Gains and Losses in 2016

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm pretty sure, I wasn't the only one who had a wild 2016. Much as I'd hate to use an unoriginal description, it really had been a roller coaster ride. It's why this year, I won't be doing my annual goals thing. I hadn't been mindful of my goals lately (except maybe for the "finish at least 2 projects a year" thing), and just let 2016 lead me to wherever. I'm actually thankful to Instagram's #2016bestnine for showing me that there had been a lot of ups, despite all the loved ones I have lost.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Bedridden on Valentines 2016

I did something really thoughtless yesterday that had me bedridden for nearly most of the day. Thank goodness, I managed to prepare a simple fare for my indoor v-day date.

This is wagyu burger (baked with mozarella cheese) and a side salad. Actually...it looks more like a salad with a siding of wagyu burger, haha!

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Gamified apps for weight loss, no crash dieting.

I have blogged several times about shedding December fat and so far, this is probably my healthiest tweak on my routine.  Just to summarize, I have had a knee injury since 2012 and would develop a foot injury called plantar fasciitis every time I go 5 pounds beyond my normal weight. In the previous years, I have done intermittent fasting and sticking to carbs with low glycemic index.

I had lived a relatively unhealthy 2015 so my December 2014 weight actually stuck around and then gained some. By Christmas 2015, I was 4 pounds overweight (at 125.6 lbs) and my feet were literally killing me. So I started losing weight again by January 1.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Oats Arroz Caldo

I started using MyFitnessPal at the start of the year 2016 but I won't be blogging about that until I've gotten the results I wanted. One of the things I like about it, though, is the fact that it gives me a rough estimate of the nutritional value of the things I cook. So now I know what kind of nutrients are inside this Oats Arroz Caldo that I made for breakfast.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

It's 2016 and still saying no to hair straightening...

Oh, no! Yet another hair post! Haha! Ok, lemme just warn you that this is probably the only blog post of mine that has too many photos of my face. Ick. (I really dislike seeing myself in photos.)

Anyway, I guess it will always be hair issues for someone like me who has lived with a head of unruly curls her entire life. But I've lived with it and considered it part of who I am.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

2015 Year in Review

Whew. It has been a long long while since I actually blogged. August 2015, to be exact, and it was a recipe. In any case, I had loved my 2014 so much that my goals for 2015 have actually been whittled down to SIX.




Because I am running a video game development studio, I have no choice but to be social, haha. So that's no longer one of my yearly goals. What remained are the following...

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

My version of French Toast

I actually don't really like French toast because I normally find it too greasy, but since I love my ceramic pan, I gave it a go.

This recipe is for a highly acidic person like me. I try to avoid a lot of things that could trigger an ulcer attack so I have replaced many ingredients that are normally used for French toast.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Government services: NSO, NBI, DFA

I had been dragging my feet about renewing my expired passport for over a year now, but mostly it's because I get the heebie-jeebies at the thought of dealing with government offices (synonymous to long lines, gossipmongering at the counters and what have you). The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the National Statistics Office (NSO) haven't failed me yet, but I wasn't sure if 2015's service will be as smooth as my previous experiences.

UPDATE: NSO is now PSA, for Philippine Statistics Authority. Thanks to Erika Presson for the info.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Homemade Hot and Sour Soup

Last weekend, I was sick for about three days and had a craving for hot and sour soup. Unfortunately, my favorite Knorr hot and sour soup doesn't seem to be available in the market now, so I opened up YouTube and looked for the recipe closest to how I remembered it. (I don't eat pork so I avoided channels that had pork in their recipe.)

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Valentines means having fun at home.

It's typical for teenagers to be so fascinated by Valentines' so it wasn't a surprise when my students asked me about it before our class started.

Students: Doc B, how are you spending your Valentines?
Me: Working in front of my computer.
Students: But shouldn't you be spending it with the one you love?
Me: Exactly.

But that's a joke. I normally do not want to go out of my cave, and especially not on V-Day, where every pair of lovebirds will be occupying every commercial corner that offers romantic discounts.

The first thing I did today was this:

I'm sure everyone knows about the #PaintTheirHandBack campaign that has been trending all over the internet. The hands I pasted on this photo were actually bosses in one of my upcoming games. These were drawn by my former OJT (Eunice Gatdula) and I simply reused them for this purpose. ^_^

Buuut anyway, I always celebrate V-Day indoors by cooking.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Indie Game: A Bird Story

Another super backlog. I played this game last year, before I resumed production on my own game (hence the delay in writing this blog entry). A Bird Story comes from the creators of To The Moon and its ending gives a bit of a clue on who's going to be the protagonist for TTM's sequel.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

2014 Year in Review

Since whittling down my goals to 8, I feel like 2014 has become one of my best years ever. I mean, sure, it had snags (megalomaniac ex-lessor included), but the rewards tripled after that experience.

I've decided to make my 8 goals permanent every year. They're flexible enough to keep me motivated in reaching them on or before the end of the year. So these are the status of my 2014 goals:


8. Travel at least twice a year. 
Preferably 1 local and 1 international destination.

One of my teams (Project K) and I went to Sagada to do some research for one of our educational projects. It was my first time to go to Sagada and it was loads of fun! Baguio was awesome, too, since we were able to visit Bencab Museum. More of that story here.

