Sunday, December 02, 2007

Wedding Fever (Part 2) - Dream Day

Dream Day WeddingDream Day Honeymoon

This time around we'll take a look at the Dream Day series, which comprises of Dream Day Wedding and Dream Day Honeymoon. Well, technically speaking, honeymoon doesn't count as a wedding game but hey, a great honeymoon's the perfect ending to a dream wedding ;)

In Wedding Dash, you played the bridesmaid cum wedding planner. In Dream Day, you are the bride's best friend, helping her out when things look set to spin out of control, giving your best friend (Jenny) a perfect wedding and an even memorable honeymoon. What are friends for if not to be there in times of need, right?

Bridal shopthe Beach

In Dream Day Wedding, you are responsible to pick up a list of items that Jenny needs from a variety of shops, such as the florist, bakery, or stationery shop, before the they close for the day a.k.a time runs out. Dream Day Honeymoon has similar seek&find concept but you'll be helping Jenny & Robert to uncover hidden treasures or lovely souvenirs at honeymoon locations which includes the beach, a spa, and a bar amongst others. A first glance at a shop/spot and you might think it's a piece of cake to locate the necessary items but a closer look revealed that objects are kinda jumbled up and items cleverly hidden. Furthermore, there's a time limit and the number of items to look for increases with each level while the time remains the same or worse, shortened.

You do however get 3 hints per level in the form of a cupid's arrow that reveals the location of the item you missed. In Dream Day Honeymoon, you have the chance to increase the number of hints by locating special birds of paradise at each location. Trust me, hints really come in handy especially when you are stuck with only a few items left but time continues tick, tick, ticking away..

Matching gameIn between each level, you get to play one of 2 bonus games. The first one is a memory game where you have to turn cards to find a match. Becareful of the swap card though as it'll rearrange all the cards and any positions that you'd memorized will be in vain. The second game is Choose-A-Story and like its namesake does not require any skill to play. Instead, it's all up to you to determine how Jenny & Robert's story unfolds, from how they met, leading to their wedding as well as how their honeymoon would turn out.

Create-A-StoryDo beware that it's not all sunshine in Dreamsville. There are crisis levels that if not taken care of in time will throw even the most beautiful wedding/honeymoon into chaos. Take for example, bad news from the florist; a swarm of bugs just destroyed the wedding bouquet and she needs your help to look for a set items to make a new one. It's not a crisis if things remained the same, isn't it? Crisis levels features a completely different arrangement of items at the same shop/spot and mind you, more well hidden than usual.CRISIS!

Dream Day series is an interesting and challenging game with a nice graphical presentation. Plus you won't get bored playing it twice as you'll be given a different list of items each time. Also, you can then select a different path during the Create-A-Story to see how Jenny&Robert's story might turn out differently. Just make sure you don't end up cross-eyed from trying to locate the items!






My Rating:

P/S: Dream Day Wedding even features nice classical tunes..Vivaldi's 4Seasons is one ;)

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Wedding Fever - Part1 (Wedding Dash)

Phew..it's been a busy month of attending weekend wedding receptions & dinners. Finally, I've got my weekend back to procrastinate in front of the monitor...

Hmm...while wedding fever is still in the air, I'll review some wedding-related games that I'd been playing. Not as the bride of coz but as the friend cum wedding planner ;)

First, we have Wedding Dash, where we are introduced to Quinn (you'll be playing her), a bridesmaid who became an accidental wedding planner for the bride-in-need when the real planner bowed out at the near last minute. She then realized she's actually good at this and opted to make wedding planning her career. Those of you who are familiar with Diner Dash would click instantly with this game as it is actually a spin-off from the Diner Dash series and Flo (the character in Diner Dash) even made a few cameo roles in it.

Wedding Dash challenges Quinn to ensure the guests at wedding receptions are placed at the correct table and seated next to guests they have in mind (or not!), their gifts collected, and food (appetizers, entrees, desserts in the correct sequence) served. Moreover, Quinn is also responsible to take care of any untoward incidences such as breaking up catfights between bridemaids, putting out kitchen fires, as well as handling drunks or too emotional guests before they get out of control and catches the bride's attention who in-turn will morph from a sweet looking bride to a fire-breathing bridezilla!

