Beady Eyed and Too Big To Dangle Outside

Quirky title and even quirkier items through the post. The Super Mario Character keychains arrived today and I'm impressed with the size of these things (the tallest keychain is as tall as a Series 13 Be@rbrick).

Unlike other Mario keychains that are made of cloth/vinyl, these are made entirely out of plastic. The built quality is rather good; while you get 180 degrees of movement for each character's arms, the heads and legs are allowed a little room to "wiggle and wobble". I'm guessing that either the designer spent some time starring at Hula dolls, like the one below, or he was trying to make these keychains earthquake proof.


The paint job is rather good (despite a slight mistake on Luigi's cap) and it's probably the main factor for retaining the characters' look and feel from the video games. My least favourite of the characters, Yoshi, retains his beady-eyed factor and the Jar Jar Binks look (I loath both), which pretty much is a testament to the work put into designing these keychains.

SInce they are rather big, I'm better off leaving them at home, on my workstation or hooking one up to my messenger bag or perhaps a new bag. I doubt Mario would look out of place on a brand new messenger bag from The Gap or Kipling..but on second thought, maybe not. You guys are staying at home.

These keychains are still available at Play-Asia.com, click here for further details.

Sales... Not Again.

One word: Sales! If you are like me, someone who is on the look out for bargains on console games, such as games for the Nintendo DS, you'd probably be interested in Play-Asia's Crazy Week. Click on the image for further details:

Quake DS

I managed to get Quake DS up and running on my Nintendo DS today using my R4, and indeed it is still a work in progress. My first impressions are that the game runs rather fast but the dimensions of the DS screen makes for a dizzying experience (the rather bland/washed-out textures of Quake didn't make things any easier). I was feeling nauseous after 5 minutes of play and the experience had me wishing for Quake 2 instead as it was way prettier.

As mentioned in the developer's website at Drunken Coders, the world textures are pretty much there but the character textures are non-existant. Hopefully these will be fixed in the final release of this homebrew game. It was just weird shooting at silhouttes, try playing the game at its current state and you'll probably understand what I'm saying.

In order to get Quake DS running, you'll need several stuff from the Drunken Coders site and a copy of the PC version of Quake. The shareware version would do just fine but if you have trouble downloading it from id Software's website, you can always Google it.

Instructions are available also at the Drunken Coders' site and if you have trouble patching the NDS file in order for it to run on your R4, you can always refer to my guide over here.

There's also another Quake homebrew project for the Nintendo DS known as DSQuake. This project looks promising in particular as it will support some form of Internet multiplayer mode but as of now, Slot-1 solutions such as the R4 are not supported.

Buying Instant Noodles Online..And Maggi Mee

My readers have interesting shopping habits (trust me..I know..hehe...but I love you people anyways) and I found out that one of them actually bought instant noodles online. Personally, I'm pretty curious on how these Nong Shim Cup Noodles taste like and since they are kimchi flavoured, it makes them all the more interesting (spicy, sour and hot?).

On the subject on the now ubiquitous instant noodle, did you know that a certain Taiwanese Japanese chap by the name of Momofuku Ando was the inventor of the instant noodle (Wikipedia article)? If his name doesn't ring a bell, probably the name of the company that he founded, Nissin, would. Now this company has come up with pretty intesting stuff as well, fancy Cup Noodles in Pork Chowder (it sounds gross) or in Seafood Curry?

I think I'll just stick with Maggi Mee. It's the best ya? My personal favourite: Curry Flavoured Maggi Mee with slices of streaky bacon, mixed vegetables and an egg.

Video Games in Mainstream News

How often do you see news articles regarding the video games industry in mainstream news? Most of the time, you'll see them when:

a. There's a new video game console launch, heralding the next generation in graphics, gameplay, bla bla bla
b. The fiscal year just ended and video game companies would like to show off their earnings (or be a little discreet about their losses, less someone else reports on them)
c. Another massacre just happened like the one in Columbine and there's no better excuse than to blame the video game industry.

