Written on 10:35 AM by DRV
"Too legit. Too legit to quit."
This is a new feature on my blog that I'll be doing every week for MCOM 100W, but this is something that sounds really fun and quite productive. Basically, I can take a quote, a poem, a clip, anything set of words that makes a statement, and just say what I feel about it.
I really couldn't think of anything, but this quote came to mind. It's from former rapper, M.C. Hammer and his hit song entitled "Too Legit."
Being legit has been a big part of me this year. It's probably mostly because of my position in Akbayan. I'm the Internship Coordinator and my interns have decided to call themselves the Leadership Empowered Group in Training which in short is... L.E.G.I.T.
But the song has a lot of meaning. In this world, there's a lot of "fake" people who try to bite off more than they can chew. But in actuality, people should really get involved with things that they have a passion for. If the passion is there, odds are high that you won't quit--that's what makes people legit.
Merrian-Webster defines "legit" or "legitimate" as "having full rights by birth."
We all legitimately have the right to be here, but it takes true passion to belong and be accepted.
With that, my "Word of the Week" is "legit."
Posted in
Word of the Week
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Written on 7:46 PM by DRV
Okay, I don't often post about the newest gadgets, but I thought I'd offer my two cents about Apple's latest, and supposedly greatest, mobile machine.
It's stupid.
Sorry, but that's what it is. Steve Jobs claims it's time for something to have in between the smart phone and the laptop (or in his case, the iPhone and the MacBook), but this just seems like a waste of money.
In the most basic sense, Apple's iPad is a touch screen tablet. Yep, it's pretty much an iPod touch XXL. I say iPod touch because the device isn't a phone. Unless you're using a random video phone app, or Skype, you won't be making any calls. The only communication you'll have with the outside world is through chat, social networking, or tweeting. The iPad is a sleek, thin device with a 9-inch LCD that has the ability to browse the web, check e-mail, organize and view pictures and slideshows, and it also works as a media hub for those iTunes freaks out there or those who like to put digital copies of movies into their mobile devices--not to mention it has an iPod built in.
Sure, it might be the coolest way of surfing the web, but that's about it. It's hard to see a real use for such a device in any home. While the device is definitely good to look at, and I'd imagine a joy to use--it doesn't seem like there's room for such a device in any home or bag. Most people who have a smart phone have a computer, and I know all sorts of people who have an iPhone--a lot of them no longer need anything else, especially on the go.
I can see why the item is $500, and it just might be worth it. But do I think it'll be a necessity like the modern smart phone and laptop computer? I seriously doubt it.
Posted in
Apple,
iPad,
iPod,
MacBook
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Written on 11:51 AM by DRV
Demon's Souls (PS3) - 9.0
Definitely a surprise. Though the game plays like a glorified dungeon-crawler (I'm not a big fan of dungeon crawlers), the story and the challenging and unique gameplay is what will keep you in. A triumphant pat on the back for Atlus.
Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) - 9.0
Let's admit it. They are plenty of likable and unlikable main characters and villains in the Final Fantasy games. This game finally brings them all together to make a hell of a brawler.
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS) - 8.0
Every bit as good as The Curious Village with an even better story.
Madden NFL 10 (Wii) - 7.3
More of the same, with a better online mode.
Madden NFL 10 (PS3, Xbox 360) - 8.3
Lots of changes in Madden have resulted in a slower, but more realistic game of football.
Space Invaders Extreme 2 (DS) - 6.9
Pretty much the same game as the first.
Nerf N-Strike Elite (Wii) - 6.8
The cool thing is the Nerf gun that comes with the game. Other than that, it'll keep your kids busy.
Hasbro Family Game Night 2 (Wii) - 6.6
Wanna play board games but don't wanna shell out the $30 each? If you have a Wii, this might be a good stocking stuffer.
Tekken 6 (PS3, Xbox 360) - 8.2
"The Year of the Fighter" comes to a close with a strong entry into the Tekken series.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) - 8.7
Probably the most fun you'll have with any friend(s) this year on the Wii.
Posted in
DS,
Gamer 2.0,
PS3,
PSP,
Reviews,
Wii
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Written on 3:09 AM by DRV
Got Wii Sports Resort this evening, and I've played it so much, I already wrote my review on it.
It's up on SmashPad, but you can get it here.
