Star Wars: The Clone Wars "The Rise of Boba Fett Ultimate Battle Pack"

I need to get the above mentioned battlepack as soon as I can. Period.

Wife's Birthday

Today is Wifey's birthday so I took the day off to spend time with her and our little princess. I have not been blogging recently due to my busy work schedule. Time spent after work is for re-energizing my self, as well as to keep my daughter company. Anyway, this week has been pretty good so far. I managed to pick up some action figures which I have been hunting for high and low from Robinsons @ Centrepoint this monday. They are:

Star Wars Clone Wars Kit Fisto
Star Wars Clone Wars Mace Windu
Star Wars Clone Wars Mandalorian Warriors Battlepack

Very excited to finally be able to obtain them. Will put up some pics once I get my camera up and running again.

Today, we had a family dinner at a Thai restaurant at Funan and boy was the food excellent! I strongly recommend those who like Thai food to give that outlet a try. It on level 4, near the escalator (Challenger side). I also managed to pick up Demon Souls, a PS3 game that I have been eyeing for some time. The version I snagged was the greatest hits version so it come by relatively cheap. Read many excellent reviews about the game so I am going to finally be able to see if those ratings are justified.

All in all, a very good start to the week. =)

Back to Gaming

By now, those who read my blog would have known that I am playing Final Fantasy 14. I have not really gotten much into the game other than doing quests and running around like a headless chicken. Will dwell more into the MMO in future. I also bought the new Medal of Honor (MOH) game for the PS3 and even though, in my opinion, it is not as good as the Call of Duty (COD) series for the campaign mode, the multiplayer mode more than makes up for it. Developed by the same team that did the "Battlefield" series, MOH online is a joy. Controls are tight and easy to manage. Maps are well-spaced and yet allows frantic action. I am having alot of fun killing the bad/good guys, depending on which faction you are assigned. I strongly urge FPS lovers to pick this up, even if it just for the online mode. To be honest, the campaign mode ain't that bad and there are a few classic moments in the game. One which I like in particular was the part where the Taliban fighters were over-running us, we were running out of ammo, and death seemed like the only way out. Then, all of a sudden, some apaches appeared out of nowhere and saved our sorry asses. That was classic! Pls try this game! I can't wait for COD: Black Ops to be released too as I am an FPS freak! But till then, MOH will be taking up my gaming time.

The Bug Hits!

My whole family is falling ill recently. Wifey is having her usual morning sickness (which will most likely last through the first trimester), and my little princess is having flu. It pains me to see her coughing and having a running nose but I guess this is all part of growing up. It seemed like only yesterday that Kaylee was born but looking at her now, I can see that time really flies. She will be turning two soon and next year, she will be starting play school. My second one will also be born next year, so I guess there will be more things to worry about in 2011! Being a parent is not easy and I can understand alot of the stress that parents go through nowadays, something which I didn't understood when I was still a kid. I am glad that my parents brought me up to be the man I am today and I will certainly do all I can to provide for my kids until the day they are old enough to take care of themselves.

24 Hours a Day is Not Enough

I know I have not been blogging as much as I would like, and I have yet to show you readers more of my awesome toy collection. I really feel that 24 hours a day is insufficient to do things which I have planned to get done. More likely, it could be due to my poor time management but other than work and family, I hardly have the time or energy to do other stuff. Even my toy collection is being neglected as I hardly pose my figures to provide some dynamism to the display.

And today, just when I wanted to post some pictures of a cool toy I purchased recently, I realized that the new CPU casing I bought does not have come with the slots for the various memory cards my camera utilizes. Ok, I admit I can still post the pictures by transferring them to my HD via the USB cable but I am too darn lazy to find the cable. Will post the pics when my mood to do so arises again.