Sounds like a tough job, eh? Well, if anyone can do it, YOU can! As a reward for a great job done, you earn cash which can be used for upgrading the table size, speed up the staff or gain more points, not to mention building up a reputation for yourself such that wedding job invitations that takes you on board a cruise ship, an island and even a castle come pouring in.

Also, there's a mini game before each new wedding lest you think it's just the usual routine, which you'll have to read about the likes and dislikes of the wedding couple and choose the correct food, cake and honeymoon to go with. For each correct selection, you earn an extra $100, bringing you nearer to the goal to complete the next level.

Wedding Dash stands out from the usual simulation games with an entertaining storyline as well as increasingly challenging weddings to run. But of course, you can't compare it to an actual wedding which usually takes up to a year to plan. Afterall, you can easily complete this one in a week!


My Rating:

Coming up next: Wedding Fever - Part2 (Dreamday Wedding)

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Me! MiNdBOx - When Love Found A Voice


Hmmmm...can't get enough of Alejandro Fuentes' songs just yet, though kinda suprised the lyric for this song is not on Google!

Enjoy it nonetheless.....



My Rating:

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Me! MiNdBOx - Stars

The song caught my attention during yoga class last week (while I was trying to make the back of my head meet my big toe.)

A google later...

The song is sang by a 20-year-old kid from Chile who was the 2nd runner up in the Idol 2005 competition in Norway. Stars is a single from his Diamonds or Pearls album which reached #1, according to Wikipedia. Other songs that I'd since got to know (and enjoy!) are Sail Away, When Love Found A Voice, Crazy Dream Tonight, Something's Never Change, and Diamonds or Pearls.




One stolen look across the room
An elusive smile, but soon baby soon
One minute for every hour
But time hasn't been on our side, on our side

Still holding on
Been waiting so long
For that indelible touch

When the stars shine upon me
And the night feels so lonely
Then I only picture your face
And remember the days, nights
And how I spent them with you
I spent them with you

Two worlds under the sun
Will melt into one, just come baby come
All the signs say it's so
Pointed upon by the arrow of love

My coffee is cold, cause I've waited so long
The thoughts of your smile always makes me feel strong
I'm drawing a picture of you in my mind
And the thought of your smile is always making me
miss you so much

I spent them with you
I spent them with you


My Rating:

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Donuts & Coffee, anyone?

Ah..the Pavilion, KL's newest shopping mall (there's also the Gardens @ Midvalley but not touching on that today) and with it, new brands, new shops, new food outlets. Pretty huge place though not all shops were opened yet - the names were already in the directories and I was looking forward to check them out only to find renovation in progress at their doorsteps *bummer

The crowd queuing for donutsAnyway, the latest craze in town seems to be the dough with a hole in the center..yup with the newly opened J.CO Donuts at the Pavilion, the first franchise in Malaysia. Craze, you wonder? Believe me, if you see queue outside the shop, craze IS the most appropriate word...

J.Co is actually a chain from Indonesia and turns out it is owned and managed by Johnny Andrean, a famous hairdresser. There are over 10-20 choices of donuts to choose from ranging from the common ring donuts such as Glazzy (donut glazed with honey), Al Caponne (white belgian coated donut crusted with almond flakes) and Blackjack to filled donuts such as Copabanana (chocolate donut with banana cream in the center), Mango Bliss and Berry Blue to JCrown, J.Co's own version of premium donut, which can be distinguished by its unique-flower like shape such as the Oreology (donut coated with oreo biscuit bits.) Cheese lover? Then try Cheese Me Up, donut coated with low fat cheese. Health-conscious? Then there's a Miss Green Tea though it's up to you to decide how healthy it is =P

donuts, donuts, donutsOf course I couldn't miss out the chance to try them, could I? I bought 1/2 a dozen (cost me ~10 bucks, cheaper than I had expected) but obviously both my mum and I couldn't finish it in one seating so we decided to keep them in the fridge for the next day. There are reheating instructions on the box and it only takes 8 seconds for the doughnuts to go soft again with the fillings flowing out when you cut into them..AH they sure melt the heart and mouth! Overall, they are good but it seems there are a couple more donuts shops around that some say are as good or even better..hmmm guess I'll have to do some comparison the next time I drop by ;)

J Co Donuts & Coffee
Lot 1.05, Level 1
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur.