I gave the game an 8.9 out of 10. It's not as high a score as Little King's Story, but it still exceeds the expectations of many. Definitely worth a buy. Plus, you get the WiiMotion Plus accessory for free.
I don't even know why I'm up. I have work in less than six hours.
- DRV
Posted in
Gamer 2.0,
Wii
|
Written on 1:38 PM by DRV
A few weeks ago, I won a PS3 auction on eBay for a whopping low price of $220.50. Unfortunately, that seller has yet to send me my PS3, so as a result, I filed a claim against him. If he doesn't respond to that claim by Tuesday, I'll get paid back in full.
Of course, should he respond, and I actually do get the PS3, that means I'll have two... and I can easily re-sell that on eBay. No problem.
So yes, I won another auction a few days ago, but instead of $220.50, it was $310. No big deal though. I mean it's a 60GB model (an out-of-production model that is backwards compatible with PS/2 games), and it came with Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Babel, and a copy of Resistance: Fall of Man. While I have no interest in those two BluRay movies, I also have no interest in that free game.
In the meantime, because of GameCrazy's superb MVP Buy 2, Get 1 Free deal, I was able to nab copies of Street Fighter IV, SoulCalibur IV, Grand Theft Auto IV, and LittleBigPlanet. Yeah, that's a lot of IV's.
I've spent most of my time updating the console's firmware, downloading things such as PlayStation Home and some other things that seem to enhance the experience. The problem is that since I'm on a basic AT&T high-speed connection, I find myself simply here on the net waiting while things download. I really wish I had a faster connection, because most of the time, especially when booting up a game I haven't played before, I have to update to the latest version and download the latest content.
Right now I'm watching my brother use Darth Vader in Soul Calibur IV. As for my actual gameplay, I've just been playing mostly Street Fighter IV and LittleBigPlanet. Both very solid games. I also hope to build up my trophy collection soon.
In the meantime, I'll take on all challengers, but since I'm on AT&T, don't hate me if our connection suddenly falls... :-\
I'll update this post with pictures of my happiness soon.
Posted in
Gamer 2.0,
PS3,
Street Fighter
|
Written on 1:13 PM by DRV
First, I'd like to apologize if my last blog sounded a little moody. But hey, that's what happens when you're used to being busy all the time.
Here are a few links to a few editorials I got done over the passed few weeks.
HANDS-ON - Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)
Dissidia is a fighting game developed by Square Enix that features both heroes and enemies found in just about every Final Fantasy (flagship) title that's been released. The PSN demo features The Onion Knight, Terra, Cloud, and Sephiroth as playable characters.
REVIEW - Little King's Story (Wii)
Little King's Story is like Pikmin, but more dark, unpredictable, and addictive. Because of its cartoonish nature, it will fall under the radar. Don't let that happen. This game just might be the Wii Game of the Year. 9/10
REVIEW - Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
Atlus' critically appraised SMT series makes its debut in style with Devil Survivor. While it may have its similarities with The World Ends With You, it's not like that game was bad anyway. 9.1/10
REVIEW - The Legendary Starfy (DS)
Nintendo has a new series on their hands that's been in Japan for quite a while. Resembling Kirby but being as deep as Mario, The Legendary Starfy is a perfect game with playability on a long road trip. 8/10
REVIEW - Flower, Sun, and Rain (DS)
Developed by the same folks who brought us classics like No More Heroes on the Wii and Killer 7 on the GameCube and PlayStation 2, Flower Sun, and Rain is the port of a bland PS2 game. 4.6/10
REVIEW - Knights in the Nightmare (DS)
An extremely complex game that includes reflex-challenging controls in the form of an isometric Strategy RPG. There is no game quite like it, but at the same time--it's not for everybody. 8.7/10
REVIEW - MySims Racing (Wii, DS)
A kart-racing title that will resemble Mario Kart despite vague differences. Good for a rental. 5.1/10
REVIEW - The Sims 3 (PC, Mac)
I hardly even play PC games, but this was probably the most fun I've had so far this year. 9.4/10
So if you're bored, give those a read! Thanks.
- D
Posted in
DS,
Gamer 2.0,
Handheld Review,
MacBook,
PCN,
Previews,
PSP,
Reviews,
Wii
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Written on 6:35 PM by DRV
I know, I've lacked a real update in quite a while. It's been a combination of both being busy and just flat out laziness. I've been taking hours at H&M all summer, simply continuing to save money. Of course, with school tuition to pay for, and then little things like video games and clothes--it's quite hard to save.
