Chuck Selected Quotable Quotes (S01E01, S01E02)

Here are some selected quotes from the TV series Chuck, Episodes 1 and 2. I'll post more at a later time. For the time-being, enjoy. :)

Bryce: It's hard to say goodbye

---

Chuck: Hi! Hi! Uh, phone trouble again?

Sarah: Uh, yeah. I'm not sure I'm able to receive calls 'coz... I never got one from you.

(Yeah, every nerd's dream... Hehe)

---

Chuck: Is that your big secret, by the way? 'Coz I've been sitting here trying to figure out what's wrong with you.

Sarah: Oh plenty, believe me.

Chuck: So I was thinking either she's a cannibal or she's really not that funny. And I was pulling for cannibal because I never met one before.

Sarah: Uh, not a cannibal, but I did just come out of a long relationship, so I may come with baggage.

Chuck: Well, I can be your very own baggage-handler.

(yeah, smooth moves!)

---

Sarah: Okay. I may have to point my gun at you so just don't freak out.

Chuck: Why?

(Casey enters scene.)

Casey: It's late. I'm tired. Let's cut the crap and give him to me, now. He belongs to the NSA.

(Sarah points gun to Chuck.)

Sarah: CIA get's him first.

(Chuck points gun to Sarah.)

Sarah: You come any closer and I shoot him.

Chuck: Sarah.... I'm feakin' out!

---

Sarah: I need you to do one more thing for me.

Chuck: Yeah.

Sarah: Trust me, Chuck.

---

(After flashing on Sarah.)

Chuck: Don't freak out.

---

Sarah: Well... No sign of anything here.

Chuck: Looks like we'll be sending the good doctor in an ashtray

Sarah: Okay, well I've got hotdogs to fry

Chuck: And I've got some toasters to sell.

---

Chuck: He's got Sarah, we've got to save her.

Casey: Brilliant deduction Nancy Drew. Now pull out the tranq dart!

---

Chuck: That was the doctor, right? He's probably not dead.

Casey: The sun sets in the west, nothing gets by you.

---

Sarah: WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?

Chuck: Clammy hands, got it. No good.

Sarah: Chuck, the secrets that you know are incredibly important! You compromised everything when you stopped trusting me...

Casey: And when you got out of the car!

Chuck: Uhm, listen uhm.. I'm sorry okay?

Sarah: No, it is not okay. How could you think I was the double, huh? You know I am not Bryce. Bryce betrayed everything that I believe in and if you ever accuse me of that again then I will walk away, mission over. We all go back to Washington. And you do not want that to happen, Chuck. That you should trust me on.

(Sarah leaves. Casey waits until Sarah is quite a distance away, then says...)

Casey: Way to go, ace!

---

Casey: What happens to Chuck when this is done?

Dir. Beckman: You'll do what you do best.

---

Sarah: Some people want to be heroes and other's have to be asked. So... Chuck, are you ready?

---

Pacquiao vs Diaz Result and Highlights

Well, that was lightning fast. The Pacman knocks out David Diaz in the 9th round with 36 seconds remaining.

Congratulations to Manny Pacquiao for soundly defeating Diaz beyond the shadow of a doubt and winning the WBC Lightweight Champion.

Round Highlights:
Pacman dominated all of the nine rounds both in the general scores and in the number of power punches thrown and landed (with Pacquiao throwing around a hundred punches per round, against Diaz's around fifty punches per round).

If I were a judge in the bout, I would score it either 10-9 in all rounds except perhaps round 2 which I score 10-8 (due to "first blood"), all in favor of the Pacman.

Round 2 First Blood: Pacquiao shows how much his right hand has developed. Using a right-hand bodyshot followed by a right-hand uppercut, Pacquiao drew first blood, cutting Diaz on the bridge of the nose.

Round 3 Headbutt: Pacquiao acccidentally headbutts Diaz, cutting him on his right eyebrow. Being blinded

Round 9 KO: Pacman KOs Diaz with 36 seconds remaining. While lying on the canvas, the camera captured clearly the damage done to Diaz, with his left eyebrow swelling.



Significance:
Pacman becomes the first Asian to win four major titles in four different weight classes, namely, Flyweight (max 112 lbs), Super Bantamweight (max 122lbs) , Super Featherweight (max 130lbs) , Lightweight (max 135lbs) divisions.

Pacman has proven once again why he deserves to be Ring Magazine's Pound for Pund Number 1 boxer (June 9, 2008). This is after Floyd Money Mayweather announced his retirement from boxing.

This is Pacman's eight consecutive win since 2005.

This is the first decisive KO victory since 2007. His previous bout last March 15 against Juan Manuel Marquez was won via split-decision (spurring a lot of controversy to the validity of his win) while his October6 2007 bout against Marco Antonio Barrera was via unanimous decision (he clearly outclassed Barrera, but he still managed avoiding a total knockout victory).

What's Next:
As of this writing, Pacman's next championship match is scheduled this November, against Edwin Valero of Valenzuela.

Pacquiao vs Diaz Fight Sopcast Channels

Wanna watch live? Launch Sopcast and select/enter "CCTV-5". The big downside here is the Chinese commentaries. Of course, this applies only if you don't know Chinese.

Most Google search page result in sop://broker1.sopcast.com:3912/35999. However, sopcast reports that the channel is now offline. :( Too bad.

I'll update this post as soon as I find other channels.


UPDATES:

As of 11:17 AM today, the following channel is working:
http://www.fighthype.com/sopcastpopup.php?chid=2&PHPSESSID=dad43a476ceddb9007bc19c301b22883

R4DS: Can't find DS_MENU.DAT

Your Ad Here

Perhaps this is the most common problem for many users of R4DS. You simply need to download the latest kernel / system files from the official Revolution for DS website: http://www.r4ds.com/. Always download the latest version (unless there is a specific reason for which you cannot download this; in this case, please share what you've found out).

