Part 3 of 3: e-Games Domination II Event: Awards, Secrets Revealed and a Dinner!

Photos courtesy of NineMoons! I wish I had a camera... NOTE TO MULTIPLY READERS: PLEASE VISIT http://menatales.blogspot.com FOR ANY UPDATED VERSIONS OF MY EXISTING POSTS. THANK YOU.

Alright, this is the best part of the event (for me, that is! :P). It's the much-awaited Faction Recognition and Granado Espada Philippines Community Hero Awards! I was able to snag both the titles of the Blogger and Filmmaker for this one.

This one's for the Filmmaking Award

Now the (whole) Philippines knows that I'm the voice behind Reclusion's movie, Le Blanc! At the request of Veya and Hrin, I did a live demonstration of my role of Andre Janzur! Looks like the crowd appreciated it to the max! Of course, I got this award along with NineMoons, Reclusion, Fiksdotter, Artaxerxes, deEspania, Familier, Mortreux, Fettuccini, Behringer, iCeZ, Kincaid, Weisswritter and Sigrid!

Yeah! The whole team! For the win, Philippines!

Since all of the FFA Grand Finale Winners were all from the Philippines, we were able to have an awards ceremony for all of the Grand Finale Winners! First up was the Pasta Team with their entry "Perdonato." Then, was Team Le Blanc with the film "Le Blanc" were I starred as Andre Janzur and Lastinka Inka Jerjer-Baks! Of course, our Grand Winner is none other than the Bloggers' Team with their winning entry "Not Another Love Story: Ze Musical!" Looks like Veya kept her promise that if a Philippine-based team won the Grand Finals, that team would win three Palit Video Cards courtesy of e-Games. That promise was fulfilled and those vid cards are hella powerful!!!

This one's for the Blogger Award

Now, we bloggers are too awarded for our continued effort to educate the community about Granado Espada through experience and research. I got this award along with NineMoons, Reclusion, Fiksdotter and Welling! Yay! For this one, Veya and Hrin bugged me to do another voiceover. This time, I did my role of Lastinka Inka Jerjer Baks but it didn't turn out pretty since it was the result of software engineering. Oh my! I revealed that I am the voice actor... For a female role?!?!?!? That's something I will discuss in the future! :D

Other awards included Colony War Correspondents and Faction Recognition. NineMoons has a better coverage of the event if you're interested to read about it. Oh yeah, Hrin invited the players for dinner with her! How could I possibly miss the chance?

Hrin in all her glory!

After the awards ceremony and such, me and some fellow bloggers decided to get some drinks since the Pepsi booth outside is totally out of drinks! We took the effort to head over to the nearest establishment (rather the department store) from the SMX Convention Center. We came back to wait until the event is over since we had to rendezvous at the GE Booth for the dinner with Hrin! To kill the time, I took the liberty of trying out the High Striker game on a nearby booth. My highest score was 925 Points and that includes me getting a headache because the hammer rebounded when I did my strike!

After the wait, we headed over to Pier One and finally had that dinner Hrin, along with the other VIPs from IAH Games! Their host ordered something for them to try: Balut! Earlier, we wanted Hrin to try out some Filipino dishes and we got the hint that she didn't want to eat anything exotic. Looks like their host decided to let our guests to give the balut a shot and we (the bloggers) were able to let Hrin have a taste. This is what happens next:

It's just culture shock. No harm done!

Well, at least some of us are happy that Hrin tasted balut already! Other people caught up with us and they were able to have dinner with us as well. Looks like Hrin here is an MMORPG player and has good knowledge about Granado Espada. When Reclusion asked about who are the 10 Nobles of Vespanola, Hrin told us to play the game to watch the story unfold. Looks like I gotta level up pretty soon to progress! I was also able to confirm that Leticia (the Premium Item vendor) is indeed her best friend!

It was getting pretty for some of us, so I decided to hit the road too! Well, thank you so much Hrin and it was an honor to meet you in real life! Now, I can die peacefully knowing that I have met a REALLY IMPORTANT PERSON in an online gaming community. Well, looking forward for great things from IAH Games and you are indeed a blessed person, Hrin. You must be an angel (or a goddess) sent from heaven... I'll will never forget this day.

Other of my fellow bloggers have posted about this event!

