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StarCraft II Wings of Liberty

The long wait is here!!! The first PC game that caught my attention way back in 1998 and caused endless hours of playing and sleepless nights of trying to finish episodes has released its second installment. Today, July 27, 2010 is the official release date of one of the world’s greatest real-time strategy game, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. This game as we all know was developed by Blizzard Entertainment as the sequel of one of the most successful video game, StarCraft. Together with its expansion pack, StarCraft: Brood War, it captured a big niche for gamers that are in dire need of a superb strategy game. The storyline is well-written and the campaign episodes are exciting to play, as well as the network game.

Blizzard’s other renowned games that proved to be worth playing are WarCraft, a real-time strategy game and Diablo, an action role-playing game. The former has several installments already and the latter has a second installment; Diablo II with expansion pack; Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and is now finalizing the third installment, Diablo III. WarCraft has indeed evolved to be one of the well-played games of all time because of its franchise set from WarCraft: Orcs and Humans, WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness, WarCraft III: Rein of Chaos and to the most successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), the World Of WarCraft.

I remembered the times when I almost skip classes because I was not aware that I played for so long that it is past my bedtime already. But I studied diligently in school to prevent my parents from grounding me for being addicted to this magnificent game. I together with millions of other people across other countries and continents are waiting for this new game to be released. Teasers are produced by the developers and several characters were introduced and the game itself is upgraded. The graphics are so crisp that it is really a joy to simply watch the characters do their thing! It is also so nice to see that some of the old characters and buildings were retained. But of course, as a new chapter or new episodes of our favorite games are developed, we are expecting more innovations and new introductions. As for my favorite race; the Terran, several new units were introduced, such as the Thor, Marauder, Reaper, Hellion, Viking, Medivac, Raven and Banshee. I will not explain their attributes as this can be seen on their official homepage. As for the next race; the Protoss, new units such as Stalker, Sentry, Immortal, Collosus, Phoenix, Void Ray and Mothership graced the game. For the ravaging Zerg, the Baneling, Overseer, Roach, Infestor, Corruptor, Nydus Worm and Brood Lord are good additions to the voracious swarm. The heroes and characters also make a return from the last expansion set like Jim Raynor and Arcturus Mengsk for the Terran, Zeratul for the Protoss and Sarah Kerrigan for the Zerg.

These new units have their own advantages and there are units that can counter this. New maps are drawn and the entire playing field is restructured to be almost 3D like. It is so much overwhelming to see the new episode to be entirely.

Even if there are pirated copies spawned everywhere of the beta version, there is no doubt that I will prefer to purchase the original game. Let us support the fight against pirate syndicates. If this heinous crime will be tolerated, there will be no room for companies to produce and develop more games and the doom for the gaming industry altogether.

I’ve been in hibernation for so long I could not remember how to write again. My schedule in my work plus other work-related things have prevented me to update this blog. However, I could not let the chance just pass by without saying anything about this wonderful event. Well, we are proud to say that we passed the mark of 36 months of being together last May 9 and we celebrated this special day out of town on a well-kept beach resort, named Coco Beach in Puerto Galera.

To start off the story on how we spent that weekend, I somehow managed to hide my plans from her because she haven’t gone yet to Puerto Galera and I wanted to surprise her. I checked their website and I got a good deal on our accommodation and got a room on top of the hill overlooking the ocean and the sunset view is strikingly beautiful. I particularly chose this area to see it first hand and we are not disappointed. The room is detached and we got the feeling of isolation and privacy. The room is clean and spacious enough for two even if there is no air-conditioning. The feeling is really soothing. This is what we are looking for…a place to relax and recharge and look back on how we started.

What I really liked in this is it is isolated from the rest of the other resorts. The beachfront is short but still the sand is fine and powdery white. The entire resort is well planned and the overall design of the resort is fantastic. The staffs are accommodating and it has several restaurants to choose from. It also has a wide range of menu and different activities to do. We like the pools very much and spend most of the time taking pictures of ourselves there much more than in the beach itself.

The only downside is our dinner. I forgot to reserve the dinner by the beach or on the revolving restaurant. Yes, you see it right! There is a revolving restaurant where the entire floor area of the round restaurant tower revolves slowly to give the guests a 360 view of the resort. We are at awe on how this was done. We only managed to dine in the main restaurant. They are understaffed at that time and it is frustrating to see that the waiters are prioritizing the foreigners instead of native guests. Well, it is really sickening in this country to see your fellowmen discriminating instead of the other way around. Fortunately, it is only on that evening and overall we were served well.

The next day, we took the complimentary breakfast buffet, which is really filling and then toured the entire resort. After that, we board on the free boat ride to a different beach and haggle with the boatman to take us to an underwater cave, which astonish us and then went to a mangrove location wherein there are lots of fishes and went snorkeling. Joanne hesitated because she doesn’t know how to swim and was very anxious, but thank God, she agreed to swim as long as I assisted her. The underwater view was fantastic and nothing can beat the environment here!

