Category: Lifestyle

5 Reasons Why I Love Sony Playstation 3

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 1, 2010

There has been so much history between me and my Sony Playstation 3. I’ve been wanting to purchase one since 2 years ago! Unfortunately, I couldn’t save enough money to get one. Finally last year, I had enough dollars to get the all new PS3 Slim w/c was a bit cheaper than the old models of Sony Playstation 3.

I found the prices here in the Philippines to be very steep, so I sought the help of my mom’s friend to buy it for me. Since we were both planning to go visit my mom at the same time, I took the opportunity as PS3 in the United States was a bit cheaper. I can save like Php 3,000 if I did!

I was too excited to finally have my own Sony PS3! When I arrived in Taiwan, news came to me that my PS3 was stolen in the airport! *sniff*. I don’t want to bore you with the details but I ended up buying another Sony Playstation 3 Slim at Taipei. I got the Sony PS3 bundle with the unit, extra controller, & HDMI cable at 11,880NT. Super worth it! Sony Playstation 3 is the best gaming console in the market!

Here are my reasons why I love this wonderful gaming console:

Wireless & Wifi enabled
Keeping up with technology, this is definitely one of the best reasons why I love Sony PS3. The dual-shock controller is wireless, I don’t have to worry about wires or even have to fall accidentally coz of it. I can go around the room holding the wireless controller. Total coolness!
I also love that Sony Playstation 3 has built-in Wifi! I can download firmware in just one click. I can chat with my friends online. I can stream movies from my laptop. Awesomeness, don’t you think?
Blu-ray
Best invention by Sony Playstation team ever! I just love that Sony PS3 is not just a gaming machine but a great movie player. My golly, it’s in Blu-ray! And I even have to buy an HD TV just to be able to keep up with PS3.
One more, Sony PS3 can play 3D Blu-ray discs something that other standalone blu-ray players cannot do. It is just a no-brainer, Sony PS3 is our choice.
Superb Graphics
I was in awe. When I opened the PS3 and started watching a movie, I was blown away! The graphics was out of this world! It was so great that I didn’t even have to adjust anything. Sony PS3 automatically adjusted to the capability of my TV!
Awesome Games
Titles like Gran Turismo, Unchartered-Drake’s Fortune, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Gran Turismo, God of War, Ratchet & Clank and a lot more. You’re definitely in for a treat! 😀
More value for money
A standalone blu-ray player cost around $200. Sony Playstation 3 is around $299. And Sony PS3 is not just a gaming console, it’s a blu-ray player, an entertainment system, great storage for stuff (120GB), it can let you view photos & videos. You can connect with your friends, the possibilities are endless. I’m definitely happy with my purchase and if you haven’t bought a PS3, then you’re definitely missing a lot!

Pictures of my purchase (also bought some games and accessories), you can see them here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

White Noise 2: The Light Movie Review

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 1, 2010

While I was enjoying my vacation at home, I spent time watching movies on cable channel, Star Movies. One of the movies that I was able to catch is White Noise 2: The Light. It stars Nathan Fillon (Castle & Firely) and Katee Sackhoff (cast of Battlestar Galactica).

I described this as a suspense movie. I was very much entertained and I believe the movie was well-made. Though the story wasn’t that strong but still well-crafted. This movie was a follow up to the original starring Michael Keaton: White Noise. I should try to catch that movie via DVD or wait till it is shown on Star Movies hehehehe. I heard that it didn’t get good reviews though, not like this 2nd installment which got 86% tomatometer (Rotten Tomatoes).

The movie was about Abe (Nathan Fillon) who witnessed the murder of his wife and son right in front of him. It was such a devastation that he ended up taking his own life. But he was able to survive. Due to this, he got the ability to see the people who are about to die.

Abe was able to identify because the person would have a white light surrounding that person. He felt that he needed to do something with the premonition and ended up saving three lives from dying. Abe also learned that the guy who murdered his wife and kid was still alive. He started researching about the guy and learned that he saved his wife and kid before.

Abe later realized that the killer also had an ability to see death. As he investigated further, Abe discovered that whenever you try to save someone when they are supposed to die, natural forces will punish you for it. Like for example, the ones that were saved will be possessed by evil after three days. And those people ended up killing innocent people in the process.

This led to the conclusion that he needed to rectify what he did by killing the people he saved. Before he could do that though, he ended up getting killed and then the movie ended. Ofcourse there were effects to let the movie end smoothly.

White Noise 2: The Light reminded me of Final Destination. Final Destination was more of teeny-teeny bop movie (which was good). White Noise: The Light on the other hand took the plot more seriously.

My rating for White Noise 2: The Light is 3 out of 5 stars.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Figaro Coffee Company

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 31, 2009

Figaro Coffee Company
2/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City
(02) 756-5024

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After lunch at Cibo, we went straight to Figaro. Coffee, desserts & more conversations happened there. It’s just funny that whenever we meet, it’s always at powerplant mall. The thing is, coffee place is always at Figaro Coffee Company. I figured my friends really love it in Figaro considering there are about 3 more coffee places in the same mall.