Artaxerxes: Domination II Fever!
Sigrid: E-Games Dom1nation: G.E. Aftermath!
Fiksdotter: Post E-Games Domination~Dominated!
NineMoons: [Picspam] Post-Dom1nation II, recap and review, part 1: Cosplay and Factions
NineMoons:[Picspam] Post-Dom1nation II, recap and review, part 2: FFA Winners, GE PH Community Heroes, and end
pCM Veya: Aftermath: e-Games Domination II
Reclusion: Domination II the D-DAY!

Lemme (and NineMoons) know if you have something to blog about this event! :D

Tired but happy! Me, Stiles and Reclusion

Part 1 of 3: e-Games Domination II Event: The Morning Journey (and Woes)

Photos courtesy of NineMoons! I wish I had a camera... NOTE TO MULTIPLY READERS: PLEASE VISIT http://menatales.blogspot.com FOR ANY UPDATED VERSIONS OF MY EXISTING POSTS. THANK YOU.

Well, I woke up in morning and prepared myself for that day. Had a bath, checked my inventory and headed off to the SMX Convention Center which is part of the SM Mall of Asia. I took the LRT going there and I was able to get a ride to the SM Mall of Asia. The place seemed desolate but I had a feeling that the SMX is gonna have a long line! :P So, I walked from the North Wing then I passed by the Entertainment Mall, going past the Music Hall. By reaching the South Wing, I can see the SMX Convention Center. Well, looks like the line was shorter than at the Hataw Hanep 3 event that I last attended.

Me, WhiteShips, Fiksdotter and Reclusion

I was able to meet up with NineMoons, the Reclusion Brothers, Fiksdotter and Artexerxes, along with a couple of faction members from the Takhisis Faction! I met AlphaOmega (thanks for much for the tanking for my FIghter!) and WhiteShips (our Feng Ling cosplayer!) and both of them are members of the Takhisis Faction. When we got inside (well, not to the event proper) the building, we were still waiting for our turn to register. To my fellow bloggers' surprise, we all saw none other than the Community Manager Mistress Hrin!!! OMG!!! This was like the moment I've I mean, we've been waiting for all of lives in Granado Espada! After a brief introduction and chat, she had to go ahead already along with her companions from IAH Games.

The escalator to the event

After having our pre-registration forms and GVCs confirmed, we were told that it will be held at the second floor. Wow... I've never been to the second floor of the SMX Convention and that marks as another first in my life. We were totally surprised at the line that was waiting for us! Me and my companions were so flabbergasted on how the lines were sooooooo unorganized. It really made my morning headache (which I'm trying to ignore because of the happiness and adrenaline flowing in me) really worse. Some of us got lucky in getting inside earlier while the rest of us got stuck in the LONG AND SLOW LINE. What's worse, sometimes the line breaks up like hell! Well, the good thing there was no casualties.

What in blazes? What's going on? Where's the line?!?!?

After a total of three hours (yes, three full hours!) of waiting and whining, we finally got inside! Wow! This place has like a lot of screens to surely blind your eyes at the end of the day! I immediately went to the GE Booth and did "The Duel" activity! After that, Hrin made another appearance! Yay! Then, I decided to settle somewhere because of the tiring wait. Well, better stick around for the happy part of this report! Make that tomorrow. I'm work right now on the day I made this blog post! :P

Finally in! Happy group shot time!

Rainbows and sunshines: Community

Sure, I may be disappointed that I didn't hit level 92 for the main team for this day off. But there was something that made it worthwhile: Being with my friends in Granado Espada.

The first instance:
When NineMoons (fellow faction member!) went online, I asked if she needed assistance in leveling up. At first, she told me DeSanggria would be helping her out. I told her that I will join them once I hit level 90. Keeping that promise, I prepared to come in only as Catherine. I got an update that Fiksdotter is online and he's went online via Reclusion's PC. Looks like he's spending his vacation over at their place now, as what Reclusion did before that. Anyhoo, I arrived bringing some equips to NineMoons and I asked if I could squad up with Breviary and Fiksdotter. Since they didn't need me, I just stayed and gave my gifts to NineMoons. However, that wasn't all of the stuff I wanted to give to her. So, I decided to check my vault on what I can do not just to help NineMoons but to help my vault from exploding! Well, I gave a bunch of armors and a few weapons to help our lady blogger get a great start in Carracci.

