GameOPS [video games, gadgets, etc.]

Asiasoft Launches MapleSEA Legends Patch in PH

2012-05-07T17:24:00.002+08:00

Asiasoft Online, the videogame publishing company that brought the successful 2D side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to the Philippines, has officially launched the MapleSEA Episode 3: LEGENDS patch.

About MapleSEA

MapleSEA (www.MapleSEA.com) is the localized version of MapleStory, the revolutionary multiuser online game, for Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines. The world’s first side-scrolling 2D online game, MapleStory is developed by Nexon, a videogame company based in Korea.

About the Legend Patch

Episode 3 will be divided into four parts:

Prelude (already released last April 15)
Cannon Shooter (May 16)
Mercedes (May 30)
Demon Slayer (July 4)

According to the game's developers, the updates to the game include the launch of three new exciting classes, new 4th potential legendary tier items, quick move system, item re-purchase system and radical skills system. All of the above will also be accompanied by a faster and more intuitive user interface.

To know more about MapleSEA's Episode 3 Legends patch, re-direct and click here.

e-Games Domination 6

2012-04-30T18:23:00.004+08:00

IP e-Game Ventures Inc. celebrated its sixth year anniversary last April 21, 2012 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Even before going inside, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of sponsors and partners showing off their products - especially the models that will get the attention of every gamer - and the community is predominantly male.

Beside the sponsor and food booths, of course, the main event will not be complete with the e-Games titles' booths that has been the area of the old and new gamers alike.

You'll also witness and hear the screams of the community cheering on for their favorite guilds and teams competing in the RAN Online, Cabal, Point Blank, Audition Dance Battle, and Bandmaster tournaments.

Level Up! also had some treats for the gamers - as the Bounty Hounds booth was filled with gorgeous models, and they also gave out Ragnarok goodies.

In case you get confused and haven't heard the news, yes, Level Up! and e-Games merged into Playweb Inc.

To know more about what happened during the event, click and re-direct here.

Uniqlo Metal Gear 25th Anniversary T-shirts

2012-04-23T21:07:00.000+08:00

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Metal Gear, Uniqlo and Konami have released a limited run of Metal Gear T-shirts available at select Uniqlo branches. There are a total of 10 designs, some of which have color options. Retail price: 1,500 Yen (about PHP 800.00).

The shirt above says, "This is an order! Turn off your MSX -- over!"

Click here to see all 10 T-shirt designs at Uniqlo's website.

Friendster FunXtion

2012-04-18T22:21:00.006+08:00

Are you into gaming, cosplay and reminiscing the good old school days? Then this event is definitely for you!

All roads lead to SM North EDSA Annex-Cyberzone on April 27, 2012, 10:00AM as we bring the coolest virtual playground to life!

Join the Friendster FunXtion (fun-nection) where you can discover new friends, play games and enjoy rewards!

Click on here for more info and details!

So old and new Friendster peeps, gather up! This is one eyeball for your friends that you'll surely wouldn't want to miss out.

Next Medal of Honor set in Basilan

2012-04-13T10:01:00.004+08:00

The next Medal of Honor conflict is set to erupt in Isabela City, Basilan, Philippines.
I wonder if opposing forces on multiplayer will be called ASG?

On October 23 this year, globalization hits Medal of Honor Warfighter with special forces teams around the world (except the Philippines, ironically) joining the U.S. Navy Seals to rid the world of ~~this thing the Americans like to call~~ "GLOBAL TERROR".

Dice is out of the picture in this installment. Now, leading both campaign and multiplayer modes will be Danger Close. I quite enjoyed the campaign mode of 2010's Medal of Honor. If they continue to deliver on that, I think this might be worth looking into.

Facebook Acquires Instagram

2012-04-10T01:29:00.000+08:00

Popular image sharing tool Instagram and its team will soon be part of social media giant Facebook. The news was announced by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on his account a few minutes ago.

I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook.

For years, we've focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we'll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests.

We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram's strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.

That's why we're committed to building and growing Instagram independently. Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people.

We think the fact that Instagram is connected to other services beyond Facebook is an important part of the experience. We plan on keeping features like the ability to post to other social networks, the ability to not share your Instagrams on Facebook if you want, and the ability to have followers and follow people separately from your friends on Facebook.

These and many other features are important parts of the Instagram experience and we understand that. We will try to learn from Instagram's experience to build similar features into our other products. At the same time, we will try to help Instagram continue to grow by using Facebook's strong engineering team and infrastructure.

This is an important milestone for Facebook because it's the first time we've ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don't plan on doing many more of these, if any at all. But providing the best photo sharing experience is one reason why so many people love Facebook and we knew it would be worth bringing these two companies together.

