Bradley's Old Fashioned Weblog

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  • My First FarmVille Card

    A $10 FarmVille card.

    Oh yes, I’m serious.  I didn’t buy this.  It was given to me as a gift.  I did certainly use it though.

    You see, I’m in Georgia right now visiting relatives and I’m staying at my aunt’s house.  My mother, aunt and aunt’s mother are all FarmVille addicts.  After a few nights of laying around just surfing the net as usual, I got caught up in their constant chatter about the game.  I used to play FarmVille, over a year ago, but gave up on it as too boring.

    There have apparently been some big changes since then, including bakeries, wineries and spas, as well as cooperative crop growing with benefits, all of which have done nothing but make the game far more social, and in a way, more obligatory.  It locks people in and makes them feel like they’re required to keep playing for their friends’ sakes.  It makes good sense, from a business perspective.  It snagged my attention because I used to really enjoy crafting (weird, but I did) in MMOs like UO, DAoC, FFXI and WoW.  Before I knew it I was loading up the game to see what they were talking about.

    While I was overseas I heard a lot about how FarmVille was taking off, and how people were dropping real cash on FarmVille items via these cards.  I laughed it off, but now here I am with FarmVille running in full swing and 110 Farm Cash (about 20 real dollars) worth the virtual currency loaded into the thing.  Granted, I haven’t put any of my own money into it…yet.  My mom and aunt seem to think of it as an investment towards their further enjoyment of the game, but I’m probably going to be hard pressed not to grab one of these off a shelf myself sometime in the near future, after checking to make sure no one is looking first of course.

    It’s oddly addictive, and yet pleasantly casual with no massive demands on my time.  Well, not too much anyway.  And what’s even more odd is that more real cash has gone into my game during the last week than I ever put out for any mainstream MMO monthly subscription.  Zynga really does have a cash cow on its hands here.

    Now, whether I continue to keep up with FarmVille after I get back to NYC and start working again is up for debate, but for now… I have to go check on my grapes.

  • Maybe Laptop Prices in Singapore Weren’t That Good After All?

    A long view down an aisle at a Super Walmart.

    My aunt’s mother says that if you can’t find it at Walmart, you don’t need it, and you really could live by that.  A Super Walmart has groceries, clothes, electronics, and even car parts and it’s all sold for low, low, sometimes ridiculously low prices.  I remember when I was younger I didn’t like the idea of shopping at Walmart, but that was back before I was spending my own money on the things I wanted to buy.  Now that everything is coming out of my own pocket, I look for good deals over fancy brand labels.

    Something Walmart seems to be doing really well at is their laptop pricing.  Have a look:

    Laptop prices at a Super Walmart.

    DSC05702

    I remember seeing that 278 USD (362 SGD) Acer for sale in Singapore for 600 SGD.  I remember seeing that 298 USD (388 SGD) HP laptop for 800 SGD in Singapore.

    Walmart really does have some low prices, and I’m not complaining.

  • Re-used Commercial Soda Bottles, Philippines Style

    Re-used coke bottles in the US, Philippines style.

    This is a photo I forgot to add onto the end of yesterday’s post.  I found these in The Fresh Market.  If you look at the Sprite bottles and the Coke Light bottle, you’ll notice there are white rings around them in the middle and at the bottom.  The reason they have those rings is because the bottles have been reused.

    I don’t know how they do it exactly in Mexico, but bottles in the Philippines look exactly the same way if you buy them from the many ‘sari-sari’ stores, which are mini-convenience stores.  The factory ships out bottles of drinks and the shop owner either makes you stand at the store and finish it, or pours the drink into a plastic bag, sticks a straw in it, and hands it to you.  This is because the bottles have a deposit on them that they can’t get back until they ship them back to the factory when the truck next arrives.