Friends helping out a fellow player/blogger

When I arrived, it has come to my attention that Fiksdotter tends to alternate between Fiksdotter himself and the Reclusion Brothers. When Fiksdotter saw me (as himself), he sent the squad invite and I accepted it without any second thought. Knowing I was sharing EXP, I had to do my part and kill some monsters to help speed the process. While we were helping out NineMoons, she did a little update. When DeSanggria put up her "Queen of Vespanola" statement, that's when I was surprised that she was with us! :P It was really nice to get along with friends that I've met in real life. NineMoons had to go since she other matters to attend to. Well, it was worth my time! :D

I really need a makeover!

This ain't over yet! Remember I was ranting that I didn't get to AFK properly at Topolo Durga? Well, something better happened when my powerleveling kit expired! :P

The second instance:
There were three members online (not including me and others) that were hanging out at the Tetra Ruins Forgotten Territory. I asked if I can join. Yes I could, just bring characters appropriate for that level. After taking time on who to bring, I came as Clint (Jack the Engineer), Verena (Female Auch Infantry) and Cristobal (Ramiro). When I arrived to join, they were a really friendly bunch. It was kind of boring at first, since we just leveling at a small spot. However, I decided to "expand our coverage" building cannons outside of the range of the wards these guys set up. Things heated up when I was rebuilding some cannons in one end of the spot and then a family complained that I was stealing kills from him. Well, to solve that problem, I decided to build a fortress in the opposite end. When I destroyed all my structures to set up a fortress, this is when a window popped up saying I am reported as a bot!

Can you spot my cannons? Can ya? Can ya?

The nerve! I was able to prove my innocence and that family who accused just plain played dirty. Since I had my faction mates with me, they decided to overpower this family because of the response I received. After a few minutes, that family just left the scene. Wow! That was one way to start the morning. A Deputy Faction Leader then chatted with us and NineMoons was online again! We had a great discussion about many things in GE. Looks like I enjoyed this session at the FT along with the other three faction mates with me. We were able to wrap up since the servers had to go through maintenance and will be shut down.

These two experiences really made my day because I was around a community that supports each other and knows how to have a good time. Thanks guys, it really put a smile on my face even though I didn't reach level 92 this time.

My "Thank You" shout outs:

NineMoons: Supreme Lady Blogger
DeSanggria: Queen of Vespanola
Reclusion: Legendary Movie Director
Fiksdotter: Undisputed Movie Writer
The Takhisis Faction
IAH Games for the Premium Buff testing! Freebies were great but the buff was way better!
IAH Games for the extension of the GVC Boost Promo! Yes. That means extra G Points and E. Boosters for me!

That's all for now for this week! Hope to experience progress both in GE and in work! :D

ALL YOUR SPOT ARE BELONG TO US!!!

Woot! I'm a winnar!

Wow! I can't believe I won the "Love, Me" forum contest! DeSanggria informed me through an SMS message while I kept my phone away for work. I was so happy to be able to win a contest (again) in GE. When I had some time to go online in the web version of Yahoo! Messenger (during work), the Reclusion Family gave their congratulations to me as well.

In case you want to see my winning entry, here's the link to it! When I decided to tally how many Le Blanc Armors were given, it seems the Fighter wins by six families (including me!). The Elementalist Le Blanc follows by five families (including me again!) and tying at 3rd place would be the Scout, Musketeer and Wizard Le Blanc armors by three families. Looks like the Fighters And Elementalists are really popular.

Yay! The only problem is... I need to get reach level 100 before I can wear them! :D Well, better work on another achievement to post on the bottom! :P

The 2nd GE Bloggers' Meet!

Shucks! I still don't have a camera but it was a great experience to meet some familiar faces, along with new ones! :P

I was able to catch up with the Bloggers' meet past 4PM. It was really nice to see the Reclusion Brothers, NineMoons, DeSanggria, Sigrid, Deniva and Fiksdotter! I was also an honor to finally meet Reimaru, Ligaya, Artaxerxes (Fiksdotter's bro) and Mitchin. Looks like they covered a lot of issues but the only issues I have is that GIC I tried claim but it's still not being processed! :( What I'm talking about is that free in-game that was promised when you subscribe to the Update Text Service of Granado Espada. The free in-game item would be 5 Progressive Health-fillers and 5 Progressive Soul-fillers but after topping up the code the Leonardo Expresso guy doesn't seem to be giving it to me! :(

Anyhoo, happy did happen during the event. Photoshoots, discussions of the FFA and how underexposed GE is in the Philippines. I better find a way not just to promote the game but also things related to Granado Espada (events and such) For my part, there's something I've been doing at work as a call center agent. Since I'm in a team, I took the liberty of making something to "spice" up our team board. I'll get to that on the next post.