From the downloaded file, extract everything into the microSD. Just so you don't encounter any further problems, ensure that you have copied the following:

_system_ (this is a folder, the contents of which must all be copied as well);
_DS_MENU.DAT (the most probable reason you're reading this in the first place);
_DS_MSHL.NDS (well, you copied everything else, no need to omit this out).

You can check out my previous post regarding this (Setting up R4DS from scratch) as a reference in case you get into that tight spot in which you have no choice but to setup R4DS from scratch again. :)

Manny Pacman Pacquiao vs David Dangerous Diaz - Tale of the Tape

Place your bets! Here's a brief tale of the tape of Pacman vs Dangerous Diaz coming this Sunday/Saturday (depending where you're located).

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Manny Pacman Pacquiao	Tale of the Tape	David Dangerous Diaz
29 yrs	Age	32 yrs
135 lbs*	Weight	135 lbs*
5'6"	Height	5'6"
67"	Reach	69"
51	Total Fights	36
46	Win	34
35	KO	17
3	Loss	1
2	Draw	1

*Exact weight to be determined on official weigh-in.

---

So who has the edge? What are the odds? Will it be a knockout? And if so, which round? :)

Check out Che's post about this fight and where to watch it in Singapore

Lyrics: Sailed Away - Saving Abel

Damn! Here's the direct result of my last post (just a few hours ago around 2AM or something). Since watching that Youtube video for Chuck and Sarah, I can't get this song out of my head. Another one of those LSSs (Last Song Syndrome).

Anyway, to cope with it, I just had to get the lyrics of the song so that I could at least sing along instead of just humming or repeating "sailed away" over and over again! Hehehe.

For those having the same "symptoms", hope this post helps:

Does it hurt to hear me say
That I never really meant to stay
I left you right where I want you
Now there's nothin' left
And not a reason
There's nothin' left to believe in
When just one remains
I've sailed away

Such a foolish game
That we have been playin'
Now you got me right where you want me
I left you in the right
But you wouldn't let me take the fall
Now you've got me right where you want me

Now there's nothin' left
And that's the reason
There's not much left to believe in
If it's all just the same
I'll sail away
You pushed so hard
You have to know that
You might just get what you wanted
And when just one remains
I've sailed away

I found out on my own
Everything that I've been missin'
Now I've got you right where I want you
Now that we're apart
I see just who you are
You're always gonna be
The one to keep hatin'
Now I've got you right where I want you

Now there's nothin' left
And that's the reason
There's not much left to believe in
If it's all just the same
I'll sail away
You pushed so hard
You have to know that
You might just get what you wanted
And when just one remains
I've sailed away

I'm not one to hide my face behind the pain
It's not like me to beg you to stay
I'll just sail away

Now there's nothin' left
And that's the reason
There's not much left to believe in
If it's all the same
I'll sail away

You pushed so hard
You have to know that
You might just get what you wanted
And when just one remains
You know I've sailed away

And when just one remains
You know I've sailed away

Does it hurt to hear me say
That I never really meant to stay

Quite a sad song, if not a bitter song, actually. But the song does say what Chuck may have felt about Sarah in the aftermath of episode 8 (spoiler!!!). Anyway, just enjoy the song. And here's the video that you can sing along with. :)

Chuck

Here in Southeast Asia, you can expect AXN to deliver some great shows. Another TV show gets in my to-watch-every-Monday-night list: Chuck (Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski).

For those who haven't heard of this yet, well here's Mr. Wikipedia for you:

Chuck is an American action-comedy television program created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working in the CIA; the message embeds the only remaining copy of the world's greatest spy secrets into Chuck's brain.

How's that for a gist? :)

Needless to say, if the fact that Chuck is now protected by a hot sexy bombshell of an agent who is undercover as his girlfriend does not make your head turn to watch this show, I don't know what will. :)

As can be expected, our nerdy hero is falling head over heels for the agent slash protector slash pretend-girlfriend. And so is her over him. I think they do make a good on-screen couple. Little wonder that this pair won the "Couple We Rooted For the Most" award in IGN Best of 2007.

Anyway, I was blown away by the number of Youtube videos users made for these two. Here are my favorite ones so far:


(Matt Kearney - Breathe In Breathe Out)



(Saving Abel - Sailed Away)

I guess I'll be watching the episodes again and get those memorable and quotable quotes. It's a shame that this season only has 13 episodes. Well, still they made a very good season and with the writer's guild strike over, I just can't wait for bigger and better Chuck Season 2!

Singapore Toy and Comic Con 2008!

Before going further, here are the event details:

June 28 - 29, 2008
Singapore Toy and Comic Convention 2008
Suntec Convention Hall 603
http://www.sgtoyandcomiccon.com

Need I say more? :) Check out Che's post about this one for her take on the event.Of the many events and highlights, there are a few things that stand out (at least for me):


Batman: Gotham Knight Asian Premiere Screening Onstage
Sunday, 29 June 2008, 6:00 to 7:30pm

I've been waiting for this since its release was announced way back late last year. The video is comprised of six interlocking films that depicts Batman's beginnings into the Dark Knight. The movie is directed by six different acclaimed Japanese filmmakers (one for each film/act). Previews from the Batman Gotham Knight official website is "stunningly breathtaking", to say the least. It will be a whole new experience watching an Anime-based Batman! (Batman in Anime? It's about time! )

Just too bad we haven't got tickets yet. :( Chances are, tickets would be sold out and we won't see the film on this event. I guess, I'll just buy the DVD.


Magic: The Gathering Demonstrations and Tournament
by Wizards of the Coast (Booth E02)

It's been years since I actively played with Magic: The Gathering. The last expansion I remember playing with was.... well, I actually forgot already. The expansion where (white) Soltari and (black) Dauthi creatures (i.e. creatures with the "Shadow" ability/characteristic) were released. The last time I actually owned a Magic deck was even longer... The time when Armageddon decks were the rage.

