Thanks to an ad on TV today about RSV Protection, I’m taking my two girls in January to get their Synagis jabs since it will still be winter and that’s apparently RSV season. Skyler is a premature baby and thus, stands a high risk of not only getting this common infection, but it may become severe.
So glad I turned on the TV!
Five coats (three big, two small), four bras, two blouses, one jeans, four little two-piece sets, one pair of sandals, one pair of gloves, one scarf.
All for USD353.
Yea, we went shopping, at the Burlington Coat Factory in Auburn. OMG. It’s those premium discount outlets at a place called the Supermall, and I shopped until Lokes literally dropped because he was so tired from not having slept (but he was the one who dragged me all the way out there in the first place).
The last time we did this was in Camarillo (thanks to your sis, ‘Zel!) and Pimm’s outside Vegas during our honeymoon. It’s not very safe, us, plus-size clothes for half the price and all. Who can resist sandals for US1.88?!
You’ve got stuff from all the Kleins: Anne, Calvin and some guy called Charles (!?). You’ve got J.Lo and DKNY. You’ve got Polo. I got this lovely Jones and New York hooded leather suede coat for USD80:
Situated in a district called Auburn 1.5 hours from Redmond (because we got lost trying to get there), Supermall is a cluster of ‘premium’ outlets, a name given to shops selling branded stuff for huge discounts. You have regular shops here as well but we never even STEPPED out of Burlington. Two hours later, shopping bags-laden, we were just too tired to go any further.
Ah well. 1.5 hours and all the stuff we got, was enough. By the time we were driving back, Lokes was falling asleep at the wheel (but would not let me drive!) and it was already dark out. Only 5.30pm and it looked like it was 8pm. So weird.
It’s now almost 8am on a wet and cold Tuesday morning. Brewed some coffee at our serviced apartment:
Oh yea, and the Christmas decorations have already gone up:
This is near our hotel. Lokes is going to be here to enjoy his first Christmas next month! So excited for him!
Okay, back to coffee and trying to wake the big man up for some breakie.
I love Seattle.
And I’ve only been here two hours.
I’ve seen the pictures. I’ve watched the documentaries. But nothing quite prepares you for the experience of walking around in 0 degrees Celcius, white chilly air puffing from your nose and mouth as you speak. I am wearing like three layers of clothing over my ‘natural insulation’, and am still feeling cold.
Call me a country bumpkin, but this is simply amazing.
Seattle is covered in white. The trees are hues of brown, pink, orange and white. The grass is frosted over. So are cars which have been sitting out overnight. The town centre where our hotel is, is deserted.
Today’s milestones: Breathed chilly air. Drove a PT Cruiser out of the airport for like five minutes on the right side of the road (totally freaked out since I’ve not driven any other car but my Sorento since I got my lesen). Had breakfast of hashbrowns, pancakes and omelette at Denny’s in Bellevue. And right now, am roasting in the warmth of central heating at the Marriott Residence Inn at the heart of Redmond Town Centre, blogging for y’all. All the while wondering if the kids will be able to adjust to this weather. Of course, the husband is just ecstatic, walking around in just a shirt and jeans. He’s made of solid wood, I tell ya (all applying puns intended).
Some pics:
This will never happen in Malaysia. Check out the completely empty car-pool lane, for cars with >two people. It was unbelievable. I actually looked closely at all the cars we passed and they, sure enough, contained only drivers. Saw this in LA as well the last time.
And this might be home, if the price is right.
It’s a gated condo cluster right in the city, called Chelsea Square. Very pretty.
I’m exhausted. Gonna go take a nap. Lokes has gone for his meetings, poor thang. Gonna take a walk later and take more pics.
Wished the kids were here.
After about seven hours, we finally arrived at Narita Airport, our stopover for nine hours en route to Seattle. Didn’t manage to sleep much because although JAL is comfortable, our plane was oddly very stuffy. The Hubby was sweating, getting cranky, drinking lots of Diet Coke to keep cool.