But I have now stopped spending so much on food. I bring my own lunch to work every day, and that's really helping me relieve some of my funding.
When I get home, I'm just really tired. The only things I really have energy for involve sitting down, or some sort of screen. Basically, I've been gaming hard with Final Fantasy X, and just spending the rest of my time online, doing random things--heh, OMGPOP and Twitter, to be quite frank.
There's just no energy. I know I said I'd be working out all summer, but it's turn into a weekly thing. I work so much there's just no time. Of course, that's what people always say, but nothing motivates me.
Every day I wake up when I don't have work, staying home. My main circle of friends have their own engagements. One works, two go to summer school, and the other one is someone who stays home and wants to do nothing but that. There's really nothing that excites me, and when they do want to have a night out, it's usually just to eat... either that, or it's during a time when I'm busy.
I've always prided myself on being a busybody, but now even I'm starting to question the things I do. I'm the Internship Coordinator of Akbayan Pilipino-American Organization of San Jose State University, but other than the fact that I want to give back to the organization, should I really be doing that? I'm a Part-Time Sales Associate at H&M, but do I want to stay in fashion retail? I'm an Associate Editor at Gamer 2.0, but the site has been down for a couple months due to a series of events out of my control--why should I care? I'm a journalism student at San Jose State, but do I really want to write for the rest of my life? I'm a Junior Performing Artist for the Hiyas Philippine Folk Dance Company--but after three years, I still haven't been recruited to the core group, so why do I still bother?
I'm half-way into my college career, and barring any drastic changes, I'll be graduating soon and heading out in the real world. At this point, it's hard to tell where I see myself within the next five years simply because I'm doing too much stuff.
But if I wasn't doing all this, I'd feel unfulfilled.
I don't know what's up. Maybe it's because I've either been cooped up in this damn house for so long or just because I'm overworked, but honestly -- I feel totally behind in life.
Posted in
akbayan,
Journalism,
SJSU
|
Written on 10:14 AM by DRV
It's summer time. Since then, I've only had five days off. I worked out on four. I'm considering doing it today, but the weather is a little gloomy. I'll probably still go out anyway.
So what's best to do when you're staying home? Aside from being productive and doing chores, there's video games. It's been a while since I've played a game for the sake of my own enjoyment. It was last year when I beat Final Fantasy VII in preparation for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII--which I also beat. I've also been playing Pokemon Platinum, and I'm nearing the Elite Four. Maybe I should beat this game first.
But aside from that, here's my entire gaming backlog at first glance.
If you don't know what a backlog is, it's a set of games that own but have never finished. A lot of them I've never even started.
Here we go!
PlayStation 2
- Final Fantasy X
- Final Fantasy XII
- Jak 3
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
- Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2
GameCube
- Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
- Star Fox Adventures
- Star Fox Assault
Wii
- MadWorld
- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
- Okami
- Punch-Out!!
- No More Heroes
- Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
DS
- Chrono Trigger
- Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
- Pokemon Pearl
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
- Fire Emblem: Dragon Sword
Posted in
DS,
GameCube,
Gamer 2.0,
PS2,
PSP,
Wii
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Written on 11:26 AM by DRV
Summer 2009 looks to be a bit more chill after I get through some of the hardships in my life.
For those of you who didn't know, I was in a car accident on the 27th of April. I really don't want to talk about it here, but if you're wondering how that turned out, I'm always available to talk.
The damages are going to cost me well over $3800, especially if State Farm really believes it's my fault--and hey, it's NOT.
Anyway, grades came out today. The one I really dreaded was for my ADV 91 class, and I ended up getting a B+. Once again, the worst grade I got this semester is a C, and I actually got a handful of them. I took 8 classes this semester, while working 20 hours a week, being a part of Cab, PCN Core, and doing almost every aspect PCN had to offer (except AK).
Speaking of Akbayan, I was just elected Internship Coordinator. It took a lot of thought to ultimately decide on this position. Most of the organization thought I'd be a shoo-in for PCN Coordinator, but I see next year as a transitional year where most of us will have to adjust to change. Barring a huge setback or change of thought, I'll run for PCN Coordinator in 2010 when I have more of an idea of how it'll be. There's too much uncertainty going to next year's show, and I still have a lot of manuscripts to decipher before obtaining a role as Artistic Director next season. (I'm not teaching dance the way it's supposed to be taught; not stealing choreography from Bayanihan DVD's and YouTube PCN Vids).