We're looking forward to working with the Instagram team and to all of the great new experiences we're going to be able to build together.

Twitter Sues Filipino Company for Spamming

2012-04-08T01:20:00.000+08:00

Jayson Yanuaria and his company, JL4 Web Solutions, were included in a lawsuit filed by Twitter in California last Thursday for spamming.

This morning, we filed suit in federal court in San Francisco against five of the most aggressive tool providers and spammers. With this suit, we’re going straight to the source. By shutting down tool providers, we will prevent other spammers from having these services at their disposal. Further, we hope the suit acts as a deterrent to other spammers, demonstrating the strength of our commitment to keep them off Twitter.

JL4 Web Solutions created a desktop computer software called TweetAttacks that automatically creates Twitter accounts. TweetAttacks uses automated scripts through which its software accesses Twitter’s websites and services without its authorization, Twitter said in its complaint.

GameOPS TV Now On Air!

2012-04-01T01:43:00.003+08:00

GameOPS TV Episode 00 featuring Mia Lopez and Angela Gonzales as the official hosts is now on air!

Google Maps for the Nintendo Entertainment System Launched

2012-04-01T00:00:00.001+08:00

Google Maps is now available for 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment Systems (NES). Availability in Google Store is TBD but you can try it on your browser by going to http://maps.google.com/?t=8&utm_campaign=8bit

Man Murdered After Counter-Strike Match

2012-03-21T23:20:00.000+08:00

A man has been stabbed to death in Manila following a row between two groups of men playing the popular shooting video game 'Counter-Strike', police said Wednesday, March 21.

The quarrel between the men playing the game -- in which gamers playing either terrorists or anti-terror officers try to kill their opponents -- erupted in an Internet cafe, police investigator Noel Ibanez said.

The teams had bet P300 ($7.15) on the outcome of their competition on Monday, but when one side won an argument broke out over payment, said Ibanez.

A member of the winning team, still angry over the dispute, later followed losing player Eric Cristobal to his home and stabbed him to death, he added.

"He (Cristobal) did not start the quarrel. He just got caught up in it. But they all had long been betting on Counter-Strike," said Ibanez.

The suspect was arrested by police on Tuesday.

Internet cafes are very popular in the Philippines, mainly among young people who pack into them to play computer games, often for hours on end. - Agence France-Presse

Twitter Acquires Posterous!

2012-03-15T20:29:00.000+08:00

It was announced today that Posterous, a very simple blogging platform popular for it's "blogging via email" feature, has been acquired by Twitter, the very popular SNS and microblogging tool.

In the Posterous blog, it was posted:

Posterous is Joining the Flock at Twitter

Big news: Posterous has been acquired by Twitter!

The opportunities in front of Twitter are exciting, and we couldn’t be happier about bringing our team’s expertise to a product that reaches hundreds of millions of users around the globe. Plus, the people at Twitter are genuinely nice folks who share our vision for making sharing simpler.

Posterous Spaces will remain up and running without disruption. We’ll give users ample notice if we make any changes to the service. For users who would like to back up their content or move to another service, we’ll share clear instructions for doing so in the coming weeks.

You can find more information answers to other questions you may have here.

Finally, we’d like to offer thanks to all of our users, especially those who have been with Posterous since day one. The last four years have been an amazing journey. Your encouragement, praise and criticism have made us better. Thanks for that. We look forward to building great things for you over at Twitter.

TRON-like Dance Performance

2012-03-15T20:13:00.001+08:00

So earlier, a friend gave me this link to a TRON-like video of a dance group from Japan called the WRECKING CREW ORCHESTRA. The Lighting Choreographer, the LED lighting system that was used for this dance, was made by the awesome Dr. Popeye.

Achievement Unlocked: Ruffa Gutierrez Blocked Me On Twitter

2012-03-14T17:53:00.003+08:00

Apparently, insulting people by telling them they're not cool just because they don't know or haven't tasted the overly hyped Selecta Magnum Ice Cream is alright for local celebrity, Ruffa Gutierrez. A few hours ago, she tweeted, "If you don't know what #magnum is or have never tried it, you ain't COOL. ---source"

I was irritated by this tactless update so I replied with, "I saw @GACKT's magnum. I'm cooler than you. ¬_¬ --source"

I got blocked.

I remember her saying that she automatically blocks people she doesn't like or something like that. Well people, do your part. Start blocking her (of course, block her if you don't like her. Walang sapilitan).

To the agency or marketing people handling this Selecta Magnum campaign, better train your "talents." You can start maybe at potty training? Or I have a better idea. Why not provide FREE Magnum Ice Creams to all 90+million Filipinos so we can all be cool?

