Trese Night Gallery @ The Crucible... I WAS THERE!! :D

Today was the launch of Trese's latest graphic novel "Trese: Book of Murders", and I was fortunate enough to be there. :D

To those who don't know who or what "Trese" is all about, here's a quick primer. "Trese" is a graphic novel created by winning tandem of Budjette Tan (writer) and Kajo Baldisimo (art). It's a locally made graphic novel that revolves around mysterious cases that range from the weird to the supernatural. When a crime goes for the supernatural, the police go to the mysterious Alexandra Trese to help solve the crime.

I could go on and on what I love about the series, but the best way to get into the world of Trese is getting a copy of the graphic novel yourself (which I highly suggest that you do). XD

Anyway, upon my arrival at SM Megamall, I was blown away by the number of people lining up for the gallery!! I mean look at this!!

Lots of love for Trese indeed!! :D I was fortunate enough to be able to get to the gallery itself and I'm simply floored by the latest artwork Mr. Kajo Baldisimo made!! I love the detail and polished lineart and I can't wait to see how Alexandra Trese's latest adventures would look like seeing Mr. Baldisimo's work in the gallery. :D Congratulations sir and looking forward to a second gallery of amazing artwork from you! :D

And here is some pictures of the gallery itself:

I went ahead and dropped by to say hi to Mr. Kajo Baldisimo and congratulate him for his amazing gallery (I got lucky to have caught him not busy signing an autograph)!! I was supposed to say hi to Mr. Budjette Tan as well, but he is simply swamped with alot of fans asking for him to sign their copy of their latest book; "Trese: Book of Murders", as shown below:

Lots of people who want their copies of Trese signed by the amazing team. :D Sadly, I wasn't able to get my copy of the book, as I'm abit strapped for cash lately. But I heard from Mr. Baldisimo that they may consider selling copies at this coming Winter Komikon, so I'm crossing my fingers till then. :D

To wrap up my busy day today, I saw this huge ass Gunpla for sale and I simply cannot resist the urge to take a picture.

Hope you have a great weekend guys! :D

Monster Hunter 4 ProMini 9000 mAh Battery Pack Unboxing

Just recently, I got myself one of these from Datablitz

It's the officially licensed battery pack for Monster Hunter 4 called; the Promini 9000mAh Battery pack. I got it for about Php2495 (roughly $55) and I came away impressed overall with the said battery pack. Here's a small video unboxing of the battery pack itself:

If you're like me, who brings some gadgets on-the-go, like tablets, mobile phones and specially a handheld gaming console like a Nintendo 3DS, it definitely sucks when your gadget suddenly runs out of juice for you to keep on using them while you're out. And for people like us, battery packs like these are heaven send, as they give us that emergency charge when we need them the most, anytime, anywhere!

But the thing is, most battery packs available locally come from China. And not only do they look cheap, but they are prone to some very scary problems like short circuiting and in other instances, the battery suddenly bursting leaving the battery pack in flames.

I've been on the market for battery packs for quite sometime, after finding myself in alot of situations where my gadget suddenly runs out of battery. So hearing that Datablitz has imported these bad boys, I tried to read up any article regarding the said battery pack and I was surprised that it was officially licensed by Capcom no less! And so I went ahead and got myself one, and it didn't disappoint.

As far as looks go, this looks quite nice honestly. If you're a Monster Hunter fan, you definitely owe it to yourself to get one of these. Just look at the logo detailing from up-close:

Simply gorgeous! :D The fact that it's also encased in steel/titanium, this looks very sleek and would definitely turn some geek heads, specially those who are into the Monster Hunter series. The battery pack itself isn't that big, but it definitely feels solidly built. Here's some pictures for size reference:

When it comes to performance, it definitely is bang for your buck. With a whopping 9000mAh of battery packed in, it can charge your tablet for 2 full charges, which is good. Speaking of charging your device twice, another awesome feature of this battery pack, is that there's 2 separate USB output slots for you to charge your device simultaneously! 

This is perfect specially when you have 2 different gadgets that are both low in battery and you want to charge them at the same time! Here's my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and my Cherry Mobile Titan phone being charged at the same time:

I got alot of questions in groups when they learned I have this Battery Pack, as to how to charge the unit itself. And so, I decided to make a step-by-step illustrated tutorial on how to do so.