Participants are said to be awarded five theme decks. Will this actually lead me to buy more Magic cards and be an active player again? Not likely. I'm just there to reminisce, and see how much the tournament landscape has changed. :)

Aside from these two, I'm sure there are a lot of things worth taking with our camera there. Which brings me to our checklist:

[ ] Alarm 7:00 AM
[ ] Camera fully charged
[ ] Extra camera battery, also fully charged
[ ] Fully charged camera (in the unlikely event that the camera gets full)
[ ] Blog!

That's it for now on this post. Hope we can get tons of pictures!

The World Ends with You!

That's the name of the anime-style Nintendo DS Action-RPG (role-playing game) I'm currently hooked with. I like the unique gameplay and the in-depth storyline. I'm always a sucker for a good story. So games with a good plot like this one is irresistable for me. :)



Sure, RPGs have always been there, but so far, they don't have the same depth as they used to. Then this game came along; what a breath of fresh air!

The main character, Neku Sakuraba, awakes to find himself a unwilling participant in a mysterious Reaper's Game. Neku and his partner must complete one mission everyday for the next seven days in order prevent them from being erased from existence. Of course, like any good RPG, this one has many twists and turns and as more and more questions arise as each secret is revealed.


PINS

The game features Psych Pins (or simply Pins) which are used mostly for combat and a mini-game called Tin-Pin Slammer. After each successful combat, the player will gain Pin Points (PP) which will be distributed among the active pins used in battle. Accumulating enough PP will "level up" the pin becoming much more powerful and, in some cases, evolve into a much more powerful pin (think of a pokemon, say, a Pikachu which after gaining enough levels evolves into the much more powerful Raichu).

Some pins evolve requiring specific types of PP. There are three kinds: Battle PP, which is the usual PP gained from combat; Shutdown PP, which is PP gained after shutting down your Nintendo DS (yep, even if your not playing, your pins can level up!); and Mingle PP, which is PP gained in "Mingle Mode" using the wireless features of the NDS (when your NDS picks up signals from other NDS, no matter what game they are playing, you get PP!)

Psych pin abilities are activated by touching, pressing, slashing, dragging, drawing circles, or scratching using the stylus or shouting through the microphone.


STRIDE CROSS BATTLE

Another unique feature is the stride cross battle -- you control both of your characters during combat, using the stylus and microphone to use Neku's psych pin abilities, and the control pad (left direction pad or right XYAB pad, depending on which is your stylus hand) to use your partner's attacks and abilities.

90% of the time, though, you need to only control Neku on the bottom screen; you can set the option to have the AI take control of your partner on the top screen. You only need to glance every now and then to help your partner do some quick dodges to avoid getting hit, or to hit combos to fill up the fusion meter quicker.

Furthermore, once your partner has racked up points to fill up the fusion meter, you can activate the Fusion attack, a powerful combo attack executed by both of your characters that delivers a massive amount of damage to all remaining enemies in battle.

Another important thing to note is that your two characters share the same Hit Points. Which means you can lose the battle if one of your characters is taking a serious ton of beating even if the other one aint.


The World Ends with You Shibuya and the Real Shibuya

The game's setting, the city of Shibuya, is based from the real city of Shibuya in Japan. The game's starting location, Scramble Crossing is based from the same iconic busy Scramble Crossing in Shibuya, Japan. Most commerical places have been renamed such as the actual 109 Building being renamed into 104 Building.



Other places of interest with legendary and/or historical significance such as the Statue of Hachiko has remained more or less the same in the game itself.



People who are inclined to the modern Japanese culture would appreciate the fact that actual places and landmarks are found in this game as well as some historical information presented about these places at certain points in the game. I'm not really into modern Japanese culture but even I like the story behind these places. It tells alot about the people and the game introduces these fine points in Japanese culture to the world.

Something about games being based from real-world places is very appealing -- at least for me. You have this new sense of "reality" about the game. One day, I'll go to Japan and visit Scramble Crossing and I'll say hey, I've been on the spot where Neku first found himself in the Reaper's Game! Hehehe... Hmmm... I think I'll include that in my long-term to-do list. :)


Commerical Success

To say that the game is a success is a huge understatement. It is hailed by most game reviewers as one of the best games ever released. It won't be surprising to see this game as the Game of the Year for the console/handheld games category.

It owes its success to the combination of the above; unique and easy-to-learn gameplay utilizing all features of the NDS (stylus, keypads, even the microphone), fun and excellent anime-style storytelling, and the culture that it colorfully and masterfully depicts. I can't remember a game that was given this much love and dedication. As I frequently say to Che about a great job, "Masterfully done!"

Almost makes me jealous of these Japanese guys; when would Filipinos create a similar game? When would we see a game in which you will see the Banaue Rice Terraces, the Taal and Mayon Volcanoes, even the Makati Cetral Business Disctrict? Oh well....


Game Information:
Title: The World Ends with You
Developer: Square Enix
Platform: Nintendo Dual Screen
Genre: Action Role-Playing Game
Modes: Single-player (main game) and multiplayer (minigame)
Release Dates: June 27, 2007 (Japan), April 18, 2008 (PAL), April 22, 2008 (North America)
Websites:
http://www.square-enix.co.jp/subarashiki/
http://www.theworldendswithyou.eu.com/
http://www.theworldendswithyou.com/

House M. D. (Season 4) Quotable Quotes

Here, once again, are some memorable quotes taken from House M.D. Season 4. Had a blast listing this, so enjoy! :)



Dr. House: Sometimes, I am wrong. I have a gift for observation. For reading people in situations. But sometimes, I am wrong. This will be the longest job interview of your life. I will test you in ways that you will often consider unfair, demeaning and illegal. And you will often be right. Look to your left. Now look to your right. By the end of six weeks, one of you will be gone. As will twenty-eight more of you. Wear a cup.

