The One About The Birthday Sword

Well... it's my birthday today! Woohoo! 1 year less young! (Argh!)

And soooo... I'm gonna share a little sneak peek of the in-game event coming up tomorrow, otherwise known as Hrin & Lorenza's birthday bash! More like belated birthday though. This event had been previously scheduled for the beginning of the month but due to some refining to the system, it had to be postponed till now.

The birthday bash is an enhancement type of contest where active users (mule/invalid accounts have been filtered out) will be given a birthday sword to enhance. Different level of enhancements will give you different rewards at the end of the event. Tentatively, the event is scheduled to end on 24 September 2009 and the birthday sword will be removed from your inventory.

More details will be out tomorrow on the website, but here's the chart of rewards that the birthday sword wields:

On top of that, to supplement this event, there will also be a 30% discount on imperviums and enhancement boosters during this period!

Item Name Current Price Promotion Price
Enhancement Booster 550 GP 385 GP
+5 Impervium: Normal 9,900 GP 6,930 GP
+6 Impervium: Normal 11,000 GP 7,700 GP
+5 Impervium: Veteran 13,200 GP 9,240 GP
+6 Impervium: Veteran 16,500 GP 11,550 GP
+5 Impervium: Expert 14,300 GP 10,010 GP
+6 Impervium: Expert 17,600 GP 12,320 GP

Birthdays aside, I have something else to announce as well. I will be leaving IAHGames this 11 September 2009 to pursue my Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) full-time in Glasgow, Scotland. It's gonna be pretty hectic since 11 Sept is my last day in Singapore as well - will be catching the night flight on that same last day of work!

With my departure, Lorenza will be taking over one of my roles - that of Granado Espada Regional Community Manager. The handover process is still in the works and once it's official, there will be a proper announcement etc. So stay tuned for that!

Frankly speaking, I've never been great at goodbyes. Despite being relatively articulate, I truly find myself at a loss of words as to what I will say in my last blog entry on Sept 11. So much to say, yet... some things are best left unsaid. Guess I will think about it over the next 2 weeks and try not to cry me a river when I type that last entry.

Take care, you guys. :)

The One Where Meepoktah Cries Me A River...

(a.k.a The One About The Power of My Plantronics Headset Gamecom 777)

What can possibly bring a grown man to tears when listening to Aria De Coimbra?

Nope, it's not the failed enhancement of his +9 Constellation Weapon... it was the day I let him listen to that song on my newly acquired Plantronics Headset Gamecom 777.


It was hilarious seeing the various reactions on the faces of my colleagues as I placed the headset on them. It was such a unanimous response - They instantly stopped doing whatever they were doing and their eyes opened widely, as if they had just been enlightened to a new world of audio utopia. And then they have this dazed look in their eyes, as if hypnotized and drawn into a different dimension. Yup, I kid you not. That's just how powerful this headset is!

Serenade me from all angles~

Dramatics aside, what really sets this headset apart is first of all, its 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound. In less technical terms, 5.1 surround actually means that sound seemingly comes from 5 'angles': Left, Center, Right, Left Surround, Right Surround. Of course, since a stereo headset is only capable of 2 channels, it doesn't actually make 5.1 sound. How it actually works is that it mixes the sounds so they seem like 5.1 channels. The integrated sound card makes it sound like you have 5 speakers and a subwoofer, even though you're just wearing a stereo headset.

This adds an incredible edge in gaming, especially when playing FPS type of games. It was like a dream come true when I could actually hear which direction my enemies were coming from and every beat of their pitter patter footsteps. It is simply too realistic and definitely not recommended for the faint-hearted or those on medication.

The headset comes with a USB 2.0 adaptor which produces the surround sound - so just simply plug and play to get it working (no drivers needed!). It comes with analog as well, which makes it compatible with your MP3 players or other devices that uses the usual 3.5mm plugs.