If only we have more time, I would spend more days in this wonderful resort. It is really invigorating and spending a special occasion with your special someone is truly a blessing.

I know I’ve been talking more about the resort instead of us and looked like more of an endorser of the resort but what I wanted to let everyone know how wonderful we spent that day wherein we saved beautiful photographs enjoying ourselves. I just wanted to spend quality time and be isolated from the rest of our known worlds and just be carefree for once and focus on her and on our relationship.

It is a really great feeling to know that we managed to stay happily in love in spite of what we went through. Several times that we almost broke up, but we handled everything and accepted our faults whenever we have an argument. We never grew tired of each other and tried to spice our relationship whenever we felt that we are going into circles. In short, we are blissfully in love and fully trusted each other. And that is it!

To see the pictures, just click this links:

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/album.php?aid=171306&id=691877087

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/album.php?aid=171309&id=691877087

It’s been a month already and I am still contemplating while writing if I should write or not. I don’t know but days just passed and I haven’t yet got the initiative to write something about our heart’s day date. I even got a post for my birthday, which was 2 weeks after V-Day, but still haven’t got any on our date last Feb 14. Me and my girlfriend talked whether I will write a post about it or not. I have shift on that day, fortunately, I was on the morning shift and I went home early to buy flowers and the humongous card that I saw in the bookstore. The message is really cute, not mushy at all. This is the first time that we celebrated hearts day on the day itself because we don’t want to go with the crowd and all the hassle, but there is always a first for everything, right?!

I checked out several restaurants about 2 weeks ago before that date that I wanted to try but this restaurant got the highest positive reviews above the rest and given a short notice, Bellini’s was able to accommodate us. For one, this was the venue of the movie of John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, which we watched. My girl really liked the film. Well, the restaurant seemed cozy and has an authentic Italian ambiance. Amongst the reviews, many food enthusiasts said that the food was excellent and the atmosphere transported you out of the metropolis and the feeling that you are in Italy.

We went there at around 7 pm. For those who don’t know it, it is by the way in Marikina Shoe Expo, right in the heart of Cubao.

I was impressed by the reviews in Bellini’s that is why I chose to go there on Valentines 2010. However, I am not at all satisfied at the food and the service after we went there that day.

First, we we’re served with the mixed appetizers of breadsticks, bread with something like liver spread and eggplant with cheese, ham and tomato. The eggplant appetizer looked and tasted like it was prepared 4 hours before we order it!

The first plate of pasta was good. I got the Ravioli Rossi Al Tartufo, which is red ravioli with spinach and ham in truffle cream.

My girlfriend got the Fresh Fettucine Scampi E Pomodoro, which is fettucine with shrimp in marinara sauce but also it was good but nothing extravagant about it. It is salty to my taste.

For the second plate, I got the Rotolo Di Pollo Con Formaggio E Panceta or the Chicken Roll with Cheese & Bacon in White Sauce .It was also good but only reminds me of a dish that is served by a caterer everytime I am in an occasion like weddings or birthdays.

My girlfriend got the Pesce Amore Mio Alla Toscana , which only has a single prawn, two clams and two mussels..the serving is really small, a kid might not even appreciate it, like the first one, it’s just a mediocre dish.

Then the waiter suddenly told us that the dessert that we ordered, the Panna Cotta were already out of stock! After eating everything! Why didn’t he told us in the first place?!

The dessert that were offered to us were Tortella Alla Crema Di Fragola or Strawberry Cream Tart and Obama Cake. Both were truly great but my girlfriend could not eat much of the tart and the slice of cake because it is too sweet and your blood sugar will surely shoot.

Waiters are shouting at each other while attending to customers. I need to get their attention twice just to get the bill, and received it after 15 minutes!

The price on the set menu didn’t justify at all the food and service. It is really high beyond expectation. They are taking advantage of this special day, well, may be not only this restaurant, but also other establishments including other restaurants, hotels and resorts out there.

The food and service is not that really great as expected after all the hype about this place, but considering the day itself and the person that I am celebrating it with, I can say that our date was perfect!

Got mixed feeling about today’s personal event. I don’t know what to expect.

Things are running wildly in my mind, priorities are all scuttled. Thinking what future may hold and how the past molded me. I’m thinking did I lend a hand to others that needed me? Have I ever made someone happy?

I have been asked about my plans for this day for a couple of weeks already by family and friends, but I cannot think of doing something worth relevant. Spending my time with them is all I can think of.