---

Dr. House: I didn't rat her out.

Dr. Cameron: You, lied?

Dr. House: Suppose I should tell her that before she keys my car.

Dr. Cameron: Why lie?

Dr. House: Had to stop some leaky faucets.

Dr. Cameron: What did it matter?

Dr. House: It was no one's business.

Dr. Cameron: Right.

Dr. House: She's going to be the safest astronaut up there. Certainly more vigilant than the guy next to her who's got no clue about the aneurysm in his head ready to pop.

Dr. Cameron: Right.

Dr. House: You got a better reason?

Dr. Cameron: You couldn't kill her dream.

---

Dr. House: Reason I'm penalizing you is time management.

Dr. House: In Diagnostics, you're always working against the clock. The women came up with a theory and they treated the patient. You just sat around in a lab, hoping a series of blind test would give you a theory. You wasted the patient's time. Now I'm going to waste yours.

---

Thirteen: I keep replaying it in my mind. Did I drop the pills when I put them on the bed tray? Did I knock them over when I turned to leave?

Dr. House: You know he'd be alive. His dog'd be alive.

Thirteen: I know.

Dr. House: You forced us to act on a false assumption.

Thirteen: I know.

Dr. House: Everything we built from that step on. Every test. Every theory. Every treatment.

Thirteen: I KNOW! FORGET THE LECTURE AND FIRE ME ALREADY!!

Dr. House: If I was going to fire you, I wouldn't be giving you the lecture. I know you're not going to let anything like this ever happen again. I'll see you tomorrow.

---

Dr. Cuddy: You haven't rethought anything. You've just been blackballed. You're "House Lite" now. The only administrator that will touch you is the one who hired "House Classic". Good news is, she'll pretend she's not doing you a favor.

Dr. Foreman: I can start Monday.

---

Dr. House: ....Who the hell did I leave in charge?

Dr. Taub: Foreman.

Dr. House: There was a reason for that. Next time, listen to him.

---

Thirteen: I don't want to know.

Dr. House: No, you're afraid to know.

Thirteen: I might die. So could you, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow. The only difference is you don't have to know about it today, so why should I?

Dr. House: I don't have to know the lottery numbers, but if someone offered them to me, I'd take them.

Thirteen: You spend your whole life looking for answers. Because you think the next answer will change something, maybe make you a little less miserable. And you know that when you run out of questions, you don't just run out of answers, you run out of hope. You glad you know that?

---

Dr. Wilson: Mr. McKenna, I can't believe I'm able to say this, but... you're cancer-free. The biopsy looked like adenocarcinoma, But it wasn't. Harmless lesions on your lungs. You're fine.

Mr. McKenna: I don't get it.

Dr. House: Cool.

Dr. Wilson: No, it's-it's... I know this must come as a shock, but I've double-checked the labs.

Mr. McKenna: I just accepted an offer on my house. I've had three good-bye parties. I-I'm buying plane tickets to Venice.

Dr. House: You can still use those if you're alive.

Mr. McKenna: I have to pay a six thousand dollars broker commission on a house I'm not selling. Money I don't have. Thank you... for letting me know.

Dr. Wilson: I, uh, I would have thought the living would mean more than the expenses.

Dr. House: It's not about the money.

---

Dr. House: You play the game better than anybody else here....But for the wrong reasons.

Dr. Amber: Reasons don't matter. Results are the only thing...

Dr. House: You were wrong. Twenty years ago, this was recorded by Jim Moskowitz. Who later became known as Jimmy Quidd. Loves kids, apparently has a heart, perhaps even a soul. If you're gonna work for me, you have to be willing to be wrong, willing to lose. 'Cause you just did. You're fired.

---

Dr. Foreman: He's letting her take part in the differentials.

Dr. Wilson: Of course he is. He likes her.

Dr. Foreman: He's annoyed by her, doesn't respect her as a doctor, constantly insults her.

Dr. Wilson: That's House's version of courtship.

Dr. Foreman: Oh, god! He's been wooing me for years!

---

(to be cont'd)

The Incredible Hulk Movie!

We just watched the movie earlier today. Simply amazing! Hands down much better than the Hulk back in 2003 and, best of all, there is a promise of a continuity among the succeeding Marvel movie franchises in the future!

Graphics are astoundingly realistic. They sure made good use of those powerful computers to create the graphics; Hulk's skin shows texture and a very high level of detail. This can be clearly seen in the two major battles that took place; Hulk vs. General Ross' (William Hurt) forces on the Culver University field (too bad this clip did not show the sonic tanks), and Hulk vs. Abomination somewhere downtown New York.



While it takes off mainly from where the 2003 Hulk movie ended, with Bruce Banner (Edward Notron) getting "angry" in the forests somewhere in South America, Brazil I think, the plot is completely independent of the previous one. If they wanted to package this movie to be not a sequel while still continuing the plot from the first movie without a toal reboot of the Hulk origin, then they made a pretty good job.

The connection between the two movies is very loose, as can be seen from the flashbacks. Also, there are minor differences such as Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) seeing the Bruce transform to Hulk for the first time in this movie (note that Gen. Ross commented that now she will see, referring to Bruce's transformation into the Hullk).

Don't want to reveal the rest of the plot for those who haven't seen it yet, so I'll stop the plot analysis here. :)

The cameos are also great. Three cameos I think are worth mentioning: Like most Marvel movies, Stan Lee is there again -- this time, unlike his previous ones, his cameo was of significant importance since that led to Gen. Ross to finding Banner in South America! Also there was Lou Ferrigno, who was the original Hulk of the 70's show, posing as security guard bribed by Banner. Lastly, Robert Downey Jr., as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.