So what recent mainstream news article caught your eye lately (in relation to the video games industry)? There's only one that I can think of:

• Games 'make drivers go faster' (BBC News)(Original article: here)
  

Weekend Surf

While you guys shake a Wiimote (and a Nunchuk) at SSX Blur and probably end up looking like fools (yes..the Wii does that to you), I'm going downstairs to play what is considered the best in the entire series, SSX 3, and it's on the PS2.


Aside from games, the weekend calls for 10 kilometres of running and some work to be done on a freelance project. Happy Weekend people!

More Gashapon? And More Cooking Oil

If you do a search on the Nintendo DS Lite and cooking oil on Google, you'll probably find my blog in the top 10. Here, try it by clicking on this link. Read my original prank on a friend on how to clean the DS Lite with cooking oil over here.

March seems to be the month of Mario related gashapon, soft vinyl figures and plush toys. I've already covered some in my previous post (here) but the following collection just showed up on Play-Asia.

The Nintendo Super Mario Character Keychain collection features Mario, Luigi and Yoshi but unlike previous collections, these figurines look like they are made out of plastic, not cloth. Selling at USD 2.99 each, they are cheaper too and that is probably the main reason I just bought them! Purchase details can be found here.

I didn't purchase any games this month, considering I splurged quite a bit from the Christmas to Chinese New Year season and I've not been playing anything except Animal Crossing and Mario Kart. This is about to change in the month of April as there are several purchases in mind which are:

• Custom Robo Arena - What's better than a game with robots? A game with customizable robots whacking each other silly in arenas of course. I love games that feature customizable mecha and one of my favourites is MechCommander 2 for the PC. Custom Robo Arena is currently available at Play-Asia (here)
• Konami Classics: Arcade Hits - This is a compilation of classic arcade hits from Konami, among the 15 titles included in this compilation are Yie Ar Kung Fu, Twin Bee, Track and Field and Contra! Did I mention that I really dig the box art? Konami Classics: Arcade Hits is also available at Play-Asia (here)
  
• Some of the titles that I'm planning to get on the second hand market are Castlevania: Potrait of Ruin, Meteos and Trauma Center: Under the Knife.
  

Evolution of the Computer Mouse

The Wired blog has photos on the evolution on that thing that goes "clicky-clicky" and accompanies millions upon millions of PCs/laptops all around the world. Yes, the photos are dedicated to the computer mouse (not the type that goes "squeeky-squeeky", unless the scroll button is giving problems) and each photo is accompanied by interesting molasses of information.

Read (more like look at pretty pictures) all about it at http://blog.wired.com/wiredphotos62/

Nintendo Collectibles

It's a pretty interesting month for Nintendo related collectibles but I've yet to get any of them. First up is the Animal Crossing Character Keychain (Theater Version) collection. Released by Banpresto and featuring 8 characters from the game, it's pretty expensive (USD 4.99 each) compared to whatever Yujin has released in relation to Animal Crossing. Details on purchasing are available at Play-Asia (click here).

Next up is the nostalgia inducing Super Mario Bros keychain collection. These are by Nintendo and are selling for USD 4.99 each. Details on purchasing are available at Play Asia (click here)
I learned the meaning of a new term today while looking up the following item. The Japanese word "sofubi" stands for "soft vinyl" in English and it's used to describe the Nintendo Super Mario Bros. Sofubi Figure collection. This collection consists of the mushrooms featured in the game and while the Super mushroom is sold separate from this collection, the rest are selling for USD 2.49 each (note that they measure 3 to 5 cm in height).