I just remembered my post last year. I read it again to see how I fare, and I think I am much happier right now. You may read it again through this link:

http://www.melvindiaz.com/2009/02/26/seize-the-day/

Today is February 26 and the date of my birth and I have a lot to thank for. My family and how their guidance has shaped me. My friends and how they managed to provide support every time I needed it. I will also thank all the trials and difficulties I experienced; for those circumstances have assisted me and made me what I am today. But most importantly is my ever loving and considerate girlfriend that never ceased in loving me even if all are already lost.

I am feeling these all sounded like I’m making a speech in an awards night hehehe!

I fervently hope that as I grew one year older, wisdom will also follow. Together, age should accompany wisdom. And with wisdom, anything can be possible. Things are not rushed and decisions will be wisely made. Regrets are but a thing of the past.

Well, I may have age a little bit, but still have more to prove.

I don’t know if we are on the right year or if we are lagging behind in technology where we should already have achieve; but if we are on the right track and everything is in the right order, then well this is a huge leap in technology. After watching this video, it made me stare in a blank wall. It clearly shows that everything that we watched before in sci-fi films can happen and probably be knocking already in our front door, waiting to be let in.

I rarely admire Indians unless he or she is an extraordinary individual with a capacity to change the world. But Pranav Mistry is not just any normal individual. Genius is what I can describe of him with an extreme appetite for innovation.

I thought this would happen in the next 20 or 50 years, but watch how this genius showed the world that everything is possible. He already holds the key in probably the greatest invention of the millennium.

Please watch the entire video…

Just as Google made public its new smartphone, the Nexus One, here comes Apple with its latest innovation… the iPad.

Yeah you see it right and I am not dumb to misspell it. The new Apple tablet has just been unveiled by no other than Mr. Steve Jobs and it is like an oversized iPhone in size and in its features.

The 9.7 inch display and half an inch thick and just weighs one and a half pound comes with the same 16 and 32 GB of flash memory storage. It boasts of 10 hours of battery life and a month for standby time.

It has a built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities for Internet usage and a nearly full-size keypad. Basically it can load and run any application that you can run on your iPhone.

It is a tablet PC which is just larger than the iPhone but smaller than the normal laptop.

The price is the real attention grabber. You can purchase one for only $499! Yes you see it right, only $499 for the 16GB model and $599 for the 32GB model. Also a 64GB model is expected to cost $699.

3G models are also expected to be released which is much pricier than the basic models.

It is also announced that AT&T will offer units with data plan.

Experts says that there is nothing much to expect than getting a larger screen for an iPhone or iTouch. Also, some missing features are the built-in camera and Flash is still not supported for the Web browser.

The only thing that may lure consumers in this new innovation from Apple is the price; which for many may or may not be a big factor because features are better weighed than the price tag.

Nexus One might be the only smartphone in the market that could beat iPhone in the next couple of months or years. Search Engine giant Google released the Nexus One on January 5, 2010 and critics are anxious on how well it could fare with the iPhone.

There are many advantages and disadvantages this new rival phone has with iPhone. But the very prominent now is the Nexus One comes unlocked. Whereas in iPhone, it is locked with AT&T. Many would-be users will certainly be enticed in checking out this phone because they do not need to sign a contract with AT&T.

The Internet Search Engine giant’s Android operating system real advantage is being an open-source platform, application developers can simply write a program and see it run instantly; whereas in Apple, they needed approval for up to 15 days.

Nexus One also boasts improved speed. The camera capabilities are also enhanced by a 5-megapixel resolution with built-in flash. IPhone only has 3.2-megapixel camera.

The speed difference lies on the latest SnapDragon processor from Qualcomm runs on 1GHz. Apple only runs at 600MHz.

Other hardware features are as follows: 512 MB of RAM, 512 MB internal storage, 4 GB microSD card, light sensors, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi capability and GPS receiver. Also noise cancellation is greatly improved by two microphones. It is also noted that the screen of Nexus One is much larger than that of the iPhone. It has a trackball that illuminates on different notifications.

It works on GSM network, so it might not have any issues on other carriers worldwide.

Initially, it was released on January 5, 2010 on Google’s new web store at $529. You may also sign for a two-year contract with T-Mobile for $179.

I’m very much excited with this new smartphone rivaling the undefeated lord of smartphones, the iPhone. I cannot wait for its release in my area.

In a few hours and 2009 will be over. Let us celebrate the coming of the New Year 2010! I have been into a very deep slumber and it is only today that I managed to write something and I know that this is the right time to reminisce all that happened in my life for the past 12 months.

Lots of new things came my way and I welcome change with open arms. I went from one account in our company to the other in just the same year. I rarely travelled these days due to schedule constraints, but I’ve been able to go to places I’ve have never been before. New opportunities arise and some money making ventures were tried.