That last cameo promises, finally, a continuity among the Marvel movies. Crossovers and guest appearances are common in Marvel comics. Why should Marvel movies be any different? Imagine Iron Man taking on the Hulk, Fantastic Four teaming up with Spider-Man, Avengers taking on the Masters of Evil, whatever. The possibilities are endless.

Official word is that the Avengers movie is slated to be release by 2011. Is this the team that Iron Man was referring to? Could be, but the roster would be a little different; in the comics, the Hulk was one of the original Avengers, so I don't see the screenplay following the "canonical" origin of the team.

Many elements are also taken from the Marvel Universe comics but have been changed to suit this movie. Weapon Plus, for example, is part of Wolverine's mythos, being the program that created Weapon X (Wolverine) and others such as Weapon I (aka Captain America).

Also, Spider-Man fans would recognize the Incredible Hulk poster as a nod to one of the most iconic covers of the Amazing Spider-Man.

Stark Industries is of mentioned (I'm still wondering if it's really the Avengers is what he was referring to; the Hulkbusters, I think, would have been a better fit, with him leading the charge wearing his Hulkbuster armor), as well as Nick Fury and SHIELD.

Maybe not the best movie out there, but IMHO one of the best storylines Marvel has created so far. And like most comic readers, I want good stories and this one is one of the better ones out there.

Getting sleepy now. I better get some rest. :)

Project aftermath...

Finally, after months of anticipation, the project had come to pass... and we all survived!

This is perhaps the biggest project I am involved in my entire career. I wish I could say that everything was smooth sailing, but that would be a lie.

So our team were there on site at 10:30 AM last Saturday, but people were already behind schedule; we could not start unless the first team has finished their task. All preliminary tasks on our side have been done, so all that was left was to wait for the other team to finish their task. So we waited patiently... And waited... And waited some more.

Around 3:30PM, that's when we had our first issue. Easily resolved, no sweat.

About 30 minutes later, then came the seemingly never-ending parade of issues... We had a list pasted on a wall were all the problems / issues encountered are listed. For the next 2 minutes, 10 issues are listed and there were no signs of it letting up. Thankfully it did stop, but there were already too much on the list and we were stuck with these problems for the next hours.

Bottomline, we finally called it a day around 2:30 AM. Workarounds were in place, although there are a couple more unresolved issues. We had to come back the following day. (Or technically, later that day since it's past midnight.)

We returned to work around the 11 AM, refreshed but not as eager as we were the previous day. Thankfully, all of the outstanding issues have been resolved around 3:00PM. Finally! We went home very elated that the project is finished.

While sitting in front of the TV, I realized a couple of things; first, I'm watching "Sunday" shows which means it's already Sunday; and, second, we have to go back to work the following day (to provide support in case problems do occur during normal production hours). I feel shortchanged. If you look at it, we would be working for twelve days straight (the 10 normal working days in two weeks plus the two weekends). Aint exactly your ideal scenario!

So today we returned, still not very enthusiastic. Problems did occur but thankfully these were resolved easily. We would be staying put for the rest of the week to ensure that any and all incidents are dealt with.

Aside from that, I had to update all the documents that are affected by the changes. Aside from the two documents I created for this project, my boss assigned me to update five other documents affected. I know for a fact that nobody is assigned to update one other document, so I plan to do that as well.

All in all, just another fine week. :)

The PC Show 2008

For the third time since we got here last October, Singapore will have another IT event; this time, it's the PC SHOW 2008. This event is dubbed as Singapore’s longest-running IT and Consumer Electronics show.

Personally, I'm just looking for some stuff that we can use for our Nintendo DS Lite. Not sure, though, if we will find some; Today has included a supplement for the event. Save for the microSD, nothing NDS related was highlighted.

Oh well. We'll see later when we go there. Here are the event details:

What: The PC Show
Where: Suntec Singapore
International Convention & Exhibition Centre,
Levels 1, 3, 4 (Halls 401-404) and 6 (Halls 601-603)
When: June 12 to 15, noon to 9pm daily

Better check out their site here: www.thepcshow.com.sg

In case you're going, see you there! :)

Marvel Universe Update Part 2

(Continued from Marvel Universe Update Part 1)

Two Hulks and a Herc
As a result of the recently concluded World War Hulk storyarc, Bruce Banner, the original green Hulk, has been incarcerated and kept deep underground for security. Since then, Marvel's Hercules has taken over the comics series, renaming it from 'Incredible Hulk' to 'Incredible Hercules'.

While Banner is locked away, a new Hulk has emerged. This new Hulk is all red and shows stealth and cunning uncharacteristic of the original one. He killed the villain Abomination using a non-standard issue handgun, which is of humongous size, that it fits on his giant-size fist. He also managed to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel U's version of the global peace-keeping force), soundly taking out Iron Man and She-Hulk, to whom he said that he can kill her anytime he wanted.

In the last issue I read, the green and red Hulks finally came face to face, after the red Hulk caused an earthquake which shattered the prison where Banner is held.

Captain America is still dead
In case you haven't heard, Captain America, Steve Rogers, was assassinated at the conclusion of the Civil War storyarc early last year. Ever since his demise, many have speculated whether he will be resurrected or not.

Several issues after his demise, his old partner Bucky, aka Winter Soldier, took on the mantle of Captain America. So far, the storylines have been focused between him and Cap's classic nemesis, the Red Skull and have not been in sync with the current storyline in the Marvel Universe.

And yes, despite several teasers, Steve Rogers is still dead. :)

Avengers - Secret Invasion
The ongoing saga so far that has left many of the heroes reeling. Seeing the Earth as righfully theirs, the shape-shifting alien race known as Skrulls have infiltrated Earth and have been posing as superheroes for God knows how long.

So begins the guessing game of which superhero is a Skrull.

Below is a list of characters replaced by Skrulls. I only list here the ones which have the most significant importance.

Elektra, the initial scout sent to infiltrate Earth. She recently led the Hand, a Japanese ninja-underground type of group but was killed in action, thus revealing her nature as a Skrull.

