosses Revealed(with sprites!)

Video Games Reimagined With Classic Book Covers

Top 5 Best Back-to-School Video Games

The Ten Most Influential Women In Games Of The Past Decade

"I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script" by Josh Olson

Left4Dead Gets The Porn Treatment

Top 5 Video Games Of Christmas Past

Video Game Themed Wedding Cakes

And The Winners Are...

LEGO Harry Potter Video Game Is No Illusion

Want Some Assassin's Creed With Your Sackboy?

Spike TV VGA 2009 On Animax!....Singapore

My YES2009 Articles Are In TheStar!

Youth Engagement Summit 2009:Preview

Which The Best Company In The World?

16 Bad@$$ Video Game Pumpkin Carvings!!!

Red Bean Pepsi,Anyone?

Top 5 Best Video Game Cover Art

China's RM284.80 PSP

RM12,000 In The Mail

Top 5 Most Memorable Video Game Toilets