Talk to me, baby

When I first used it, I was totally oblivious to the fact that there was a well-concealed microphone attached to the inner frame of the headset, which could be easily flipped down. The microphone is even extendable to wherever your mouth is.

Its noise-cancelling feature helps to filter background noises significantly. When I was chatting with my friends in Ventrilo, they expressed gratitude that they finally didn't have to be subject to my usual TV drama serials playing loudly in the background. (Thanks a lot, guys...)

The mic-mute button cleverly positoned on the volume control knob is especially useful when you wanna get all mushy with your partner, without grossing the rest of your faction mates out on Ventrilo.

On that same note, you will still be able to give him/her your full attention when using your headset, since the headset's open-ear design allows you to hear background sounds and even your handphone ringing.

Built to last... in comfort

I always have a problem with the cables of my headsets since they wear and tear pretty easily, especially when I bring them overseas for travel. To me, one of the best plus points of this headset is that it is constructed to military-grade standards with extra-strength cables for rugged use.

Surprisingly, comfort isn't compromised with its durability factor. Any contact that my head could possibly have with the headset was cushioned totally - the earpods and the top frame have these non-allergenic cushions that rests comfortably on my ears and atop my head. Despite looking extremely bulky in appearance, the headset is unexpectedly lightweight, which is another critical factor for long hours of gaming or listening to music.

Some things to take note of, though. One is the uncomfortable amount of pressure on my ears after some time of using it. However, I noticed that after some days of using it, the headset 'adapts' to the size of my head and the pressure became significantly less. I guess it's just that initial 'teething' stage, much like getting used to a new pair of shoes, or in this case, the new shoes getting used to you.

The other issue is that some Vista users may not be able to hear anything after plugging in the adaptor. Not to worry - simply go to your Control Panel>Sound and Set Default to the Speakers - USB Audio Device to switch the sound output to the headset.


And voila! You're done!

On a really random note, here's a little trivia -Plantronics headset was used by Neil Armstrong when he first landed on the moon...

Currently, Plantronics Gamecom 777 is the very first Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound headset to be launched in Singapore and it's definitely the worth the buy. At the very least, try to get your hands on a headset to test-demo it and savor a taste of Audio Utopia, if only for a little while. It will be well worth your while!

Plantronics Gamecom 777 retails at SG$169 and can be purchased from the following locations:

- IAHGames iCafe (Funan DigiLife Mall)
- The Software Boutique, #05-42 Funan DigiLife Mall
- Tec-Drome, #05-78 Sim Lim Square
- Game Haven, 29 Carpenter St
- E2Max, #04-18 The Cathay

So now, are you ready for a taste of Utopia?

The One About Cooking

Just back from Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) and still feeling a little fuzzy. Had the privilege to meet up with some of the Vietnamese gamers during their focused group discussion about some of the changes in the vGE build. The vGE client that IMC built is vastly different from the other versions and the changes made to the build were to stem out potential economic problems of inflation and to allow the user to get through the lower levels faster (e.g. Some RNPC cards start out at higher levels rather than Level 1) so as to reach veteran/expert content more quickly.

This is essential due to vGE going into V2.9 in their first build whereby most of the content is already starting to focus on veteran/expert content. One of the more interesting changes to their build is that skill points are reduced, so the user will not be able to max all his/her skills. This makes it pretty interesting since more thought will be required in choosing the kind of character to build - DPS? Tanker? Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none? Raids could potentially be more strategic with organizing of the various build types.