Narita brings back memories. I’ve been here once before when Lokes and I went for our honeymoon back in 2003. Nothing much has changed, except for the fact that we have more time to waste. So I took lots of pics.
Like these:
Sort of like those newfangled piss bowls for the ladies’ toilet which you ‘kungfu’ over, except this one’s right there on the floor. No platform. Not elevated. Almost put my foot in there too.
And then there are the ‘air towels’. Gotta love the Japanese-English. This thing kept blowing up my blouse as I leaned over to check my face. Didn’t want to lean over the basin and get myself wet. It’s not very practical to put this here, Narita designers.
The gratuitous loving couple pic. Notice the swollen face and eyes. Or is it just me?
More pics and updates when I become bored. Internet access here is dirt cheap. 500yen for 24 hours (about US$5 aka RM20).
p/s: Miss the kids so very much.
At the airport now, having a latte, logging in to check emails (despite knowing I’m NOT going to be getting many emails since I’m now a bum) and play WoW to basically wile away two hours before boarding.
Been a crazy weekend just trying to get our car sold and packing and trying to make sure everything is okay before we go off for a week. Already miss my two girls. We thought since this is just going to be a short trip, we’ll make it a sort-of second honeymoon cum trial run cum my orientation to Seattle (never been there).
Feelings: Excitement. Trepidation. Worry. Seems like there are a million things I’ve not written down for my mom and in-laws to follow. I know. I know. Like The Hubby says, who else is better to take care of our kids than them? Why should I worry?
I dunno. Maybe I just miss them so much already. Hugging them just now I really didn’t want to let go. I really am very lucky to have such beautiful little girls who bring so much joy to us.
Kids.
Sigh.
Fantasyflightgames (the guys making this here game) has posted a preview of the up and coming board game for this insanely popular MMORPG.
Some excerpts:
- features 16 playable characters from every race and class available in the online game.
- how to play:
At the beginning of the game, the characters are distributed so that there are an equal number of Heroes in each Faction – either two or three. Heroes begin at level 1, with some pre-selected abilities and equipment, as well as a small amount of gold with which to purchase more. Horde Heroes begin in the town of Brill, just outside the Undercity, whereas Alliance Heroes are freshly arrived in Southshore, on the coast.
On each Faction turn, every Hero of that Faction may take two actions – travel, rest, challenge, training, or visiting town. Using these actions, Heroes travel across the map to complete quests by defeating monsters. For every quest completed, the Heroes gain experience and wealth, which can allow them to level up and gain new powers and abilities. As they progress from level 1 to level 5 (the apex of power in World of Warcraft: the Board Game and equivalent to level 60 in the online game), Heroes become capable of challenging the mightiest of monsters – dread Doomguard, mighty drakes, and even the nigh-invincible Overlord!
Gnoll, Murloc, Ghoul, Ogre, Drake, Infernal, Naga, Scarlet Crusader, Doomguard, Spider, Worgen, Wildkin. They’re all represented by 100+ figures provided in the game. Heck, the Doomguard figure alone is almost as big as your fist!
As characters advance, players must make choices as to which powers to train and equip, and which talents to learn. By mixing and matching their abilities and the equipment they receive during their travels, Heroes can develop new and interesting combinations. The innovative dice system allows for great depth in a simple rules framework. By rolling and “spotting” different colors of dice to trigger different abilities, Heroes can vanquish even the most dread opponents and entire groups of enemy players!
To win, the Heroes must be the first Faction to defeat the Overlord, whether that arch-fiend is Kel’Thuzad, Lord Kazzak, or the drake Nefarian. If time runs out and neither Faction has won, the victor is decided by an all-out Faction-versus-Faction battle, and to the winner go the spoils!
To win, the Heroes must be the first Faction to defeat the Overlord, whether that arch-fiend is Kel’Thuzad, Lord Kazzak, or the drake Nefarian. If time runs out and neither Faction has won, the victor is decided by an all-out Faction-versus-Faction battle, and to the winner go the spoils!