I have been spending some time during last weekend trying out the new Final Fantasy 14 Online game and to be honest, I am not really that impressed with it. The graphics is really nice and the characters and area maps are really interesting, but the gameplay feels kinda sluggish. During battles, lag seems to be a problem as you only see your character reacting to the button you pressed about 3 seconds ago. While synthesizing/mining etc, there are many steps to go through before actually carrying out the process. It might be Square Enix's way of making the game unique but to me, it just feel painfully slow. Instructions are also not that clear at times and I had to walk around like a lost soul, frequently checking the online guides to get some clue as to what I had to do. These are just my early impressions with the game. Hopefully the experience improves as I dwell more into the world of Eorzea!

"Eorzea Here I Come!"

And so, the day has finally come to get involved with another MMORPG. Had lunch with Wifey at Funan Centre today and right after that, it was on to the game store to purchase the latest Final Fantasy adventure to hit town, FINAL FANTASY XIV Online! Spent about 3 hours downloading all the latest patches to ensure that my gaming experience will be an enjoyable one. However, there was one big problem. My graphics card was so ancient that it didn't even meet the minimum requirements (I thought I had that covered when I bought the game. Realized I mistook my GC as meeting the requirements). So I did a 5min research on the internet and decided to plonk down almost $400 on a Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 1GB card. Pretty retarded, but thats besides the point (btw the game only cost $70 >.<). And then I had another issue, my power supply was not that "power" afterall. Sooo, I have to head down to the store again tomorrow morning to get a new power supply and at the same time get the kind folks there to help me install everything. Anyway, I managed to run the game on my crappy card and I am still amazed at how good the game looks.

Check out some screenshots:

The packaging

Screenshots from the opening movie of the game

The character I created

Do note that my 256MB card was running these graphics! I really can't wait to see the difference when my new card is up and running.

Will post more in-game pics in due time!

Final Fantasy XIV Online

I have not been keeping up to date with video games ever since my little princess was born. Was just aimlessly surfing the net recently and realized that a new MMORPG is going to be released this week (30 Sep). Yup, as the topic heading shows, its FINAL FANTASY XIV! I believe the collector's edition is already out in the market but being the "cheapo" me, I will just go for th e regular version. Gotta say, I am pretty excited about this release as I love MMORPGs. Been a huge fan of Final Fantasy XI online as well as World of Warcraft. Even though there is a monthly fee involved, it is a little sum to pay compared to the endless fun the games provide (as long as you have the time to play it). I have not really done much research on this game but if it is somewhat similar to FF11, I'm sold! The only nitpick I had with FF11 was that you need to form a party before being able to take on most of the monsters in a certain area after level 10 onwards. The time spent to set up a proper party can be excrutiatingly painful at times. Hopefully, Square Enix has made improvements in this aspect. Looking at the in-game screenshots allows one to appreciate how beautiful the graphics are and judging from the games Square Enix churn out, they are not lacking in that department. Now, I need to decide if I should get this game when it is released on Thursday, or wait for further reviews by gamers before taking the plunge. Decisions, decisions!

I am unable to get proper screenshots but do visit the official website (http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/) if you are keen to find out more about this brand new adventure!

Sideshow Clone Lieutenant Figure

I will be posting on my recent purchases from Hong Kong. The first figure to be presented is the Sideshow Clone Lieutenant figure that I bought from Toy Hunters. What drew me to this figure was the eye-catching blue armor (which indicates its rank), as well as the fact that this piece is a Comic-Con 2010 exclusive. Similar to the 501st Legion Clone Trooper that I mentioned in a previous post, it comes with the standard clone trooper blaster, the long rifle and two extra hands. I got this on Day 1 in HK, as Toy Hunters was located within walking distance from my hotel. I actually went back to the shop two days later to do an exchange as the Carbine Blaster I received was defective. Toy Hunters did the exchange for me without much hassle and I am very happy with their service. Do enjoy the pics I posted below:



Communicating with the Jedi Generals for further instructions

Holding the Long Rifle

Armed with the Carbine Blaster, ready to take out any droids in the way.