To you Ruffa, I dare you say your tweet to the millions of starving people who cannot even afford to buy a cup of rice. Of course, I'm just a nobody here on cyberspace so go on, ignore me. Good job, Ruffa! Good job!

Anyway, here's your prize. Gackt's Magnum and a few insights from social media experts:

“If your reputation sucks, none of it matters. People with lousy products, crummy business practices, and shady backgrounds get found out. And word spreads with frightening speed.” – Sonia Simone

(Twitter screencap: Larry Cayco)

Elysian Square Dark Fest [Unus] Event Report!

2012-03-03T00:15:00.002+08:00

Yeah, I'm doing one for the love of the goth scene! Not exactly a detailed one though.

So, last Saturday evening, we went to the very first Elysian Square Dark Fest. I went with Jepoy, Glen and Ivy, though none of them are particularly into the goth scene as much as I do. I didn't get to mingle around and disturbing people much because I was tired from an entire day of photo shoot that we did that day, on which, I shall post about in a later day.

Click here to continue reading

GameOPS TV Going On Air

2012-03-02T14:16:00.000+08:00

GameOPS TV w/ Mia Lopez going live in a few weeks!

Mia Lopez Bringing TV to GameOPS

2012-02-29T01:43:00.024+08:00

Since we're still clueless on how we bagged the "Best Tech Blog" award at the Philippine Blog Awards and today's a leap year, we might as well introduce the newest addition to the growing GameOPS family. She, together with another GameOPS Gurl Gamer, will be the face of GameOPS TV that will be launched in the coming weeks.

Aside from being a hardcore gamer, our newest member is an amateur model and works as a co-host on GMA-7's Walang Tulugan. Meet GameOPS' newest member and our Featured Gamer for this leap year, Mia Lopez!

Could you tell us something about yourself? How old are you? Where are you located and what are you currently engaged in?

I'm Mia Lopez, an amateur model and I work as a co-host in a local late night show in GMA called Walang Tulugan with The Master Showman. I'm 18 years old, turning 19 this August and I currently reside somewhere in Paranaque. Right now, I'm into PC games specifically Nancy Drew games by Big Fish Games and Skyrim.

When was the first time you actually played a video game? What's the name of the game and game system? What or who made you play?

My first time playing a video game was probably when I was still really small. I think the first game I`ve ever played was Super Mario on a SNES. I was visiting a relative and they had a SNES and they invited me to play. I hogged the game from them till we had to leave.

Do you own a video game console? If yes, what system? Was it your very fist console? What video game platform do you prefer? (PC, Consoles or Handheld)

My very first gaming console was probably a Gameboy Advanced SP. [I still have it somewhere lying around, actually.] My gaming consoles right now: Wii, PS3, PS2, Gameboy Advanced SP, PSP Go and a PSP. I play my PC games on my laptop and I`ve got a Dell Streak 7 so I have something to do while I`m at taping.

What is your favorite video game? Why?

This may sound gay but the best video game I`ve played was Kingdom Hearts 2. I can explain! My best friend and I got really close because of that game. We used to ship characters and make fandoms. She drew, I made stories and doing that made us really close. If I`ve never played that game, I don`t think we would have been CLOSE close.

How about a particular video game character, who's your favorite? Why?

Well, I used to like Roxas. Blonde hair, blue eyes, need I say more?

Do you play online games? What are your current and all-time favorites? Are you part of a clan or guild? If yes, can you give us some info about your guild?

I was never really an online gamer though I wanted to be. I wanted to play DOTA and World Of Warcraft but I have no idea how to download those things. I installed Left for Dead 2 on my PC one time, just so I can play with my friend online but the game was too slow. Bummer.

If you were to convince a friend or co-worker to play video games, how would you do it? Would you do crazy stuff just to convince him or her?

"PLAY IIIIITTTT" is my usual line when convincing people into playing a new game. If I have a physical copy, I usually lend it to the person and I won`t quit bugging them unless they`ve played it so I have someone to relate to.

Did playing video games make any difference in your life?

It`s made a big difference.

I`ve learned a bit of hand eye coordination. Well, finger eye coordination. WHAT IS GRACE. I`ve learned the value of friendship, I`ve learned that if something is shining, it`s probably important, I`ve learned how to read maps, I`ve learned that once you`ve figured out that the cake is a lie, you should probably stop now, etc etc.

Your Top 5 Favorite games?

5. Super Mario Galaxy [Wii]
4. Nancy Drew: Secret at the Water`s Edge [PC]
3. Portal
2. Kingdom Hearts 2
1. Alice: Madness Returns [still haven`t finished it though but so far, I love this game]

I know I`ve played more awesome games but that was so long ago, I can`t remember anymore. I want to play more Silent Hill games for the PS2, Persona [both 1 and 2] since I can`t find a decent CD that would work, Skyrim but I`ll need a better graphics card for the laptop, LA Niore, Ace Attorney...too many to list~

Do you have any personal video game related story that you can share with us?

One time, I got freaked out playing Silent Hill: Origins on the PSP that I threw the console across the room. Luckily, it didn`t get broken. That`s when I learned to wear a wrist strap at all times.

Any last message you wish to impart to our readers?

If you buy me a copy of Alice: Madness Returns for the PS3, I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER. [Or until I finish the game, but don`t worry, I progress games quite slowly]

Any greetings and link-love to your friends?

I want to give a shout out to Denise Enriquez! I hope you`re doing well in Canada! Skyrim patch will finish downloading soon, so I`ll be playing the game in a few more days. Hi Nickle Manuel! You need to play more games! All we have to relate to so far is Sim Social and Tomb Raider!

--

While we all wait for the launch of GameOPS TV, please like Mia Lopez's Official Facebook Fan Page.

Photos by catchlight.ph and igad.ph

Globe's Immortal Call & Txt is Back

2012-02-14T19:03:00.000+08:00

Because subscribers loved and missed it, Globe is reintroducing the Immortal Txt and Call promos this day of love.

IMMORTAL TXT - 25 texts to Globe/TM + 5 texts to other networks for only P15
IMMORTAL TRIO - 50 texts to Globe/TM + 5 texts to other networks + 5 minutes of calls to Globe/TM for only P25

UNLI ALL TRIO - Unlimited calls and texts to Globe/TM + unlimited mobile browsing
Validity:

         o 1 day for P60
         o 3 days for P150
         o 7 days for P350
         o 30 days for P1,400

ALL NET COMBO - Unlimited SMS to all networks + 5 minutes of calls to all networks + 50MB of consumable mobile browsing

Validity:

         o 1 day for P30
         o 3 days for P80
         o 7 days for P150
         o 30 days for P600

UNLI TINGI - Unlimited texts to all networks + unlimited calls to Globe/TM + unlimited mobile browsing. 1 hour validity for only P5. Registration to Unli Tingi is available from 7am-9am only

These promos are exclusively available for registration by dialing *143#, the newest and the easiest quick service menu from Globe that allows subscribers to register. Other features of *143# include billing and load details, complete list of Globe promos, GCash and Share-a-load services, and download of applications.

Level Up! Acquires E-Games

2012-02-14T15:52:00.000+08:00

IP E-Game Ventures Inc. (E-Games) and Level Up! Inc. have announced today the merging of their online game publishing businesses in the Philippines.

IP E-Game Ventures Inc. (E-Games), the listed online gaming subsidiary (PSE:EG) of IP Ventures, Inc., and Level Up! Inc. (LUI), have reached an agreement to merge their Philippine online game publishing businesses. On February 14, the parties signed an agreement stating that most of E-Game’s titles and assets relating to its game publishing business will be transferred to LUI and the publishing operations of said titles will be merged into LUI’s associated online game publishing company, Playweb Games Inc.

In exchange, E-Games will receive equity in LUI, a commercial interest in Playweb Games Inc. (game publisher and operator of all game titles and services under the Level Up! brand in the Philippines), and a cash consideration. The parties shall work in good faith to complete the deal. The appropriate disclosures and comprehensive statements shall be made at the appropriate time.

E-Games and LUI, as a merged entity, is expected to strategically benefit both companies as a result of future operational synergies and savings.

The merger of E-Games and Level Up! plus another company, Playweb Games, makes them the widest gaming prepaid card and PIN distribution network in the Philippines. These games include Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) such as Cabal, Audition, Pointblank, Ragnarok, Grand Chase, Rohan and Bounty Hounds.

E-Games is the first and only listed online gaming company in the Philippines. It spearheaded the free-to-play game model and has over 15.9 million registered gamers and an average of 3.5 million active users per month. E-Games recently acquired the rights to sell advertisements on the Philippine portal of NBA.com .

Level Up! pioneered the online game business in the Philippines. Parent Level Up! International Holdings has a subsidiary in Brazil which likewise pioneered and leads the online game publishing business there. Besides its presence in the Philippines and Brazil, Level Up! International has a joint venture in the United States with a Korean developer.

ELYSIAN SQUARE DARK FEST [UNUS]

2012-01-29T02:07:00.000+08:00

ELYSIAN SQUARE DARK FEST [UNUS] - CRYSELLA PRODUCTIONS - Proudly presents its first series of quarterly dark music festival. Featuring international and local acts:

* ROUGH HAUSEN (Canada/Taiwan)
* WYNKEN DELIRIUM (Malaysia)
* OREMUZ (Philippines)
* ANHURA (Philippines)
* SANCTUS (Philippines)
* SERENUS (Philippines)
* SWITCH (Philippines)
* HIGH IN MIST (Philippines)

With special guest, meet & greet, giveaways and a whole lot more surprises.

Medias & Supporters:
Presonus.com, GigsManila.com, Sharon Production, Manila Bloggers Network, Rakista.com, Live, Pulp, DB Radio365, Shinto Records, Beat & Riffs, Onlypinoy.com, Inggos Grill, Rakista Radio, Mingi Ltd., TFHM Production. http://www.dbradio365.com/

This event is advertise on FACEBOOK and other promo-pool channels until 25th of February 2012. Artworks by Shekhinah.

Sounds & Lights:
Professional sounds and lights system provided by Mingi Label Group Ltd.

Posters, Flyers & Tickets Offset Printing:
Flyerfish GmbH, Max-Born-Straße 2, 72622 Nürtingen, Germany

Tickets: 250PHP with 1 free beer!
Tickets are available thru our network outlets nationwide.

For further information, TICKET RESERVATION and street team for flyers/posters, please contact:

label@mingi.co.uk
0927-4512468
http://www.crysella.tv/

Reasonable Flights & Hotels To Manila, Philippines:
http://www.lowfares.com/cheap-flights-to/philippines/manila?t=manila&lp=1&asid=1223&gclid=CIyejv6dl6sCFcdS4godciMLYw
http://directrooms.com/philippines/hotels/manila-hotels/ermita-malate-price1.htm

How To Get There At The Venue:
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=14.559057&lon=120.9837627&z=18&l=0&m=b

Support "Elysian Dark Fest Series" by putting a picbadge to your Facebook profile pic.http://www.picbadges.com/elysian-dark-fest-series/2462907/

This exclusive production © 2012 by Crysella Records, a division of Mingi Label Group Ltd., incorporated and registered in England & Wales (EU No.# 06743287) http://www.mingi.co.uk/

How To "Survive" the End of the World, AXE Style

2012-01-19T18:12:00.001+08:00

The End of the World is near if the Mayans are to be believed. Also known as the December 21, 2012 doomsday, this date has been regarded as the end-date of the 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar.

December 21, 2012 supposedly is the start of time in which Earth and its inhabitants may undergo physical or spiritual transformation that will mark the "new era." Others theorized that the end of the world will include a collision of Earth with a black hole or with a rogue planet called Nibiru.

The guys over at AXE Philippines made an "AXE 2012 End of the World Survival Guide" to prepare you just in case. They've outlined the "many skills" you may need if ever you'll survive the 2012 doomsday. Check out the video below and hit the comments if you have additional tips. Remember, we only have 11 months D:

MyMusicStore Launched in the Philippines

2012-01-19T14:34:00.000+08:00

An online music store has been launched in the Philippines last night with the hopes of fighting the rampant illegal music downloads.

MyMusicStore offers music downloads from both local and foreign artists for as low as P20 per song.

"Kailangan namin makaisip ng paraan na labanan ang piracy. So naisip namin itong online music store, pwede silang bumili ng kanta sa halagang P20 to P35 lang. We will release songs first, and other experiences that would make it worth their purchase," said John Alonte, CEO of Rising Tide Mobile Entertainment.

Users can use their credit cards (PayPal included) and even Smart Load to purchase songs. Currently, there are 160,000 songs available for download at MyMusicStore. They promise to increase the inventory in the coming weeks.

MyMusicStore is being supported by the country's major labels including Star Records, Sony Music, Universal Records, etc.

You can start with MyMusicStore by showing your support to OPM --Download PiNK by 1:43 here!

Nepa-Q Mart Film Festival's Grand Winner is Hangal Na Luha

2012-01-10T14:51:00.003+08:00

The surefire next big winner in the Cannes Film Festival is here! Well, almost. "Hangal na Luha" is Nepa-Q Mart Film Festival's grand winner and Nenelyn's first starring role. Of course I'm just kidding.

Hangal na Luha is a series of webisodes from Intel Philippines to promote its Sing to Win contest. Hangal na Luha stars Jun Sabayton, yes, the same funny guy from TV5's news programs and is being directed by RA Rivera.

Visit and watch Hangal na Luha @ Intel Philippines, join Sing to Win and get a chance to win a brand new Intel-powered laptop."

Welcome to Android Pilipinas!

2012-01-08T02:53:00.002+08:00

We've just launched a new website under GameOPS. Introducing, Android Pilipinas!