2009 is a good year for me and I know for most people also.  Tragedy struck our country and countless lives were lost. But we are still able to move on. The election is creeping in this coming year and candidates are slowly making their moves. We hope that the new officials that will be elected will be matured and responsible enough on their new responsibilities in leading the country to a more prosperous year.

I thank god for all the blessings that He showered me on this year. Good health, my family is still bonded together. My relatives and friends are still there supporting us on all of our endeavours.

But what I really thank God for is my one and true love that is constantly supporting me all the way…loving me in each and every way she could. I pray for the Almighty that our relationship will be much stronger than before.

Happy New Year to you all!

This article is long past due and eating dust already. My apologies to my readers because I wasn’t able to write anything on October because of the ongoing transition and the stress I’m experiencing in switching jobs and of course the deluge that we all recently experienced.

It’s been a while since I last wrote an article. I actually scheduled myself to write immediately but wasn’t able to because of the mess that the flood left us from Typhoon Ondoy last September 26, plus the fact that we don’t have electricity for a couple of days and no telephone service and internet connection up until today.

I wanted to write something about the distressing tragedy that befallen our country before the end of September and still felt the heavy ordeal that this has caused on our countrymen.

My family too is one of the victims of the onslaught of this disaster. Water is everywhere, it is waist deep inside our house and you can actually dive and swim outside because it is more than 10 feet and the current was strong. Some of our appliances are destroyed. Our car was submerged, but thank God no one was hurt.

Biblical type of flood never before experienced in our history swept the metro by a single typhoon that fateful Saturday morning that lasted for several days for and weeks in some areas.

Words cannot describe the devastation that these two typhoons brought. Numerous lives were lost. Countless homes were shattered. Incalculable worth of properties were simply washed away.

Writing something to describe what really happen will go on and on and might take several articles, and probably it will take weeks or months to express the full ravage of the two typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” that devastated our metropolis and country sides.

A really delayed post about adventure and team camaraderie.

Fostering team solidarity is one of the objectives of our trip to Phillip’s Sanctuary and is also what the owners are promoting in this eco-recreation park. Of course, we’re also here to have fun and relax our hearts out from the hustle and bustle of city life and the nerve shattering work at the office.

The trip started late afternoon on August 29-30, 2009, a little late because of some delays and the usual city traffic, but when we are already outside the city, the feeling of going out of town is in the air, all are excited and we filled our rented vehicle with laughter and hilarious jokes.

It’s quite late when we arrived at the site, and we are not aware that the place does not have electricity. Well, given the remote location, it is expected. There is an electric generator beside our log cabin that provided just enough light in the lodge and will be off before midnight. We did not waste any time and we started unpacking and set to cook. No gas stove or whatsoever but just grills. Well, no problem because we really intend to grill pork barbeques and fish and have an already packed lunch so the food that we grilled was our “pulutan” for that evening’s main event!

We enjoyed the rest of the night unwinding with a couple of alcoholic drinks and lots of stories and pictures to be reminisced after our teambuilding.

The only downside that evening was the nonstop pouring of rain since we got there. Without electricity before we sleep will be a real hassle for most of us who are not used to staying outdoors, but the rain that night is also a good thing because it kept mosquitoes from pestering us and the cool breeze acts as nature’s air-conditioning.

Come morning, and everyone is anxious what await us. We took a light breakfast and off we go to the real adventure. First, we are introduced with the owner’s grandson Steve who will be our facilitator. He mentioned a brief description of the place and the amenities and activities. We are also grouped into two and we need to cooperate with our own team and compete with the other.

The first thing we do on our adventure package is the zip line. Everyone had their share of screaming and excitement. Lots of pictures were taken already. I actually tried it twice because I could not get enough!

Then, we tried to squeeze ourselves in a series of holes in a web-like rope structure. It really busted our brains and physically challenged us on how we can transfer ourselves to the other end without touching the rope structure.

The other obstacles are net climbing, mud crawl, tight rope walk, river log balance, hanging bridge, and lastly is the tarzan jump. Personally, I like the mud crawl because it brings out the beasts in us! No more hesitation on our female teammates and we all crawl like pigs and bathe in mud like water buffalos!

I will not elaborate more how we managed to do all of these but laughter and lots of photos are not missing on any of these activities!

I will definitely endorse this place. If you are all bored of the usual venue for teambuilding like swimming, videoke and drinking sessions, then this is for all of you!

We are at first uncertain to try, but we are not at all disappointed of what came out because we really enjoyed our short stay at the sanctuary.

You can see the album of our teambuilding at my facebook, multiply and friendster accounts at

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=100634&id=691877087

http://mlvnz.multiply.com/photos/album/14/Team_Ian_TB_at_Philip039s_Sanctuary_082909#

http://www.friendster.com/viewphotos.php?a=295914535&uid=3201165

For inquiries, you may also visit Philip’s Sanctuary at http://www.phillips-sanctuary.com