Back to the topic, it was really nice to meet some new faces. This bloggers' meeting turned out to be better than the first because we grew! Yes! We indeed grew! I hope we can encourage not just Filipinos but other Granado Espada or Sword of the New World players to blog their experiences. I am really disappointed that blogspotting got dropped without a warning. I just hope new bloggers can take this chance to shine on the spotlight and be part of the community as well.

Well, that's all I gotta say for now. I hope we can do this again soon! Have fun! :D

Fantazzztic! It's a winner!

All that effort really paid off! Being the voice actor for Reclusion's Le Blanc was worth my time! Why? It's the winner for the Intel Scene and Heard week of the Fantazzztic Film Awards! I feel so happy to be part of a prize-winning entry! Woah! I can't stop using the exclamation point! I just can't stop to show how happy am I to know such news!

My biggest thanks for the Reclusion Family for recognizing my talent and putting it to good use. I am also thankful that they accepted my review as a constructive criticism for them to improve. I hope I'll be available in future because I also have to focus on my work! :P

In unrelated news, I have four new additions to my family! That's Clara (Angie), Chixun (Feng Ling), Klahan (Irawan) and Beaumont (Andre). Yes! The star of Le Blanc is finally part of my family! Also, my Angie is sponsored by Reclusion for my efforts in being their major voice actor. I seemed to have to noticed that getting Bok-Jo-Ris is easier before the maintenance. Well, at least I have the Male Fighter Korean Costume and a Rat Hat! :P I'll make sure to post pics!

I'll go ask Reclusion if it's alright if I can disclose some info regarding about this flick. Of course, I'd like to share my experiences on being part of the project as well! :P



That's what the main team looks like now. Pretty neat, huh?

Le Blanc: Discovering Andre Janzur (4 of 4)

Andrew indeed won the competition and is now appointed as the fashion consultant for this year! But wait! Something happened! What is it? Find out in the final part (not chapter! This whole movie is actually 32 minutes long!) of this flick!


Alright, Lastinka was the declared the winner of the event but she gave Andrew the pot of flowers. Looks like the audio is weak again. I'll make a discussion on that part. Moving on, the scene on where Andrew gets attacked is great. Nice dramatic soundtrack to show his persistence in staying alive and the intro was cute too (taking advantage of the "ride" in Bahia Island). Just one suggestion for this scene: make the screen flash red when Andrew finally dies.

The final scene of the movie had a weak audio. Again, I will discuss that later. Of course, it doesn't stop at the credits! After the credits, we are treated to an epilogue that wasn't in the script! This was an unexpected turn but at least it reinforced the fact how Andrew Janzur came to be!

Now... Time for the overall review!

The common problem I notice here is the audio. Although my voice files have clarity in it, it seems the music always overpowers the spoken dialogue. My advice right now is to control the volume of the background music and try to notch up the soft-spoken lines (like Lastinka's scene with Andres right after Andrew gets killed). The effects were really surprising and creative in using as well. There are many details that needs improvement like Andrew and Lastinka getting the blow of the Gay Lingo Elementalists, the two protagonists facing the levitating-wizard-in-a-bear-suit monster and more.

If I were to rate this in a scale of 10 (being the highest), I'd say that it would be...

8.5

Many improvements can be done in this movie but the substance is what keeps this movie very enjoyable. This also gives many viewers the idea who Andre Janzur is. Although I have his character card (and not adding him yet), I am surprised on how I was able to deliver the character himself. Filipinos may entirely enjoy this but this has potential to appeal not just to the players, but also to audiences outside of the game and around the world. May lack a little something here and there but this flick is definitely worth your time!

That's it, folks! Discuss the movie here! Oh wait, fellow bloggers have also covered up this flick too!

NineMoons: Notes before maintenance
NineMoons: Talkin' 'bout the man in white: "Le Blanc"!
Reclusion: Le Blanc - Discovering Andre Janzur
Fiksdotter: Intel “Scene and Heard” Week: Le Blanc (White)
DeSanggria: Fantazztique!: Zeh FFA entry of dreamzz & fantazziezz

Enjoy the flick and I hope it wins the Fantazzztic Film Awards!

