Sunday, March 2, 2014

Why The Last of Us Will Never Die?

CALIFORNIA, United States - What does it feel like to be in a Zombie apocalypse? Rather, what will it be like when the world ends? We will never know exactly how this world ends, but thank technology, we can now see a possible glimpse of that terror with our very own eyes -- I am talking about video games.
The Last of Us' Ellie and Joel
Post-apocalyptic themes are not uncommon. They were always the most favorite themes of top selling movies, video games and TV shows. And the latest, after The Walking Dead, that captured my attention is Naughty Dog's The Last of Us. In fact, I bought a Playstation 3 just to experience this work of wonder. A perfect combination of how relationships are crucial part of survival.


The Last of Us is not your ordinary 3rd person shooter game with zombies. It's more than that. And you will never know how good this game is until you play it.


The gloomy setting of The Last of Us is disturbing. It hurts to see every piece of thing in this game. Everything has a story. From a man who killed himself by hanging because he didn't want to "turn," to a boy's diary that tells us a story of how he lost his dog; these little stories stabbed the hearts of all gamers who witnessed them.


You'll never feel so alone.
The game is more than a game. It's full of hair-raising moments that I've never felt before -- from a clicker (a man who turned) lurking around the corner, to a bandit talking about how Joel (main character) should be hunted and executed. It's crossing the thin line between cure and doom. And never did a game become so alive as this that even the characters' habits are shown randomly. 

What makes this game so unique is how you can be exaggeratedly attached to the main characters. It's living their lives that makes it so special and how you are molded by their world by seeking the truth behind the catastrophe. You will emotionally glue yourself to them as the story advances. And there is nothing like it. The feeling is so surreal that there is a tiny piece of you dying everytime the screen turns black for a second.


The Last of Us will forever live in the hearts of those who have gone through the same horror Joel and Ellie have gone through. Simply because this game will touch your soul while it brings you to a world of despair. Even so, it is a game worth experiencing as it is life changing. You can never be as disturbed or moved by a post-apocalyptic game as The Last of Us did to me and to the rest of the gaming community. 


Observe and you will see how our lives now are taken for granted and this game teaches us how living and surviving can be dying at same time. This games teaches us that the world is cruel and in order to survive we have find the right person and the right opportunity.

The game is more than fiction. It is either a glimpse of the future or the representation of humanity today - cruel, dirty and scary. It's a gateway to the darkest horror and at the same time an escape route away from reality.


Rule number 1: Shoot or be shot.
Afterall, the world should end.. It definitely will. Humans will not forever be on this planet.. There will be that time that people must face extinction. And we should thank goodness that we are not living in that ultimate terror.. Imagine, no food, no electricity, and no life.. We are so damn lucky. Too bad for the future people. The future people who we will call the last of us. The last of us who have to experience the same hell that only we felt in our darkest dreams.

TheWalkingJed™ (c) 2014. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Philippines License.

Lazada Online Shopping Review

QUEZON CITY, Philippines - Ever heard of Lazada? From the way it sounds, more like a law firm. But no it's not. Lazada.com.ph is bringing online shopping to us, the Filipinos. All you have to do is to go to the website, order, and wait for it to be delivered right to your doorstep.
Lazada's logo is a shopping cart
 with (seems like) flying soap bars above it.

Lazada according to them is the Philippines’ number one online shopping site. Lazada boasts their offering of a wide array of products and provides convenient online shopping experience with its nationwide shipping, warranties, 14-day returns policy, and easy payment options. Lazada says that consumers can shop anytime and anywhere for books, electronics, phones & accessories, computers, home & living, hardware, home appliances, toys, kids & babies, travel and luggage, beauty, jewelry & watches, fashion, and sports.

I was actually excited to try online shopping although it's not the first time I've purchased something that was delivered to me. I always find it hassle-free to have anything delivered to you (except death threats -- nobody likes that)! A few years back, the only things we could have delivered to our doorsteps were imported goods from international sellers and they took ages to reach us! But thanks to this, from how I call it, Lazada-trend, we could now buy ordinary items without going to the shopping mall!

Right to review? I am a customer. Three things I ordered so far: a pair of Grosby sneakers, a Sony LiveView watch, and a Samsung 32MB memory card. Legit now? Let's rate Lazada!

VARIETY: 9/10

Name it, they have it! I am baffled by the "wide array of products" Lazada offers. Imagine having dildos to chocolate fountains. That's impressive!


The LiveView I ordered.

PRICES: 7/10

Seven is the fairest I could give. There are products I find to be cheap and products I find to be a bit too pricey. For example: the 32GB Samsung microSD card with an adapter is only PHP1030. That's cheap -- I believe. But an Optimum Nutrition 6lbs of Serious Mass (protein and calorie shake) is PHP2300. I bought twice as much (12lbs) for only PHP1500 from a legit seller online -- so this time, it's a no no.

PAYMENT METHOD: 9/10

Again, it would be perfect if I could pay directly from BPI or BDO online banking like in a form of billpayment. They offer cash on delivery which is fine but I am not really comfortable having money in my wallet -- paranoid of it being lost or worried about overspending (plus I am a fan of virtual money.. lol) Other payment methods are through Paypal, credit/debit cards and Megalink.

SECURITY: 10/10

Well, they are PCI DSS approved. Your credit card info is safe.


DELIVERY: 9/10

Delivery via LBC, Lex or 2GO. These couriers are trusted so there wouldn't be a problem. You will also receive a text from one their delivery guys. If oyu are not available, just prepare them an ID and an authorization letter.


TIMELINESS: 8/10

I would give it a perfect 10 but the points I deducted is for inconsistency. There are items delivered the next day and there are delivered a few days later. And mind you, the items are delivered separately, at least for my experience. No matter how they are paid or how many products there are in your cart before checking out, each will be delivered individually. I guess it's because they are coming from different sources which is understandable. The only drawback is that they could ruin your sleep for a couple of days -- if you sleep in the morning.

QUALITY: 8/10

Well, I would be specific about the quality based on the items I ordered: The Grosby sneakers were too big for me (it's my bad), though they can be returned, I decided not to. I can always sell them or give them to someone whose feet fit. There were a few stains on the white sneakers, total turn off but overall it's perfectly fine for me. The Sony Liveview watch is, of course, original -- I won't blame Lazada if I am not that happy with it because it's not Lazada's product. Finally, the Samsung memory card is awesome. Like awe--some with the capital a, so it's Awe-some.. it pretty much does it's job as a memory card.


OVERALL: 9/10


There you have it fellas. Online shopping could save you a few pesos for gasoline, or bus fare or jeepney or a few walks and the best part of it is that you have an entire day to think if you really want an item or now -- might avoid impulse buying. But just remember that even though we are transitioning to the digital era that even shopping for underwear can be done by just a few clicks, we should always consider a healthy life and one way is by walking - like what the walking Jed always does. Makes sense, doesn't it?

This is not a paid advertisement. I'd be glad if it is.. LOL

Lazada.com.ph (click to shop now!)

TheWalkingJed™ (c) 2014. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Philippines License.