A very exciting figure and one that certainly enhances one's display cabinet. I am very happy with this purchase and it is a great addition to my Star Wars collection.

Will be posting on other holiday purchases soon. Till then, may the force be with you!

Disappearance

Guess I have not been updating my blog for some time. I have been busy with work lately and also went on a short trip to Hong Kong. Just got back yesterday with some new add-ons to my toy collection! Will try to put up pics within the next few days! Till then, cherrios!

Something to Ease the Pain

Recently, I have been selling some of my Hot Toys collections so as to ease the congestion in my display cabinet. I am very surprised at how well Hot Toys figures manage to hold their value, as I was able to sell them at the same prices I bought them for, even after displaying them in my cabinet for more than a year. The speed at which my items were snapped up is also testament to how popular Hot Toys figures are. Now, I seriously thought long and hard before selling them and to be honest, sometimes, I wished I didn't. So, in order to release some of the pain from this sincere collector's heart, I bought myself the following:

Sideshow's Star Wars 501st Legion: Vader's Fist Clone trooper

An elite unit of clone troopers, and later stormtroopers, that came to symbolize the might of the Galactic Empire, the 501st Legion were the soldiers under the command of Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith. Also known as "Vader's Fist," they continued to enforce order and Imperial rule well after the death of Vader.

The 501st began just as any of the other initial clone units that blazed across the rocky deserts of Geonosis in the first historic battle of the Clone Wars. They seemed identical to the other clones that infiltrated the Separatist stronghold and pushed the Confederacy forces off-planet.

The 501st Legion was split into special mission groups, often to supplement other clone missions. In some cases, they operated independent of the command structure already in place. There were 501st troopers protecting the skies over Coruscant during General Grievous' bold strike against the capital. Other provided support to clone units on worlds such as Felucia, Mygeeto, Utapau and Kashyyyk.

(Above extracted from Sideshow)

This is my first clone trooper figure from sideshow and I must say I am pretty impressed with it. It comes with two weapons, a long rifle and a shorter blaster, which seems to the standard clone trooper weapon. Also included are extra hands (for additional poses) and a figure display base. The detailing of the armor is pretty realistic, with tinges of dirt and scratches all over, to illustrate that being a clone trooper ain't an easy ride. The blue colour on the shoulder pads as well as the helmet and chest plate stands out well, making it easy to identify which clone unit this trooper belongs to. All in all, I am very happy with the purchase, at less than half the price of a standard Hot Toys figure!

Its Not The Same Again

Just put up two of my most precious collectibles for sale today. They are the Hot Toys Ironman Mark I and Mark II. I have proudly displayed these two gems for about a year before finally deciding to part with them. Reasons for doing so include the lack of space in my display cabinet, and the possibility of selling them for double the price I bought them for (due to the fact that demand outstrips supply for these two figures). I tried very hard to justify selling them and even now, I am still sorely missing them. I believe whichever lucky buyer that obtains them will not regret it. Still feeling the pain and hopefully, the arrival of the Hot Toys DX04 Superman and the Hot Toys Ghost Rider with Bike set will ease it away. Till then, my Ironman Mark III (battle damaged version) will be a very lonely figure in my cabinet.

Deep Thoughts

Recently, I was going through my whole collection of figurines that I purchased over the years and trying to improve on making my display more impressive and noticed something interesting. I am quite sure that seasoned collectors will have already known this by now but for someone who just started collecting about 4 years ago, it only hit me recently. The size and number of the figurines are inversely proportional to how impressive your collection will be. Let me explain, if you have collectibles that are scaled 1:6 and above, having just a few pieces in a display cabinet (with the correct poses) will be a treat to the eyes for many a collector. If you happen to put too many figures together, the display becomes too cluttered and one will not be able to pose them well, resulting in them just standing in 'default' poses (most likely straight up with arms at the sides). This causes the display to somehow lose its grandeur. Alternatively, having too few smaller figures (3 and a quarter inches - 6 inches) will leave too much gap in between the display cabinet (taking into account the same cabinet mentioned earlier). This will result in the display looking too 'hollow', like as though the figure was randomly placed, not fitting into the setting at all. So, to make the display more impressive, collectors tend to purchase more of such figures (usually the whole series) to 'bulk' up the display. Many people baulked at the higher costs of larger figures, but if you think about it, getting a whole series of smaller figures almost equates to the same cost. I guess the only fun in purchasing smaller figures is that one can purchase a few of them (meaning there is variety) instead of just having to look at one figure. On the other hand, larger figures tend to be much more detailed and are more articulated.