Black Bolt, the King of Inhumans and one of the Illuminati was a Skrull in disguise for a long time. It's intriguing to know for how long this Skrull has replaced Black Bolt, as he is privy details that nobody but the Illuminati knows.

Dum Dum Dugan, long-time S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, sabotaged the Peak, S.W.O.R.D.'s orbital base, which allowed the Skrull ships to enter Earth's orbit.

Henry Pym, aka Ant-Man, aka Giant-Man, aka Yellowjacket; revealed his true colors when he took out Mr. Fantastic after finishing the autopsy of Skrull-ektra.

Invisible Woman, replaced by Lyja, former wife of the Human Torch, rigged some equipment in the laboratory causing the Baxter Building to collapse into the Negative Zone, effectively isolating the Fantastic Four.

Edwin Jarvis, the longtime butler of the Avengers, who activated a virus that took out Iron Man's extremis technology and, through it, the rest of the Stark Tech and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Captain Marvel, who was supposed to be dead is also confirmed a Skrull, although not exactly sharing the sentiments of his fellow Skrulls; he appears to be conflicted about who he is and what he's supposed to be.

Spider-Woman, who was judged as the one who has the most potential to do the most damage (having access to both Avengers teams, S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, and has the trust of Nick Fury himself), is replaced the Skrull Empress Veranke. She (indirectly), caused both Avengers teams to be stranded in Savage Land, keeping them busy and away from the actual invasion.

Anyway, I can't wait for the next issues. I've spent a lot of time posting this entry already, so I guess that's it for now. :)

Setting up R4DS from scratch

*** UPDATE ***
You may want to refer to the following updated post instead.
R4DS Initial Setup: Updated
*** END OF UPDATE ***

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I've recently had problems with our R4DS. I've managed to get it back up again from scratch. I hope this guide helps people out there who wanted to rebuild/reimage their own R4DS from scratch as well...

Requirements:

* Your microSD - the bigger the capacity, the better;
* USB reader for the microSD (either using the mirco-SD to SD adapter and USB card reader or the MicroSD USB reader would do);
* Revolution for DS (R4DS)

Note: This guide is strictly for R4DS. M3 Simply is similar but I cannot guarantee that the steps would be the same. If someone can test using the steps here with the M3 Simply, please confirm then let us know the results.

Step 1: Install System Files.
Download the latest system files from the official R4DS website http://www.r4ds.com. As of this writing, the latest is Kernel update version 1.18.

Unzip the contents -- expecially the _system_ folder, _DS_MENU.DAT, and _DS_MSHL.NDS -- into the root directory of the microSD.

Step 2: Update MoonShell.
Depending on the version of the system kernel you downloaded, it may or may not have Moonshell copied in there as well. Whatever the case, I suggest install/update the latest version of moonshell. Aside from playing games, Moonshell enables your DS to play media files.

Download the software from the following URL: http://mdxonlinemirror.dyndns.org/moonshell/files/

As of thiw writing, I downloaded the latest version which is "moonshell171p1_with_dpgtools131.zip"

Plugin your microSD reader into your PC/laptop.

Unzip then run the Setup.exe.

It will automatically detect the drive where the microSD is connected. Click OK.

Now for the moonshell setup part:
*Configuration Files: Select moonshl.ini (full) is copied.
* ROM Files: Select R4TF R4(DS) - Revolution for DS only.
* Other configs: up to you :)

Click OK then wait for the setup to finish.

You should see the file MoonShell_R4TF_M3Simply-R4DS (MicroSD Card).nds and moonshl folder in the root directory.


And that's all you need! Those are the bare minimum configurations required to have your R4DS functioning. For additional customizations, read on...


Optional Step: Install DSOrganize
DSOrganize is one of the most popular homebrew organizer application for the Nintendo DS. It provides a calendar, drawing pad, todo list, address book, and web browser. Almost like a PDA, but not quite.

Download the DSOrganize file from http://www.dragonminded.com/?loc=ndsdev/DSOrganize.

Unzip first into your hard drive.

Since we're using R4DS, download also Custome exec_stub.bin file from the same URL above.

Replace the exec_stub.bin file in the DSOrganize/RESOURCES directory.

Copy the entire DSOrganize folder and DSOrganize.nds file into the root directory of the microSD.

I haven't played much with the DSOrganize plugins yet. When I do, I'll post an update.


Optional Step: Using Custom Themes

First, it is important to know how the images are mapped to which files first. So here's the rough description:

logo.bmp - Bootup top screen image;
icons.bmp - Bootup bottom/touchscreen image (i.e., "Play", "Media", or "Slot2");
bckgrd_1.bmp - the browser top screen background image;
bckgrd_2.bmp - the browser bottom/touchscreen background image;
gbaframe.bmp - the border used for GameBoy Advanced (GBA) games (slot 2).

Hence, when using a theme, you need to rename the images to their corresponding filenames above. (You wouldn't want the top and bottom screen images on the wrong screen, would you?)

IMPORTANT: The files should be copied into the _system_ folder.

When creating images, take note that (1) the image size should be 256x192, and (2) the file format should be a 24bit Bitmap (BMP).

If you prefer downloading instead of creating your own, search the web. I suggest the site http://www.ndsthemes.com/.

That's all for now. I'll just make additional posts if needed. :)

Thanks for reading!

Countdown to a monster project!

Although it was not my intention, I let this blog hanging again for a week without any posts. :( Due to the big project I'm involved with, I didn't have enough time to spare to do much of anything except do my tasks and keeping my sanity intact...

Good news is, aside from one minor task (which hopefully I can delegate to the other project members who are free), all of the prep work that I needed to do is finished. That should give me enough room this week to do, among other things, blog, play and have fun!