The widest used mobile phone operating system today is Google’s Android. This fast emerging OS provides people of all walks of life the capability to own smartphones that range from cheap ready to for the masses mobiles to high end posh phones.

The Philippines is one of the emerging markets for the Android phones and GameOPS has been in the forefronts of technology. That fact made us decide to make a sub-website catered for the increasing number of Filipino Android users. (and because a number of the GameOPS staff are Android users).
Android Pilipinas is not centered to Filipino users only but to the whole world. We also aim to provide information about the latest Android trends and how it applies to the regular Juan Dela Cruz. At the moment, there are only three of us from GameOPS (Mark–thats me!, Jepoy and Euri) who will be posting on this website.

ABOUT THE LOGO

The Android Pilipinas logo was inspired by the new Philippine tourism ad campaign and it shows the beauty of the Chocolate Hills in Bohol, Philippines.

Are we ripping the ad campaign off? Heck no! Are we stealing the campaign’s slogan? No! We just aim to show that both the campaign and the slogan are true! It is really more fun here in the Philippines and it is indeed more fun here in Android Pilipinas!

Beware of People Who Borrows/Rents Costumes

2012-01-08T00:39:00.000+08:00

What would you do if someone who rented your top of the line Tron costume returned it damaged and almost beyond repair? Don Robert, one of the best Filipino cosplayers of our generation, fell victim to one client and the least he could do is share his story online. Don Robert is so nice and trusting that he didn't give the client, a certain Ms. Janice Cerdon from Global Destiny, a contract to sign.

Read Don Robert's story after the jump.

Sometimes its really wrong to be nice and trusting. Times nowadays have changed where you can meet sincere, nice people who have respect for their environment and other people’s property.

Unfortunately, we fell victim to one client.

They inquired if they can rent our Tron costumes – Don Robert’s Sam Flynn & my Quorra costume set for their company Christmas Party for Dec 22, 2011 to be held in SMX MOA. I have no idea how they found us, probably by searching through the internet. The initial rent cost I gave was 2.5k each. Now Ms. Janice Cerdon, who works for Global Destiny Cable was the one who contacted me and she requested if we can lower the price to 1.5k each because they said they have no more budget and that they still need to spend doing additional props for their presentation. We agreed out of goodwill since they requested and because we wanted to help them out.

Honestly, a lot of people were inquiring for said costumes for same date at our initial rental fee but since we value the “First Come, First Served” rule we did not entertain any more clients. Our terms are simple: 50% dp during fitting then 50% bal during pick-up. Although I informed her that the costumes only fit us, we agreed to adjust it for their sake.
For everyone’s information, we have only used these costumes once. It was debuted last Philippine Cosplay Convention sometime April 2011. It was right after the movie came out. As far as we know, we are the only ones who have these costumes here and as far as I know I was the first to ever have a screen accurate Quorra helmet. You may check our Work-in-Progress album in our FB page to see the photos when we were building it.
We agreed to meet in Megamall for the fitting. My suit needed to be adjusted since the girl who would wear my costume was a little on the wide side. No problems with the male. No other adjustment was needed except for Quorra’s suit. They did not give any downpayment/reservation fee. I let it pass because I was thinking maybe they don't have the budget yet.
We adjusted the suits before we gave it to them. We made sure it was in very good condition. We fixed the tapes, placed it in individual plastics, ziplocked the undersuits and all.
Supposedly on the 20^th, they will pick-up the suits but they never replied nor confirmed what time they will pick it up. I texted her on the night of the 19^th and was hoping to get a reply early morning so i will know if I will bring it with me to the office and have our assistant get it from me from there to take to the agreed pick-up point. unfortunately, I did not receive a reply from her so i left the house already since my travel to work follows a time schedule. She texted me when I have already left the house and was asking why I didn’t bring it with me. I advised her that since I did not receive any confirmation/reply from her I did not bring it with me. I do not want to waste my time bringing the big sako bag to me at the office with no confirmation if it will be picked-up or not. Besides, without her confirmation, i have not confirmed with my assistant also if he needs to go see me at my office.In the end, we agreed that it will be given to them on the 21^st. After that, they requested if the meet-up can be done in North Edsa because Megamall is too far they say. I told them its out of our meet-up area so she will have to give my assistant transpo allowance of 100 pesos to which she agreed but i felt na parang napilitan lang.

Prior to that, I remembered her texting me asking if they can get the suits ahead of time because her boss wants to see it. I caught her saying they might add something to which I said and reiterated that they are not allowed to add anything to the suit. They are not allowed to touch it or modify it. She assured me that our suits will not be touched. So I believed her.

When I took the suits with me for the pick-up day, the shoes for the male are missing and we couldn’t find it. I just thought that since its just a generic black shoes, it would be an easy fix.