As a collector, it is almost impossible to collect every single toy available (unless money and space is not an issue). I always have to balance between getting small and large figures to ensure that my display cabinet is able to accomodate them. I think the fun comes in trying to pose them in a variety of poses to try and achieve the 'wow' effect. 4 years on, I believe that I am a more experienced collector and will not purchase anything on impulse, only to regret later on and have difficulty selling the items. Having said that, sometimes, I cannot help but buy something I like, even though I know it does not fit into my collection. Ahhhhhh, its so beautiful, I can't help it!

Hot Toys Ghost Rider!!

Woooaaahhhh...right after announcing its DX-05 Superman figure, Hot Toys announced another fantastic product, The 1/6th scale Ghost Rider Figurine with Bike Set. This is just stunning and I can already feel my wallet getting lighter. Pls check out the pictures:



1/6 scale vehicles are hard to come by and they usually cost a bomb but this set seems to be much more affordable. I received the Dark Knight Batpod as a birthday gift and that piece was and still is awesome. I believe this bike is going to be another amazing vehicle and it will be great if I can display it with my other collection. Hopefully, I will get it in the form of a gift! Dear wifey, are you reading this??!!

OMG! HOLY COW!!

Received an absolutely fantastic piece of news this weekend when I learnt that Hot Toys is going to produce Christopher Reeve as Superman for their DX series. There has yet to be any pictures of the prototype but coming from Hot Toys, I believe collectors can rest assure that we will only be receiving the highest quality product in the 12 inch world. Nothing really much to comment on for now because we have yet to seen pictures of the product so I will end this post with some pictures. If Hot Toys can replicate something like the picture below, my money will be theirs to keep!

Don't disappoint us Hot Toys!

Where Did All the Snowtroopers Go?

Been trying to 'hire' some Snowtroopers to man the new Imperial AT-AT that I purchased recently. However, I am unable to find any at all from the established shopping outlets! Managed to find one at China Square but was turned off by the high price. Darn it, I kinda regretted not snagging a few of those troopers when I attended the launch of the new Star Wars toyline last month at OG Orchard. Right now, all I have is an AT-AT driver and an AT-AT Commander to take control of the behemoth. Guess I will try my luck in Hong Kong when I go there for a short holiday in September. Or I will have to wait for collectors to get sick of their Snowtroopers and decide to let them go at decent prices. Last resort will be Ebay, but I try not to buy from there unless I am really desperate. Oh well, Luke Skywalker is going to have an easy time taking down the AT-AT without those Snowtroopers to stop him!

Ad Wars

Remember I mentioned about Subaru being distasteful in my previous post? This is why:

Saw this on the VW Singapore forum (picture was taken by a fellow forumer) and immediately, I thought of how Subaru were portraying the "Beng" attitude and being extremely proud of it. "Quit playing with Balls"??? What kind of statement is that? I have nothing against their cars, in fact I really like the WRX STI and would honestly like to get my hands on one if I ever had a chance to, but I personally feel that their advertising department needs a complete overhaul. I wonder what kind of message they are trying to bring across, that the STI is a much better car than the Golf or Polo? To me, its like comparing apples and oranges, or geniuses and retards. People go for the WRX if they want raw power and the Golf/Polo if they want everyday driveability and MUCH BETTER fuel consumption. Having an ad like that only seems to make people dislike Subaru more (who wants to be labeled a "Beng"?) and recently more buyers are going for VW cars, so I guess Subaru's ad is working.......against them. I guess the only reason that Subaru is carrying out such moronic ads is because they are already very desperate and all they can do is try and appeal to the "bengness" in us. I admit that when it comes to cars, my little "Beng" personality is constantly trying to take control, but I'm strong enough to resist haha! Hmm...after this post, I think the EVO is the one for me, at least Mitsubishi does not market it as a "Beng" car, I hope...

