modern warfare 2 farce

Infinity Award’s Call Of Duty Modern Warfare was a really good game.

The sequel Modern Warfare 2, is said to be way better.

So I put an order from Play-Asia for the PC version of the game several weeks before launch.

I can’t wait for the game as I heard more and more great reviews from all of the major video game sites.

Alas, when I got back from work today, my order was waiting in my mail box.

I waste no time, and start the installing process.

The game uses Valve’s Steam for the installation process, which is kinda annoying because it was slow.

Then this thing comes up, telling me that I my purchase have been canceled.

This is ridiculous, because I paid for this shit just to be told that my purchase is not valid.

Fuck Activision and Infinity Award.

Confused, frustrated and mad, I made a little research and found out that Steam’s region configuration has blocked my installation because the version that I bought is the Asian version, NOT the Japanese version.

I happen to live in Japan, so they blocked my game because Square Enix is officially launching the Japanese version of the game this 10 of December.

How dare they fucking do this.

If I bought the Asian version of the game for the Xbox 360 or PS3, this problem does not happen.

This fucked-up shit just happen on the PC.

I guess PC gaming IS dying.

When people who bought the game with their own money through legal ways cannot play the game because of some damn business deal, there are thousands and thousands of people out there who pirate the game, and could play without any hassle.

Fuck Activision and Infinity Award.

I’m going to MOD my Xbox 360 and I’m going to pirate all their games to play offline.

PC gaming is dead.

Windows 7 Love

I got my Windows 7 DVD for a while but I have decided not to upgrade to the latest OS from Microsoft as soon as the installation disk arrived.

The main reason is because through my personal experience of upgrading Microsoft made OSes from the past 10 years, the first 6 month would always be terrible.

Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista.

All were not pretty during early period of launch.

One other reason why I didn’t jump immediately into the new system (like I used to) is the hassle that came with upgrading to a new OS.

Backing up all the stuff that you own on your computer that goes back 5-6 years is really, really time consuming, and I happen to be one lazy hermit.

Well, not until yesterday.

I was up partying on the night before, and I woke up that morning, with a sore neck and a sleepy head because that’s what always happened when I ended sleeping in beds that are not mine; but I somehow had an enlightment that I need to stop this unprofitable procrastination and upgrade to Windows 7 right away when I reach home.

So I did, and it was incredibly trouble free!

I had a slight trouble with the drivers for my Sound Blaster, but it was resolved pretty quickly and it was a really quick process, I think I’m in the future!

Anyways, with just a couple of hours using the new operating system from Microsoft, I must say, I’m really, really impressed!

I mean, this thing is even faster and better than any OSes from Apple!

The taskbar has been improved for easy multi-tasking and the visual improvements actually help me get things done faster and more precise.

I am really loving the new taskbar, and the improved flexibility of the widgets are a HUGE plus; I don’t need third party software for those!

I cannot believe that this is something that comes from Microsoft!

I tried encoding a couple of videos with TMPGEnc, while I multi-process some photos with Adobe Photoshop as iTunes play some dikir barat music, and my browsing experience with Firefox did not seem to have any effect at all!

Alas, I must conclude, Windows 7 is the perfect match for my Core i7.

It was brilliant, and I am more than glad that I made the upgrade.

I should have trusted the reviews posted on the internet and upgrade earlier.

Microsoft, congratulations. You surely didn’t fuck this up, and believe me, your reputation has been secured.

Still, Internet Explorer is still way behind Firefox.

For those who haven’t tried it, GO WIN7 NOW!

angkor wat cookies

someone from the department just got back from his honeymoon from cambodia.

and he brought us some cookies from cambodia for everybody.

a cookie from cambodia, is not a cookie from cambodia,

if it does not have the angkor wat shape!

as i open the plastic wrapping, i was thinking

"hmm how would a cambodia cookie that is shaped like the famous angkor wat tastes like?"

it tasted like any other cookie you could buy in Japan.

i turned the wrapping around,

to found the logo for plastics written in japanese.

プラ - pura, short for plastics in japanese

man, globalization's fun!

toyota police station seconds

so i took another half-day off today so that i could go to the toyota city's police station once again to pick up my vehicle-parking certificate, and so some other stuff that needs to be done.

nothing worth writing happened really, except that i have totally forgotten to introduce you to (Aichi Prefecture) Toyota City's Police Maskot, the owl.

the name is コノハケイブ (konohakeibu) and although the thing might look cute, i think they try to send the message that the police, although cute and all, are always watching you citizen at all times so BEWARE arrr!!!

anyways, the konoha (or eurasio scops-owl in english) is a common type of owl in Aichi Prefecture.

the picture below is taken when i was waiting for the bus on my way to the police station.

i love these types of scenery in Japan.







reminds me of home.

getting certificate for parking space

So on Thursday I took the half day off (午後半休) so that I could visit the Toyota City’s Police Station.

My main objective of going there is to acquire the ‘certification for parking space’ or 自動車保管場所証明 in Japanese.

As stated in the 保管場所法 (Laws for place of storage), before one were allowed to own a vehicle, one were legally required to have a parking space to place that vehicle.

If you don’t have a certified parking place for your vehicle, then you don’t get to own that vehicle in Japan.

Japanese car dealers would charge up to 10000 yen if you want them to do this procedure for you, but I don’t want to pay that much money for something so simple to do; so I decided to make some research so that I could do it all by myself.

Well it did took me like 1 hour to figure and sort out all the documents that I needed, but at least I don’t have to waste money, and the extra knowledge was never a waste.

Now, this would be my second time inside a Japanese Police Station, and this time I didn’t get there by riding a black Toyota Crown driven by a grumpy Japanese Policeman.

The inside of Toyota City’s Police Station was very... old and washed out.

I’d reckon if a group of high school Yankees armed with water pistols and some really, really hard potatoes, were to assault that place, they’d be punching holes into that building.

I entered the main building welcomed by the voice of one angry mother who couldn’t stop scolding her gyaru daughter for some shit she did that brought her to the police station.

The girl had black contact lenses that made her pupils look bigger, like a manga character, and application of heavy gyaru make-up and a red jump-suit with a pony-tail hair-do to complete her image as the usual street 不良少年 (furyou shounen – juvenile delinquents?).

I went to the second floor and was greeted by this very friendly looking lady on the counter.

Everything went smooth, except she was surprised when I said that I’m not Japanese, and I successfully protected my rights when she asked to copy my alien registration card.

Japanese police always wants to take copies of my alien registration card.

Give them my fingerprints and a passport photo; they’d be smiling from ear to ear.