Saturday, March 20, 2010

Life in Taborea: A brief history


In order to appreciate Runes of Magic, a little background of the game can spark some interest. I have read some of the details found in Runes of Magic, and here is my interpretation of the story...





Taborea was once a book of recorded plant and animal life but today, myths and legends now exist. The god Ayvenas created this book where he recorded the origins of life. From his wishes came forth the world and heavens of Taborea. Despite this achievement, he still felt lonely - thus he molded clay and formed it into the first life forms.

Ayvenas noticed that his creations were very weak and had no knowledge to protect themselves. And so, he wrote incarnations of himself through envoys into Taborea to teach skills and abilities. Not before long, the life forms learned and banded together according to their traits and characteristics - the world's races were born.



One day, Ayvenas imagined "what if Taborea became imbalanced?" His unconscious idea affected the peoples of Taborea. Because of their differences, some people banded together for peace while others fought amongst each other. Ayvena's elementals - the guardians of balance, mixed with different creatures, which spawned magical beings, dragons being the most powerful. The envoys he sent to teach his people started having consciousness of their own. This was the age of myths.

When Ayvenas realized that he was no longer in control, he decided to rip Taborea's pages of the future. He intended that the future of Taborea will be shaped by his people, but his envoys did not realize his intentions at first. They tried to restore the torn pieces, but later realized Ayvena's plan. Soon they were recalled by Ayvenas and the age of myths came to an end.



Without the envoys, the peoples of Taborea were left to fend for themselves. Soon, they banded together, and nations were formed. The humans were the fastest to develop and had great knowlege of the runes - they were known as the Ancient kingdoms.

The great knowledge of the Ancient Kingdoms could not contain man's greed. Soon, wars began to escalate. This was the time dragons and elementals were enslaved by man to secure their kingdoms' victory - this was known as the War of Balanzasar. Eventually the dragons and elementals were able to break free from their chains and brought down retribution to man (divine punishment). After that, these mystic beings fled to other lands never to be found.

Even though mans' control over the mystical beings were no more, that did not stop them from continuing their wars. And so, the stonger nations' leaders used the runes to transform their bodies into powerful beings called daemons (demons). Because of their great power, they became indifferent and oppressive to man. This was the Age of Chaos.

The demons' oppression to man became the stepping stone to a new alliance. Weaker nations banded together to ovethrow the corrupt demons. This alliance caused a great war, and eventually mankind won and the demons were banished to the "World of the Void". Only a tenth of mankind survived this ordeal.

A brief Epoch of Peace followed. The peoples of Taborea were now united against demonkind. But not all the demons were banished, some were able to flee to unknown lands. In order to secure peace, the humans developed gigantic stone statues out of the most powerful magic. Emotionless monsters with free will and intellect, they were called "guardians".

However, the "guardians" one day concluded that the real threat to Taborea was humankind, and decided to annahilate them. Since man did not have any power to stop the guardians, the ancient people had no choice but to flee to other lands. This was the Epoch of Storm.

The unrelenting "guardians" hunted down the humans to the ends of the world. However, in their quest to other lands, they encountered the dragons and elementals, who considered them the threat to the world. The mand-made guardians were no match for the mystical creatures and one by one, they were destroyed. Other "guardians" were lost in their hunt and eventually fell into slumber.

The peoples of the ancient civilization lost everything after being driven away by their creations - their home, their knowledge of magic and machines... as if they were defenseless like in the beginning of time. This was the time of great fear - the Epoch of Darkness.

The survivors of the Epoch of Storm migrated to another continent called Kolydia. There, the peoples lived in simple tribes and came to be known as barbarians. They had no knowledge of runes and learning magic was slow. Machinery was a staple in everyday life. Soon, the tribes developed into nations, and the power of the runes were slowly being discovered. As technology progressed, the power of transporting to different regions of the world were once again unlocked. Fast paced transportation allowed knowledge of lost magics to be harnessed once more.

Today, Taborea is on the Age of Discovery.




P.S. For more info about the game, you may visit Runes of Magic website. All images belong to e-games and Runes of Magic. I do not claim rights nor ownership of the said material.

Click here to read more...

Monday, February 22, 2010

"Studs" - My Football Shoe Story


"Studs"

As far as I could remember, it was the most important game of my life - the intramurals football finals. We barely managed to get there after battling it out with rival sections from our batch.