Our assistant got the bag of suits from me at my office and I instructed him to meet the her in North Edsa. I gave him her number & the receipt. After delivery, she called me asking for the shoes to which I apologized and said we can’t find it. I advised her though that they can use a generic black shoes which i assumed they can easily find.
On the night of the 22^nd, our assistant went to SMX at MOA to pick-up the suits. He texted me that the sako bag is damaged. Afterwards, I received this text message from her:

I got angry. I texted her: Di ba sabi mo di gagalawin yung suits? She replied na double adhesives lang naman daw yung kinabit nila at sabi pa nya madali lang naman daw tanggalin yung adhesives.

We were in Baguio from the 21^st to the 24^th so I wasn’t able to see it until 24^th night when we came back.
When DR started to check the suits, I really got mad with what i saw. I texted her asking bakit nila ginanon yung costumes namin kasi usapan nga is hindi gagalwain ito, walang idadagdag at lalong HINDI SISIRAIN. I'm sure kahit sinong nasa lugar ko, galit ang magiging reaksyon. Sobrang binalasubas yung costumes. Tapos tumawag sya kesyo bakit daw ganon ako magsalita aba sabi ko karapatan ko yon dahil sa ginawa nyo sa costumes namin na totoo naman. Kitang kita sa ebidensya. Paulit-ulit kong sinabi sa kanya na wala sa usapan na sisirain yung costumes. Kesyo kakausapin nya daw boss nya at babalikan ako kinabukasan. Pinalampas ko ang pasko pero sa tuwing naalala ko nanggagalaiti talaga ako sa galit.
Eto pictures, kayo humusga:




other photos can be seen here
Nung lunes tinext ko sya kung ano na feedback. Eto ang mga text message conversation namin:

Ang reply ko sa kanya: sapatos lang ang kulang compared dun sa ginawa nila mas malaki damage ng ginawa nila.sabi ko once pa lang namin nagamit yun at kami lang may ganong costume. Inadvise ko sya na generic black shoes lang yun, supposedly madaling hanapin pero di ko alam bakit ginagawang big deal para lang masabi na may kulang kami.

Ang sabi ko: bayaran nila yung buong suit. Kasi highly unrepairable na sya. Basura. Aanhin namin yan? Masusuot pa ba namin ulit yan sa ganong kondisyon? Sinabi ko sa kanya na para sa impormasyon nya isang beses pa lang namin nagagmit yung costume. At kami lang meron nyan dito. Ako pa lang ang may helmet ng Quorra ever since lumabas yung movie tapos gaganonin lang nila? Kung ikinakatwiran nya na hindi kumpleto nung binigay namin, sapatos lang ang kulang don. Generic black shoes nahirapan maghanap? Inadvise ko naman na kahit anong black shoes pwede naman kaso nakalimutan ko na walang budget.

yes. we were asking them to pay for the suits which is equivalent to the commissioned priced of it at 5k ea. sabi ko sa kanya yung 2.5 rent fee yun - hindi commission. magkaiba yon. may 3k pala sa ebay bakit di yon ang kinuha nila? pero binasa ba nila mabuti yung sinasabi nilang nakita nila sa ebay? baka naman hindi nila kinonsider na hindi kasama yung discs dun at helmet + may shipping fee pa yun noh. pinipilit nya yung 3k dalawang suits, check nyo later may printscreen ako ng ebay suits and i doubt kasya yung 3k nya for 2 suits na kumpleto.
di namin sinasamantala na nasira costumes dahil SINIRA naman nila talaga. sabi ko nga baka hindi nila alam magkano magpagawa ng costume sa amin or sa kahit kaninong costume maker. mahirap sa kanya, ang hilig nya magcompare eh hindi naman sya yung costume maker.ang sabi ko sa kanya "metal po ba ang costume ng tron? napanood nyo po ba yung tron movie? fyi, di po metal ang costume nila. baka po hindi nyo rin po alam magkano pagawa ng isang metal costume baka hindi po magkasya yung 3k nyo."

Paulit-ulit kong sinasabi sa kanya, WALA SA USAPAN ANG WAWASAKIN YUNG COSTUMES. Ni hindi ko lubos maisip kung ano ginawa nila para magkaganon yun helmet ko. Ano yon dinaig pa nila production stunts ng totoong pelikula? O talagang mga walang pakundangan at respeto sa gamit ng iba. Ang pinaka point ko is HINDI KANILA yung gamit at sana nagkaroon sila ng konting malasakit kase sana naisip nila HINIRAM LANG NILA YON. Sinasabihan nya ako ng pagiging unprofessional eh baket? - ang panghihiram at pagsira sa hiniram na gamit ay hindi unprofessional? Kung nasaktan sya sa sinabi ko na balasubas nila yung gamit namin well, nasaktan din kami nung makita namin na binalasubas yung costume namin. Sa pag kaka alam ko ang may pinag aralan ay may pagpapahalaga sa gamit ng iba. Ang taong may pinag aralan ay marunong magsoli ng gamit na hiniram kung paano nila hiniram ito.