The focused group discussion was a pretty formal one, with some Vietnamese gaming reporters present:

There was even a video conference with gamers in Hanoi:

Work aside, we managed to have a few fun filled days of relaxation as well. Jon recently bought a DSLR camera and I was playing around with it during the Vietnam trip. Photography with a DSLR camera feels so different. It enlivens the soul and overwhelms you with a desire to capture and immortalize an unforgettable moment. For myself, I enjoy capturing emotions and human dynamics on film, such as these:

And this is my all-time personal fave:


Anyway, coming back to my blog post title... about cooking, IMC is currently in the midst of developing a farming and cooking system for V3.6. Not sure about the exact mechanics of what it will be like yet since it's still in development stage but I can't help but feel excited by it! It would be funny though, if it was something like Facebook's Restaurant City, otherwise known as the only reason I have been actively logging into Facebook these days. And hey, Restaurant City has an AFK function, just like GE! Falkenhausen (Reclusion) Family gave me a pretty maid costume which even looks like the one worn by the wizard in GE. The downside about wearing it was that I noticed a lot of other GE players on Restaurant City started hiring me as their restaurant cleaner!?

On the topic of Facebook, Desanggria and Reimaru also created some pretty awesome Granado Espada quizzes on Facebook. Check them out:

Which Granado Esapada character are you?
Which Granado Espada RNPC are you?

There has to be some truth in it, since my quiz results reflects my personal favorite characters:

You are a Elementalist

You are haphazard and unforgiving, most of the time over the top and excessive, all for the sake of showy and senseless glamour. In this journey called life, it doesn't matter whatever road you take, because the only thing that is important for you is doing it in style.

You are Selva Norte!

Revenge is your middle name. You want retribution from the girly man who messed up with your boyfriend's brain. You can't accept the fact that he forgot all about you when you literally sacrificed your limb just for him. Ungrateful SOB.

Meanwhile, if you still don't have a Facebook account, go get one! And join IAHGames page! And get Restaurant City! And trade me lemons, lobsters and butters! And don't make me your cleaner! Like now (when it's still maintenance)!

The One About A Pleasant Distraction

Needless to say, it has been an absolutely dreadful month and an awful start to the New Year 2009. What with all the recent server disruptions and technical issues at all kinds of odd hours every 2 days, the entire team has become extremely discouraged and exhausted. More puzzling to us was... WHAT IS WITH ALL THIS BAD LUCK?! To the extent that Meepoktah even suggested that we go to our various temples and churches to pray over the weekend... @.@

Hopefully the Chinese New Year will bring in some peace and happiness - we're planning something like a Top 10 Best Selling Items to be on sale during this period with auspicious numbers ending with 888. Our dear Meepoktah a.k.a "King of All Things Auspicious & Superstitious", will be planning this project.

Meanwhile, the V3.0 client just came in 2 days ago and we have been feverishly testing it. Thankfully, bugs are pretty minor and if nothing major crops up, we should be on schedule to launch V3.0 The Zeia next Thursday. Even if there are delays, it isn't likely to be more than 1~2 weeks. Hmmm... but then again, with this dark cloud over us... maybe I should take back those words... (oh man, I am becoming so meepoktah)

Anyway, here's the tentative first week content launch schedule:
Thereafter, there will be patch updates every 2 weeks till we go into V3.3 in April'2009 (tentative schedule). These fortnightly patch updates are mostly cash item updates since most of the other content like the new maps and 2 RNPCs Selva and Nar will be released in the first week. Ania was supposed to be released in V3.0 but due to some fatal flaws in her character development, IMC has cancelled her recruitment till V3.3.

Despite the incredibly black mood that has descended, my day brightened overwhelmingly this evening when much to my surprise, a box of flowers with a pearl necklace was delivered anonymously to me in the IAHGames office!

Well, whoever you are, thank you for your lovely flowers. The beauty of the flowers coupled with the beauty of the thoughts and actions behind it are very much appreciated and treasured... :)

Hey wait a sec, I just noticed a card. What does it say?

"Dear Mistress, I look forward to my evenings with you."

EH!?!? Did I promise one of you an evening that I can't remember?!

The One Where Hrin Becomes a Grandma!

I generally try to avoid blogging about personal stuff since it may bore some of you, but I'm just too overwhelmed with delight that I can't help myself! I just HAVE to tell the world!

