Stuff.....

I've always gotten the feeling like I've wasted my leave. Everytime I do get a day off - something would come up that requires my attention or participation. Most of the time - a day off for me would mean having a day to do things that I'll normally would not be able to do on working days.

How did you spend your day at work?

Here are some stuff to help you pass your time. Some interesting (addictive) Flash-based games for your amusement.

http://www.sticky.tv/game/cyrkam_airtos/

Objective: to throw rubbish into the bin or at other objects (paper-planes)

http://homepage.mac.com/pockyrevolution/nanaca_crash.html

Objective: to go the distance, the farther the better

How about some videos to pass time?



Japanese Gameshow - Some really funny shit here. According to this, it is actually a gameshow from Japan where the contestants are not supposed to laugh. If they are caught laughing (on camera) - they will be pulled aside and spanked! There are a couple of other ones from the same series but this is the best.



Hard Gay "Fuuuuuhh!" - I guess you don't need to be able to understand Japanese - sometimes, actions speak louder than words!

Well its back to work tomorrow - I don't feel like going back to work, but don't we all?

Super Weekend.....

.....420 minutes.....
.....8 shops.....
.....2 shopping malls.....
.....1 action figure.....

I think this is the craziest thing I've done on a trip to get a toy yet! It all started Thursday afternoon, before work I was slightly early, so I decided to do some "window shopping".

I found that Jusco 1U had some Batman figures that aren't commonly found in the market. Now - I still have RM 50 vouchers I received last year for 0 MCs. I've been saving this vouchers for something - like a nice pen or something. RM 50 can't really get you much these days. It so happened that these Batman figures were RM 49.90 each.

There were some other toys that I've been tempted to get. Still I managed to restrain myself and managed to get on the bus for work.

The following day - I was early again. This time, I decided to check out Toys R Us and I found another Batman figure that isn't commonly found. They are from the new "The Batman" animated series. I've seen the movie "The Batman Vs Dracula" and I liked it.

Triple Shot Batman

There were 2 of them left, one with some glue issues around the plastic part of the cape and the 2nd had some smudges of paint on his face. As I was rushing, I decided to hide the 1st one behind some other toys. I was planning to come back and get it. The cape could easily be glued back on.

Today - I decided to check out to see if other places had this figure. I had some Tower Records vouchers that were going to expire so I thought "why not go to MidValley - they have a Toys R Us and a Tower Records there". Picked R up from his tuition class and headed down to MidValley.

When I got to Toys R Us MV, I didn't find any "The Batman" figures there. In fact, this place didn't have much of anything!

The latest stuff I saw there were Superman Returns line and maybe some Justice League stuff. I decided to check out Jusco and Metrojaya at MidValley but they didn't have what I was looking for.

It's an insult to actually call yourselves Toys R Us when places like Jusco or even Metrojaya has a better selection! In the end, I left Toys R Us MV empty handed but with a promise that I will never go back there again - unless they can do something about it.

Stopped by Tower Records after that and somehow got "persuaded" to spend my vouchers on Transformers: Galaxy Force VCDs. A set of 8 discs (containing 24 episodes) for about RM 50.00. With my vouchers, I only had to fork out about RM 20 for the set.

Next stop, 1Utama. Dinner was on top of the to-do-list as it was almost 7pm. I was already starving as I didn't have much to eat for breakfast or lunch. Again, it was a visit to Fish & Co. (why always this place?!?!). So far, the food hasn't let me down, portions are big and the service was top notch. They're also always obliging and generous to requests for extra tartar sauce. You can beat that and that's what keeps me going back. Well done Fish & Co.!!!!!

Checked out Ultimate Toys for a look-see (more stuff I'm tempted to get!). Stopped by MPH bookstore to check out some comic tradepaperbacks. A short stop at Parkson and then to Jusco 1U again. I was tempted once more to get the RM 49.90 Batman figure - but there were 2 other toys on my list as well.

Finally, made our way back to Toys R Us again. When I got to the shelf where I hid the figure, it was gone! I looked through the pegs and I found the one with the smudged paint on the face. I started looking around (so this is what Michael Crawford calls "Peg Patrol" over at his site www.mwctoys.com). I started searching the shelves to see if it was hidden elsewhere and I found stuff hidden by other people! No luck looking for my "Triple Shot Batman" though.