My Rating:


P/S: J.Co donuts may be good but the website sure isn't as according to Google, it may harm your computer. LOL perhaps it's a warning that these soft, fluffy sweetness could harm you too..they do go straight to your waistline! =þ

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Bend the light!





A colleague gave me the link and I was hooked at the first level..hehe. It's actually a promotional site for the new movie The Seeker (now showing in cinemas) so it's kinda cool that they came out with the idea to embed a game in the site. There is another interesting feature on the site too, which I'll touch on later.


$%%^$^&^@ those TNTs! =PThe how-to-play is pretty simple; place mirrors on the grid and rotate them to reflect the light to lit all torches to complete level; it's the where-to-place that can be tricky at times. And watch out for those TNTs!! They go KABOOM when light shines on them and you'll have to restart the level. To make it more challenging, there are a few types of mirrors, the ordinary 90° angle, a triangle that will reflect light into a two-way 90° angle, a parallelogram which reflects light into a 45° angle. Thus use the correct mirrors at the right locations to have the light reflected correctly. Easier said than done...sometimes. =þ


You get to continue where you left off ;)There are 20 levels to complete and though the levels continue to increase after 20, they are actually a repeat from level 1 again *bummer...would love if they have more levels but well, it's not an actual game site afterall so will have to make do with just 20. Also, the site actually remembers which level you had previously stopped at - provided you used the same PC again obviously. User-friendly, huh? So no worries if you can't complete all 20 levels in one seating...you can always continue the next day ;)


How to unlock exclusive contentsI only checked out the promotional site after playing the game (I never heard of The Seeker before that *sheepish) and interestingly the site has some "exclusive" content that can only be accessed IF you manage to unlock them. How? By arranging signs in the correct sequence. There are 12 sequences in total and nop, they don't make life easy by putting it in the site. Instead, the sequence can be found in the world around us e.g. their promotional posters, signboards, etc. You gotta keep your eyes open and look out for them. *ahem actually... google and you should find forums where people share their findings (& answers!) Anyhow, it's still a creative way of making people look at their work.


Oh as for the movie, it's an adaptation from The Dark Is Rising Sequence, a novel by Susan Cooper. Quoted from GSC website, "The movie tells the story of Will Stanton, a normal young man who moves with his family from America to an English village There he learns he is the last of a group of warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the Dark. Traveling back and forth through time, Will discovers a series of clues and Six mysterious Signs which lead him into a showdown with forces of unimaginable power. With the Dark once again rising, the future of the world rests in Will's hands."


Almost like another Harry Potter in the making, huh? But it's my cup of tea nonetheless..hmm maybe I'll check it out in the coming long weekend and post a review later kekeke...



My Rating:(For the game..)

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Time is soft there...

Image courtesy of AmazonSearch result slip


Saw the review of this book in The Star newspaper sometime back and I thought it was a fiction. So made a search when I was in Kinokuniya one day, lo and behold, it was in the travelogue section. Although I am more a fiction person, I still gave it a try because the book is about a bookshop, the one thing that has quite a place in my heart, and indeed I was not disappointed. Even sweeter, it was all true...

As someone who can spend a few hours "lost" in bookshops, Shakespeare & Co. sounds like a dream come true. Reading through Mercer's eyes and I could almost see the place for myself, the residents, the tea parties, and of course the beauty and tranquility of Paris. True, life seemed pretty difficult at times but to have that freedom of just reading a book a day or midnight story tellings by the Seine under the shadow of the great Notre Dame or even taking a metro/train to go over to England, Ireland, Spain is something I would yearn for.

How I wish to drop by the shop, maybe even spent a week or two in the companies of interesting would-be writers, poets, and four walls of BOOKS! But first, I need to save enough for a trip to Paris from almost a 1/4 of the globe away...

For now, I can only be contented with a 360° virtual tour of the shop at http://www.sav.org/shco/ .


My Rating: