Mass Effect 2 Review - 28th Feb

Mass Effect 1 was a great experience as it was utterly new system where no other RPGs have gone before and on 26th January, Bioware released the sequel for this game, Mass Effect 2 and I've just finished it once yesterday with a clock time of exactly 24 hours. In this review, we'll talk about the story, gameplay, graphics and the whole game on the overall.

Now, lets start with the story. As with the prequel, Cmd.Shepard (whether male or female) has to fight against the Reapers, a race of sentient machines which are extremely large as seen as the Sovereign in the first Mass Effect series and this time, a new enemy has emerged, but in fact not entirely new as the sequel would reveal (Play the game to find out) and this new enemy is also working for the Reapers, The Collectors. The new enemy is abducting colonies of humans and Shepard intends to stop them. At the start of the game, Shepard is attacked and considered dead but resurrected again by Cerberus which just a minor excuse for you to have an entirely new team. In general, ii's all about you and your team saving the universe again.

In my opinion, although the story is about you and your team trying to save the universe's humans from abduction and probably are racing against time, the feeling of the urgency does not exist and there's nothing that's pushing you to do anything. As long as you choose to, you may progress your story at any time. Other than that, you may spent all day leisuring around, scanning planets for resources and there won't be any consequences. There whole story actually revolves in 4 stages which would be recruiting stage, know enemy location stage, prepare to get there stage and lastly assault stage. Overall I would say that the story is nothing special and not too memorable and pales in comparison for maybe say: Final Fantasy 7?

In terms of gameplay, in comparison with the prequel, this game has a much better mechanics and much simplified Upgrades to a better weapon is done automatically and you'll find weapons on the field instead of buying them. What you can buy is the upgrades for the weapons, such as accuracy, damage and ammo upgrades. There is no longer any add-ons for your weapons etc. Missions vary from diplomacy,  search and a court case or just plain fighting. The side missions are not much to be bothered as they provided only 40 exp which minuscule to what you have to do sometimes, simply not worth it. Overall, I would say that although the current new system is quite good, but I miss the old times where you can purchase better weapons in shops instead of finding them in the field which you may miss sometimes, which I'm not sure will or will not make it much harder for you at later stages. Firefights are relatively easy and the chances of dying is particularly low unless you don't take cover from enemy fire. What I don't like is that taking cover involves only one button, while it may be useful during intense fights, but sometimes I like a little bit of customization on how I'm taking cover and when. At times, holding (space key) to run puts me in the nearest side cover, e.g facing right  which is directly in the path of a frontal enemy fire. Besides that, I also miss the vast space to explore in Mass Effect, think Citadel, and is now confined to small spaces and only a couple of minor forgettable places. Instead of overheating, you now have thermal clips which act as a sort of ammo and not to worry, its abundant, although at times, you're forced to conserve as sometimes it becomes rare.

In terms of graphics, there is nothing much to brag about, although it is a little bit nicer than Mass Effect 2. There isn't much to complain about in terms of performance as I did not even touch any of the settings and yet still displays nicely, unlike Mass Effect 1 where there are sometimes some lag issues at certain parts of the game Graphical glitches are quite a common sight at times where what shouldn't be there is there. Scope zoom images are still clear and detailed which is particularly great for me. Overall, the feel of the different planets and locales are very convincing and atmospherically right although the vast awe I had in the first game no longer exists.

The game on the whole, I had a great time, but it could tedious especially on the planet scanning for resources part. Couldn't they make it simpler or more fun? But well, for those who liked mass effect 1, should definitely buy this while for those who never like mass effect 1 due to its complexity, should try this. In conclusion, the score for this game according to my opinion, would be:-

Story:- 6/10 (Plain)
Graphics:- 8/10
Gameplay:- 9/10
Overall:- 8/10

Battlefield Bad Company 2 - 27th Feb

I've ordered battlefield Bad Company 2 from The Software Boutique yesterday for RM129. Well, I'm not too sure on how the whole process is, so maybe I'll post it up here!

Kind of excited too as, truthfully, it's very rare of me to buy original games and I think that Bad Company 2 is an awesome game to support. It's also a step for me to show how much IW.net for Modern Warfare 2 really is terrible and degrading.

Call me a Modern Warfare 2 traitor all you want, but Infinity Ward got a kick from my gaming list quite a while ago with all the insanity they've commited. Well, come back for more updates on this!





Update:- 2nd March
I've already got the game and playing it. Seriously, it was so much fun, at least it does feel like you're shooting something in comparison to Modern Warfare 2, where you're not even sure if you actually hit or miss. Anyway, with the destructible environments, anything can happen which makes it more suspenseful and makes you feel like you're actively participating even for the single-player. Well, the reviews would come soon but here's two pictures of what I bought.