As stated in my vlog, I'm working on full-time hours with H&M because I really need the money. On days when I'm not working, I've set up a rigorous workout plan as well. I want to get involved with Austin's REVAMP program, but in all honesty--I can't commit to attending every session because of work, and spending an extra $100 won't help my cause. My best option would be to just do it on my own.
In the meantime, my enrollment appointment isn't until June 19th. I really don't know what to pick yet. I'm still on the fence with both journalism and advertising, and all of a sudden, marketing looks like a viable major as well. But if I switched to marketing, that would delay graduation a year, and I'm actually ahead if I stay in the College of Journalism and Mass Communiations.
I do know, however, that I'll be doing the MCOM 100W class. That's all though. The JMC website took off my guide, so I'm really lost at this point.
Enjoy your summer!
Posted in
SJSU
|
Written on 1:03 PM by DRV
Below are audio projects that I've done for the 63 and 64 class. They're uploaded on Ning, so if you're not a member of my social networking Ning site, you should join it before clicking any of the links.
Dr. V (Danreb Victorio) and J-Cap (Justin Lacap) talk about working. [MP3 file.]
Mad Cows Project with Bryant, Brenda, Veronica, and Justin. Cow News! [MP3 file.]
Enjoy!
- DRV
Posted in
school,
Social Networking
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Written on 12:44 PM by DRV
Posted in
school
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Written on 2:09 PM by DRV
This is a video I made using Apple's iMovie. This is for the Video Project we in my media class. The thoughts in this video are not necessarily those made by San Jose State University or the Akbayan Pilipino-American Organization.
Posted in
school
|
Written on 2:09 AM by DRV
I just talking to a friend from high school, and he told me this...
"The art of spoken word is somewhat played out now."
While this guy has a hip hop ground and is in to a lot of things I really don't care that much for, I have to agree.
You won't like what I have to say, but here it is. Spoken word is overrated. You know what's more overrated? Filipino-American-based spoken word.
Yeah, I get it. It's about the history. Know your history, know yourself. No history, no self. Been there. Heard it. Done it. But even still--with Fil-Am Spoken Word. It's always the same. It's always about the elder struggle. It's always about the argument of the lack of an identity. It's always about shouting about who you are, with some swearing on the side.
Sorry, the gimmick is over. You can go ahead and talk about your life and struggle to get to where you are, but honestly--there are other people who've gone through a lot worse. These people made better uses of their time writing books.
Maybe it's just the fact that I've never really been a fan of it. Granted, I've heard some great flow, especially from one of my friends who I've known a couple of years. But other than that--it's overrated.
If I were forced to listen to Spoken Word, it's better off being a girl reciting it, because the gentle, sweet sound of a woman's voice adds more of a personal and cutting narrative to each story. But that's where it gets you to think.
Why does a lot of the Spoken Word today have to be so negative? Why is it always a bitchfest about traditional-themed parents? I want to hear a Filipino recite spoken word talking about great life is. I want spoken word to be about poetry again.
People can go on and on about the daily struggle that is their life--but that's not poetry.
Posted in
Fil-Am
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Written on 2:03 PM by DRV
I'm sitting in my MCOM 63 New Media class learning some basic Photoshop. I already know enough of the basics to hold my own, so I edited an image.
Here's the before and after shots.
BEFORE AFTER
I simply changed the background by cropping the guy out of it, and then I smudged the nose and chin to make him have a bigger nose and somewhat of a bearded effect. Nothing too fancy.
Posted in
photoshop,
school
|
Written on 2:52 PM by DRV
Today after church and lunch with my family, I had a little time to just go on a YouTube rampage, looking at random videos to satisfy my need for entertainment, and I ran across a music video about adobo.
Overall the video was extremely hilarious, but there were some themes--mainly sexual--that would be pretty offensive. Usually when I go about looking at Filipino-themed vids, I usually have my mom take a look as well.
This is one thing I really wouldn't want to show her, but I'll show it to you guys because you'd probably get a kick out of it.