Le Blanc: Discovering Andre Janzur (3 of 4)

The showdown between Andrew (with Lastinka) and Las Passion is on the way! Who will prevail? Find out by watching this part now!



We left off when the levitating-wizard-in-a-bear-costume monster unleashed its "Bear Bomber" attack upon our hero and heroine. If you want to read about my view for this scene, check out the previous entry.

On the next scene, where La Passion comments how ridiculous it is for Andrew to acquire the Mahgorp Fur, was really well executed for La Passion to be an antagonist. I have nothing much to say for the following scenes and let's skip straight to where Andrew, Lastinka and La Passion are exchanging wits. I'd say La Passion took quite a while for him to finish his "White... Fat... Carbonara!" line.

Moving on, the pageant scene was okay. Too bad they didn't move the models but I understand they would run and that's not what you see on the runway. However, since they held it at Bahia, they should have taken advantage of making the elementalists' walk but of course their idle poses would make them look ridiculous. If only there was a way to make all your characters walk in non-combat zones... Is it possible? Here's my proof!



Continuing on, I noticed that the director used the full file of one of the bureaucrat's lines. Since I'm the voice actor, let explain why there are three lines. Since me and the director live in different places, live recording isn't that possible. In order to make sure the director won't have to ask for repeat recordings, I repeated every line assigned to me at least three times. Why three times? It's because each "version" has different stresses in each sentence. You learn this during English classes and get the chance to practice this when you're attending Call Center Training. Recalling this really gave me a chance to improve my English!

Back on the topic, it seems that the applause sound effect causes the voice to muffle a bit. Must be some feature in the video editing software of the director. The "Nooooooo!!!" part of La Passion wasn't that audible enough plus it didn't have anything of great disappointment. At this part, you should know who won! :D

We're 3/4 done! I'll finish it by tomorrow and my overall/summarized review also be part of the last installment of this review! Hope you're still watching!

Le Blanc: Discovering Andre Janzur (2 of 4)

Let's go, mga Mudra! Let's make walalachaka-what?!?!? Boy, that part was sure amusing! :P Anyhoo, let's continue on...



The part where we left off is when Andrew narrated about Lastinka, being chased almost everywhere. When Ms. DeSanggria offered her talent for one particular scene, I was curious on what part was it. According from Reclusion, she portrayed as the female elementalists wearing the Robes of Fire, Ice and Wind speaking in Filipino Gay Lingo (here's what I can pull up so far). If you ask me, it sounded like a total foreign language that I'm not aware of! Too bad, it would be better if Andrew and Lastinka got surprised of the three elementalists who reacted on what Andrew earlier commented about their clothes. Also, the execution of the part where Andrew and Lastinka got hit by the magic spell.

I am impressed that Fiksdotter's character as La Passion. Meeting La Passion is the best scene that this part has to offer. The big bodyguards where also good as well as they sounded like brainless buffoons but loyal to their master.

For the pre-fight scene between our hero (and heroine) and the levitating-wizard-in-a-bear-costume monster, the execution of the "Eeeek!!!" wasn't good. I was surprised when you made the battle into a ATB-style. I was shocked when the director made the monster sound like a Pokémon. I decided to bear with this spoof, since I was in a mix of laughing and "what in blazes?" sort of thing. If the director wanted to spoof it better, he should have included the numbers coming out. Want a reference? Check this out.



The review is half done! Just wait for more!

Le Blanc: Discovering Andre Janzur (1 of 4)

Looks like it's done! Even though I'm already working (taking in calls and attempting to make sales), I still did a favor (really big one) for my good friend Reclusion. That favor would be doing voice overs for their movie, Le Blanc. Don't worry, because I'll be putting the low-resolution version here since it's already available. Okay, to set your expectations, I'll be making a review of this entry even though I am a voice actor. Of course, I want to see the end product to see if my talents were put into good use. Since there are four parts of the YouTube version, I'll review each part so I can focus on what specific detail I will be reviewing about. Oh yes, I will be doing separate entries for the readers to be able to focus on what to talk about. To start off, here's part 1:



Looks like we started off with a news report on Andre's "Dreamz and Fantazzies" collection. I enjoyed this part. I am amazed how the director pulled it off. He really thought out of the box for this. For the intro, it was really funny because he had to burn all those dolls to oblivion! :P For the backstory, it was funny in a way but since we lacked VO's for it, I can't seem to fully grasp that part.