There I was, standing with the last "Triple Shot Batman" within a 50km radius (OK - that might be exaggerating because I didn't check out Toys R Us Bangsar and Toys R Us Subang Parade). But after what greeted me at TRU MidValley - I wasn't taking the chance!

As I was saying, I was left with the last "Triple Shot Batman" and it was almost 10pm - closing time. In the end, I decided to buy the damned thing. Maybe a little DIY with some poster paints can fix the paint on the face.

I think after this episode, I totally agree with what some people say - if you see something that you like, just buy it! Wallet and pockets permitting, of course.

Triple Shot Batman without(l) and with(r) armor and launcher

Now - what about that RM 50 voucher. The RM 49.90 Batman figure perhaps?

Managed to catch the 1st disc (first 3 episodes) of the Transformers: Galaxy Force. First thing we noticed - the damned thing was in Japanese!!!!! (And if the name sounds familiar, eagle-eyed readers will remember this from posts awhile back. This is the Optimus Prime who is a futuristic fire truck)

We had somehow forgotten to check the info on the sleeve and didn't realize it was in Japanese. Thank god for English subtitles. The dialogue - exaggerated like most Japanese anime. Kind of weird as the voices are very human-like - not like the G1 Transformers I remembered where most of them had some sort of robotic-tone to their voices.

Supreme Commander Galaxy Convoy (yes - that's what all the Cybertrons, or Autobots in Jap, address him by) insisted at the start of the series that when the Autobots migrate to Earth, they had to do their best to blend in with the humans and not raise suspicion.

I don't see how they can accomplish that when all of them scream "Transform!!!!!" everytime they transform from vehicle to robot and vice versa. Optimus..... I mean Supreme Commander Galaxy Convoy is guilty of this crime as well since he's got his vehicle mode, his normal mode and when he transforms in to his "SUPER MODE!!!!!!!!!!"

Galaxy Convoy normal mode (l) and SUPER MODE(r)

And yes - I did miss out on a chance to get the Galaxy Convoy pictured above due to hesitation. I don't see them on sale anywhere now - except on eBay.

Redemption.....

After that last visit to TGIF's (one of my previous posts), I'm glad to say that they've managed to redeem themselves this time around.

Today, I had the Jack Daniel's Steak (the last time I had this was probably when I was still in Melbourne!) and I'm glad to say that I have no complaints. Maybe next time, I should just stick to the usual stuff in the menu instead of being experimental and trying out different dishes. Next item I'm eyeing, probably one of the burgers or perhaps the panfried Filet of Fish. Sounds good - on paper that is.

Superman mania is upon us as the movie opens in cinemas this coming Thursday. Will definitely want to catch that on the big screen.

Ended up with more toys. A Superman Returns action figure and some putty which is supposed to be Kryptonite. It glows in the dark which is cool. The thing's got some weird consistency though. It doesn't appear to be able to maintain its shape (its supposed to be Play Doh like!) and it appears to "melt" or dissolve into a puddle. Maybe more pictures will give a better visualization.

I've been wanting to post these photos up for some time now but haven't gotten around to it.

Takara CG Batman Begins 1/6 figure

Freaking awesome - enough said.

Now and then.....

Things went as planned today. I returned some stuff to WY and we took the LRT into town.

Today, I bought myself another Spider-Man figure. The last time I bought a Spider-Man figure was when I was probably in primary school - 20 years is a safe assumption.

When I heard about the Spider-Man and Green Goblin being sold in a set, I was thinking it was probably 2 seperate figures. I thought it was going to be RM 150.00 at least. When I got to the shop, this is what I managed to find:

Spider-Man & Green Goblin 2-pack

It wasn't really what I expected. The package is in pretty bad shape - creases, dents and bends. But its the contents that matter I suppose. The Spider-Man is fine, superposeable. I just wish they threw in the superposeable Green Goblin into the package as well. That would have made this a sweeter deal.

Total damage: not even close to RM 100.00 - only RM 59.90.

And how toys have changed. In a previous post, I had a 2 seperate pictures to emphasize this. Now I have both figures in the same picture for comparison.

Secret Wars Spider-Man (l) and Superposeable Spider-Man - movie version (r)

Spider-Man versus Green Goblin

I missed out on Spider-Man 2 figures. Apparently - the superposeable Spider-Man 2 has 40-points of articulation - mine only has 30 !! *boo hoo* But no matter, I felt like a child again posing my new toy. I must get the Spider-Man 3 figures when it comes out next year. I wonder if it will be the all-black version?

Spider-Man 3 - teaser poster

I was also looking around for some Nike's. I've more or less decided to go for another pair of Cortez. I've had my eyes set on a new design which is white with a black "swoosh" and some flourescent highlights on the name on the heel and the lip.

While I was checking Times Square out - I came across a couple of shops on the 4th Floor selling shoes. These are the "no name" shops - there weren't any signboards. I saw the shoes I wanted - it looked like they had my size (US size-12). The prices were what it was elsewhere, about RM 199.00. But these 2 shops had 10% discounts.

Usually, at the Nike stores, one would hardly find discounts. Maybe selected marked down or special priced ones. But as far as I can remember, never discounts. Now, discounts always make a deal even better - but the fact that these shops didn't have names got me worried. What if they're non-original stuff? I'd hate to be paying close to full price for fake goods.

I ended up not buying the shoes - I can always go back if I'd like to take the risk. Or just get them from the regular stores. Getting shoes is a tedious process for me, as usual.

I've finally got around to taking some photos of my "recent" purchases. I've been putting them off for sometime now. In no particular order:

Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader Evolutions Pack


Transformers Binaltech(l-r): Laserwave (Mazda RX-8) and Prowl (Honda Integra Type-R)


THS-02 Optimus Prime(l-r) and the Big Daddy of 'em all - MP-01 Optimus Prime

Looking at the photo again now, I never realized how small the THS-02 Optimus Prime was.

Updates on the re-issues for MP-01. It has been cancelled. Its true. TomyTakara (manufacturers) have now decided to scrap the MP-01 (price range RM 350 - RM 380) for..... *drum roll*..... MP-04 - the COMPLETE EDITION.

Fucking great. They're now adding the trailer to the set and slapping on another RM 300 or so to the price. Now what the hell am I supposed to do? I've still got that RM 100 deposit with one of the shops for the HASBRO version.

Don't know what you have til its gone.....

Its true - you won't really know what you got till its gone.

I think its time I admit that I am addicted to the Internet. Come to think of it - I might have done this confession before and completely forgot about it.

The Net connection has been fucked up lately. The phone line as well - everytime it rains, we lose the phone connection and it "miraculously" repairs itself a day or two later. Funny thing is, even though we lose the phone connection - accessing the Net isn't a problem at all.

Once in awhile - I'd get disconnected but there's always the auto-connect without hitches. There were a couple of times when I lost connection and couldn't log in. Frustrated, I'd leave it and go to bed. When I log in the next day - everything's fine and dandy.

Just last weekend- it happened again. After unsucessfully trying to log in about 1/2 an hour. I finally gave up and hit the sack.Just when I was about to post the last update too.

The following day, I tried to log in again but it didn't work. It was raining heavily lately and as usual - the phone lines went dead.

This went on for 4 days - hell I was desperate to get back online! I'd never thought it would come to this. But the truth speaks for itself - I hardly put in any TV time these days. About 2 1/2 solid hours of Net use everyday after my shower when I get back from work. (Well - I DO need something to do while waiting for my hair to dry!)

There seems to be problem with attaching files/pictures right now too.

After putting it off last week - I've finally watched "X-Men: The Last Stand" today. Caught it at Cineleisure, near The Curve. Tickets were RM 10 compared to RM 12 for GSC. Don't know if this is some launching promotion or a permanent thing. Nothing much to complain about the place. Except that the other shops are not occupied yet.

More and more horror stories I hear about "The Da Vinci Code". I wonder if I should bother watching it in the theaters or wait for the DVD release. Planning to make a trip down to Berjaya Times Square tomorrow. There's a shop that apparently sells Spider-Man: The Movie figures there. Heard that they're only selling Spider-Man and Green Goblin as a set. I wonder how much it'll be? Some online sites are selling the Green Goblin for US $60. Damn. I should've grabbed them when there were plenty of them back when the movie first came out.

I missed out the chance to get this the last time the guy had a set of 3-figures plus 2 Hulk figures for RM 150.

Super Poseable Spider-Man and Super Poseable Green Goblin

I've gotta meet up with WY to return some of his stuff as well.

Updates on my hunt for toys: The 2 stores have not replied any of my emails. I don't know what's up with that. Still, I'm not discounting the possibility that I might buy online if my pocket allows it.

I've gone international in the hunt - currently, I've enlisted help of someone in Singapore to help me look. The last time someone saw it at that shop in Orchard Road was about 6 months ago. Who knows if it'll still be there. I've also got the help of another friend who has a friend who owns a collectibles store, but in Sabah. He might be able to help out then.

The Spider-Man set which was previously going for RM 200 is now going for RM 180. Oh, the temptation. Come to think of it, this Spider-Man doesn't look too bad.

The missing post.....

- The following post should have been posted 2 weeks ago but was not due to loss of Net access -

I don't know what's been going on but I've been talking about food and restaurants quite often recently.

No surprise, here's another one!

I'm not really a seafood person. I've always been told that I used to love prawns and would fight with Mum over who would get the prawns when I was younger. I have no recollection of this but I'll accept that. Somehow, while growing up, I no longer like seafood. Sure, I'd eat seafood if I had to. It also depends how its cooked. I guess I might have turned into a lazy-eater. All the bones to pick out from the fish, the shells to remove from prawns. Makes perfect sense doesn't it?

Ever since I tried Fish & Co, I'm totally crazy about the Fish & Chips that they serve there. The portions were always pretty big and the food was always fresh. I've had no complaints about the service or the food. It sort of reminds me the seafood market that was near Kew when I was back in Melbourne. Big pieces of fried fish, thick cut fries with a generous sprinkle of chicken salt. Oh - I miss the chicken salt, I wonder if its available in Malaysia?

Met up with G at Sunway Pyramid last weekend and I had the craving for Fish & Co. G said she didn't really like seafood or rather was allergic to it. So we decided on Kim Gary but it was closed for renovations. So, back to Fish & Co.

Ordered the usual Fish & Chips but the serving of the fish was so much bigger! I'd estimate it was almost 50% more fish than usual. Hey I'm not complaining.

Good stuff! I had to get a replacement battery for my watch. I've taken having a watch for granted and when the battery went dead, I stopped wearing it for a couple of days. I'd always look at my wrist for the time only to stare at nothing.

Also learnt some interesting information from the lady at the store. The price of Seiko watches would never go down. She said they would go up on occassions, exhange rates of the Japanese Yen. A Seiko Kinetic Auto-Relay watch that I've had my eyes on for years still selling for RM 1600.00!!!!! Even its an older design, it still commands such a high price.

But then again, my bonus for year 2005 has all been spent elsewhere, I guess I can only wait to get a new watch and/or mobile phone.

It really is depressing to be poor. Fuck.

No luck getting the Spider-Man figure I've been hunting for. Of course not, we're in Malaysia! The store selling it for US $8.99 as stated in the last post has actually sold out. I cannot fucking believe it. Is it so hard to actually get an action figure? What is this world coming to?

Good news is - I've managed to locate another store which has it for US $ 7.95. I fiddled around with their checkout function and as luck would have it, MALAYSIA is not listed in the order/check out form. What the fuck?! Why not? I've e-mailed them a couple of times enquiring if its an error on their webform.

Its been a few days and there's no reply yet. Great. Just fucking great.

I've also emailed www.superherotoys.com to enquire about shipping. Again, its been at least 2 days and no response yet as promised. I used their web form to send the questions, this time, I've send them via the email address provided on the site. Cross my fingers and hope for a response on Tuesday (which will be Monday in the USA). This one probably isn't as dodgy. They state their charges clearly on their website. They've even got a "Yahoo Top Rated" store award. I guess that can't be that bad, can it? But hey - where's my email?

Something else interesting that's got my attention. Macross.

Macross figures aren't cheap. They cost in the region of RM 600.00 each. The latest one that came out is a 1/60 scale of the VF-0S fighter from the Macross Zero anime. It looks fantastic of course but the price. If money was not an issue, I'd get it based on the design of the fighter jet alone.

Now I can't really afford RM 600.00 Macross figures. Why about something that's about 1/6th of the price? It's 1/6th the price but 1/100 scale.

Roy Focker VF-1S

Plus the guy's (pilot in the animes) got the same name as I have, I think that warrants a look! I'm not a real fan of Macross though. Not big loss if I don't get it. But I have to say it looks good.