Figaro has this homey feeling because of how the place was designed. Wooden doors, wooden chairs & tables, cute little lamps all over the place, it’s very unique. You can really tell that you’re in Figaro. The drinks are kinda same as the other coffee places though. So I guess this really boils down to preference as to where people enjoy to hang out.

Here are what we ordered:

Mocha Frost (Php 125)

White Chocolate Mocha (Php 105)

Cafe Americano (Php 75)

Cheese Muffin (Php 55)

Oatmeal Fudge Bar (Php 55)

Their orange juice & iced tea are some drinks that we should try in Figaro. Especially the Iced tea, which I think is very unique. Another must-have from Figaro is their “my little Oscar” which unfortunately was unavailable at the time. Our Figaro Coffee Experience photos can be found here.

I didn’t notice if Figaro has their own version of the 2010 planner but anyhow, I already have one so that’s okay 🙂

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Cibo

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 31, 2009

Cibo
4/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center Hidalgo cor. Estrella St., Makati City
(02) 895-2921

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Recently, I was with a group of friends who I’ve known since 2002. We met up to have our Christmas lunch. We talked about our lives, what has been happening lately when it comes to work and other stuff. We did this with good food served at Cibo located at the uppermost floor of powerplant mall.

For someone like me, Cibo’s menu is really HARD to read. I don’t know what language it is. If there were no descriptions underneath it, I wouldn’t know what the heck the food was. I was really having a hard time taking note of what we ordered hahaha! So it is best that we just skip with the name and look at the descriptions of each menu item. 😛

One thing that I also always remember to order whenever I go to Cibo is their potato chips. This time I didn’t order because I was late! When I arrived, their orders already came so I don’t have time to have the snack anymore

Here are what we ordered:

Uva Bianca – White Grape (Php 110)

There are 2 kinds of grape, red and white. I ordered white grape because I don’t want any red grape skin hiding beneath my teeth ehehehhe. I’ve always loved fresh grape shake though I heard that Cibo’s orange juice also taste good. I still opted to order this.

Funghi Praga (Php 185)

Dips made of mushroom and smoked cooked ham served with mini toasted breads. This has always been the preferred appetizer for Cibo customers.

Crema Di Zucca Pancetta (Php 185)

Squash soup with cream and bacon bits. I didn’t order this but my friends said that this was delicious. I’m really not fond of squash but I’ll try to order this the next time I visit Cibo.

Salsiccia Alla Griglia (Php 298)

My order was a sausage. I just love sausages. If you have been reading my blog, you probably have noticed it by now. This is Cibo’s version of grilled sausage. It is garnished with yellow and red peppers, tomato sauce and served with rice. Yumyum! This is delicious! The sausage was very juicy and tasty.

Penne Dela Terra (Php 443)

My friends wanted the same pasta so they ordered the bigger serving Penne Dela Terra and had it split into 2. If you’re alone, you can just order the single serving at Php253. This is pasta with mushroom trifolati, goat cheese, parmesan cream & stewed tomato.

Insalata Di Mazo (Php 230)

Roast Beef Tenderloin Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. This looked so yummy! A bigger serving is also available at Php438.

I found it really hard to call out servers at this branch. With so many people dining at Cibo Powerplant, seems like they need to increase their staff. But still, a good experience. I’ll order my favorite home-fried potato chips next time. I’m craving now, wahhhh!

If you’re interested to take a look at other photos from our Cibo lunch, you can check out the picture here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Ikari Coffee

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On December 31, 2009

The travel from Leofoo Village was long since it was located far away from Taipei City. We were like sooooooo hungry already because it was 9PM and we haven’t eaten dinner yet. So while we were on our way to Shilin Night Market, we dropped by æ€¡å®¢å’–å•¡ Ikari Coffee to have dinner.

One thing that I noticed while in Taiwan is that their coffee shops serve good food. In the Philippines, it’s just bread, cakes & coffee. In Taiwan, the coffee shop is a restaurant of its own. Ikari Coffee is one of the most popular coffee shops in Taiwan and I guess I know why. Their food is yummy! I loved my order.

The whole process of ordering was also quite admirable! We ordered at the counter, we paid, we were then given this red thingy that will light up when our order was ready. We’ll then need to go back to the counter, get our order and give the red thingy back. Since it was all new to me, I found the red thingy when it lit up like christmas lights to be too cute and entertaining!! hahaha! I also felt that what they made improved the efficiency for everyone.

order alarm

Here are what we ordered:

Yakiniku Sub-Sandwich (90NT)

Yakiniku Rice (118NT)

Fish Fillet with Salsa Sauce (138NT)

Milano Roasted Chicken Drumstick (138NT)

They had a promo where you could add 45 for a drink, 60 for a drink & soup (which was yummy!) and 75 for drink, soup & dessert. I didn’t like the dessert of the day so I ordered pumpkin soup with drink and both were just delicious!

pumpkin soup tea

If you want to see more pictures about the last dinner we had during our Taiwan vacation, you can find it here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.