NEW TOMB RAIDER!!~

   
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Square Enix, Inc., is excited today to announce TOMB RAIDER, the new game from Redwood City based studio Crystal Dynamics. "After a brutal storm destroys the boat she was travelling on, a frightened young woman is left washed ashore on an unknown beach. On her own but not alone she has only one goal, to survive"

Here begins the first adventure for a young and inexperienced Lara Croft in a story which charts the journey of an ordinary woman who finds out just how far she must go in order to stay alive.

"Forget everything you knew about TOMB RAIDER," said Darrell Gallagher, Head of Studio, Crystal Dynamics. "This is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other."

- Lara is 21 in this game
- It's not only a reboot of the franchise but a reboot of the entire brand. As a result there will be no "real" Lara model this time.
- They're doing performance capturing with this game
- There are brutal deaths in the game this time. One is described as a deranged man stabbing Lara in the chest and then closing her eyes after she's dead. Another includes a boulder falling on her leg to trap her before another falls and crushes her head.
- CD won't talk specifics on weapons but concept art shows a bow, shotgun and pistol
- The lock on targeting system is gone and it now has a free aim system. CD says that it can compete with any of their competitors.
- "I think that the major difference between this game and the old is the concept of smoke and mirrors," begins Darrell Gallagher, the studio head at Crystal Dynamics. "There was an illusion of freedom because of streaming and loading that would pop you out in a different location, but this is absolutely real. You can literally go any direction that you see and carve your own way to the finish line instead of being guide."
- "It was important in the game to not only deliver the character arc of Lara Croft emotionally, but to deliver it in gameplay as well so the player gets to grow into a hardened survivor," says experienced director Noah Hughes. As the game unfolds, Lara will scavenge new tools and gear that augment her abilities. Lara's athletic prowess will also evolve. Some areas begin inaccessible due to physical limitations or scarce supplies. With the right skills and gear, however, the island is Lara's for the taking.
- There are base camps in the game. Here you can combine items to create something new and access a skill system to upgrade Lara's abilities. You'll also be able to use base camps to fast travel to different locations to minimize backtracking.
- You'll need to gather food and water in order to survive
- There are humans in the game, including some of the crew members from the shipwreck off the coast of the island.

That's about it. It seems like CD is still be fairly secretive about the gameplay details. There are some nice in-game screenshots. One features Lara hanging upside down in what looks to be a cocoon. Also several screenshots showing her bloodied and with bandages on.

Trip to Perfection Island- Anawangin Cove~

Perfection is usually near you, its just with the chance of getting acquainted to it. This is a record of my experience on my trip to Anawangin cove and a realization about my hometown Zambales.



Few weeks back, my officemate invited me to a trip to Anawangin. I’m hesitant at first when I got to know its in Zambales, for I grew up there before Manila. Much to my surprise when she said its in Pundaquit, where my parents used to bring us almost every month for a swim. I thought it wouldn’t be much of a vacation if you’ve been to that place many times in the past when you were a kid. I was soo wrong I’m willing to be jailed.

Our itinerary included a trip to Capones, where Mom said we had already visited when I was still small, I can’t remember. All I know is that it will be nostalgic to set my feet again to our province I last visited aeons  ago. My premonition served me well again when we traversed SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway), got thrilled with the zig zag roads of Olongapo, and went to shop at the San Antonio market.

Felt like I was brought back to my childhood days.Then I almost cried when I set foot to Pundaquit. My.. I dearly missed that place where my relatives used to laugh at me whenever Im done swimming for they said my complexion is that of a shade of violet.

From Pundaquit shore, is a 30 minute boat ride to the island called Anawangin. Our tour guide said it’s usually an hour if the waves are not with us. Also be aware that there are no cellphone signal and electricity in the island. Yey back to traditional living which I know I will truly enjoy as the adventurer's fire within me flames up.


You will enjoy the view because there are other islands for you to see along the way.

After almost sleeping in the boat, we arrived at our destination. Anawangin is heaven! It’s so peaceful, the island seem to reject all the negativity of the city world and will only bring you pure calmness and relaxation. I heard someone said the sand in there is actually "lahar" sand. What's really breath taking is the camp site filled with pine trees and the virgin like stream just behind it. It truly is magical. It will only take  you a few walk if you need a shade if the sun is already burning hot. The wind in the island is so fresh due to the grove, not salty. This cove really is one of a kind.



 
Upon arrival, we were immediately catered by our friendly tour guides. We were given our tents and they started cooking our first meal. While waiting, we decided to explore the camp site more and we were in  awe of its structure. The pine trees in there are good example of how our mother earth can produce a phenomenon. Those trees are brought by the known eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. A paradise born by a destruction.
 
Next we visited the stream that exits through the sea. It is some what like a sleeping nymph. Very subtle, delicate and fine. The water is so clear you can still easily see every details of your feet. Perfect for picture taking. The landscape is filled of many small fresh water fishes and cute mud skippers.


After lunch is a free time in our itinerary, so we decided to take a swim. The water is not salty, far from the water of Puerto Galera.  Take caution though, behind the beauty of this sea is a danger that took many lives already. That, we did not know when we were there. There are portions that will be very deep all of a sudden when you thought the water is just gonna be in breast line. My friend almost drowned when we were not careful.