Not that I'm not having fun during last week. For the first time in this job, the end of the week was rewarding for me; well, rewarding technically. I've managed to setup a server switch -- a Cisco Catalyst 6000 -- in the live/production network and is ready for use. Providing tech support or doing configurations on a lab setup is one thing; actually configuring it on your own in production is another.

Also, as I've said, I've been working hard to keep my brain still intact. I've been continuing my Baldur's Gate II game as well. I'm planning on using a different character next time I play it. Also, I have been beefing up Che's Nintendo Dual Screen (NDS). Thanks to youtube and internet, I've tweaked the R4DS. Maybe I'll post a separate entry for the NDS customization.

Here's hoping to a smooth week!

Marvel Universe Update - Part 1

It's been a while since I last talked about anything Marvel comics-related -- well, except my other post about Marvel 1602. So I think this is a good time as any to point out some important updates.

Spider-man reset
Earlier this year (or was it late last year?), all of the Spider-Man series have been stopped, except for the Amazing Spider-Man (ASM) title, which is now printed three times a month! Biggest change, of course, is that Spider-Man is single once again, as a result of the four-part One More Day (OMD) story arc, which then made way for the still running Brand New Day (BND) story arc starting with ASM issue #546 onwards.

Needless to say, the OMD story arc was the reset button for Spider-Man in order to revert Spider-Man back to a specific status quo. Joe Quesada, Marvel Editor-In-Chief, was on a crusade to change Spider-Man back to his "earlier" days. Just to summarize, here's Spider-Man's status quo in BND:

- single and was NEVER married to Mary Jane; in fact, they recently broke up;
- the secret identity is a secret once again;
- still a fugitive for not being a registered superhuman;
- Harry Osborn -- the second Green Goblin and son of the first Green Goblin, Norman Osborn -- is alive and well;
- currently working as photographer (to be more specific, a "paparazzi") for the new DB (Daily Bugle);
- still living in Aunt may's house.

The BND story arc introduces a lot of new characters in the world of Spider-Man. One noticeable change is that Spider-Man is now on a more street-level character, dealing with more New York "localized" issues (gangsters, paparazzi, mayoral elections, financial problems) and new weird characters (Freak, Paperdoll, Menace) instead of problems that are national or global in nature (World War Hulk, Secret Invasion, Annihilation Saga).

X-Men revamp
As the result of Messiah CompleX, Cyclops has disbanded the X-Men. At least, the X-Men roster as we know it. Let's summarize each title:

Uncanny X-Men - Focuses on Cyclop's "disbanded" team (Emma Frost, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus). Cyclops and Emma are in San Francisco dealing with the "Hippie" atmosphere that has enthralled the entire city, while Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Colossus are in Russia, who, as of issue #498, encountered Omega Red.

Adjectiveless X-Men (renamed to X-Men Legacy) - Deals with the revived Professor X, who is trying to piece together the fragments of his memories (since his brain was literally blown to bits at the end of Messiah CompleX). Mostly flashbacks and back stories previously not shown in the earlier issues.

Young X-Men - This follows a similar formula used for Avengers Disassembled storyarc leading to Young Avengers; after the previous arc, Cyclops recruits some of the last generation of mutants and trains them under the wreck of the X-Mansion. This series replaces the New X-Men series as the staple comics for the last generation of mutants under the X-Men. Current mission: take out the new Brotherhood (of Evil Mutants), consisting of the former X-Men: Cannonball, Sunspot, Magma, and Dani Moonstar.

X-Force - Consisting of the most ruthless killers in their roster, Cyclops assembles the new X-Force. Their goal: do the "dirty" deeds in secret what the upright X-Men cannot do in the open. The new black ops team consists of Wolverine (again), Warpath, and X-23 and is hunting down the Purifiers, a group of fanatical humans bent on exterminating all the remaining mutants by whatever means necessary. The last issues reveals that the X-Man Wolfsbane was brainwashed by Purifiers, and the apparent return of the "evil" Archangel during his sevitude as Horseman Death under Apocalypse!

Cable - Escaping into the future with the first (and last?) mutant baby born after M-Day, Cable is hunted by Bishop obsessed with eliminating the baby in order to prevent the apocalyptic future he lived in.

Wolverine - Similar to his role in X-Force, Cyclops sends Wolverine to eliminate the traitor Mystique. His hunt took him far into the Middle East with him finally disemboweling her, leaving her to die in the middle of the desert. Flashbacks also revealed that Wolverine and Mystique had a long history, long even before Professor X even conceived of the X-Men.

Astonishing X-Men - Finally, after long delays, it is now revealed how the story arc finally ties in (or at least partially) with the rest of the "bigger picture". We see how Kitty Pryde, the Shadowcat, sacrificed herself in order to save earth from a giant bullet launched from one of the satellites of Breakworld, home of the a ruthless warrior-race of aliens.

All in all, I'm happy with the push given to Cyclops, who is finally breaking out as the leader of the X-Men, throwing his weight around in most of the X titles. I'm not particularly excited about X-Men Legacy, though. One important thing to note is that -- except for a few titles -- each X-Men series now is more focused and self-contained, unlike the very loose and overlapping storylines during the 90s and early 2000, particularly X-Men and Uncanny X-Men series. (By overlapping, I mean, it's impossible to read and understand, say, just X-Men without also reading Uncanny X-Men.

I didn't think this post would be this long. Oh well, just wait for part II then. :)

My "going-home" boo-boos and yeah-yeahs list

Having spent about a week in Manila was not a cakewalk, but the following boo-boos made it just a little bit worse, although the yeah-yeahs seem to make it all worthwhile. I hope the list helps you out there planning to go home :)

BOO-BOOs:

Left Driver's License. You only actually need a license when (1) you get caught by those traffic enforcers, and (2) when you get caught in an accident. With these in mind, I always had that nagging feeling whenever I'm driving around the Metro... Yep, not the best feeling at all... which only makes you even more prone to accidents... :(

Left ATM card. What's worse than your wallet with missing driver's license? Your wallet with no money whatsoever! I already transferred cash into my ATM account in Manila (since remitting from SG to Manila has better rates than converting through money changers in Manila). Of course, that is useless if your ATM card is not with you. Darn! Good thing, we had a simple workaround: transfer funds into another ATM that you have access to (such as the ATM of your parents!) This was a bit of a hassle, but it's better than not having any cash at all!