Yesterday, on 20th December 2008, my dog, Lenneth, gave birth to 6 adorable lil' puppies. It was fortunate that she delivered them on a Saturday night when most of us were around.

Many thanks to my brother Shawn, [GM] Lorenza and [GM] Eulalie for their midwife assistance and phone consulation during the miracle of birth act by Lenny.

No thanks to myself who was freaking out the entire time.

It went something like that:

Bro: *holding 3 pups* Hrin! Quick, get over here with the scissors and cut the umbilical cord now!!"

Me: *visibly pale* ....where? what does it look like? which one is it!?!? THIS?! IS THIS IT???

Lorenza: *calmly takes scissors from my trembling hands* *snip* *snip* *snip*

Me: *whimper* ...i need to sit down...

In the words of [GM] Lorenza last night...

"Hrin, why are you panting so hard and sweating so much!? You're not the one giving birth!?!"

Thanks to the power of technology, my brother documented parts of it down. It's not a pretty sight though, so if you're reading this before lunch, it would be best not to play the video right now...

The One About White Christmas

It's that time of the year again! Christmas is in the air and guess what music is going to play in the barracks after next patch?

Team G.E got together last night to do a quick recording of 'White Christmas'.

Meepoktah started the ball rolling with "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know..."

My lines were (yeay!) my favorite lines in the song,"...Where the treetops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow..."

Unfortunately, the only M.I.A person from the team was Kaioujin who was on leave.

Several out-of-tune keys later, recording was done and voila! I compiled the mp3 into a video format which showcased some of the more close-to-the-heart photo memories, like our second home (office) and the community service outings to Katong Special School. Enjoy!



Well, it's pretty obvious we ain't professional singers. But, hey, on the bright side, at least the music is only parked at the barracks. Can you imagine having to listen to us singing and concentrate on enhancement and enchantment at the same time?

Oh, by the way, there's a 'Be a GE Fan' page on Facebook that extends to Granado Espada gamers worldwide, from all the different versions of GE. Join here!

The One About The Monster Blender

I was writing an article for Playworks Magazine October issue about the wonders of Diego and his usefulness in Colony wars. It's a little sad that not many people realize the incredible potential of Diego. 3 Diegos can solo take down a colony within 10-15 minutes due to rotating blades' fast attack speed. This 10-15 minute timeframe has certain conditions though:

1) 3 Diegos must be equipped with 2 Great Rotating Rings each
2) Switch to 'Hack & Slash' stance after you have built your maximum number of Great Rotating Blades' and attack the colony - to maximize the number of hits to the colony.

The amazing thing is that you don't even need to train him to Level 100 since any damage to the colony only results in 1 HP decrease - all you need is to train him such that he gets 'Great Rotating Blades' skill.


Looking at those fineeee rotating blades reminded me of a blender I bought recently. Well, more like a Monster Blender, really, due to its traumatic background...

* * *

Lunch hour.

Had rushed down to Bugis Junction to buy a birthday present for my colleague, Ducky, since I had been too busy over the last few nights to go shopping.

Ducky is our copywriter for storylines for Granado Espada's background history & NPC backgrounds as well as the brains behind the GE Comics series. So after some careful thought, I felt that a pen would be most appropriate for him. After all, the pen is mightier than the sword and all that yada yada.

After I bought him this lovely black Parker Pen set with his name engraved in gold on it, I happened to pass through the household section and Braun's latest portable new blender caught my eye. As I was looking at it, the salesman comes up to me and beams,"Hello Miss! Would you like me to test it out for you?"

I shrugged casually,"Sure. Why not?"

He enthusiastically takes it out of the box and plugs it into the power socket, telling me excitedly about all the various items that it could blend. I was starting to wonder if he was going to tell me that it could blend an iPod. "

... and it has two speeds as well. High speed and low speed!" he says to me as he demonstrates by pressing two different buttons.