I was in elemenrary back then. It was during those years I grew fond of football. My interest sparked with this game when a friend asked me to fill in for him in one game. After that, I decided to play more, and finally decided to sign up for the class team.

After winning most of our games, and winning the semis, we were set to have a shot at the finals. We knew that our opponents were not going to be that easy. They had a couple of 'star' players in their roster - players who can handle the ball so well, they can pass by you in an instant.

And so, before our two teams met on the day of the finals, we decided to practice after class. We did some drills, practice runs and some shooting in case of tie breakers. As a team, we were not willing to lose without a fight.

During the last few days before the finals, the weather was not as cooperative. We were visited by a typhoon that time. Its winds were not as strong but it dumped a signficant amount of rain. Every afternoon after that, heavy rains fell and made our football field into a pool of mud.

Still, that did not discourage the team to practice. We had our football gear- a pair of football shoes. Unlike an ordinary pair, this pair has studs or spikes underneath, which prevents the player to slide in the mud while running during the game.

Mine was a black pair with red and white stripes. At that time, I already used it for a year. It had thirteen studs underneath.

The day of the finals finally came. It didn't rain that day, but the football field was still a pool of mud. My position was at full-back, the defensive spot nearest the goal keeper. For two halves of the game, I had to prevent the other team from getting a clear shot to our goal.

Running around our football field was a little difficult despite wearing football shoes. For one, the field did not dry up evenly. The are portions where mud became so viscose, when stepped on, your foot tends to sink a little. It is like stepping on quciksand!

After the 1st half of the game, the score was still tied at 0-0. Then, teams will have to switch sides on the field. After the swith, I felt luck was no longer on my side because my spot had the quicksand feel.

Still, that did not prevent me from giving my best. Whenever the opponent tried to make a shot, I desperately tried to block it. I would constantly tell myself to move when the need arises. During the final minutes of the 2nd half, my feet felt cold and my thighs numb. Pain and all, that didn't prevent me from doing what I was supposed to do - to lessen the opponent's chances to score.

Finally, me and my team's efforts have paid out. One of my teammates was able to land a shot. When the referee blew the whistle, the score ended at 1-0. We were the victors.

After we did our high-fives and returning to the bleachers to change, that was when I realized something was amiss. No wonder my feet felt cold during the last part of the game! The entire underneath of my left shoe got removed, while the one on my right shoe is about to be detached. Spikes and all, the detached portion was still out there, buried in the mud.

That was the end of my beloved football shoes.

I had mixed feelings about what had transpired. Sad, because it was also my first pair of football shoes. It was a pair I would always treasure. Happy, because we won the game. Nostalgic, because, I wouldn't have gone far without my pair.



P.S. This is my entry to The Red Shoes story contest.

To get to know more about the contest, please visit http://www.theredshoes.com.ph/ or at Nuffnang Philippines.





Click here to read more...

Saturday, February 13, 2010

What is my most natural running experience?


Antipolo has always been my second home. Just an hour's ride from Metro Manila, it offers an escape from the rat race of city life. My father has a house in Antipolo City, and at times I go up there to visit him and mellow down.


One time before, around May 2004, if I recall, I made a resolve to finish a long distance run. That was during the time, I started jogging after I got out from office. I do my routine around four times a week. When my father found out about it, he recommended that I do my jogging on Sundays in Antipolo. At first I was reluctant, because I felt the place was too far to go to. I can't imagine myself going out of the way just to do my running routine there. First off, I really wasn't into long distance running. During my elementary years, I used to play soccer and do sprints, but not at long distances. Embarrassing, but at that time, I could only barely finish a 3 kilometer run. It made me feel weak afterward. I even thought, I would never be able to run farther because it doesn't suit my body. It didn't feel natural.

Still, I dreamed that one day I could go the distance. It wasn't in me to give up that easily. I always wanted to be like the other runners out there, who are able to endure and cross the finish line. And so, after a few weeks of contemplation, I decided to accept father's invitation. We left for Antipolo Saturday night where I plan to sleep there, and do my routine Sunday morning.

Sunday came. When I got up from bed, around 6:45 am, father was already dressed up for the run! I never thought that he wanted to come along. He looked so excited, even more than I was. Curiously, I asked why he wanted to join me and he said, he really needed the exercise.