For the second out-of-town trip, boyfie and I attended a wedding in Sta. Rosa. Sure it's not really much of a trip distance-wise (since my parents live in Tagaytay), but it's the first time I actually spent a lot of time in Sta. Rosa. The reception of Sajean and Jov were held at the Chateaux de Paris Grand Clubhouse.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

10 Things I Learned About Uber (Metro Manila)

For those who are already aware of what Uber is, you can skip down to the list of things I learned about it.

For those who don't, here's a simple explanation: It's a ride-sharing service that lets you and your friends book a private vehicle to take you anywhere within Metro Manila. I first booked a ride for free, because at the time I signed up for the service, they were giving away P300 credits if you used a friend's promo code (mine is uberdocb2014). Now they're only giving away around P200. That's not so bad, considering your first ride is free.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Indie Games: Millennium Sequels (#2-5)

This review is for all the sequels following Millennium: A New Hope by Indinera Falls. The reason why I thought I should place them all in one space is that I played Millennium 2 to 4 for two days straight. In fact, I finished 2 to 4 in one day. Millennium 5 took me quite a few days of grinding, though.

The sequels are:
Millennium 2: Take Me Higher
Millennium 3: Cry Wolf
Millennium 4: Beyond Sunset
Millennium 5: Battle of the Millennium

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Indie Game: To The Moon

In a nutshell? Video games as ART. 
And I'm not talking about graphics art.

I confess: this review should have been written 8 months ago. But it had inspired me so much to work on my own game that I had completely forgotten to blog about it. To The Moon's creator, Kan "Reives" Gao, has just released a short game A Bird Story, and I was immediately reminded to write about this beautiful indie title. (Because apparently, the protagonist for A Bird Story is going to be in the sequel of To The Moon.)

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Mobile Game: Run Run Super V

This is one of the three Pinoy games I had been looking forward to in the next two years (also because the second book I'm writing is related to it, har har). When Altitude Games first announced the formation of their company, I was ecstatic. If you had grown up watching sentai shows, you'd see why:

The project's name is Run Run Super V. As a game developer myself, this looks like a dream project. I hate free-to-play (F2P) games with a passion I can't even begin to describe, but this is one of those rare F2P gems I would not mind creating or playing. One look at the title screen and you can definitely see that the devs had a lot of fun making this game.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Indie Film: Sundalong Kanin (Rice Soldiers)

Movie as described by its studio: Sundalong Kanin is a film about four young children during the World War II who wanted to be soldiers in order to fight the Japanese Army. What started out as play, starting off as “sundalong kanin,” (a sort of toy soldier, "saling pusa”) they quickly learned the difference between a real gun and the toy they use to play with.

Every Cinemalaya season, I'm always one of those who'd just pick randomly and think, "Surprise me." Truth be told, when I was picking a movie last Monday, I was looking at the title with less people in the theaters. Probably because part of me likes rooting for the underdog, while another part of me just hates crowded theaters. So when I picked Sundalong Kanin, I wasn't quite sure what I was in for.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Indie Game: Millennium: A New Hope

Where do I even begin raving about this title by Indinera Falls and published by Aldorlea Games? Millennium: A New Hope is yet another RPGMaker game that first appeared in casual game portals like Big Fish Games and then later Greenlighted by Steam. As of this writing, I am patiently awaiting a Steam sale (Halloween?) and the release of the last 3 Millennium titles because right now, only the first two are available on Steam. (It costs $5.99 in Steam, but $9.99 in Desura. Strange.)

Click thumbnails to enlarge images.

Anyway, I was just browsing through Steam and stumbled upon this last week. The story is about a young peasant girl who aims to change her country's leadership. Basically, she goes around looking for strong warriors to champion her cause.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

Indie Game: Happy Birthday

I had been looking for short indie games to play to keep me relaxed when so many stressful things are going on. I found Happy Birthday on Steam Workshop while I was at it. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand how to download this gem from Steam (it says "Subscribe to Download" but it did not download when I subscribed) so I ended up going to its RPGMaker.net page and downloaded it from there. It's FREE and is only about an hour long.

 "Happy Birthday" first struck me as a point-and-click murder mystery game but since you're actually controlling a 2D sprite and not pointing and clicking with your mouse, it's considered a visual novel. The premise of the story is that you are an investigator who's out to unravel the events behind the brutal murder of a young girl on the night of her birthday party.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.

My first taste of acupuncture at Makati Med

I had a really good internal medicine doctor. The last time I visited him was 2 years ago. He was very effective but the list of medicines I had to take probably made Mercury Drug rich. I was also feeling very worried about my liver.

Copyright: corareed / 123RF Stock Photo

I hadn't experienced digestive problems (ulcer, among many things) after I resigned from my post as a video game producer and graduated from PhD, two of the things that had been causing me so much stress. After my healing, I started eating right and I have been known to regularly walk all over Makati.

My activities in the last month had been causing me stress again, and most of it is related to me building an office. I couldn't figure out why I had already been eating healthy and yet I've been having acid problems. This time around, I decided to try the "natural" way. Acupuncture, basically mine involved having super thin needles work on my body's acupoints.

Read more »

Like this post? Subscribe to this blog NOW .
Or like Skysenshi's Hermitage Facebook Page for updates, contests and discussions.