Also, if you happen to have one of Apple's USB chargers like this one:

You can use that to directly plug the battery pack on to an electrical outlet and charge it from there. It's been tested to be working for me. Hopefully the guide was of help to others.

The only downside to this, is that the package doesn't come with its own USB charger for the Nintendo 3DS! I mean it's just ironic that for an officially licensed battery pack to play Monster Hunter 4 on the 3DS, it doesn't have the cable needed to charge the 3DS itself! D: So I went ahead and scouted for a USB charger for my 3DS, and I found one in SM Bicutan:

Got it for on sale for only Php200! :D

The great thing about this USB charger, is that it not only works with the 3DS/3DSXL, but with DSi/DSi XL as well as the PSP 2000/3000 and the Gameboy Micro.

And just to show you guys that it does work with the 3DS XL, here's a picture of it being charged with my Monster Hunter 4 Battery pack:

Anyway, there you have it! In my opinion, despite the price, I would have to say it's very much worth every penny. The fact that it performs well and it is very solidly built, you could be assured that you've invested on something that won't easily break. Add that it also looks really sleek and nice, its a definite must buy for me.

You can get one at Datablitz, for only Php2,495 with a discount for cash purchases. Get one while supplies last, as my contact in DataBlitz mentioned they won't be restocking these again, making them highly collectable! :D

Thor Mjolnir Hammer USB drive @ Jollibee!!

If there's one thing I loved about Jollibee, is that they always release awesome toys for their Value Meals! Just remembering their amazing Voltron Toy set that they released a few years ago which looked like this:

Ha! Take that McDonalds! XD

Anyway, Jollibee's new toy is for the upcoming Marvel movie "Thor: The Dark World", which is Thor's famous hammer; the Mjolnir! And the sweet thing about this hammer is that its actually a USB drive too!! :D

To be able to purchase this amazing lil USB drive, you'll need to purchase their latest burger value meal; the Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Champ!!

Since I wanted to get my hands on that USB drive, I decided to get myself that meal! Upon ordering I learned that apparently you need to purchase the value meal first which cost Php165 (roughly $3.5) BEFORE you can purchase the Mjolnir Hammer USB drive which costs Php95 (roughly $2.5). Well, considering the overall total cost would cost me the same price of an actual lousy, boring USB drive anyway, I decided to get one. Atleast this one comes with a deliciously lookin burger, along with that amazing Mjolnir Hammer USB drive.

As for the burger, I can definitely vouch for its yumminess! I mean just look at all the cheese oozing out of the burger!

Anyway, before this post becomes a foodie review, here's the actual USB itself:

This awesome gadget is actually really solidly build. It's made out of thick durable plastic and has a really nice weight to it. It definitely doesn't feel light or flimsy, but has enough weight to make it feel solid. It comes in 1GB storage capacity (which is a bummer), but hey atleast if you find yourself in a pinch, you'll have this one ready to transfer small files for you. It definitely doesn't look bad when placed in my desk. :D

Congratulations again Jollibee for such an amazing product tie-in to the upcoming movie "Thor: The Dark World"!! So to every geek out there, what the hell are you waiting for?! Go to your nearest Jollibee store RIGHT NOW and grab this before stocks run out!

PS: Jollibee, since you're already releasing awesome USB toys, I'd like to request you get this too next time for your value meal toys:

I'm damn sure this would sell out like hotcakes, I can assure you guys that. :D

Today, I weep bitterly upon the loss of a very dear friend... my dog Oreo.

It's truly ironic that my very first post in so many years of not updating this blog, would be one that's not about gaming, gadget or even geek related...

It's about my pet dog; Oreo.

She died just this morning, due to complications in her kidney, and after having suffering a very painful heartstroke caused by a parasite called a "Heartworm". What crushed me the most, wasn't the fact that she left us... but the fact that I wasn't there to be by her side on her last moments before she breathed her last.

It pains me to even remember the moment the doctor broke the news that Wednesday evening and reliving the moment in my mind is still abit too much to bear. I still try my hardest to dry the tears that keep on falling down my face as I type this. Deep down, I hoped and prayed that my dog would return to us from the doctor after that fateful checkup. I tried so hard to believe that I'd come home and she would run off to greet me as she always did. I was looking forward to spending Christmas with her, along with the rest of the family. But fate had other plans, and she was taken away from us... hopefully to a better place than here. Where she won't feel pain anymore... where hopefully she will be very happy to be in and have all the food she will ever want and eat to her heart's content.