Getting into the part of selling Cabosse, I gotta say it was kinda messy when Andrew and Andres were beating and arguing each other out. It was too noisy for me to make out some of the lines. It was also... bland. During the "fight scene," Andres just sounded like he was talking normally rather than stressing his point. I have to admit that I didn't expect the scene to be like this. Although I sounded I was already arguing with Andres, it didn't fit well because I didn't talk like I was in a fist fight. But then again, I hope there's a chance to improve this one!

I have nothing to say after that part because I felt satisfied of my delivery of Andrew lamenting about the day and meeting Lastinka for the first time.

That's all for part one. Expect the other three parts soon! :D

Post report of the Philippine Online Gaming Summit 2008 event

Alright, my fellow bloggers have posted their experiences of the event itself!

Dispatches from the New World: NineMoons goes to Philippine Online Gaming Summit 2008
Casa Reclusion: POGS 2k8 Photo Story
Fiksdotter's Box: Post Philippine On-line Gaming Summit (POGS)
Tres Mujeres: [Picspam Aftermath] POGS 2008 + Thoughts on CW
Diario el Familia Sigrid: Sigrid Invades POGS 2008!
Lady Veya's Musings: Aftermath: POGS 2008
The Deniva Chronicles: The Philippine Online Gaming Summit

G3's Coverage of the event!


When Ms. Ivee Feria was being interviewed, this was playing!!!


Yay! It was one heck of an event! :D Have fun, everyone! Colony Wars? Not now...

The Philippine Online Gaming Summit (POGS) 2008 event

I I may not have pictures to share (gotta wait from the other bloggers and friends) but my recollections are totally priceless!

I was able to snag a January issue of GAME! Magazine to serve as my ticket to attending the Philippine Online Gaming Summit (POGS) 2008 event held at the TriNoma Mall located at North Edsa. I arrived around past 10AM and I could see a lot of people already. Even though I have my magazine as the ticket, I still to register for the entrance. After doing such, I got a card that I can have stamped from several booths for freebies. Of course, the Granado Espada/e-Games booth is what I went after first! :P So, I just typed my details and got a poster. The poster was like an ad to promote G.E. in the Philippines. I did subscribe to the text/SMS updates for my cellphone number and I got a freebie item code. We'll talk about that freebie later. Anyhoo, I was looking for another booth to have my card stamped. When I approached a booth selling old issues of Hinge Inquirer Publications magazines, I had to purchase an old issue in order to get a stamp from that booth. I decided to forgo this "quest" and wandered around the e-Games gaming area.

I met Ms. Ivee Feria (please correct spelling if necessary) and asked where DeSanggria and Veya were. After a short chat, she had to go back at the e-Games booth. Reclusion and DeSanggria called my attention and we were all giddy to see each other with Veya! Fiksdotter has arrived as well and so did NineMoons! Yay, it was a happy gathering for us GE Bloggers! I took the chance to participate in the 2-on-2 PVP tourney that was gonna happen around 4PM and my teammate was Fiksdotter! We all decided to have lunch together. NineMoons led us to the food court located at the second floor since the food court I knew at Landmark has the tendency to be very crowded. After the Reclusion brothers got their order, I took the opportunity to help myself on orders of Shrimp Puffs and Shark's Fin Dumpling with Hainanese Rice to go along with these two dishes, plus a bottle of C2 Lemon as well. We were still in happy mode as we talked about many things including the Fantazzztic Film Awards. DeSanggria made the conversation lively by making us imagine Andre Janzur wearing just a white t-back walking around saying "Let's Walk Elegantly!" I did the same by "successfully" impersonating Andre's voice! :D

After the lunch, we headed back to event where we hanged out the area near the center stage. We were able to have Reclusion's two films "Not Another Love Story?" and "Lonely Hearts Club part 2" shown and it was a happy moment. We really enjoyed that moment since it was available for the public to watch! :D And to my joy, Welling made an appearance! Plus, I got to know another blogger who's been around G.E. for a good amount of time and she is Sigrid!

When the 2-on-2 PVP event started, me and Fiksdotter were among the first to participate. Our opponents were Welling and his faction mate from AF and we got simply owned from those two. They did have a tough time when I used The Defender Veteran Stance since it was challenging for them to wipe me out fast! Nevertheless, it was a great experience trying out a Veteran Stance (and not to mention a serious PVP match!). As the tourney went along, I think Welling's team won the event! Please confirm that, please! :D

After the event, I remembered something. I wanted to have my fellow GE Bloggers sign their siggies (my plural form of the slang "siggy") on my GAME! Magazine. This issue will now be forever treasured, even after G.E. We stayed a little longer for a performance by Moonstar88 and the raffle. Too bad neither of any of us won a Nintendo Wii or a Gaming PC.