---
Now, just to keep consistency with the blog's title. What do you guys think about adobo? While it is probably the most famous dish in Philippine cuisine, I think it's awfully overrated. I mean, everybody knows about it, and now we're seeing music videos produced because of this meat dish with plenty of soy sauce and vinegar.
Maybe my family doesn't make it as well as others, or maybe it's because I have adobo almost every week. But I just don't find adobo worth all the attention. What about caldereta? Igado?
Well, that's all I have to say.
Posted in
Fil-Am,
YouTube
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Written on 12:26 AM by DRV
Like every other college student, I spend a lot of time on Facebook. I don't particularly know why we go about this phenomenon, but it's really a good treatment for boredom. It's different from Friendster and MySpace in the sense that in Facebook it's easier to come across acquaintances (I don't say friends, because you can't all the people you "know" your "friends.") Also, since it doesn't allow much HTML, custom backgrounds and themes are out of the question--which make Facebook a cleaner, and more responsive website than a lot of the other trash there is online.
One of Facebook's formerly original features was the "Status Update," which has since then been ripped off by MySpace, with the only original feature they have being people's moods. It doesn't really end there, though. The popularity of the Status Update has allowed a new website to come onto the scene that was developed last summer--Twitter.
Twitter is simple. All you do on that site is update your status by answering the age-old question, "What are you doing?" Now, Twitter has been installed into pretty much everyone's phones and mobile devices, with people Twittering left and right. In Twitter, instead of friends, you have followers, and you also have the option of following other people.
How does this relate to the new Facebook? Well, Facebook has taken a page out of MySpace's book by trying to eliminate the competition by joining in with the fun. For an example, sign up for your own Twitter feed and compare the homepages of both sites. They look pretty darn similar.
The change with Facebook isn't as drastic as the change that was made in late 2008, but now, instead of doing a re-design, they just changed the streamlined experience. A traditional homepage with Live Feed would tell us who wrote on other people's walls. While we still have that option, it's been changed to Person 1 > Person 2 "wall message here." This all just adds more awkwardness to the pages.
The most noteworthy change is in the profiles. Previously, in order to update your status, you had to clear it and then type it in. Now, it's a lot harder to differentiate your status and a wall post, so when you change your status--it makes it look like you wrote on your own wall.
So this is what we've come to. The new Facebook isn't lame... it just makes us look more lame than we are.
Thanks for making me realize I'm lame, Facebook. I'm going go Twitter now.
Posted in
Facebook,
MySpace,
Social Networking,
Twitter
|
Written on 12:09 AM by DRV
I've added another member to my electronic family today.
Over the passed 12 months, I've picked up the Wii, another PlayStation 2, a second DS Lite due to the first being broken, a crappy prepaid cell phone, and an iPod touch. Add a MacBook to that list.
I see this investment as something I'll really cherish. It's just that the timing was quite questionable. The biggest problem with my first laptop, the Dell Inspiron 1501, was that it was oftentimes unresponsive. Why? Because it only had 512 MB of RAM. When I found out that was an issue, I bought two 1 GB RAM cards to update it to 2 GB. Huge difference, and the Dell is a better laptop because of it.
But whatever, the battery is still lame. It's my fault since I kept the thing plugged in, but still. 3 minutes? Hardly worth anybody's time.
This MacBook already comes equipped with 2 GB of RAM, a hard drive that's double the size of my old Dell, and it just gives me more options quite due to the fact that it's a Mac. Why does it give me more options? Because now, I have two laptops of opposing operating systems. I wouldn't be surprised if I bought a Unix system soon--just kidding.
I'll leave you guys with a few pics of this happiness. But if you're my friend on Facebook, you've probably already seen them.
There it is, first being open.
Talk about green packaging.
Here's one more look at the POS1501.
Posted in
Apple,
DS,
iPod,
MacBook,
PSP
|
Written on 12:40 AM by DRV
In case you guys don't already know, Gamer 2.0 is in charge of a blog site called SmashPad. The staff at Gamer 2.0 is full of young guys who definitely know their way around the industry, and they write down-to-earth pieces when it comes to covering video games. SmashPad gives the staff a chance to provide more opinion and commentary for their readers, and it also provides for more social interaction for their readers.
Last week I had two blogs published, one is about the lack of a Wii Classic Controller Pro in the United States, and the other is about the upcoming release of the Nintendo DSi.
Definitely give them a read when you get a chance!
- DRV