Purchase details for the Sofubi collection can be found at PA (click here)
Pokemon fans would probably take notice of the Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Nintendo DS Card Case by Banpresto.They are pretty unique as these card cases take the form of pokeballs which open up to show the card slot and a pokemon inside! Purchase details, as usual, are available at Play-Asia (click here)

How to remove smudges from the Nintendo DS Lite using cooking oil! *

A friend of mine asked for me for tips on how to remove smudges from his brand new Nintendo DS Lite. The following was the conversation, which happened in IM. Just in case you are dumb, I'm J and I did my best translating the conversation from Manglish to jolly good England, I mean English:

W: Hey!
W: How come there are so many smudges on my NDSL
W: How do I clean it?
J: Just pour water over it
J: The smudges will come off
W: F*ck you
J: Well, a better way would be to take a piece of cloth, dip it in cooking oil and wipe the NDSL
J: That will clear up all the smudges
J: And it will make the NDSL shinier
W: !!
J: Yup
J: It's a recommended practice
J: Try Googling it: "Cooking oil" + "Nintendo DS Lite"
W: Cooking oil...the one used in cooking?
J: Yup
W: You have to teach me this later**
J: Just dip the piece of cloth in cooking oil and wipe your NDSL with it
W: This won't damage my NDSL?
J: Nope
J: It's not water
J: Water + NDSL = Fried
J: Cooking oil + NDSL = Damn Shiny
W: But wouldn't it feel oily?
J: Nah... it's okay. Because after that you wipe it with a clean cloth.
W: Please teach me how..
J: Bring some cooking oil later
J: And please make sure it's not used.
W: Where do I get cooking oil?
W: Do I get it at Carrefour?
.
.
.
*_*''''
.
** I had an appointment with this guy and his girlfriend later that day for dinner
* This was a prank on that guy! DO NOT USE COOKING OIL ON YOUR NINTENDO DS LITE!

Ambank KL International Marathon 2007

The adrenaline is still pumping but at the same time, fatigue is setting in a very big way. I finished the 10 km race of the Ambank Kuala Lumpur International Marathon in 60 minutes and yeah, I'm very happy as it is my maiden 10 km race.

The race started off at 7.00 a.m and having arrived at 6.00 a.m, I had a good look around of the starting venue, which was Dataran Merdeka. Thank God for PowerGel (with 4x caffeine), otherwise I would have been walking around like one of the living dead. Besides me, a couple of my colleagues and friends entered the same race but we were pretty much separated and on our own.

Participants started herding into the starting enclosure at 6.30 a.m and it turned out to be the best place to be as we got a front row view of the top 10 finishers coming in for the 42km marathon race. Participants for that race started running at 4.30 a.m and the top 10 were dominated by Kenyans.


Malaysian timing wasn't the order of the day (Thank God for that as well) and we started the 10km race right on the dot at 7 a.m. Honestly, the main thought on my mind at the start of the race was that I wanted to pee (seriously, I drank too much water) but that feeling was long gone when I running pass by the Istana. I slowed down to a walk at the uphill stretch towards Dewan Bahasa but started running taking advantage of the downhill stretch towards Pudu Jail.

The first water station was located at Jalan Imbi, after running pass the junction to Jalan Bukit Bintang. Kudos must be given to the water guys and ladies under pressure as they had alot of runners to serve. I chose to walk on the stretch leading into Jalan Bukit Bintang as it was another uphill stretch but started running again as the route lead into Jalan Sultan Ismail.

It was only at the last stretch of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman did I find my own pace. The relatively flat stretch was by far the easiest to negotiate and after the 2nd water station, I decided to sprint on Jalan Tunku Rahman and that helped alot in setting my time. Somehow, the sight of the Dataran, made it abit easier to sprint to the finish (although it was actually quite painful). Arrival time: 8.00 p.m, well within the 80 minute time limit and I got a cert for that!!

Running at such at early time in the heart of KL city gave out the feeling that we owned the streets of KL :). Having finished ahead of my colleagues and friends, I need to thank especially my colleagues as without pressure from them, I wouldn't have given the race a 110%. A fellow 10 km race finisher asked whether I was interested to run in another 10 km race, but somehow I didn't catch the name of event. Even so, running is pretty addictive, I'm looking forward for my next race.

Come to think of it, this month seems to be a good month for Malaysian sports. First, a Malaysian pair took the All-England doubles badminton crown, and just yesterday Nicol David took the KL Open squash championship.