'X' Marks the Spot

Just saw an uncle driving a souped up Mitsubishi Evo IX this afternoon. As usual, the sound of the engine is sweet music to the ears. I have been fascinated with Evos for some time and I feel that the Evo X's design, with the full bodykit, looks really great. Hopefully, I will be able to own one in the near future. Have always wanted to drive a high performance car, for the right reasons of course! The Subaru WRX STI is also another option but I will go for the Evo X anytime. In the meantime, in order to satisfy my lust for the Evo, I have been on the lookout for a few smaller versions of them regularly.

Hopefully, I will be able to post pics of a real Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X in my blog, and more importantly, call it my own someday!

Till then, I will be happily driving my Golf (Screw you Subaru, I enjoy playing with balls, you have any problem with that?). Shall explain my distaste with Subaru in my next post.

Hectic Week

Been really busy with work this week, which explains why I have not been blogging as often as I would like. I just got home from the office not too long ago and have no energy left for blogging, so I will keep this post short. Bear with me my readers, and I promise to return with something HUGE, EXCITING and smack full of AWESOMENESS!
Till then, sleep tight!

Amazing Durability!

Because Singapore came up with the COE (Certificate of Entitlement) scheme, car owners here basically are only able to drive their cars up to 10 years, before deciding whether to de-register their cars, or renew their COE, which will enable another 10 years of ownership. Due to the high price of the COE, which can sometimes go as high as the cost of a decent Korean car, many Singaporeans choose to purchase a new car instead of renewing it. It kinda makes sense since why would one pay an obscene amount of money just to purchase a piece of paper and keep an old vehicle? Most will therefore purchase a new car.



However, in other countries, people keep their cars for a long time and I have personally seen many old classic vehicles plying the roads in USA during my time studying in there. Cars are built to last nowadays and with proper care and servicing, these machines can easily take on 10-20 years of usage.



This brings us to Mr Allen Swift, whose story of car ownership is simply astonishing. He received his 1928 Rolls-Royce Picadilly P1 Roadster as a graduation gift in 1928, and drove it all the way till he died, last year, at the age of 102!! Thats driving the same car for 82 years! After his death, his vehicle was donated to a museum.




Much respect for this gentleman. Kudos too to Rolls Royce for being able to service this machine for so many years. I do not believe something like this will ever happen in Singapore. Now, let me think about what my next car, 4 years down the road.

Let the Taunting Begin!

This is the first week of the new soccer season in England and it has been enjoyable. As usual, we saw some expected results and some surprises as well! Chelsea showed everyone why they were champions last season with a massacre of West Brom by putting 6 goals past them. On the other hand, new boys Blackpool surprised many fans by beating Wigan 4-0. Big spending Manchester City, with all their new signings, didn't impress me at all with their display against Tottenham. In fact, their best player on that day was Joe Hart, who only cost them a measly 1 million pounds.

Just finished watching the showdown between Liverpool and Arsenal. It was a pretty dour match, with both sides seemingly too cautious to attack. Ngog scored a really good goal for Liverpool and this may be the his breakout season. Joe Cole, whose signing is one best free transfers in a while, had a debut to forget, getting sent off just before halftime. Liverpool was unlucky to concede that last minute goal, with Pepe Reina, who has always been so reliable, making a schoolboy error. I guess Arsenal did deserve that goal after all the attacking play they produced.