"Oh ok... which button is low speed and which one is high speed?" I ask him.

"Hmm... I'm not sure. Let me see..." he replies as he puts his hand under the blades of the blender to try to feel the wind currents it produces.

It all happened so quickly. Or maybe the shock of it blocked out the exact memory of it.

Somehow or other, the blade dislodges itself slightly and blends the palm of his hand! Blood splurts all over the place!

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" I find myself shrieking in absolute horror. I feel absolutely faint. The sight of blood always makes me queasy and pale in the face.

"Can you please test out the blender for this lady here?" Mr Courageous Salesman says his last parting words to Salesgirl standing nearby, as he is being ushered away to E.R to get his hand stitched up.

ZOMG... Mr Courageous Salesman is so brave! So dedicated to his job! So professional! Even when his palm has been semi-blended... the blending show must still go on...

I do hope I can reach that standard of professionalism one day - if that day should ever come when I am vomiting blood on my deathbed, I will turn to KingKongJon (Level 100 boss) and say to him,"KingKongJon... please tell the Granado Espada community not to grief for me... Tell them that life in Cite De Reboldoeux must go on... Tell them to continue training levels to get to veteran! Then only will I die in peace..."

So anyway Salesgirl looks at the blood stained blender and then looks at him with this look in her eyes that says,"Are you crazy? There is no way in hell I'm going to operate on that demon-possessed monster blender!"

Nevertheless, she feels obliged to do something about the blood-stained blender. She carefully unplugs Monster Blender and cleans the blood off the the handles of the blender.

"Erm... you missed a spot..." I meekly tell her as I point to the bloody blades of Demon Blender.

She glares at me and I guiltily look down and shuffle my feet.

I had wanted to try to lighten up the gloomy, tense atmosphere by cracking a joke like,"Out damn spot! Out I say!" and mimic Lady Macbeth. But from her response, she probably wasn't the type who tried to humorize awful situations. And well... if she hadn't read Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', she prolly wouldn't appreciate my cold joke either. So I had better not go down that road man... She might set the Demon Blender on me or something.

"So do you want to buy the blender or what?" she snaps.

Sigh. Of course I will. I feel so overwhelmed with guilt about the incident. A good friend of mine always used to say that the God Of Drama favors me. For some strange reason, drama always seems to follow me wherever I go - sometimes good drama, sometimes bad drama. I think I have reached the phase of bad drama, though. I have used up all the good drama charges over the past couple of weeks. Mental note to self to lay low for the next few days and keep myself and everyone else associated with me far away from sharp objects and road-crossing incidents etc.

"Yeah... I will buy it," I say defeatedly.

Pause. Contemplative silence. I need to say something important to her.

I look sheepishly at her as I say...

".... Erm.. Could you get me a new blender?"

The One About The School Uniform Interview

So school uniform week has come to an end. This school uniform week has brought back fond memories of how I got my job at IAHGames.

Yes. I cosplayed in school uniform which landed me this job...

Nah! I'm just kidding! Kidding about the part that cosplaying in school uniform will land you a job at IAHGames, that is. But I'm not kidding that I wore a school-uniform type of outfit to my interview!

















Putting On My Game Face For The Interview... THE TIME IS NOW!

Prior to working at IAHGames, I had been working overseas in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City for nearly a year. I loved working there, don't get me wrong. Working and living there was like an adventure. Life was so unpredictable and the random people you meet there truly inspires you. I'll probably post some old entries from my previous blog about some of my classic experiences there. Nevertheless, I had explored enough and wanted to come back to Singapore to work. So when I was back in Singapore to settle some financial and legal matters for the company, I decided to 'try my luck' and see what kinds of jobs Singapore was offering at that time...

I had been browsing through all the various jobs online with a bored expression on my face. Clicking, clicking, clicking.... and then I saw it! A Gamemaster position at an online gaming company! Being an avid MMORPG fan and a competitive gamer (I always strived to be one of the top in the server for any MMORPG I played), it would be a dream come true to work for an online gaming company.