    So, the empty bottles go back to the plant, run through the machines, are refilled and sent back out.  Being run through the factory over and over is what gives them the distinctive white rings.  So, if you’re ever in a 3rd world country and you see that on the bottles, keep that in mind.  It’s not unsafe to consume, or at least I never got sick from it, but I did one time find a candy wrapper inside the bottle, luckily before I had taken a drink from it.

    As for why they’re selling them here in the US at an upscale grocery chain, I have no clue.  I can only guess that it appeals to some people’s sense of living more simply, though the fact they’re getting imported bottles of cheap soda from a poor country at a high price in a high end grocery store is a bit … ridiculous.

  • The Fresh Market in Columbus, Georgia

    After doing quite a bit of shopping in cramped, sometimes dingy Asian grocery stores, or in wet markets, it was a treat to shop in The Fresh Market.  Granted, it’s more of an upscale grocery store, but that will just help to highlight the difference between what you usually see in Singapore and the Philippines, and what’s available in the US.

    Fresh Market

    The first thing I saw when walking into the grocery store were these humongous apples:

    Red Apples

    The interior of the store is well decorated and there’s a pleasant aroma of cinnamon and other spices.

    Fresh Market Interior

    Fresh Market Interior

    The fruits and vegetables in The Fresh Market are really awesome looking:

    Bright Red Tomatoes

    Notice how red the tomatoes are.  When I went to Asia I couldn’t figure out why the tomatoes there always had more of a yellowish green look to them, instead of the read I was used to.  I later found out that tomatoes in the US are artificially ripened using methane gas.  Even knowing that, there’s something comforting about seeing bright red, luscious tomatoes.  The ones in Asia always looked like they hadn’t been left on the vine long enough to finish growing.

    Fresh baked pies:

    Pies

    They all looked delicious, and I really love pumpkin pies and pecan pies, but we picked up one that I hadn’t heard of before: praline peach pie.  It’s delicious!

    The cuts of meat on display looked incredible:

    Country Style Sausage

    Ya, with all this good food, I’m gonna start looking like a pig if I’m not careful.

    A whole wall of spices:

    Mixed nuts:

    The Fresh Market is clean, smells nice, everything is in order and it’s quiet inside.  Most importantly, it has plenty of space.  In Asian markets and grocery stores, as in most other areas, you’re constantly jostling around and past people to get to what you need.  Shopping there is an ordeal that has to be endured, but in grocery stores in the US there’s enough space to take your time to find what you want, to enjoy the experience, and you enjoy looking around.  Also, though this doesn’t usually apply to grocery stores, there aren’t jackasses hovering over your shoulder constantly trying to push you to buy something.  I hate that!

    This level of spaciousness is something that’s more available in Georgia than New York City, because there are far more people in the city, obviously.  Even there, though, stores often have more space to accommodate people.

    Visiting The Fresh Market was a fun experience.

  • Wal Mart Pricing. Win or Fail?

    320 GB and 500 GB Seagate external portable hard drives for sale at Wal Mart.

    I was looking through the electronics section at Wal Mart and noticed the prices on the 320 gb and 500 gb Seagate external hard drives are a little weird:

    320 GB Seagate hard drives are 79 dollars.

    500 gb external Seagate hard drives are 79 dollars.

    Maybe one price is wrong, or maybe they’re really charging the same amount for both hard drives.  Who knows?  Regardless, I know I’d rather get a 500 GB hard drive if I’m going to pay the same amount for a smaller one.  The only difference I could see is that the 320 GB version had more variety in colors.

  • Be Careful Where You Park Your Car in New York City or….

    A white van with graffiti spray painted all over it in New York City.

    … you might wind up with a ride that looks a little something like what you see above.

    Over the last 10 years or so, New York City has really been cleaned up.  I heard recently that crime has gone down by a third during roughly the same amount of time.  Still, that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down when it comes to making sure you keep yourself and your property safe.