Now, it is time to rant. I am currently playing the Fantasy Premier League, whereby each member will choose a team of 15 players from a long list of players from the English Premier League. Each member is given 100 credits to mix and match players from the 20 teams in the league. Points are then allocated to each player depending on their performance in the actual match. For this week, I chose Joe Cole and Jamie Carragher of Liverpool. After watching the match, I really regretted choosing them! What on earth was Cole thinking when he made that tackle? The Arsenal defender was so far back in his own half to be of any threat and Cole had to make that stupid lunging tackle. Carragher had a decent game so I can't fault him. In the end, I ended up with a grand total of 2 points provided by these two players (-2 for cole and +4 for Carragher). To put things into perspective, Stephen Crainey of Blackpool earned 6 points for keeping a clean sheet against Wigan).

I guess my point is that I cannot count on Liverpool players to provide me with the points to top the fantasy league! Hopefully, my Manchester United players (Patrice Evra and Wayne Rooney) can make up for today's pathetic number of points garnered by bagging a truckload of them by thrashing Newcastle tomorrow night!

Need for Speed

Recently, I had encountered many Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions zooming passed me on the highways during my journey to the office and back. I noticed that ALL of them looked to have been modded some way or another. In addition, ALL of them created quite a bit of noise as they blast their way down the expressways. I am very fascinated by cars and even though I have owned a Volkswagen Mark 6 Golf Sport for almost a year, I am still amazed at how the little 1.4L engine can churn out quite an impressive amount of power for a small cc engine. However, those EVOs are of an entire different breed and I would love to own one eventually (provided wifey allows hehe!).


As I am on leave today,I went car shopping and actually managed to buy one EVO and it comes with a nice bodykit and extra stickers (add 5bhp per sticker)!






And then I managed to snag another monster! The legendary Honda NSX-R! Its a pity this car is out of production.






These two cars can literally wake up the whole neighbourhood when they pass by at top speed.

Wouldn't it be nice if one can call either one of them his own? I sure would like to someday!

Awesome Surprise!

Had a fantastic surprise from dear wifey this afternoon while at the office. Was told that she was awarded some cash for being loyal to her company these few years and that she was willing to use the money to help fund my Hasbro AT-AT purchase! I am over the moon when I heard that! Firstly, because her company recognizes the effort that she has put in for them, and secondly, I will be getting one of the nominees (I feel) for Toy of the Year 2010 absolutely free! Its not that I cannot afford to buy one myself, but the thought of getting something as amazing as that for a gift feels great. Thank you so much my dear! Love you lots! Muack!






In space, size does matter, and Hasbro certainly kept that in mind when creating its all-new, highly detailed STAR WARS AT-AT. The AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) played a significant role in the Empire's military assault in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and it will play an equally important role in every fan's toy collection this year! Measuring more than 24 inches tall, nearly 28 inches long, and 12 inches wide, this colossal vehicle holds up to 20 STAR WARS figures – 6 of which can fit in its head alone! – and includes so many play and electronic features true to its on-screen counterpart that it's hard to believe! From the zip-line in its body and articulated legs for superb poseability, to its LED lights and authentic movie sounds and phrases, this is the must-have addition for STAR WARS fans of all ages. Includes a 3 ¾ inch AT-AT driver action figure and a pop-out speeder bike.

Sideshow Jedi Master Yoda and his Humble Hut!

The first Star Wars film was released in 1977 and since then, numerous SW related products have been produced to further milk the license. However, SW fans are not complaining, judging from the amount of money, time and effort spent on collecting all things SW related. I, for one, am a huge SW fan and I am seriously considering obtaining a product which I can describe with one word, "OMG!" (or is that three words?).

Yes, it is our beloved Yoda and his humble little home, produced by Sideshow Collectibles:

Yes, this is the hut that appeared in SW Episodes V and VI. It is located in Dagobah, where Yoda, one of the last remaining Jedi of the Old Galaxy, was hiding from the cruel and oppressive Empire. It is also here that Yoda trained Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force.