R4DS Review

For more R4DS guides for the Nintendo DS, head over to the brand new www.nineoverten.com.

I noticed that one of the more popular entries in my blog is the guide to running homebrew on the Nintendo DS with a R4 Revolution for DS (original article here). Lets face it, talk about flash carts like the R4DS will generate interest from people looking for ROMs and on the other hand, cause some people to act like presumptous righteous religious zealots asking "OMG! Why have you gone over to the dark side?"

Before kicking off with this review, I would like to take the opportunity to remind my readers that games reviewed on this site are original titles owned by me and I will not provide information regarding where to obtain ROMs (some prefer the politically correct term of backup games, but I say they are in denial) nor host them in this blog of mine. However, please feel free to peruse this review and my article regarding running homebrew games using an R4.


The R4 is basically a Slot-1 storage solution for homebrew programs on the Nintendo DS. The previous generation of Slot-2 solutions utilized the GBA slot of the DS but at the same time required a booting tool such as a Flash Me in the Slot-1 to function. On the other hand, the R4 is a complete solution out of the box and users can run homebrew programs stored inside the R4's MicroSD card without the need for additional hardware or flashing the DS.

The R4 package represents an interesting case study in value-adding for such a niche product. The package consists of R4 unit itself, lanyard, installation/manual CD, and a MicroSD card reader (MicroSD sold separately).



The overall build quality is good and the MicroSD slot in the R4 unit is spring loaded; inserting and ejecting a MicroSD card from the R4 unit is similar to inserting and ejecting a cartridge from the DS' Slot 1.

Some tips for the first time users of the R4 should the unit fail to boot on the DS:

• Read the Manual
• Make sure that you have loaded the necessary files from the supplied CD to the R4's MicroSD card, alternatively you can get these files from the R4DS website (google it)
• Check whether the connectors in the DS Slot-1 are dust free. Try blowing the empty Slot-1 before inserting the R4. Personally, I would give the R4 unit as good shake as well. Somehow this tip is starting to sound very wrong. :P
  
• Read the Manual! I can't emphasize more on this and unlike the excellent build quality of the package, the manual is somewhat sketchy but should be no problem with some trial and error.
  

So what can you do with your R4? Personally, I run homebrew games on it while my friend uses it as a test bed for Japanese DS titles (don't ask, and all I can say is that it is good that you can try out things before deciding whether to buy). Some of the homebrew games that I have are:

• DSDoom - This is a port of id Software's genre-defining game, Doom
• Tower Defence - This is a port of one of Warcraft 3's multiplayer mode, and superbly addictive.
• QuakeDS - I've not loaded this up as I'm still figuring out some stuff, but this should rock, come on....it's QUAKE

It's a paltry amount but try looking up for the list of homebrew games supported on the R4 and you will definately be a homebrew happy camper. Modojo recently did an article on popular homebrew games and you would do no wrong checking it out (here). Don't forget though that some games do need patching to run on an R4 and the patching guide can be found on this blog (here).(AY!)

PC Gamers: Time to go Live!

Soon, PC gamers all around the world will be able to kick console gamer ass and take names, and school them in the proper way of playing First Person Shooters, that is with a MOUSE and KEYBOARD. Microsoft has announced that its Live online service will be available to PC gamers from May onwards with the launch of Halo 2 on May 8th. Yay!

This service, previously exclusive to the Xbox and Xbox 360 (and also a major selling point for these 2 consoles) will enable PC Gamers to play against their console counterparts and the best thing is, if you already have a Live account on your console, you need not sign up for another one for your PC.

Transform! I Don't Think So

I dropped by the XL-Shop at Midvalley today, as they had new stock coming in for the Revoltech models. It was just my luck that they were unpacking a rather large box containing the models. I managed to get what I wanted, a Revoltech Series 019, Cybertron Commander Convoy, otherwise known as Optimus Prime.