NineMoons led us bloggers to a fancy place to eat, namely at Toast Box. I decided to sample their Thick Toast with Kaya on top, plus a couple of Soft-Boiled eggs and coffee. It was a totally new experience since it was my first time. That Kaya was delicious! We parted after having our "dinner" and wished the best to each other. Another "happiest moment" is now chronicled ever since my experience during the Intel Machinimasia Movie-Making Workshop I attended and covered (not to mention getting blogspotted for it!).

Well, looking forward to great events in the Philippines related G.E. (if my work schedule allows it! :P )! If you'll excuse me, I'll just go dancing at High Street 5!

The Intel Machinimasia Movie-Making Workshop

I was able to reserve a seat at the Intel Machinimasia Movie-Making Workshop to be held at the Ascott Towers nearby Glorietta 4. I left real early from the house and decided to wait since I made a reservation for the second batch. It seemed I arrived early and decided to shift to the first batch. Also, a Granado Espada booth was nearby but it was empty. It was really a great experience to use Intel Core 2 Quad PCs but if you ask me, my cousin's PC was still the best experience!

However, this experience very different from the workshop I attended at the Hataw Hanep Hero 3 event. We were all learning here, since a majority of those who attended are not Granado Espada players. When we got to the part of making movies, that's where I had to think of an impromptu story. With my (diverse) character selection, I came up with the idea of Catherine being new to the outside world. To "spice" things up, I decided to do voice-overs since the earphones had microphones and it's top class (unlike my PC!). After capture numerous in-game footages, I now had to compile them into a 2-minute movie. I had 2 scenes omitted because it was getting past the 2-minute mark. I didn't feel embarrassed in voicing FEMALE CHARACTERS! Yes, I voiced my Female Elementalist and Catherine myself! :P While making the movie with Windows Movie Maker, they handed the attendees (including me) a free 1GB USB Flash Drive to save the movie with! Oh yeah, that's one freebie I'll never forget and forever treasure. Of course, I had to make a copy of the movie in the desktop of the PC I was using. Well, I was so happy that I was able to finish and save my movie. That's when DeSanggria arrived to attend the workshop as well!

My batch was already over and the organizers were getting ready to welcome the next batch. I helped myself for some snacks (or what's left on the table). Boy, those Spring Rolls and Danish Pastries were really yummy! I also got my other freebies from Intel, Globe and e-Games. NineMoons made an appearance and so does Philippines Community Manager Veya! While NineMoons waited for her batch, we conversed about Granado Espada and I even asked her opinion about Senator Antonio Trillanes IV's actions. Can't say anymore because it would be too dangerous for me to publicly share others' opinions in Philippine Poltics (worse, I or anyone involved could get in trouble!). Oh yeah, I asked her about it since the Ascott Hotel was formerly the Oakwood Hotel where Trillanes staged a mutiny. I also got my chance to converse with Veya every now and then.

DeSanggria wasn't able to finish her movie through the course of the workshop but she was very satisfied with the experience she learned. NineMoons was next to go and attended her batch with Darrick of the Reclusion Family. Poor little Nate didn't get to go since he wasn't able to get a slot. Little Nate ended up with me, DeSanggria and Veya outside Meeting Room 10. I decided to stay longer since I was in the company of my fellow bloggers. It seems Welling couldn't make it because of classes and Fiksdotter had to focus on his thesis (although he will attend tomorrow). When we noticed that the food was being "refilled," we helped ourselves with Spring Rolls, Siomai, Danish Pastries and Petite Fruit Pies! Oh yeah, were we happy! Little Nate was really nice to save some food for his brother Darrick. Well, the food ran out real fast (well, the Siomai ran out but there was still some Spring Rolls)! :P It also nice for the hotel staff to register for freebies at the Granado Espada booth. We talked a lot of issues in Granado Espada but I choose not to elaborate on it. Well, I can "divulge" that Selwyn isn't the Malaysian Community Manager for Granado Espada. No wonder why the Malaysian players have no... events? Also, some of the lecturers were leaving already and I got the chance to have a photo op (thanks to DeSanggria).

