It has a funny-sounding name. Not to mention its literal meaning in our Filipino language. When I asked my sister what was she playing in the PSP (because she can't seem to put it down once school break started) she blurted, "Patapon."

What? Are you saying something to me?

"Patapon."

Huh?

"It's the game's name! PATAPON!"

*insert my can't-believe-weird-confused-look here*

Then my sister started explaining how the game goes and so I told her, "Pa-try!" and ever since then I've never put the PSP down too! It's so addicting! My brother is hooked too! Imagine Abi hooked on Patapon... I think I'm going to faint!

But what really is Patapon? Let me just quote the game's short description on Velcry's Patapon Walkthrough (nakssss, may wlakthrough pa talaga kami!) because I'm too lazy to make my own:

"Patapon, for the uninitiated, is a mishmash of different gaming genres. You basically control a tribe of talking eyeballs as they rampage their way across the World in search for IT. To control a them, you enter a series of button presses, not like DJ Max, Dance Dance Revolution or RaPappa games. There are different combinations to get them to do a variety of actions, suck as advancing, attacking, defense, and others.

To add to this, there us a complex system for gathering materials to create different classes of Patapons, each with their own abilities/stats, different weapon trees, and even a host of minigames that are interesting and rewarding."

So now the Crooc kids are fighting over the PSP to play a game with the funniest-sounding name ever! We're so into it that we even recorded a part of the theme to make it our message alert tone! And Mom gets so annoyed because we always we always tap our feet to Patapon's beat when we are playing the game.

I luuurrrve PATAPONing! You PATAPONers out there come PATA PATA PATA PON with me!

For those who are clueless about this weird post of mine, go get Patapon now and you'll see what I mean!

Oh, and Merry Christmas to everyone! I'll post something more Christmas-related later! Tata for now. It's Patapon time!!

Labels: family, fun time, Patapon, PSP

"I never thought of myself as an underachiever, but that's what I am right now."

-from a YM conversation I had with Lia couple of days ago


I took some time to think where I'm headed: what my goals are, when do I plan to achieve them, and how am I going to get there. Where I am now is definitely not part of the plan I made in 2005. It breaks my heart that 4 years have quickly passed and not much have changed. While people I know are getting either promoted at work or married, I am still the person I was almost four years ago and that sucks for someone like me who have made big plans out of life. I would often secretly blame myself for staying in the rut. For some time it felt endless, until I started realizing how much I have been blessed these past years even without getting the MS diploma yet.

I would come to an MS hiatus from time to time probably because I wanted to do so much in life. Boards in 2005, shifted from Biochem to Sensors, PCASTRD scholarship, Chem Congresses, out of town trips, WYD experience, stronger relationship with the people around me, getting to know myself more... The last 4 years may have been rough on my studies, but I could tell you that my most meaningful life experiences happened in those hard 4 years. The long journey has definitely brought me to maturity. Getting the MS degree is the peak of it all.

I know this is a wake-up call and I am responding to it. No more excuses. Thank you, Kuya Jess.

I took this pic while I was on my way to the top of one of the Chocolate Hills' viewing deck in Bohol:

I can perfectly imagine the view from way up there. I clearly know what I want now. =)

Labels: drama, me me me