Both Yoda and his hut are sold separately. But how can one only get Yoda and not have a home to put him in? Obviously, these do not come cheap. The whole set comes to about S$480 (if you preorder) and that is a price that many collectors will shudder upon hearing it. But I am pretty sure the hardcore SW collectors will shrug that off as a minor inconvenience, since it is not often that one comes across a highly detailed and amazing 1/6 diorama.

Oh man, how I wish I am one of the happy collectors who can own a piece of this. My dear wifey, if you are reading this, make me a happy man please!

Jabba's Throne

Was getting lunch at Compasspoint last week before heading to office when I happened to come across this!

Suffice to say, I did not hesitate much before taking this to the payment counter. It is the latest offering by Hasbro of Jabba the Hutt for the latest Star Wars vintage line. A few Jabbas have been made before this but none look as good as this! This playset comes with Jabba, his throne, Salacious Crumb and Oola, the dancing girl (or slave to be more precise) and tons of accessories!

Out of the box, this playset looks fabulous!

This is definitely a very good renditon of the evil crime lord. Now, all I need are some similarly scaled Gamorrean guards to complete the playset! A highly recommended purchase for those looking to add Jabba to their collection. For those who had already purchased "The Hutt" previously, I am sure the "awesomeness" of this figure will not stop you from getting it too!

Hopefully, this Hasbro continues to churn out outstanding products for this line to make all SW fans and collectors happy!

Something to Ponder

Had lunch with wifey today and we mentioned about me starting this blog and whether I have the time and energy to keep posting on a regular basis for my readers. Wait a minute, what readers am I referring to?? Thats right, I have absolutely no idea who is reading my blog (other than my wife who is so encouraging). This led me to think, "what is the purpose of this blog?" Honestly, I am unable to give a good solid reply to that question right now, other than the fact that I will like to share my interests in a domain whereby anyone can read and participate (via comments) in. Hmm...then again, thats a pretty good reason to start a blog. But, if there are no readers, who am I sharing my interests with? Questions, questions, questions, life's full of them!

Anyway, I just got down to unboxing up some of the recent toys that I purchased. Must say that there are some pretty awesome stuff to show you guys! Pics to follow soon! Till then, dun let the bed bugs get you! (did I already mention this in an earlier post?)

Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge

Was just scouring cyberspace for interesting stuff and came across this site which was selling this 'point and click' game called Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge for US$9.99. Without hesitation, I whipped out my credit card and purchased it. I last played the original Monkey Island game when I was in secondary school and my oh my, I had so much fun adventuring with Guybrush Threepwood (don't you just love that name!). The game revolves around the life of wannabe pirate Guybrush and his (mis)adventures battling notorious pirates, foiling the evil plans of the undead pirate LeChuck and eventually winning the heart the governor, Elaine Marley. It all sounds kinda corny but the funny dialog, challenging puzzles and hilarous scenes make this game really enjoyable. I believe there are five titles in the 'Monkey Island' series and the one I purchased was the second one, albeit it being a remake of the original one (released in 1991).





I checked several websites that reviewed this game and all seem to give it pretty good ratings. I believe my wife will also like this game as she did mentioned before that 'point and click' games are her forte. Hopefully, we will have fun playing this together! Am waiting patiently for the download to finish, after which I will be starting my pirate adventure with The Great, The Mighty and The Notorious, Guybrush Threepwood! (can't help but love that name)





I read a couple of websites that reviewed this game and all of them gave pretty good ratings to it. If you have never tried any of the Monkey Island games, I highly recommend this one to you. Its cheap and good! Who says good things don't come cheap?!

Chicharito!!!