The un-opened box.
The case was basic with nothing special.

The Opened Box.
There wasn't much in the case itself, some manuals,
some redeem codes and the DVD itself. Can't complain as they're selling it for RM129 here which much less compared to the exchange rate in the United States.

The Freebies
You get: A poster, a T-Shirt and the DVD.









Well, order yours now from TSB!

Update:- 12th May
Made a review on the game. Read it: Here

Boom De Ya Da - 26th Feb

Suddenly felt like posting this song up:-
Boom De Ya Da song from Discovery Channel



I Love the Whole World!

Possible Cancer Treatment? - 23rd Feb

Got this from an email on possible cancer treatment, and thought I might share it with anyone interested (The English is not too perfect though, but understandable) :-


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Actual case studies, very important, please read patiently and pass this on..

Even if you have read this before, you should re-read this, especially the list of acidic and alkaline foodstuff , best to read several times and remember..

Please read this article in full patiently, it will be helpful to your health.More than 30 years ago, a Mr Zhang who worked in the public sales department of a Taipei Brewery, participated in the brewery overseas study selection examination, and passed with flying colours.Before going overseas during the physical examination at a public hospital, it was discovered that he had a lung tumour the size of a child's fist, and therefore was unable to go overseas to study.

The greatly disappointed Mr Zhang had always been suspicious that the diagnosis was wrong.. So he went to another hospital for a check-up, the result confirm that previous diagnosis was not in error.For the youthful and healthy Mr Zhang to be stricken down with such a terminal illness, in his despair, he rang his old classmate who at the time was Taidong County Government, Huangsun County Mayor's secretary, Mr Wei.Mr Wei rushed to Taipei during his rest day on a Sunday to see Mr Zhang..Mr Zhang discussed with Mr Wei in detail his despair and pessimism, and entrusted his friend regarding his affairs after his death. Coincidentally, Mr Wei was a good friend of Dr Lu Geling, who was in  charge of the Maijie Hospital, 1945-55, and specialized in the clinical research into cancer cases.
He immediately suggested that Mr Zhang go to see Dr Lu for treatment. At first, Mr Zhang said he preferred not to see anymore doctors, so as not to add further to his misery. But Mr Wei told him that he had telephoned Dr Lu before to seek his advice and arranged an appointment. Mr Zhang felt obligated and went with Mr Wei to meet Dr Lu..

When Dr Lu met with Mr Zhang, Dr Lu said: ' Mr Wei is a friend and introduced you and I to get to know each other. This is destiny. Thank you. Let me ask you do you know why is cancer referred to as  terminal illness? Both Mr Zhang and Mr Wei did not know how to answer.

Dr Lu explained: 'There are only two approaches taken by humans to treat cancer to-date. The first is to destroy the source of the disease. The second is to increase the capability to fight the disease.
But the strange thing is that, whether we use Cobalt 60 or other drugs to destroy the cancer cells, before the cancer cells are killed, the good cells are destroyed first..On the other hand, no matter what nutrients or supplements we use,  before the good cells have a chance to absorb them, the cancer cells have taken them up and it simply speeds up the growth of cancer..

Therefore both approaches are doomed to failure, that is why cancer is terminal.

Dr Lu continues: 'Human beings are most clever, they have successfully landed on the moon. But why is it no one ever questioned the above two approaches for treating cancer  which are nothing but self defeating dead-ends, and try to seek a third avenue?

When I was conducting clinical research in Majie Hospital , I had many opportunities to work with and being helped by many colleagues in the Hospital. I discovered that the blood tests of 100% of the cancer patients showed that the blood samples are acidic.

Those Buddhist monks and nuns who are long term vegetarians and live very close to Nature, their blood are prevalently weakly alkaline and amongst them, there has yet to discover any cancer cases.

Therefore, I boldly concluded that under weakly alkaline condition, cancer cells are not able to grow, or even to survive.Mr Zhang, I would suggest that starting from now you reduce your intake of the acidic meaty  dishes..Take more of the alkaline food. In addition you can take green algae and soup made from water chestnuts with skin, modify your physical condition, and try seriously to have a regular life style which is close to Nature;

If you can manage to stay alive for five years, you should have no further problem. I wish you the best of luck.'Mr Zhang followed Dr Lu's suggestion and seriously altered his eating habits.
Every day, he ate  green algae, drank chestnut soup, be optimistic and did an appropriate amount of exercise, and went back to the same public hospital for a check up. It was discovered that not only that the tumour did not increase in size, on the contrary it showed signs of shrinking, and surprised the hospital staff conducting the check-up as a miracle.. Five years later, the tumour had shrunk to such a state as to almost disappear..