It was the first interview I went for and a very enjoyable one. I had a lovely time chatting with my interviewer - The Gamemaster Manager.

The thing is that, the next day, another position at the same company opened up. A Community Manager position. Which had greater challenges, greater creativity required, and writing - which was one of my passions in life. Now THAT was the dream job I really wanted cos it encompassed various of my interests. Event management, business strategies, public relations, the list goes on... So I emailed the Gamemaster Manager to thank him for the interview and asked him if it were possible if I was considered for the new position that had just opened up as well.

So I went for yet another interview with yet another person from a different department, my current Level 100 Boss - KingKongJon!

Being that obsessive, 'kiasu' (competitive) person that I am and considering that this was my dream job, I spent the whole day before my interview thinking about various business strategies for MMORPG and various other potential questions that an interviewer could possibly ask.

So during the interview, things went pretty smoothly. Towards the end of the interview, he asked me the top question that every single interviewer asks every single candidate,"So why should we hire you? What do you have that makes you stand out from the other candidates?"

Pause. Silence.

Aha! The question I had been waiting for. I had written a whole page in my notebook about my superduperawesome, winning qualities!

I began,"First of all, I am passionate about gaming! Especially MMORPG. It's my Archilles heel."

Pause. Silence.

I laughed,"Oh boy... I bet every other person you have interviewed has told you that exact same cliched thing huh."

He laughs heartily,"Yeah."

I grin,"Why not you let me know all the other cliched stuff that the other interviewees have told you so that I wouldn't bore you with same stuff over and over again?"

He grins back and says,"Ok. Hmm... other than passionate about gaming, they said they were hardworking...etc etc etc"

"Ok... So that's off my list. But you know I am all these things, right?" I say with a cheeky grin as I cross out those qualities he mentioned one by one off my notebook.

Then I go into my soliloquy of all my winning qualities.

From the important qualities:

"... and I'm pre-emptive! I don't just react to problems when they happen. I think about all the various potential problems that could crop up and think about the solutions in advance. Just like how I thought about all the potential questions you could ask me and I wrote down my answers in this notebook! Being pre-emptive is important in an online gaming company since changes are so dynamic and nothing is for certain..."

Blah blah blah...

To the lame qualities:

"... and I'm a female gamer! I could offer you the perspective of what females think. Female gamers are important. Cos when you have pretty girls playing your game, the guys will be drawn to play your game as well! So well... I could be that 'yin' so that you will have yin-yang balance in your team!"

He laughed heartily at my candid and (hopefully) entertaining answers to his questions.

Finally, it was shortlisted down to me and another female candidate. Both of us were called back to have a second round of interview with the Product Director.

After an agonizing wait through the weekend, I finally gave KingKongJon a call on Monday to ask about the results. I needed closure. Regardless of the answer. Which is when I learnt that the director who interviewed me in the second round of interviews was on sick leave for the next 2 days. KingKongJon promised to contact me once a decision had been made, whether or not the answer was 'yes' or 'no'.

Unexpectedly, on a lazy Thursday afternoon, when I was having an afternoon nap, I received a call from KingKongJon.

"Hello?" I sleepily answered.

"Hrin? You resting at home now is it?" he asks.

I laughed sheepishly,"Yeah. Enjoying my tai-tai (Lady of Leisure) life while I still can."

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you those days have come to an end," he says with a smile in his voice.

"Huh? Why?" I ask sadly, still halfway drifting out of lala-land.

"Cos you need to start work tomorrow! I have tons of things waiting for you to do!" he says chirpily.

Pause. Silence. Temporary confusion. Sudden realization.

"Oooo!!! Yeay yeay! I got the job! Thank you so much! I'm so happy!" my volcano of suspense finally erupts, lavas of delirious joy overflowing.

And so... here I am. :)