But I wish to write down and honor the memory of my beloved pet, and celebrate her wonderful journey here on earth... and the love she openly and freely gave to us... whom she lovingly embraced as her own family.

Most people who usually sees my posts in FB, knows that I'm a cat-lover. It's not that I don't like dogs (I own 3 pet dogs and one of them is Oreo), but I just don't want to get too attached to a dog. It's because in my experience, my earlier pet dog; named Whoopie (yes named after Whoopie Goldberg), broke my heart into pieces when he left this world. Reeling from that heartbreak, I swore never to get too attached to a dog again...

...And then Oreo came along.

She was a typical "askal" (street dog with mixed breed; a mutt of sorts), and she came into our home as a very young puppy. She was one of the puppies of our neighbor and she was given to us I guess in replacement of my pet dog; Whoopie. I was honestly reluctant, but my family, specially my youngest sister was insistent in keeping her. Among the 3 of us, she was the closest among us siblings to our dog Oreo. They look like best buds in a comedy flick.

And as such, she took the news of Oreo's death the hardest.

I may not be as close to Oreo, as my youngest sister is, but despite my initial attitude towards Oreo, she warmed up to me. Not because she was always there as our guard dog, but because she exhibited a zest for life and love for affection unlike any other. In so many ways, she brings so much joy and happiness in our life, that I think I caught her love for life and positivity. She has a certain charm about her that she effortlessly exudes. And she will always be there to make sure she brings a smile on your face, no matter how bad the situation is. I mean, just look at that smile.

Who could resist such a cute lil doggie trying its hardest to make your day brighter? :)

If that's not enough, she would even let us rub her belly! And the fun part is, she seems to love it!

She would do anything and everything, just to make herself adorable and loveable. No matter how silly or stupid, she is always game for anything. Whether rolling on dirt, jogging with us every morning, playing with us, jumping to give us a warm hug and lots of kisses, to just generally being silly. All just to see us smile and be happy. It's almost ironic to think that my pet dog knows alot more about "being human", than other people I've met in my life. I'd even go as far to say that she acts more human than those people can ever hope to be...

Inside the household, we all believe, that Oreo thinks she's human. That she's not a "pet", but a part of the family. Prolly because she grew up with humans, that she thinks she's one of us. In many ways she would try to show she truly understands us. Whenever someone in the family has a birthday, she would "sing" (meaning bark loudly in unison with us) "Happy Birthday" along with the rest of the family. 

Yes that's Oreo, with her daughter Flurry (the white dog on the upper stair) and they are actually participating in wishing one of us a Happy Birthday that day.

And when we try to talk to her, she would bark in acknowledgement. And sometimes, when she feels that being cute isn't enough to cheer us up, she would try to let you know that she is there by your side... giving you a hand and letting you know that the world is not over yet... and that even if she's just a dog, she lets us know that she loves us whole-heartedly. And that she will often give her paw to let us know that everything will be okay...

I have been a recipient of her warm assurances. When my dreams and my life came falling apart, I cried out to my dog and vented my frustrations. Not only did she sit down and listen, but she tried her best to comfort me, by kissing me all over my face letting me know it's not the end yet. That no matter what, she believes that I'll make it. That loving assurance was enough to give me the strength to pick myself up and carry on. I certainly wish you are here right now Oreo to see me... I'm sure you'd be proud of me of how I turned my life around and made it much more better than it was before.

But it wasn't meant to be...

Little did I know, this would be the last week I'll ever get to see Oreo smile...

It was Wednesday evening, when my mom suddenly went to my room to ask me to help my youngest sister bring Oreo to the vet. I knew there was something wrong with her, but I thought it was just lack of appetite on her part as she hasn't been eating for days. Upon helping my sister bring our dog to the car, it became apparent there was something wrong with Oreo. She was so frail and thin, that she could barely stand up. She looked nothing like her usual self. Her eyes are swollen, almost popping out of its sockets. She looked like she was in pain, but she tried her best to hide it by trying her best to smile.

I took a spare towel and put it around her body and made it into a blanket. I sat by her side and rubbed her body trying to warm her up. As my hands brushed thru her body, I could feel the bones in her ribcage as I stroke her frail body... she was so thin and weak. I tried to comfort her by talking to her, trying to lift her spirits the best I can, the way she always had to me, as my sister drove the car frantically trying to race against time.

