On the other hand, picking up the package means that I'm forced to go through one of the worst public transportation routes I have ever undertaken ever since I started commuting between my first (crap) job in Quezon City and my Las Pinas home, and that's saying a lot.
The commute to the post office involves two uncomfortable tricycle rides where somehow 5 people magically fit in a single tricyle. Yes, that includes one of said people almost sitting on the lap of another. In addition to that, my trek to the post office somehow always take place on a scorching hot day; certainly not helping ease the fact that I have to walk on hot concrete for several minutes somewhere in between rides. It's a modern-day Penitensya before the Easter Egg Hunt.
In any case, here's what I claimed from the post a few days before my birthday:
I got sorely burned with this particular shipment. I guess I got too complacent with not getting taxed to hell and back with my local customs office (as it should be; I never order anything extravagant online and I make it a point not to let one package exceed $US 50) that I never thought they'd consider a pair of headphones as an electronics item. What happened? my US$ 34.80 package got taxed with "duties" worth 1,000. That's an additional US$ 20. Burn.
On to the actual contents:
The Dissidia potion I got is decorated with Final Fantasy IV's Cecil Harvey and the bad guy Golbez(a). I have no idea how it tastes, though I read somewhere that the soda is Muscat Grape-flavored. Having consumed a couple of other Final Fantasy-branded sodas before, I think I can forgo the taste test and safely say that this Dissidia drink is no different; most probably tasting like carbonated piss with a handful of ascorbic acid tabs thrown in.
Next up is the "7 Alucard by US manufacturer NECA. Figmafags will most likely scoff at me getting a US-manufactured figure, but the awesome detail lovingly applied onto this awesome piece of plastic (from the flowing hair, manly cravat, carefully detail coat buckles, and the maddeningly intricate embroidery in the underside of his coat) is nothing short of [insert synonym to "awesome" here, I'm out of words].
While I wouldn't give too much props to a manufacturer for doing something that they ought to have done in the first place, seeing such loving attention paid to a part that wouldn't see light of day impressed me immensely. Seriously, I wouldn't have noticed the beautiful patterns if it weren't for me trying to see if I could disrobe the figure (and maybe fulfill that ten-year-long fangirl urge ebbing within).
I'd take more pictures, but I'm stuck with a crappy celphone camera and thus images will just get fuzzy whenever I attempt to take close-up shots.
Then we go now to Morinaga's Gundam 00 wafers (or as Ryan would call them, the trap wafers). I thought of ordering one solely for the novelty of it; as much as I loved what I managed to watch of Gundam 00, I'm now really lukewarm towards anything pertaining to the series with the exception of the beautiful Miss Sumeragi.
For each pack you get a big piece of hazelnut-flavored wafer, a transparent plastic card and cardboard backing. I made the big mistake of disregarding the wafer as something that's just chucked into the package so the item can be classified as a consumable item...until I took a bite out of it. No mistake about it, the wafer practically tastes like something made by Loacker: densely packed with delicious filling and not too flaky at all.
The cards that come inside each pack are not too shoddily made either: each are made of transparent plastic, making them good, sturdy bookmarkers. I'm not too keen on the card I got from my first pack, though:
I never liked Nena Trinity.
Since Ryan managed to get a taste of the heavenly wafers earlier, here's his own review:
The Gundam 00 wafer is a strange, strange product. You'd think that something about giant robots with androgynous, mentally-ill pilots would have nothing to do with foodstuffs, but as always, we are reminded that Japan does not roll that way - hence we have this piece of surprisingly palatable wafery goodness emblazoned with the Gundam name. A name long sullied by Gundam seed, but a name nonetheless.
The foil pack contains two things: the wafer itself, a thin cardboard backing to make the package less prone to snapping in half/crumbling into pieces, and the collectible card. Okay, that's three things, but I doubt you'd be buying this little baby for the second item. Unless you're like me and like cardboard a tad bit too much.
The wafer is edible, the cardboard backing and the collectible card itself unfortunately is not.
In any case, the wafer, despite its rather dubious branding and packaging, is actually one of the best-tasting wafers out there. It's dispensed in a pretty big size, the same size as a trading card - and it's solid. You'll be biting through solid layers of wafer and filling - none of the feathery, airy stuff you get at local stores - and you'll be relishing every bite. It's crispy, it's tasty, and you better bet that it's awesome with ice cream. You do not want to order just one or two of these babies. Order an entire box. It's worth the money and the wait.
You heard the man.
The last two items in the shipment are the Space Invaders 30th Anniversary headset (black) and a couple of sticks of Lion Ramune candy. The headset is noteworthy solely because it's the main reason why I got taxed heavily for the shipment. But that aside, it functions just as well as its pink cousin.
..and the Lion Ramune candy? The lemony hard candy fizzes in the mouth. Careful not to consume too many at once, or in a row, though: you don't want to desensitize your tongue.
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That's part one of this shipment review - I received a couple of boxes from Play-Asia earlier today, and I'm going to blog it when I'm finally able.