To win, the Heroes must be the first Faction to defeat the Overlord, whether that arch-fiend is Kel’Thuzad, Lord Kazzak, or the drake Nefarian. If time runs out and neither Faction has won, the victor is decided by an all-out Faction-versus-Faction battle, and to the winner go the spoils!
Read the rules (3MBs of it in PDF format).
Now you don’t need an Internet connection or RM44/63 a month to play the game!
Yih Yang, are you reading this?
This morning, I woke up and during my coffee, decided to download some of the photos in my camera. Filing them by dates taken, I thought it would be a good idea to sort them out, but then wondered if I should do them later, see if I have anything more urgent waiting.
And then it hit me: I have NOTHING more urgent to do. Because I am officially jobless, as of yesterday, the 25th of November 2005.
For the first time in my life, I have TOTALLY no source of income. Last time, even when I’d gone freelancing full-time, I had like two jobs under my belt. Now, nothing. It feels SO weird. And scary.
But just means I get more time with kids, WoW and THIS:
No it’s not what you think it is. Although it really could be, but no.
It’s a handheld electric massager, courtesy of the folks in the office. Very thoughtful guys. I’m gonna probably need a transformer to hook it up in the States, but it is well worth it. I never knew it could feel SO good. Almost could double for that other thing.
Almost.
*LOL*
Overheating, crashes, lockups, XBOX Live! issues are among the problems reported.
Shows why one should ALWAYS wait and not get on the “I got mine first!” wagon.
Also, Gamespot reports that Microsoft was actually losing US$126 per console when it got into the business in 2001. That amounted to “US$4 billion of red ink”. Now, Businessweek says that the company is again losing around US$125 per unit. The details are in the Gamespot report.
I remember asking someone in the business a year or so ago why MS was not supporting the console in terms of game sales in Malaysia. Piracy, was of course, the primary reason, because selling consoles is not about console sales. It’s about games sales. Parallel importing + piracy = makes no sense to do business here.
So it’s no rocket science why we don’t get no love here.
Check this out.
Who wants to bet that 50% (if not more) of this 50% consists of pirates downloading stuff to sell?
If you like adventure games, you’re sure to already love the Broken Sword series. And if you have a Palm (with OS 5.0), now you can play it wherever you go!
Called Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars, this new pocket game from Astraware and Revolution Software (makers of the original BS games) is already available for purchase at Astraware’s site.
Details from the press release:
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars is an epic adventure which takes you around the globe in a desperate race to unlock the ancient mysteries of the Knights Templar.
Originally created for PC and PlayStation, and now available for PalmOS® handhelds, Broken Sword is the story of George Stobbart, an American tourist on vacation in Europe, who becomes embroiled in a terrifying conspiracy when he witnesses the theft of an ancient manuscript and the assassination of its owner. The manuscript, created in the 14th century by the order of the Knights Templar, points to where their legendary power has been hidden for over six hundred years. Befriending a photojournalist, Nico Collard, the two find themselves on a global trail that ultimately reveals a deadly secret that will change their lives forever.
Just as in many modern mystery books, you will become immersed in the unfolding story as you guide George through the game, looking for clues, talking to witnesses, and following the trail as it takes him from Paris to Ireland, Syria and beyond.
Avid PDA users are already excited about the release. Jan Galbraith from Palm Addict told us: “I have been playing Broken Sword and it has knocked my socks off! Having never before played an adventure game, I was delighted to find that it is like “experiencing” a good mystery story. This game, with its interesting characters, exotic locales, and stunning graphics, has grabbed me, and I can’t wait to find out what happens, but I don’t want it to end!”
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars has just been released for specified high resolution Palm OS 5.0 handhelds, available at US$29.95. Check device requirements here. Says that the game is NOT compatible with Palm Tungsten T, Tungsten T2, Sony CLIÉ UX40, UX50 and VZ90, and of course it won’t work on the low resolution (160×160) Palm OS devices such as: Zire 21, Zire 31, Z22, Tréo 600, or QVGA (240×320) as well as the Qool QDA 700 and the PiTech W300.
