Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Cooking for One’s Self

The kitchen is its own recipe book.

 

Or more particularly, the contents of the fridge and the food cupboard are a recipe of its own. That's what I learned during the many times I was left alone to fend for myself and act as housekeeper, something that frequently happened ever since I was a kid.

 

There's never a need for me to look up any recipe whenever I need to cook for myself, or to cook according to any tried and true family concoction. I just get stuff and cook. It's a nice exercise of uberraschung; I'm not too certain about the taste of the end product until its finished cooking.

 

Sometimes, I hit pay dirt with some of the combinations I come up with. Like this one:

 

Unnamed Sweet and Sour Broth

 

  • Water, four cups
  • Tamarind bouillon cube
  • Onions, sliced
  • Leeks, chopped
  • Pineapple tidbits, with light syrup
  • Ginger, crushed
  • Fresh turmeric leaf, crushed
  • Freshly-ground black pepper
  • Powdered oregano
  • Salt

Dump all in an uncovered pot. Cook to boil. Let boil for at least five minutes. Do not eat turmeric leaf.

 

It's really not bad, provided that I stock my fridge and cupboard every two weeks.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Brain just died: King of Fighters Sky Stage

Brain too numb to write anything coherent after seeing the official website for King of Fighters: Sky Stage, so I’ll just do the usual lazy post-your-YM-convo for now.

 

Mai: excuse me
Mai: what is this?
Ryan: What is? D:
Mai: oh...sorry
Mai: this is...confusing
Ryan: Wai D:
Ryan: What is it D:
Mai: King of Fighters Sky Stage
Ryan: Sky Stage? D:
Mai: its a KOF shmup.
Ryan: Uh what? D:
Mai: shoot em up? Ikaruga? Touhou?
Mai: http://sadpanda.us/images/49865-CT2O33Z.jpg
Mai: it's not April 1 right?
Ryan: Uh...yeah D:
Mai: or did I unknowingly go back in time and this is really April 1
Ryan: It's not April 1, and that looks about right D:
Mai: because this is a pretty bad joke
Mai: http://sadpanda.us/images/49866-V7TK1M7.jpg
Mai: I don't know what to think about anymore D:
Mai: is it awesome?
Mai: is it purely retarded?
Ryan: It looks okay...
Ryan: I mean, it makes sense.
Mai: it...does?
Ryan: Kyo has the fireballs, Athena the psychoballs.
Mai: I...I don't know D:
Ryan: Kim Kaphwan would have the kimchi balls
Mai: /;_;\
Mai: please, stop the brain hurt
Ryan: Myuh \;3;/
Mai: I mean, what the hell are they going to shoot in the first place!?
Ryan: Uh, flying....rugal clones??? D:
Mai: I dunno man. I really…
Mai: maybe a flying juggling monkey but I don't think you even know about the juggling monkey in KoF history
Mai: but I think it'll make sense...
Ryan: I dunno that one D:
Mai: yeah I guess you don't...
Mai: *gurgle*
Ryan: D:
Mai: maybe they'll shoot down flying porkbuns or maybe its all a ploy to let fans get what they wanted the most: a game that lets them see Mai's butt every freaking second of the game's duration
Mai: maybe they'll shoot down flying red caps
Mai: I dunno, I dunno. I think I won't be sleeping well tonight
Ryan: Uh D: D: D:
Ryan: Myuh, calm down Mai-Mai \o3o/

Mai: it’s…its a bad world out there.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Poorly suppressed power levels.

The T and I got around to comparing our workstations earlier despite our somehow busy workdays. Behold the signs of barely (if ever) suppressed power levels:


The pic on the left is T's, the one on the right taken with a crappy camera is mine.

...goddamn, he has a Decadriver. In the office. ONORE DI--pffft, whatever.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Yay, pink again.

All that orange was getting to me, so I decided to revert to the usual pink. I’ve had a lot of turtles in some of the past layouts, so I guess its time for some FROG.

 

(Frogs are nice. Looking at them makes me feel like all’s right in the world.)

 

Not much in the way of updates this time, so the following will have to do:

 

Currently Watching:

  • Kamen Rider Decade
  • Bakemonogatari

Currently Playing:

  • SMT Devil Survivor (paused indefinitely; goddamn single save file)
  • SMT Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon

…I just hate games with single save files. Goddammit, I want to break things.

 

Thanks to the Nyan for scribbling the coffee frog x frogstyle banner.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon Raiho Limited Edition mini review

(also, Gundam 00 Multibox Nandemo Haro)

Something awesome happened during my usual weekly date with the Nyan yesterday.
We were facing the front display of the Data Blitz shop in MoA, and our conversation went like this:
Him: Hey, look!
Me: (stares at the display box  of an arcade stick and Wii Fit) Er what?
Him: Look!
Me: (peers at the WoW toy) What am I supposed to look at?
Him: (takes hold of my head and turns it a bit to the side) LOOK!
Me: (sees the SMT Devil Summoner 2 Limited Raiho Edition) OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT
A few minutes and almost three thousand pesos later, we got out of the Data Blitz branch toting around a big yellow plastic bag containing what could be my luckiest find for these past few months:


This is Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon for the PlayStation 2. Now, saying that what I bought is a limited edition of the game really isn't accurate - this is the only edition of the game's North American release, with Raiho plushies thrown into every copy of the game with nary a dollar added to its SRP.

However, the game itself is rare, and each box bears a serial number "to ensure its rarity and collectible value," according to Atlus' press release. (Note to self: when selling items in the internet, add a serial number sticker to increase profits by 50%)


These are the contents: the Raiho plush and the game. The Raiho is immensely cute as promised, sporting its own bancho uniform and sharp sideburns just like his predecessor, Raidou Kuzunoha. He has a little cape , though his bunny tail is nowhere to be found. Leaving out a small detail like this is tantamount to blasphemy, but it's okay. A tailless Raiho is better than no Raiho, after all.


I regretted opening the package when I realized that every copy of the game has its own serial number, but then again I really don't have any plans of reselling it. Raiho and Devil Summoner 2 will join Ouendan and other awesome games in my shelf, and it will of course be the centerpiece.


Oh look, Raiho's snuck out of the box and is trying to hide in--wait, is that a Haro? Yes I believe that's a Haro; The Gundam 00 Multibox Nandemo Haro, to be exact. As hinted by its name, its a Haro that serves as a box to hold various things in: knick knacks, snacks, toys, etc. You may even use it as a desktop trash bin if you like, but...that's a Haro!


I managed to spot it despite its rather unassuming box, which was almost covered underneath a mountain of model kits in Robinson's Galleria's Toys R' Us. The packaging is rather plain, but hey, there's no missing Haro. The box contains the upper and lower half of the Haro, and a stand so it won't go rolling off your desk and to its doom, as well as a sticker sheet containing two pairs of Haro eyes, one black and one red.

I decided to use the black eyes; red against bright orange background doesn't look too good.


It's rather large, and it's by far the biggest Haro in my collection. Shown in this picture alongside the Nandemo Haro for comparison purposes are the pink Haro Capsule, which contained a Gundam Seed figure, and a tiny silver gift Haro that came with additional gift packaging and ribbon.