Category: Geek/Gaming

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

After searching through photo archives of previous trips where I know I drank beers abroad, checking out several places that serve imported and craft beer in Manila, and raiding the alcohol section of a LOT of grocery stores, I finally completed my 99 Bottles of Beer on the (Facebook) Wall collection! I thought about seriously doing this sometime in October 2011 after thinking to myself “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” would make a cool post, and am happy to say that I have completed it as Oktoberfest 2012 is coming to an end.

  • MISSION: “99 Bottles of Beer”
  • GOAL: Try 99 different brands of beer from as many countries as possible
  • STATUS: 99 / 99 collected (as of 10.20.12)

Here are the beers in alphabetical order:
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Video Game Inspired Cocktails

Since I’m nearing the end of my 99 beers collection sidequest, I was thinking of branching out into cocktails and mixed drinks. One of the coolest resources for this that I’ve come across is The Drunken Moogle, a blog devoted to the “two best things this side of Hyrule: geek culture and booze.”

The Drunken Moogle contains an extensive collection of nerdy cocktail recipes inspired by video games, anime, movies and as well as geeky drinking games. They even have a listing of gaming bars around the world that makes me just want to open up one here in the country. Here are a few cocktail recipes that I’d like to recreate from the games I’ve recently played. I think these would all be great for a video game themed Halloween party.

Bloody Alice (American McGee’s Alice Cocktail)

Though I finished playing Alice: Madness Returns last year, I’ve been replaying it in an attempt to get the 100% completion rate for pig snouts, bottles, memories and radula rooms. Bloody Alice, a modified Bloody Mary concocted by The Drunken Moogle, looks as delicious and twisted as the game is.

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Amazing Harry Potter Cake and Cupcakes

The Regali Kitchen designed the most amazing treats for my nephew Eli’s Harry Potter-themed 3rd birthday! Since Eli started going to school this year, this topsy turvy stack of Hogwarts spell books represent Harry’s first year at Hogwarts. Kudos to Chef JB Cada and Stephanie Santos for the wonderful treats!

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Top 10 On Screen Geeky Concept Cars

If you dream of owning a car that can take you back in time or has the looks of a spaceship, this is the article for you. It’s a land where anything is possible, and Hollywood has produced some of the most futuristic vehicles out there. Here we take a look at some of the craziest concept cars from the movies. Are they a glimpse into our future, or just the unattainable dream of over-excited directors?

The Herkimer Battle Jitney

From the 90’s movie, Mystery Men, the Hermiker Battle Jitney has been dubbed the finest non-lethal fighting vehicle ever built. You wouldn’t want to get in the way of this huge military tank, with its armored, windowless body. There are a number of stories regarding the Herkimer’s origin and its whereabouts now. Whilst some insist it was custom-built for the film, others claim it was a real vehicle built for, and used by, either the British or US armed forces. Wherever it came from, it’s certainly cooler than any car we’ve seen at the traffic lights. Continue reading “Top 10 On Screen Geeky Concept Cars”

Zombie Run: Nightmare Mode

Last July 28, we participated in Outbreak BGC, a 5km zombie-themed night run in Bonifacio Global City. The event proved to be the Nightmare Mode of Outbreak Manila, the fun run held in Nuvali in April this year. While the first run had a rural setting of mostly dirt trails and fields with a backdrop of perfect sunny skies and shambling zombies hiding in the grass, this time we were being chased by zombie sprinters in dimly lit slippery roads, at night, in the the pouring rain. Fun!

We ran in the same wave as Shaun of the Dead, Wolverine and a Jedi Knight!

Being the great procrastinators that we are, Art and I were left scrambling for last-minute costumes the day of the run. Our criteria for “costumes” was simple: 1) should be related to the zombie genre (movies/games) ; 2) should not impair our ability to run; 3) could be put together with stuff lying around the house.

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Harry Potter: The Exhibition

It was with a heavy heart that I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and last novel in the Harry Potter series by J. K Rowling back in 2007. You know the feeling of not wanting a certain experience to end, but at the same time wanting to know that the characters you’ve invested so much in, get their happy ending.

This feeling was also echoed during the airing of the eighth film in the movie franchise last year. After ten years of having a new Harry Potter movie to look forward to almost every year, watching the final film was bittersweet. Continue reading “Harry Potter: The Exhibition”

How Video Games can Inspire Wanderlust

There’s something about traveling that’s kind of like playing an open-world exploration video game. You can choose your own adventure, select the areas of the country or the world that you want to explore, savor the journey itself or just pass by to visit as many places as possible, and go on self-imposed quests and sidequests along the way.

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Evil is Back: Diablo III is here!

“Hello, my friend. Stay awhile and listen…” – Deckard Cain 

As I write this, gamers across the planet are probably already busy exploring the dungeons of Sanctuary, unleashing their powers against hordes of demons. On May 15, 2012, Blizzard Entertainment Inc. reported a record of more than 2 million pre-orders for Diablo III and held 8,000 midnight launch events in retail stores worldwide. In the Philippines, Diablo III was launched at noon at the National Sports Grill in Greenbelt Makati by IP E-Games (the official Blizzard games distributor in Southeast Asia). If you’re a fan, I don’t need to tell you that the game looks awesome, as you’ve probably already seen the trailers. I used to play Diablo II with my sister years ago (her character was a Sorceress while I played Necromancer and Druid later in the expansion pack) and I know a lot of people who have been waiting over a decade for this moment.

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Real Life Counterstriking in Baguio

The bullets whizzed above my head and tore into the shrubs and tree branches as I slowly raised my head from the tangle of grass to seek out the rest of my companions. I knew the situation was dire, but I had no inkling it was practically hopeless.

I realized I was on my own, the last person standing (or rather crawling) from our team of 10 who set out to test our airsoft mettle against Baguio’s veterans of the game. Continue reading “Real Life Counterstriking in Baguio”

Fun Runs: More Fun with Zombies

I’m not a runner and normally hate jogging or joining marathons since I find running boring in general. But throw in zombies and obstacle courses and you’ve got me hooked. On the first week that registration for Outbreak Manila opened, I trooped to Toby’s to make sure we got slots and obsessively checked updates on their Facebook page on the days leading up to the run.

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