No traffic "intelligence report". Traffic was so heavy, we spent the entire morning crawling through the South Luzon Expressway. I guess if I had tuned in to one of those traffic watch programs, I would have taken the Skyway or any other alternate routes. Oh well... That's a half day wasted. This is perhaps the worst case of "waste"... You waste time, energy, gas (and consequently money) in the middle of a damned highway. The only good thing here is that we were stuck in traffic in our entire stay only once.

Unset alarms. You'd expect some days in which you would have to stay up real late and, as such, you are expected to wake up late as well... However, time is not on our side. Alarms should have been set so as not to waste two or three hours to sleep. It's only a small thing to overlook, but one that cost us several hours... Multiply that by several days and you'd almost have a full day lost to sleep... Not the healthiest choice, sure, but we could have grabbed some sleep after finishing whatever tasks we had for the week... Oh well....

Planned a not-so flexible agenda. Many items in our list were not done mainly due to "surprises". At one time, we had unexpected (but welcome) visitors which practically cleared out the rest of our day. Our timetable was so tight, there was very minimal room for adjustment. Surprises like this forced us to leave out some items undone.

Not-enough days! One week -- actually, 5 workdays plus the 4 weekends, inclusive of the in and out flights -- is simply not enough! It was just enough time to finish off some loose ends, but not enough to actually enjoy the stay. One week would have worked for a non-flexible and completely predictable time. Otherwise, it's just not enough... :(

Note to self: next time, plan a two-week vacation at the minimum.


YEAH-YEAHs:

Meet family, friends and colleagues. What's better than meeting the ones we've left behind after a long time? Although sadly, we didn't get to meet everyone due to time constraint. But I guess we were able to meet with the people that we really needed to meet with anyway, so that's fine. :)

Home. No matter what you say, home is home, and there's nothing like being home after a long time... Well, in our case, it's actually just a few months, but still... In our case at least, we had three homes: our actual house where we live (or used to live), Che's parents' house (with all her pamangkin's including the newest one, Keisha), and my Dad's house (where I grew up and is the "gathering point" of my clan). Spending time in all three is very refreshing.

Eat foods missed. Needless to say, food abroad is nothing like food in Manila. So which foods did we have? Well, there's Jollibee's chicken and breakfast meals, Tapa King's Tapa Queen (the sweet and spicy one, I think), Goldilock's puto and mamon, and, of course, the home-made dishes (too many to mention). Aside from these, we brought back to SG some of the things that you'll never find there: Purefood's Tender Juicy Hotdogs, Purefood's Salami, Purefoods Corned Beef (simply the best corned beef for me), Century Tuna (Hot and Spicy), laurel leaves (bay leaves) and banana blossoms (puso ng saging) for the paksiw, different types of tuyo and daing, Filipino curry powder (i.e., our local yellow curry powder, not to be confused with SG's fiery red curry powder), bunch of chichiryas like Kirei, Oishi and Tortillos, and, of course, my favorite sandwhich spreads -- Cheez Whiz and Lady's Choice Guava Jelly. Actually, my favorite since way, way back was the Peanut Butter with Guava Jelly Stripe. If I'm not mistaken, it's either Lady's Choice or Kraft. Well, it no longer exists today, sadly, so I'd settle with the Guava Jelly with any brand of peanut butter such Lily's.

Note: Wow! What a long entry for food! Hehehe...

Had our first-time massage. We never really had a massage together before. So we thought that it was a good time as any to do it. We went to the Relaksasi in Park Square I in Makati. We went for the Combination massage. Hu-wow! What a massage! Maybe next time, we'll try their so-called signature massage, the Balinese massage. Almost twice the cost of the combination massage... That better be worth it! :)

Note to self: Include massage in the itinerary of any homecoming vacation.

Dealt with our wedding photo package. Yep, at long last...after more than a year and a half, we finally met again with our official wedding photographer to finalize our photo album. Allan Boras, excited as ever to take pictures, was more than happy to accomodate us. :) He still definitely exhibits that passion of his for photography. Here's a guy that just loves taking pictures. :)

Triggered retro-gaming. Checking out our PC at home, I came across one of the best games I've every played: Baldur's Gate 2 - Shadows of Amn. It's one of those early 2000 RPGs (role-playing games) based on the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game. To make the long story short, I installed the game in our laptop (thank God, the game is compatible with Windows Vista!) and started playing on my free time. :)

Helped one of my cousins. We learned that one of my cousins is already graduating from college. Her life would be made easier if she had her own PC to use. Those reports can be a real drag if you don't have your own PC. Well, we wouldn't be using our PC anyway, so we gave a PC to her. Hope she makes the best of her final year in college!

Well, that's all for now. :)

And we're back again!

It's June and we just got back from Manila!

The nine-day vacation was longer than our last visit last February, although it is still not long enough. Our stay isn't exactly what I would call a "vacation"; we had to work on some issues that we've left behind, such as the clearance form from my last job, and cutting our unused phone line. :)

Nevertheless, on a more serious and personal note, I got more than what I bargained for... After learning a few things, our past experiences have been placed in a new light... Seeing my past in a new perspective was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. All of my current concerns seem trivial.

On a lighter note, it's good to see old friends and relatives again. I never felt more homesick than I was a week ago and seeing everyone sure helped me a lot.

Although not fully rested, I'm now psyched to get back here with a fresh new outlook to face my challenges... at least for the next couple of weeks... :)