After we took breakfast, we left towards our jogging site. It was just nearby, around 500 meters from his house. We went downhill, where the sitio residents fetch their drinking water in the morning. When we got there, to my surprise, our jogging site was a large underdeveloped area, which looked like an uncompleted subdivision. It has roads, but no houses, and never maintained for years. Grass and foliage has grown on the roads. Twigs and leaves are scattered all over the place as if nature reclaimed the place once more.

Looks deserted, I thought at first, but was proven wrong when a bunch of kids rushed to greet us!

"Daddy! Daddy!" The kids would call out. That is how they address my father. Most of the children there are relatives of mine. My father is their uncle.

Incidentally, the kids were just playing there. Naturally, they were there because it was a Sunday. There was no school, and the place was ideal for playing. Cars don't pass by that area, and won't interfere with their games, or cause any vehicular accident.

I wondered if the place was safe being deserted and all, so I asked my father about it.

"Yes it is!" he replied, "specially for children because adults pass by from time to time to fetch water."

After a few minutes of warm-up, we decided to hit the trail. We picked a simple route. We just jogged around the place by going round four streets, which led back to the place we started. I thought it was a boring trail at first, but after a few minutes of the run, I was proven wrong. The scenery looked great! There were trees that provide shade, and the cool breeze felt fresh and calm.

The roads weren't boring either. They go uphill and downhill. The uphill portion was definitely very tiring for me. I felt I wanted to quit my pace as I traversed, but seeing father try so hard, I wasn't willing to give up. Another reason for not giving up is that, the kids followed us through the course of the run! They were jogging with us from behind, as if they found a new game to play. Actually, they were curious, and kept asking my father what we were doing.

"Bakit kayo nag-dya jogging?" asked the kids.

"Nag-e exercise kami!" father explained.

Children are children, so they tend to ask a lot. Eventually we were answering them and sometimes laughing at their silly questions. We were actually having fun while entertaining the kids!

I couldn't help but notice the kids not getting tired that easily. They were not bothered by the distance, nor the uphill/downhill road. They even made a contest out of who is the fastest runner among them while we were doing our normal pace! Watching them made me re-think my reasons for running.


Every Saturday evening after that, I would go to Antipolo to do my Sunday jogging routine. Sometimes my father would accompany me during my run. Naturally, the children were always there at the site, playing their games, and greeting me with their warm welcome as I go about my rounds. Eventually, my body was able to adjust to the distance. A few months later I was able to complete my first 10K fun run.

Looking back, I wish I could be just like them some more. They taught me something valuable - that running is about having an active lifestyle while having fun! This for me is my most natural running experience.



P.S. Recently I went back to Antipolo and did some jogging with my father. We brought bottles of Minute Maid to drink after our run.






A new batch of the Antipolo children were there. They are the brothers, sisters, cousins or neighbors of the children in my narration. They accompanied my father jogging at our special 'jogging grounds'.



I took a video of them from behind after they passed by me...



Who's the fastest? Ready, get set, GO!!!

My father enjoying his bottle of Minute Maid

Wala po ba kami? Exclaimed one kid, while my father drinks his share of Minute Maid.

I prepared couple of big bottles of Minute Maid for the kids to enjoy.


Some of the kids keep horsing around while enjoying their Minute Maid. I took a photo of their funny reaction.


I had my share of Minute Maid! After that we headed home for breakfast.


Minute Maid and Running! The keys to having an active lifestyle and having fun!

This is my entry to the blog contest sponsored by takbo.ph and Minute Maid.

To get to know more about this blog contest, click here for details...


Click here to read more...

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Introducing PLDT myDSL Watchpad!


With the advancement of the information age, more and more people heavily rely on the internet. Be it for information, news, sports or entertainment, its features are limitless.



PLDT myDSL is one of the internet service providers (ISP) out here in the Philippines that we well know of. With PLDT myDSL, we are able to connect to the internet that is fast and reliable.



And now, PLDT myDSL offers a new application called Watchpad. With the aid of Watchpad, internet users can watch TV from the comfort of their PCs or laptops.

If you have PLDT myDSL, here are the advantages of having Watchpad installed on your PCs...

1) You can watch cable and local channels! With myShows, some of the hottest channels like CNN, National Geographic Channel, Cartoon Network, MTV anf GMA7 are available here!

2) Play online games! With myArcade, you can get to play online games from Level Up!