The thing about this Revoltech series of models is that they feature robots from various anime/games, are highly poseable (due to the unique joints used) and are NOT scale models of their animated counterparts. Despite this and the fact that Revoltech's Optimus Prime can't transform, I rather like it. The model is rather detailed and the styling reminded my of Dreamwave Comics rendition of Prime in their now defunct Transformers G1 comic book series.

I have not dug out the DSLR, so dear reader, you will have to bear with a shot from my camera phone.

New Header

I finally got to change my blog's header background image. Instead of the default background (with its hideous three dots), you now see 2 Be@rbricks instead. As a primer for new visitors, links to my reviews of Nintendo DS games, collectible items (such as gashapon), books and other miscellaneous items can be found on the left side bar.

Donating for a Good Cause

The Grace Children Church (of Grace Assembly, Klang) is appealing for donations of good condition stuffed toys for distribution to children in Manila. Please ensure that stuffed toys are not damaged or dirty. Kindly drop them in the box at the back of the Main Sanctuary. Closing date is 25th March 2007.

Additional Information
Address: Dewan Grace, Jalan Menalu / Pelasari, Taman Chi Liung, 41200 Klang, Selangor.
Website: http://www.grace-intl.com

Please note that this is a Public Service Announcement and I'm not the organizer for this, but do donate. Please e-mail me or drop of a comment if you need to get in touch with the organizer.

Death of a Comic Book Superhero

Captain America #25 marks the fate of Captain America after Marvel Comic's epic Civil War event. The icon of patriotism and World War II hero (at least in the comic books), was assassinated in front of a court house where he was supposed to stand trials for actions against the Superhero Registration Act.

Being the icon that Captain America is, and given the mass appeal he has (ordinary kid transformed to the epitome of human fitness, patriotism and justice), this comic book death has been given quite some real-world media coverage. International news providers CNN and BBC carried the news on their respective websites (here and here) and so did a number of US newspapers. Even our local Malaysian newspaper, The Star, carried the story, but strangely under the Showbiz section (Friday 9th March 2007, W39)

What was also interesting was despite their enthusiasm in reporting the death, both the Star and BBC carried the wrong picture. I don't have a screenshot of the BBC front page at the time of error but I did snag one while looking up the article in that website:

And now for The Star's; the following is a photo I took of the article:


Both pictures are actually the same (BBC's is cropped) and it's Captain America in the picture; the problem here is this is not the Captain America who died in issue 25. This image is of Captain America from Marvel's Ultimate imprint and is a different Captain America altogether. The Ultimate Marvel imprint, as defined by Wikipedia, features reimagined and updated versions of the company's most popular superhero characters, therefore their origins and motives differ to that of their original versions.

I should know better as well because I'm a big fan of the Ultimate Marvel line, especially the comic book series The Ultimates, which features who else but the Ultimate-ized version of Captain America. Comic book purists will also agree that these pictures are in error but given the media attention to Captain America's death, it might do some good to the comic book industry in light of competition from other forms of media such as television, film and especially the Internet.

Coming Attractions - Part 2

One of the games that I have high hopes for is Quake, for the Nintendo DS. Yes, you read that right, Quake. Besides having the distinction of being the first true 3D first person shooter on the PC platform (or any other platform for that matter), it brought about the 3D revolution which resulted in PC gamers everywhere having to purchase large, expensive graphics card to get their game on. Sounds more like the use of Viagra to treat impotency

Originally developed and released by id Software, the game has proven to be a phenomenal success critically, commercially as well as technologically. Since the source code was released several years ago, the game has proven to be resilient, having being ported over to quite a number of platforms including the Pocket PC and Palm-based devices. Take a look for yourself at www.itplaysquake.com.

Now DS gamers can get their game on as Quake is heading to the Nintendo DS. The nice guys at quake.drunkencoders.com are working to bring this title to the Nintendo DS homebrew scene and even though its only in prerelease, I'm pretty much stoked for the final outcome.

Stay tuned for the review of homebrew Quake DS next week, when I get my micro sd card reader back.