"That's my good girl, you're a strong guard dog aren't you? Cmon just a little more baby, we are almost there! Be strong for me my love."

"We are almost there Oreo, don't worry baby. Everything will be just like always okay! So don't give up on me."

"Just hang in there buddy, the doctor will soon take care of you. You will be alright..."

I held on to those words myself, hoping they would be true. That she would be alright. I hoped in my heart she would understand as well. That she would find comfort in my words of assurance. I was told by people that I have a "talent" of making the mood light and bringing sunshine when there is darkness. Despite my disbelief in that label, at that moment, I prayed it was true... if only to make my dog's dark days seem better.  If only to bring sunshine to her eyes again, which is slowly fading to gray... If only to take away her pain and make her happy... just like before...

As we got to the vet, my sister immediately carried Oreo inside while I watched over the car. As soon as she came back, we both went inside to see how she's doing. The vet ran some tests and gave her alot of medications to ease her pain. The vet took some blood samples and temperature readings from her, as I watched helplessly on the side...

While the vet was out, I stayed by my dog's side. I whispered to her that things will be okay, stroking her head as I tried hard to crack a smile... wiping the tears that fall off my face at the same time. She looked so weak and so tired... a far cry of how lively and energetic she used to be.

The vet came back and asked me to follow with him to the laboratory. I could feel my heart drop, but I mustered the courage to believe it was just nothing serious. That its just probably some thing that can be easily treated...

I was asked to look into the microscope and I saw dozens of thread-like parasites squiggling around her blood cells. I asked the vet what was it.

It was called a "Heartworm"...

According to the vet, its a type of parasite that is transmitted by mosquito bites, and they reside in the host's bloodstream. They breed and multiply, till they congest and infect the host's blood veins wherein the host would then suffer a cardiac arrest due to the stress it's getting from the worm infestation in their main arteries...

Oreo's infection already reached her main arteries and is suffering a cardiac arrest, that's why she could barely walk that day...

I felt numb hearing it. I can't even remember what it was I said, but I remembered I was still in disbelief about everything I'm hearing. I asked the vet if there's anything he can do to help, and he told us that there is a possible cure, however Oreo is also suffering from another disease that day.

Her liver is already in bad shape...

She was in no shape to take the medication, as taking the medication would put a lot of strain in her liver hence she might die of liver disease instead. The vet then told us they would try to give her some shots to help reduce the pain in her liver, and at the same time suggested that we leave Oreo behind for them to take care of her in their facility and try to feed her with liver-friendly dog food to help regulate Oreo's diet, in hopes of fixing her liver problem first before administering the "Heartworm" vaccine. Faced with the situation, we decided to leave Oreo and hoped they can work a miracle for her case.

As soon as we got Oreo to her room, she struggled to get near me. I can feel she knew what was going to happen... that we will have to leave her that evening. I can feel her getting scared of being left all alone in that clinic. She tried as hard as she can to stand up to get close to me, and collapsed after a few steps. As soon as I saw her, I rushed to her side and let her know that I'm there for her and let her feel I won't abandon her. That its only for a few days while the vets take care of her. I tried my very best to reassure her and let her know that I'm there. I suddenly felt Oreo putting her head on my lap as she tried her best to be as close to me as she can. I felt bitter tears falling down my cheeks uncontrollably... as I tried to muster the courage to tell her everything will be alright. That she will be as good as new after the vets took take care of her...

But it wasn't...

Today, as I head home, I read the news of Oreo's passing in the clinic via Facebook. It was my youngest sister who announced the news... as she was reeling from heartbreak upon the loss of Oreo. Our dad's driver took her remains and buried her and paid the remaining balance for her stay at the clinic. And I wasn't even there during her last days on this earth...

I felt I abandoned her when she needed me the most...

As I write this blog entry down, I hope that wherever Oreo is... I hope she is finally free and happy. I'm so sorry Oreo to have not been there when you needed me the most... I'm so sorry that the best I can do for you is a lousy blogpost, when you've given me and my family so much more... When you loved us unconditionally and brought so much joy in our life.

And now... you are the second dog in my life to have broken my heart... and I thank you for all the wonderful memories you've left behind. I could never have asked for a better dog... no, a better friend than you. Rest in peace Oreo... I will miss you...