3) Watch movies! With myFlicks, you may be able to watch movies like the one from Cannes Film Festival best director awardee, Brilliante Mendoza - "Kinatay". More movies from award winning directors are coming soon.

4) Know Everything Else! With myVIEW, you can get the latest fashion tips, celebrity news, the latest gossip, campus events and more! You can also listen to the top FM radio programs live from the radio stations to your PC.

5) Chat and blog without leaving Watchpad. You do not have to close the Watchpad application to blog or chat on Multiply, Facebook and Twitter.



What is the most exciting thing about Watchpad and why do you think everyone should have Watchpad on their PCs?


The most exciting thing about Watchpad is also the best reason for us kuripot people to use it. All the features supported here are ABLSOLUTELY FREE! If you have PLDT MyDSL as your internet service provider, you should try out Watchpad. Again, the use of watchpad is ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Before I end this, may I present you with a short video entitled "Antenna", hope you enjoy the show!




If there are problems viewing this video, please click here...


I would also like to cite another advantage of Watchpad. With fast pace internet connection, we may no longer need the traditional antenna to watch our TV. Watching live TV through internet will be as common as the TV itself.

Antennas have their limitations. Signal strength received by your TV depends on the distance between the transmitter (TV station) and your home, and the antenna's orientation (where it's pointing at). Also other factors can affect signal strength, like geographic obstructions (buildings, mountains) and weather conditions. With myDSL's Watchpad, you can get around these limitations.

PLDT myDSL's Watchpad will be the 'airwave' of the future...

:-)

P.S. In order to use Watchpad on your PC, you must have these installed to your machines...

•.NET Framework 2.0 and above
• Latest Adobe Flash player
• Windows Media Player 9 or higher
• IE 6.0 or higher

You will also have to download the Watchpad application and you must be a subscriber of PLDT myDSL to avail this feature.

Take note that all of these can also be downloaded from the website.
Also, Watchpad is best experienced starting from Plan 1299.

For more information, please do visit http://www.pldtwatchpad.com/

or you may visit the PLDT myDSL fanpage on Facebook.

Click here to read more...

Saturday, November 28, 2009

I Enjoyed My Century Bangus Fillet at Sitio Daang Bakal, Antipolo City


Mountain hiking is one of my favorite pastimes. It is a hobby that keeps me active and healthy. I would walk for miles to enjoy the lush scenery, take nice photos, and rediscover nature. For me, Antipolo City is a good place for mountain hikes.

Antipolo City is an 1 hour and half drive away from Manila. It is quite accessible and not as far as compared to traveling other mountainous regions in Luzon. The city proper has gotten more urbanized through the years, but the barangays here still have that barrio feel. I go up there at times for rest and recreation. The cool mountain breeze soothes the body and mind from the daily stress of office life.

Traveling in the wilds can help you rediscover nature...

Here are some of my nature and travel photos I took along the way...

I took a photo of a makeshift wooden bridge across a stream.


Antipolo has an abundant natural water source springing from the mountain side.


I happened to take a photo of colorful dragonflies along the way...


Mushroom sprouts across a tree trunk.


Some preparation is needed in order to enjoy the hiking experience. One of them is bringing some food and water in case we go hungry or thirsty along the way. You'll never know when you will need it! That's specially true if you plan to wander around the unknown wilderness for hours.

Sometimes, you would have to climb steep slopes to move forward...

When it comes to food, it is best to bring something that is quite filling, and has easy-to-open packaging. Luckily, in one trip to my local supermarket, I was able to discover the new Century Bangus Fillet! I discovered two delicious flavors. Spanish Style and With Tausi.

I brought along Century Bangus Fillet for my hiking trip...


Century Bangus Fillet comes with an easy-to-open handle for convenience...



In my recent hiking trip to Antipolo, Rizal, I was able to pass by a small eatery by chance. At that time, I was so hungry, I decided to eat my 'baon' there.



Here is a video of my 'anytime, anywhere adventure'. If there are problems viewing the video, please click here... (Shown here is how I discovered getting to a local eatery via the scenic route...)


I met Mr. Jaime, Cui, a resident of that area, on that same eatery. We exchanged stories, and shared some of my Century Bangus Fillet with him. Interestingly, I found out he was cast as an extra for an old noontime soap opera, 'Valiente'. Also, I found out that some of the scenes of that soap opera were taken here for that Hacienda look.