Seems to me that Manchester United is going to have a very quiet preseason when it comes to squad transfers. Having supported Man Utd since 1990, we (the fans) have always been very excited during every preseason ever since the inception of the Premier League as the Red Devils always seemed be at the forefront of every major signing (read as expensive) due to the its huge war chest.

However, these days, the ones making a huge ruckus are our neighbours in blue. With the obscene amount of "ammunition" they have, there is a real danger of the boys in blue breaking into the Big Four of English soccer this season.

But, my beloved Devils do have one secret weapon, and that person is none other than:

Javier Hernández

Full Name: Javier Hernandez

Birth Date: June 1, 1988

Birth Place: Guadalajara, Mexico

Height: 1.75m
Weight: 62 kg
Age: 22
Position: Forward

I admit that prior to his signing, I had absolutely no idea who he was, other than the fact that he was young and already playing for his country (Mexico). I kept my eyes on him during the recently concluded World Cup 2010 in South Africa and I am happy to say that Man Utd seemed to have found a gem! He's fast, competent with both feet and has a good eye for goal. Both his goals scored during the WC were testament to his goalscoring instincts. I have no doubt that Sir Alex will turn him from a good player to a world class footballer, if his attitude towards listening and learning is positive.

Although there are no expensive, marquee signings for United (with only 2 weeks remaining to the start of the new season), I am quietly confident that the new crop of youngsters at Man Utd are going to surprise alot of people. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the BPL trophy will once again return to Old Trafford come May 2011!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Movie (2008)

Just finished watching The Clone Wars (2008) movie and found it pretty entertaining. I understand that this film garnered really bad reviews when it was beamed in theatres globally in 2008. I say, what the heck, I still like it. What amuses me is that after watching this, I started to find the "animated" Star Wars figures more appealing. I have always been a fan of the older SW toys and have quite a number of them in my collection. Did not really take to the more cartoonish figures. However, I might just start looking at these more closely from now on.


I was at the recent launch of the new SW toy lines held at OG on the 24th July 2010. Managed to purchase a few carded figures from the vintage line, Luke Skywalker and his Snowspeeder. The "Rocket Firing Boba Fett" was a nice bonus! I am still waiting for my AT-AT to arrive at the toy shop that I frequent. Was really tempted to get it from OG, but it actually cost quite a bit more than the pre-order price I was quoted from my "lobang". Not willing to spend the extra bucks so I will just wait a little while longer before I lay my hands on that beast.

"There will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come"

Hot Toys is THE company any serious toy collector will know. Year after year, they have been churning out highly detailed, movie accurate, figures that have left collectors jumping with joy. They specialize in 12 inch figures and most of them of based on popular movies such as "The Dark Knight", "Ironman 1 & 2", "Aliens", "Predator" etc just to name a few. Now, high quality, coupled with expensive licences seem to be a recipe for an obscene raid on the wallet and yes, these figures do not come cheap. Most of them will set you back at least S$200, and many go beyond that figure. However, having said that, if one is passionate about collecting high end toy figures, the high price will be the least of his/her worries.

This is only my second post and I believe whoever is reading this will be wondering why am I even talking about toys. Well, to cut to the chase, I have been collecting such high end figures for about four years already. I will explain in detail why I picked up this hobby in a future post. For now, I will like to take this opportunity to showcase my latest purchase! This was a birthday gift from my lovely wife. I must say that for collectors who are married, it is very important that your other half supports your hobby. If not, hahaha good luck!

Ok, time for some pictures:

So here it is! Hot Toys Whiplash from the movie "Ironman 2"!

A strong resemblance to Mickey Rourke, who plays the villian in the movie. The details are simply amazing. The whole body is actually full of tattoos. I also like how the body is not the rubbery kind.

More pics of how much time and effort was spent to make this figure, as well as the tremendous talent of the people involved in its production.

So there you have it, my latest purchase and one that really stands out alot in my toy cabinet. I know that the pictures posted do not really do the figure justice and I hope that as time passes by, I will be able to take nicer and better pictures. See you again soon!