Actually binigyan ko sya ng option, kung ayaw nya kami bayaran ng pera eh di palitan nya yung costumes namin. Palitan nya yung helmet ko. Pero same quality, same size, same built – as in parehong pareho, walang pagkakaiba dapat. Yung tipong pag nakita mo parang iisipin mo kami ang gumawa at ni hindi nangyari yung karumal dumal na krimen na ginawa nila. Ewan ko kung magawa nila yun with 3k pero sige kung sa tingin nila makakamura sila sa ganon - go ahead. Pero pag hindi parehong pareho di namin tatanggapin. Maghanap sya ng gagawa for 3k for 2 suits.
Sabi nya may nakita daw sya sa ebay na mga nasa 3k lang daw. Aba eh bakit di yon ang binili nila? Tsaka baka hindi nya binasa mabuti ano ang included don? Nakita nya ba quality? Malamang hindi nya rin kinompute magkano aabutin kung bibilhin yung suit sa ebay. Eto try nyo komputin ewan ko kung kasya ang 3k nya sa 2 suit.

2 suits: $116.19 + $47.75 = $163.94 x P44.13 = Php7,234.67 (helmet & identity discs not included)
identity discs: $36.90 x P44.13 = Php1,628.39 (not available pa to ship sa pinas)
ayan...3k lang ba?

Alam nyo pwede naman kami gumawa ng kontrata eh. Kaso sabi ko kaya wala kaming kontrata kasi pinagkatiwalaan namin sya. Sa dinami dami ng nanghiram sa amin sya/sila lang gumawa nyan. Yung iba nga lubos na nagpapasalamat pa at napahiram sila. Nanalo pa sila sa mga Christmas Parties nila. At talagang iningatan nila yung gamit namin. Yan ang may mga pinag-aralan. Ni hindi sila tumawad sa presyo kasi nakita naman nila na sulit ang binayaran nila. Sa totoo lang di talaga kami nagpapahiram ng costumes eh. Kaso hindi rin kami madamot kasi gusto namin na nakakatulong sa iba at tsaka nakapagpapaligaya ng tao. Kung pwede naman bakit hindi di ba? Eh kaso ngayon tinuruan nya kami magtanda. Kaya pasensya na lang sa mga manghihiram ng costume kasi naka kontrata na kami. At mas mahigpit na kami at mas mataas na kami maniningil. So dun sa mga balak manghiram, tawagan nyo si Ms. Janice Cerdon sa 0922-8202903 at itanong sa kanya bakit ayaw na namin magpahiram ng costume. Mabait kami kung sa mabait. Pero kung balasubas naman kausap mo ewan ko na lang if hindi ka maging halimaw sa galit.
Tama, pwede naman kami takbuhan o taguan eh. Kaso konsensya na lang yan at karma pagdating ng panahon. Ang karma kapag dumating doble kaya good luck na lang po.

May idea kaya sya magkano pagawa ng isang helmet? At may helmet ba ng motor na kagaya ng helmet ko? Kung sa tingin nya mas mura yung helmet ng motor eh di sana yun na lang ginamit nila sa costumes nila. Ang hilig nya magcompare eh kitang kita naman na magkaibang bagay yon. Try nyo mag search sa internet, sa google, sino lang ang may Quorra helmet sa pinas.

I texted her 01/02.

Eto reply nya:

Eto reply ko:


Eto naman reply nya ulit:

Nagpahabol pa:

Last reply:

Sana sinabi na lang nila bago nila hiniram yung costumes na wawasakin nila para at least informed kami. Hindi yung ganyan. We're not after the money if yun ang iniisip nya. We would rather blacklist her/them na lang and by this we’re letting all costume makers/cosplayers know. Actually everyone who will read this will know.
To all cosplayers, mag-ingat kayo sa pagpapahiram ng costume. I would suggest use contracts. Tandaan nyo, bawat costume na ginagawa natin ay pinaghihirapan natin. Dugo, pawis, puyat, at pera ang puhunan natin dito at walang sino man ang may karapatang bumalasubas ng ating hobby

(Original Entry)

The New Globe PowerSurf and Anti-Bill Shock

2012-01-07T00:06:00.000+08:00

Globe recently enhanced existing Postpaid and Prepaid PowerSurf promos with a NEW P999 Bill Cap and per megabyte consumables.

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