Touch Dic...Don't Worry..It's Perfectly Safe For Work.

Sometimes good intentions end up turning into faux pas, and in the world of video games; this kind of things rarely escape attention. The developers of a Korean-English dictionary software for the Nintendo DS, decided to give the software a highly "original" title of "Touch Dic". You could imagine the collective finger pointing (and laughing), trading of puns and disbelief among savvy Internet enabled NDS users.


Here's a quote from the Korea Times (original text):

According to the company, the launching has been delayed because they had to change the product’s name that could be misheard as sexually offensive. Previously it was "Touch Dic".

The company should consider sacking their marketing/product placement teams. You can now get the software under a more politically-correct title: Touch Dictionary, from Play-Asia (here)

P/S: I realize that the tags I'm about to put on my post may attract the wrong kind of crowd but this is simply too hard not to blog about. LOL.

Some Assembly Required - Animal Crossing Gashapon

My order for the Animal Crossing Houses, Figures and Accessories collection arrived today and it really is a mixed bag (both literally and figuratively). Having been no stranger to purchasing gashapon collections from PA, I was suprised that this time my order came with 2 duplicate sets.

However, it wasn't really a big deal since I already have the figurines from the missing set (I got them in a previous collection) and I only missed out on some furniture items. In addition to that, one of the figurines broke clean off its base and I'm guessing it was either due to the tightly packed packaging or the long transit. A dab of super glue should fix the problem.

Taken as a complete set, this collection consists of 4 sets of figurines with their respective houses and furniture and another 2 sets consisting of a pair of figurines each and their respective furniture (no houses). Fortunately for me, the missing set was one of the sets sans house.

As usual, the figurines are made out of plastic and are as detailed as the previous collection. Since this is my first collection which has houses and furniture, I'm pleased with the quality of said items.

The houses consist of plastic parts and wooden parts (might be very hard cardboad) that require some assembly but the main thing is that they come pre-painted. Included with each house are printed cardboard pieces that function as wallpaper and carpets for the interior of the houses. You might notice some of the designs as they are featured in the Animal Crossing game as well.

Aside from the roof colour and internal wallpaper, all houses share the same features with white picket fences and cute postboxes outside. It's a shame thought that they don't feature double storey houses :P.

Like the figurines, the furniture items are made out of plastic and carry the quirky/cute look that you see in the game. Some of the more interesting furniture items include the pineapple bed, LCD TV, watermelon chair and the chair from the snowman furniture set.

Problems related to the order aside, this is a set worth buying (and taking a risk for); the addition of furniture and houses alone pretty much makes this a shoo-in for any Animal Crossing fan.

Now I leave the pictures to do the talking:

Everybody Loves That Robot Cat

Aside from Transformers and Robotech, the other TV programme that took up a chunk of my childhood television viewing time was Doraemon. I'm willing to bet that people loved that ear-less robot cat at some point of their lives. Even now, I find reading Doraemon comics while sitting on the "throne" to be an excellent way of passing motion..I mean time.

Doraemon has found it's way to the Nintendo DS (again), in the form of a new game by Sega, titled Doraemon: Nobita no Shin Makai Daibouken DS. It wasn't the game that suprised me (it was a given, considering the popularity of both the DS and Doraemon in Japan) but the Doraemon-themed accessories that were launched around the same time as the game.

First up is the Dorameon Compact Pouch DS Lite. Honestly, I don't want to be caught dead walking down the street with this thing. The same goes for the Doraemon Pouch DS Lite. I once saw someone straping something similar (but of a Mario theme) to his bag pack and nothing feeds the stereotype of "gamers being overweight OTAKUs with poor fashion sense" better than that.

The Doraemon Starter Kit for the DS Lite doesn't seem half as bad as the two previous accessories. Consisting of stickers, screen protectors and perhaps some other stuff that I couldn't make out from the screenshot, it's probably the a stepping stone to "pimping your NDSL".