After almost 40 years, presently Mr Zhang's health is totally normal, and living a very pleasant life. Following Mr Zhang, a Mr Chen Tianshou, who was previously Head of the General Administration of the Taidong Provincial Hospital , was similarly diagnosed with lung cancer.

When Mr Wei heard of this, he told Mr Chen of the experience of Mr Zhang, and Mr Chen started to follow the instructions of Dr Lu to change his physical condition. The outcome was that he was able to recover fully from the cancer, just like Mr Zhang.

At that time, Mr Lu and his family have emigrated to the United States . After the two cases, he returned to Taiwan and met up with Mr Wei.Mr Wei told Dr Lu about the experiences of Mr Zhang and Mr Chen, and suggested that let the two of them detailed their experiences to Dr Lu in person, so that Dr Lu could publish a report on his self cure body conditioning method.

Dr Lu very humbly replied:
'I am too old, besides, I do not have any clinical records of the outcomes. I would ask that you tell your friends and relatives, if they are agreeable, then please continue this experience and spread the words

One should take care of oneself but should also be caring about others, 85% of cancer patients have acidic in their physical condition.
***      Blood of healthy persons is weakly alkaline in nature, with a pH of about 7.35 to 7.45
***      Babies' blood is also weakly acidic
***      As adults mature their blood becomes more acidic in nature
According to a study of 600 cancer patients, of their bodily fluid, 85% of the patients are acidic Therefore, how to maintain the weakly acidic nature of our body is the first step for moving far away from diseases.

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Acidic physical conditions manifest itself in:
1. Skin without lustre2. Athlete's foot
3. Feeling tire even with very little exercise, and feeling sleep the moment one gets on to public buses
4. Easily out of breath going up and down stairs
5. Fat and with lower stomach protruding,
6. Move slowly and movement lethargic
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Why does the body physical condition turn acidic?  

1. Excessive intake of dairy acidic food

a) meat, dairy products, eggs, beef, ham, etc are acidic foodb) taking too much acidic food will cause the blood to become acidic and viscous, difficult to flow to the end of blood vessels, leading to cold feet or knee, stiff shoulders and insomnia.c) When one is young and strong, taking suitable quantity of meat is appropriate, but older people it more suitable to have a diet which are primarily vegetables ...

2.. Irregularity in the pace of life will cause the body physical condition to become acidic

a) Irregular pace in life will lead to mental and physical stressb) According to statistics, people who sleep late are more likely to have cancer than normal persons, by as much as 5 times.
c) Human beings originally lead a life with regular tempo in this world, it is not possible to store up sleep or food and not possible to change the order of living by mixing up days and nights.
d) Human organs are controlled by the autonomic nerves, and during day time it is mainly sympathetic nerves activities, and at night it is mainly the parasympathetic nerves which are functioning, If this order is disturbed and reversed, then diseases will result.

3. Emotion over tensed
a) Civilised society brings stresses
b) Job related or mental stressesc) A person suffers mental stress, when the stress is removed and the person relaxes, sometimes this may lead to death, referred to as the syndrome of imperfect adrenal cortex function.

4. Physical Stress
a) Before any operation it would be necessary to check to see if the renal cortex does function normally. If the adrenal cortex is lacking, or if the stress imposed by the operation exceeded the ability of adrenal cortex to cope, it could lead to death or other undesirable impacts.

b) If it noted that  patient's face is puffy, it would be necessary to inquire in detail the patient's medical history and medication status, for patients taking adrenal cortical hormone, extra care should be exercise when administering acupuncture.

c) Stress due to physical labour or exercise in excess, whole night card games, driving etc should be avoided as much as possible

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Appendix: Acidity/alkalinity of Common food stuff

1. Strongly acidic food: egg yolk, cheese, cake make with white sugar or persimmon, mullet fish roe, dried cod.
2. Mildly acidic food: ham, bacon, chicken meat, squid, pork, eel, beef, bread, wheat, butter, horse meat etc
3. Weakly acidic food: white rice, peanut,  , oil fried tofu, sea weed, clam,
weakly alkaline food:  red bean, radish, apple , cabbage, , tofu etc.
5.  Mildly alkaline food: dried radish, soya bean, carrot, tomato, banana, orange, pumpkin strawberry, egg white, dried plum, lemon, spinach, etc.
6. Strongly alkaline food: grape, tea leave, grape wine, kelp sprout, kelp, etc. Especially natural green algae which contain rich quantity of chlorophyll are very good alkaline health food, but tea should not be drunk in excess, and best to drink in the morning.