Little Nate was able to sign up for the last batch but this will make his older brother Darrick wait for him. Well, looks like he wants the 1GB USB Flash Drive freebie! :D When Darrick and NineMoons exited the event, they got whatever food was left at the table. I spent some time with them and Little Nate attended the last session. It seems to come to my attention that mostly of the attendees are not GE players and a majority of them are college students. Looks like the website, in-game announcement and e-mail wasn't the only medium of getting the word out. It was getting late for me, so I had to leave and say my goodbyes to my fellow bloggers. This is one experience I will never forget! :D



My Machinima Entry!
Hope I win that PC!!! I want it!!! Wait a sec, where's my Bear Package? I did make a reservation! :P

Hataw Hanep Hero 3 and GE goes F2P

Attending Hataw Hanep Hero was really great! Of course, there was a really long line of people when I got there approximately before 11AM. After a span of two hours, I was able to get inside and the SMX Convention Center is WAAAAAY huge! Fortunately, I was able to spot the Granado Espada booth and met up with DeSanggria! She was in her Idge Imbrulia costume once again with her Castor Sword. It was my very first time to meet Philippines Community Manager Veya! When we introduced each other, it was kind of "bland" at first but when I stated who I was, we were like esctastic on meeting each other in real life! :D

After writing things here and there, I decided to take a trip around the whole convention. I was was able to to see Japanese objects, powerful PCs, the food stall and a lot of exhibitors selling anime stuff. NineMoons was able to make it and she decided to go around the convention. That Stranglehold game was really beautiful for me to play and I tried playing some racing game as well. Since most of the visitors had goodie bags, I wanted to claim one as well. I was able to find the redemption booth and I finally got a goodie bag! I decided to hang around the GE booth and wait for the film making seminar. Looks like the Fiksdotter and Reclusion families also made an appearance. It was kind of awkward because of the noise but we enjoyed in attempting to make movies with GE. We were awarded certificates for our attendance as well. Looking for something to eat, I ended buying Fettuccine Carbonara and it sparked a little idea to entertain! I bought another Carbonara and brought it at the GE booth. I decided to reenact the part when Andre Janzur felt depressed when he went out of control in drinking the tainted holy water up to the part where Andre eats the Carbonara. It seems I have amused DeSanggria and Reclusion very well. Reclusion even said that I should cosplay as Andre Janzur! :P No way I'm gonna do that! Oh yeah, I was able to bump into Syeri as I exited the convention! :D

In other news, the Singaporean Granado Espada is now Free-to-play! I was really shocked when I read the announcement at the website before I left for Hataw Hanep Hero 3. Woah, looks like the game is easier on the pocket now! I can look forward to future expansions and play at my own pace now.

Fellow bloggers have made comments on this issue:

• Fiksdotter
• NineMoons
• Novastorm
  
• Arcleaumont
• Rococo (Warning! Contains rants!)
  

Well, looks like my future in GE... is secured! :D Side note: The OutCasts Faction made an appearance as well!

1st Granado Espada Bloggers Meeting

Hey there! I'm just making an entry since I attended the first Granado Espada Bloggers Meeting (in the Philippines that is) that was organized by NineMoons. Of course, other bloggers (from Casa Reclusion, DeSanggria, Welling and Fiksdotter) and came by at the said event and it was a blast.

We covered important topics such as issues going around each server. Only servers Carracci, Caravaggio and Cervantes were covered and it seem seach servers has its own expeiences and issues. NineMoons discussed on how to improve our blogs in many ways. What I ealrned from that part was linking websites in the post itself. Notice that the bloggers' names have link in 'em. It helps linking each other and to pages where we'd like to share the info.

To give an example of the link thingy, here's what you should do:

Granado Espada is an MMORPG that allows you to control three characters. Currently, sGE is already in commercial phase while its U.S. counterpart, Sword of the New World, is Free-to-play.

It shouldn't be like this:

Granado Espada is an MMORPG that allows you to control three characters. Currently, sGE is already in commercial phase while its U.S. counterpart, Sword of the New World, is Free-to-play.

Damn, there too many stuff discussed that I only remembered a little! :P Well, at least I hope I gave my share of the experience! :D

Looks like NineMoons even had plans to go to the "New Worlds" event. Go check it out here. It also includes her share of her experience during this Bloggers Meeting.

I still want to play GE but my PC is still unstable. I better have it checked ASAP! :(