The Windows Mobile for Pocket PC version will follow in February 2006. There are previous GBA and Mobile versions as well.
In the grand tradition of games like Half-Life, F.E.A.R is now SDKed. VU games announced the first stage of its post-launch support via a press release last night. Here are the details:
…the F.E.A.R. SDK (Software Development Kit) allows consumers to create their own custom content for both single and multiplayer aspects of F.E.A.R. Also available now is the F.E.A.R. stand-alone server software for both Linux and Win32.
VU Games is also pleased to announce that as part of its ongoing efforts to improve the in-game experience for gamers, a deal has been signed to incorporate the Punkbuster Anti Cheat software into F.E.A.R. . Other updates planned for 2006 include additional multiplayer maps and game types, along with a ‘votekick’ option.
To download the SDK and server software, please visit www.fearfans.com.
For more information on PunkBuster, please visit www.punkbuster.com.
The SDK (version 1.02) is 84.7MB in size.
Amid enough hype to launch another space station, Microsoft’s XBOX 360 has been rolled out in no less than an airport hangar at the Mojave desert.
Gamespot’s detailed report here. The most interesting bit was the gambit:
At 8:54 (360 seconds before launch), the gates to the hangar opened up, revealing a convoy of three large Best Buy trucks, complete with a police escort. Inside those trucks were nearly 3,000 Xbox 360s, packed to the brim in the trucks’ cabs. Music reached a feverish tempo, and the interior lights strobed on and off, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
As the vehicles made their way to the Best Buy store, the energy was electric–this was the moment that the gamers had been waiting for. All those hours yearning to play as Joanna Dark, tear through a lap of the Nurburgring, or play high-definition sports games were merely ticks away from becoming reality.
…but the last bit brought tears to my eyes:
Though photo opportunities were rare and celeb sightings were minimal, those who attended–the hardcore gamer from every conceivable demographic–not only appreciated the fact that they were there, but the fact that they had the opportunity to be there, a rare instance in today’s starstruck industry.
How much is the X360? EBgames.com has these prices:
Xbox 360 Ultimate Bundle
US$699.92 (>RM2,600)
Core:
• Xbox 360 Premium System ($399.00)
• Xbox 360 Game Console
• Wireless Controller
• Combination High-Definition Component and Standard A/V Cable
• 20GB Hard Drive
• Ethernet Cable
• Headset
• Bonus Media Remote
• Xbox Live Silver
• Xbox Live Gold 30-Day Trial
Games:
• Perfect Dark Zero Limited Edition
• Call of Duty 2
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• Project Gotham Racing 3
Extras:
• Extra Wireless Controller
• Play & Charge Kit (for extra controller)
• Extra Rechargeable Battery Pack
The standard Xbox 360 Core Bundle
US$599.93 (>RM2250)
Core:
• Xbox 360 Core System ($299.00)
• Xbox 360 Game Console
• Wired Controller
• Composite A/V Cable
• Xbox Live Silver
• Xbox Live Gold 30-Day Trial
Games:
• Perfect Dark Zero: Limited Edition
• Call of Duty 2
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• Project Gotham Racing 3
Extras:
• Extra Wired Controller
• Memory Unit (required to save games without hard-drive)
This bundle does not include the hard drive needed to play games created for the original Xbox.
Play-asia is selling the Japanese “Xbox 360 Sale Commemoration Pack” for US$529 (>RM1980; says here price is subject to change). Includes:
• Xbox 360 Console
• 20GB hard drive
• Wireless Controller
• Remote Control
• HD AV Cable
• Ethernet Cable
• Power Supply (110V)
• Manual (Japanese)
BTW, check out the pure white original XBOX! Sells for US$599 (wtf?).
Sigh. Who has RM2,500 to lend? I sure as hell ain’t holding up a store for it.
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