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Hope the article helps!

Chinese New Year - 17th Feb

I hope it's still not too late,
Wishing everyone a
GONG XI FA CAI!

Chinese New Year this year was last Sunday, and today is the 4th day of CNY. I'm not sure if anyone else feels the same, but, as we grwo up,  the mood of the holidays season seem to have slowly and slowly diminish over the years. This year and this tine around, it feels the same like every other year. Although this, it should still be celebrated as to not forget our roots and traditition of the culture. Anyways, here's what happened in these few days, at kampung (village):

14th Feb
It's CNY and Valentine's Day at the same time today. Most of us were at home and none of my relatives celebrated Valentine's Day. Went to the temple early in the morning and prayed to Gods. On this day, meals were strictly vegetarian and no meat. Rice was even served during breakfast. Got angpaus (red packets) and went to Mentakab in the afternoon to get more angpaus from the relatives of my cousin's in-laws. There was lion dance performance later in the evening.

15th Feb
Today is the 2nd of CNY which was supposedly the day for fanilies to visit relatives on the wife's side. (1st day is usually with relatives of the husband's side). A couple of cousins with their own families came today. No other visits were planned today, so we just sat around, watching people play Mahjong, Cards, Gin Rummy or just sitting around chatting, catching up with each other on the current issues and going-ons.

16th Feb
Went to Termeloh in the afternoon with my nephew as there was nothing much to do today. I realized that Termeloh had much better development than Jerantut. They even had McDonalds, Secret Recipe, Pizza Hut, Old Town White Coffee and The Store shopping complex while what we have in Jerantut is just a measly Kentucky Fried Chicken. Meanwhile, in the night, we had a jackpot lucky draw among ourselves where everyone who wished to join had to sponsor RM10 each which is gathered and given to the winner of the lucky draw. My niece won the lucky draw and she decided to spend the lot for fried noodles which was then our supper. The amount was quite a lot: RM230.

Well, that's what happened to me during CNY so far!

Valentine's Day - 13th Feb

Valentines's Day, a day supposedly to love all things, which includes for family and friends and whoever or whatever that you actually care about. A day to show your love for them as St.Valentine is supposedly the deity of love and care. But living in a world of commercialization and media dominance, how can one not associate it with the lovey-dovey feeling associated with lovers and coupling relationship between a male and female (or some other variation which I wouldn't mention here.) ? Indeed, I've got the same bug too.

Well, in fact, it's actually tomorrow but coincidently, this year, Valentine's Day falls in the exact sane day as the first day of Chinese New Year, so, tomorrow has been reserved for anything CNY. MSN once asked in a poll: "Were you secretly glad that this year Valentine's Day falls on CNY?"...Well, truthfully, I answered: Yes, I am.....at least I didn't have to call every other friend and listening to their plans on how they're gonna spend it with their other or how there's a couples' discount in this restaurant or that....

And yes, you would've already guess that I don't have someone to share Valentine's Day...yet. (Many people, my relatives actually, have already been enquiring about it but I've always tried avoidng answering them...) I know some people who knows me would say: "You're really sad case". The thing is, I don't care. Even if I've to live my whole life alone and miserable, until I've found a perfect one, there won't be one and that's final. No More Questions....Some of my friends and closest relatives, with some even younger than I am, have either been married or in a great relationship with another significant other...which somehow makes it feels even worse for myself...

Maybe one day, I might find someone to share this with (I know that I've said this last year too).....
Life is full about maybe's. Well, I'm gonna go think about tomorrow's Chinese New Years Day....
The Road remains traveled alone...

Oh, to whoever relevant:
Happy Valentine's Day!

Realization - Part 3 - 11th Feb

Chinese New Year is just around the corner and at this moment, it's only a couple (3) days away. Before today, I'm sure many Chinese have been sending festive cards to their relatives, friends, business relations, long-lost related people, neighbors, and of course, loved ones. While we send these cards, rarely do realize the importance of a society, a society or group we sometimes take for granted and instead we scold and question their effectiveness when our cards don't arrive to their designated destinations.

This group of people is also known as the Postman.
Well, look at the picture below and I'll tell you why:-

Imagine that you've to deal with twice or triple or quadruple of this amount of cards every day.
( thestar.com.my says that the Postal service has to deal with about 1.2 mil cards each day)

We sometimes forget that they're also human too, can get tired, can make mistakes and can be frustrated with the seemingly endless amount of work over a couple of days. Well, my point is that, let us all think about the things that we took for granted all this while and think of it and cherish them during Chinese New Year!