On each end of the cove is a rocky spot good for picture taking too and sunset viewing. Nice. Evening, we were given our lamps because light will be totally out by  11pm. We finalized where our tent will be and I got to stay alone in one tent. I don't want to stay alone cause I thought that would be scary, but I've no choice since Im with two friends who are both female (Nina and Jen). I thought I will be creeped out, good thing I got drunk. LOL. My Anawangin trip really was remarkable for that was where I got drunk for the first time in my life. We were supposed to have our socialization too with the other guests, unfortunately our travel guides got drunk early too. Bummer we didn't get to meet and know more our fellow tourists.

The next morning was for trekking. It was a fun activity, you will get to see the whole island including the serene stream and Camp site from the top of the mountain. While going down, I had an odd experience. I surely heard a girl asking for her xmas present from me. I heard her say "Kuya pamasko ko" thrice. I'm not kiddin, I even looked around, searched for her since I know we do not have a girl with us. My fellow trekkers said they heard nothing.. Bizarre.

Now off to the Capones light house, where our bangkero continued in revealing scary stories. he said it was a torture place before it became a lighthouse. So much for the ghosts and the like, I per se didn't have any odd experiences there aside from the DSLR producing very blurred pics.  You will have to go through a series of spiral stairs for you to reach the top of the lighthouse. On the top is a feast for the eye. You will feel like you are on a different place with a very wide view on the vastness of the ocean. You wouldn't want to go down. Oh oh and the drama of Jen for she's afraid of heights. Lolz



After Capones, we were supposed to go to the last island on our list, Camara. Known because of its charm, a TV commercial was even shot there. Sadly we were not able to get off the boat because of the water current. Oh well, I will surely visit it next time.
We arrived back to Pundaqiut at around 5:30 PM. Departure back to Manila will be at 6 P.M. We still had our time to eat. It's so much fun staying there because it seems like all the people are nice. I walked by the street and all were smiling on me. Such a nice village. We ate mami (Noodle soup) at a very cheap price and it tasted good.

There are still so many cool places to visit, definitely on my next trip list already: nearby Mt. Pinatubo, Potipot, and Nagsasa. Mostly within my province Zambales. Bummer, I know so little about the place, I regret not knowing its where I could easily find perfection. I'm the proudest Zambalenio now. Will forever be in awe. Now as I'm writing this, I can smell the pleasant fresh wind, hear the subtle rush of ocean waves and see the luscious depth of the camp place. Dang, I miss the place intensely, I wanna pack my things again and go there.  I’m glad I got acquainted to a world of perfection named Anawangin.

Things that you can do in Anawangin:
Trekking
Swimming
Camping
Snorkling
Picture taking
Side trip to Capones Lighthouse and Camara Island
Budget: P1,800
All in including food and fare.

Travel Time:
From Manila to Pundaquit: 3-3 1/2 hours max
Pundaquit to Anawangin Cove: 30 mins-1hr max

MY LAST THOUGHT:
Let us preserve the cove. Really. Even the thought of the place getting a touch of pollution and modernization kills me. Now this blog entry is not to attract ludicrous tourist thinking only bout themselves and the money they paid equals their right onto anything in the island or to make the place popular whatsoever, but to let deserving people know that the faith of our nature's beauty is in our hands. We have almost full control of earth's future, lets start by ourselves. The cove was clean when we arrived there, it was of the same state when we left. I didn't leave even a single piece of candy wrapper. The place is at it's best because it looks almost untouched by civilization. Let us preserve it that way.
"Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints, Waste nothing but time."

Shirt Commission and Imortal Drawing Contest~

I accepted my first ever acrylic on shirt commission from Nina, a colleague of mine. She's on the look for a perfect gift for her sister who will be married. At first she wanted to have their names printed on shirts to be worn on her sister's honeymoon vacation trip to Caramoan, but a hand painted gift will be more meaningful and unique.
   
I was asked to paint on four shirts. I originally sketched different designs but I had problem with the fabric, the four are of different types and the amount of paints absorbed were so inconsistent. I had to change the layouts and made them more simple.


It was a rush project that I did for one day only. I didn't even have the time to buy a varnish spray for the paints to stay intact on the textile for a very long time. Good thing my client was fine with that.
 
 
Nina said her sister got surprised when she gave her the shirt. I'm so happy I felt like I did a job well done. It was so fulfilling to see your work being worn by other people. To Ate Norleen and Kuya Norley, best wishes! I know your love for each other will last forever.
     
Here's another one that I did on a jacket. Pic courtesy of my dear friend Emostar Santita.

After the shirt commission, I entered a drawing contest. It was from the television show "Imortal" which story revolves around the love between a Werewolf and a Vampire. Here are my entries.

The Vindicator
9”x 12”
Graphite on Paper

I passed this first to serve as a trial if my work will really be received by the contest organizers. The idea is my view on what the offspring of a Werewolf and a Vampire will look like. I'm definite he can seriously kick a$$!


The Vindication
12”x16”
Acrylic on Canvas

My main entry. Shows how love can persevere and be the key to a new beginning. Unfortunately I'm not sure if they received this one for it never appeared on their website. I'm sad I put many of my time in perfecting this piece, I don't know if anyone even saw my work. =(
I even used a bit of my blood to color it.

I became more inclined to arts this past few weeks, I've been visiting art sites more often. It's so delighting and surprising to see that I have so many kababayans who are exceptionally good in this field. I'm envious of some for having all of their time dedicated only to arts, they can practice and improve their talents easily. Most are full time artists and their works are just incredible. I hope I will be good like them.

A preview of what I am working on right now. =)