Luckily, he was cast on the show when they needed extras shot on this location. He narrated how some of his other friends were not accepted as extras because they were not able to follow acting instructions well.

I am really thankful and glad he was game enough to be a cast on my video for this blog. It was a very simple video actually, but it was so much fun to do!


Mr. Cui agreed to be part my video for Century Bangus Fillet!

Century Bangus Fillet! It's the perfect food to share and meet new and interesting people!


After the delicious meal, and meeting up with an interesting person, eventually we would have to part ways. It was really fun getting to know and share a meal to someone you have never met before. You get to learn a lot of things and insights from them. For me, that was the real discovery.



Every journey has its end, so they say.
And we have to move on, be on our way.
After the long hike, and meeting someone new,
we all have to say our 'nice meeting you'.
This journey now ends, a new one begins each day
so make it worthwhile with Century Bangus Fillet!


P.S. I would like to thank the residents of
Sitio Daang Bakal for their hospitality, specially Mr. Jaime Cui and Ms. Samantha Berroya for their active role in the video.

Soundtrack of the video was borrowed from www.partnersinrhyme.com, (for royalty free soundtracks).


Click here to read more...

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Tipid Squad Revelation and Contest


Tipid Squad, a newly created site is holding an SEO contest. Joining this is simple! All you need to do is...

1. Create a post about the contest AND/OR our site’s theme (personal finance/budgetting)

2. Optimize the keywords Tipid Dauqs Budget Tips

3. Your entry must be created between November 20, 2009 and December 18, 2009

4. Link back to our site (http://tipidsquad.com) with title Budget Tips (e.g. Budget Tips) or simply copy this code and include to your post: Budget Tips

5. submit your entry on or before December 18, 2009 by leaving your name, e-mail address, and link of your entry in the comment box below.


6. Multiple entries are okay.

This contest is open to anyone living in the Philippines. Top 3 entries (which will be checked via google.com) by December 25, 2009, 11:59 PM will be declared winners. Winners will be announced by 12MN.

Prizes:

1st: P700
2nd: P500
3rd: P300

PLUS!!!!

Leave a separate comment in this post to guess the names of the squad’s members! The person who can give us the most number of names, if not a complete list of the squad gets a free .com or .net domain from us. First Name + Last Name or Nickname + Last Name will do. In case of tie, the first one who sent us the FIRST, most complete entry will win.

Every week, we will give updates and more clues to help you with your guessing so keep visiting the site or subscribe via your reader.

You can also add us up and follow us on plurk and twitter:

plurk.com/tipidsquad

twitter.com/tipidsquad

To know more about the contest, click here...

Click here to read more...

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Papemelroti Negosyo Book and Notebook promo


Papemelroti is giving away a Go Negosyo book for their contest for those who are interested in putting up a successful business.

All you have to do is post a message on their site giving a link to your blog entry. Make sure your link can be viewed publicly. And on your blog entry, just place a link to their contest page.

Joining is that easy!

Deadline is on September 15, 2009 10:30 am.

Don't miss this chance to own that Go Negosyo Book for free!

Good luck to everyone!

Click here to read more...

Saturday, August 8, 2009

KFC Bucket of Fries - Contest Entry


Me and my friends just joined the KFC Mini Bucket of Fries Photo Contest! I hope my entry is good enough to win this contest. Judging of the photos are as follows...

  • Creativity of the photograph and the use of jargons = 30%
  • Relevance of the KFC Mini Bucket of Fries in the photograph = 30%
  • Number of views, votes, and comments = 20%
  • Overall impact = 20%


KFC - Keeps Friends Close !

Click here to view our entry and vote!

In order to vote, you must first register with the KFC Mini Bucket of Fries website. You may also want to join the contest by uploading your own photos.

To register with the KFC site, click here.
To view the gallery, click here.
To vote for our entry, click here.


Prizes at stake:

  • Grand Prize

A Year’s Supply of KFC
- 365 pieces of KFC Gift Certificates for 2-Piece Chicken (valid for one year from the date of issuance)

  • Consolation Prizes

5 units of Samsung C3053
- Full Featured Stylish Slider Phone
- VGA Camera with Digital Zoom
- Simplified User Interface
- MP3 Player and FM Radio
- Video Recording and Playback
- Expandable Memory via MicroSD


So vote or join now! The deadline for this contest is until August 21, 2009 only!

:-)

Click here to read more...