I wouldn't recommend these stuff, but the game is a minor curiousity, considering that it has support for the WFC service. Purchase information and product details can be obtain at Play-Asia by clicking on the links above.

Let It Slide.

I'm starting to get the hang of lunch-time posts :). Take a look below and you can see that I've a slide show going on.

How did I do it? The answer would be creating it using Slide.com! All you need as a prerequisite are some photos from your PC or online photo album and you are pretty much set.

Flickr Badge

I've uploaded some pictures that I've taken with the Nikon D40 to my Flickr account so basically they are sharing space with the pictures that I've taken with my camera phone. Anyways, it turned out that making a Flickr Badge (like the one you can see on the left) is pretty straight forward. Kudos to Flickr for a nice way to embellish my blog :)

Anyways, don't forget to read the post below, and get tagged doing it!

Tag! What's in your bag?

So here's the thing, I usually bring a sling bag (think messenger bag) to work. It's pretty decent sized but what's inside? Here's the list:

• A couple of magazines, most of the time it's Time (no pun intended) along with FHM or PC Gamer (U.S. Edition). You can't go wrong with reading material as time-killers (again..no pun intended..maybe).
  
• My Nintendo DS in it's protective case, with 6 games.
• A 2GB Kingston Flash Drive, perfect for backups and what-not.
• A 1GB Kingston MicroSD card, with a card reader. More flash memory! You can't get enough of that.
  
• A pack of Kleenex tissue paper which I bought in Bangkok and it's still unopened.
• A mechanical pencil and a Kilometrico pen, black, not-so-fine.
• Credit card receipts
• Cheque bank-in slip
• My latest pay-slip
• A small diary/book with blank pages featuring Albert Einstein on the cover, bought it in Bangkok as well. Good for scribbling stuff on.
  
• Some spare change, 20 cent and 50 cent coins.

That's about it! Now, I'm tagging several lucky people to do the same as well (as in listing out the contents of their everyday bags, regardless whether it is a haversack, a laptop bag, a fanny pack, etc), these people are..:

• Jon
  
• Aaron
• Swatwolf
• And you, dear reader!

Don't forget to link back to the one who tagged you :P

Gashapon

Aside from games, there are quite a lot of Nintendo related merchandise out in the market, ranging from small figurines and plush toys to tumblers and lunch boxes. I'm more of a figurine (gashapon) fan and that was why I quickly made an order for the "Animal Crossing Houses, Figures or Accessories Gashapon (Theater Version)" collection when I received news that it was up for sale.

Basically the third in a series, this gashapon collection has 6 sets, consisting of figurines of characters from the game with the addition of houses and accessories such as beds, TVs, tables, et cetera. Because of this, each set sells for a higher price compared to the ones I got earlier (here).

Another gashapon collection that I've set my eyes on is the Gameboy Advance Cartridge Rubber Gashapon collection. Unlike the Animal Crossing collection, I have not made an order for this collection but experience has shown that these sort of stuff sell very fast.


Basically there are 9 gashapon in this collection; these are miniature versions of popular GBA game cartridges and are made out of rubber. It is fascinating how miniaturization works and at the same time retaining a respectable amount of detail to these gashapon.

If you are interested, click on the respective names above for purchase details at Play-Asia.com.

Animal Crossing

If you have gone through my blog, you would have noticed that Animal Crossing stands as one of my favourite games on the Nintendo DS and I have you know that it has the longest play time as well. Most of my friends would beg to differ and they tend to go for Mario Kart DS and Winning Eleven DS.

After a long day of doing stuff in real life, you turn on the DS and Animal Crossing, and then what? Most players know the answer, which is "Do more stuff!". The list is pretty comprehensive: collecting fruit, digging for fossils and stuff, planting flowers and trees, writting letters, visiting towns, talking to other residents , selling stuff, upgrading your home, etc, etc.

It sounds pretty mundane but it's fascinating when you start playing it. I recommend playing in short bursts though, as there's only a limited amount of things that you can collect, buy, sell, dig up in a day but other than that, have fun in that "Wild World".