    Without checking actual statistics I would say that New York City is probably a safer place than Manila, but even so I know people who don’t go out after dark, just to be on the safe side.  Women get snatched up and raped, people get robbed, and there have even been fatal shootings in the neighborhood around where I’ll be staying.

    In the week that I was in New York (before the trip I’m currently on to visit family in Georgia), we heard someone fire off about 6 rounds from a pistol on the street behind our apartment building and we walked down a street just a few short hours before two people were found dead in a vehicle there.

    So, while I can relax a little bit compared to being in Manila, I’ll still be keeping my eyes open and listening for trouble.

  • Riding in the back of a Jeepney in the Philippines (Video)

    As I’ve mentioned many times before, a jeepney is a popular mode of transportation in the Philippines.  They stop at somewhat regular places to pick up passengers and will drop passengers almost anywhere.  The jeepneys on the road range in style from old and junky to new and pimped out with young guys running the show and jamming music.

    The last full day I was in the Philippines I road in a jeepney with my wife and I decided to record some of the action.  What you see in the video is an assistant, or conductor, who rides in the back.  He calls for passengers, announces the destination, signals stops and resumes to the driver and also collects payments.  This is a good way for the jeepney driver to make sure he doesn’t get ripped off by people who sneak in and out without paying.

    Enjoy!

  • LaGuardia Airport Vultures

    Annoying sales people in LaGuardia Airport, New York City.

    Just look at those sneaky bastards, over there in their red shirts, with their kiosk set up along the only way to the departure gates.  You just can’t get to your gate, or to the baggage claim, without going past these guys.  As you walk past, they try to rope you in by calling out, “Hi!  Are you flying on Delta today!?”  I took one quick glance and then kept moving, the preferred method of dealing with people trying to sell something.

    Later, as I sat at departure gate 1, I saw a few people stop momentarily, probably confused about why they were being asked about their flight carrier.  They quickly moved on, though, once they found out what it was all about.  As you can see from the picture, they were trying to get people to sign up for credit cards with Sky Mile bonuses, but who the hell needs another credit card these days?

    What I really want to know is what Delta was thinking.  Flying is stressful enough without being bothered by people who are trying to solicit credit card sign ups.

    My overall trip to Georgia on Delta was fairly pleasant.  We got the standard drink and snack, which is all I expected.  There was something on the TV, but we weren’t given headphones, unless they were passed out while I was asleep.  That’s how I spent most of the flight.  Hell, I even slept through take-off.  I didn’t get much sleep the night before.

    This trip to Georgia has been interesting so far.  It’s nice to see wide open spaces, blue skies and giant Wal Marts.

  • The PATH train to Newport / Pavonia, New Jersey, for Cheap(er) Cigarettes

    The sign for the PATH train to New Jersey at 14th Street and 6th Avenue.

    Yesterday I went out to New Jersey with my mom.  She clued me in on something that I’ll have to keep in mind if I plan to keep up my bad smoking habit here in New York City.  The clue?  It’s damned expensive!  If you want to buy a carton of smokes here, you’re going to pay somewhere around 100 USD, average.  New York City taxes the hell out of a pack of cigarettes.  They’ve always been expensive and in the past when I’ve come to visit I brought cigarettes with me, but nowadays it’s just insane.  You either have to quit, or you have to get creative.  One way of getting creative is to leave the city, and the state entirely, to get your cigarette fix.

    A mural on the wall at the Newport / Pavonia station. Click through for super large size viewing pleasure.

    Sorry for the cheap stitch job, but it wouldn’t have lined up right anyway.

    If you hop on the PATH (Port Authority) train at 6th Avenue and 14th Street, you can head out to New Jersey where the shopping is cheaper.  The PATH train is 3.50 one way, so 7 dollars for a round trip, but it’s worth it, because that same carton that would cost you about 100+ in the city will only cost you around 65 to 75 in New Jersey, depending on your brand.  So, even with the transit cost thrown in, you’ll still save money.

    The area just outside the Newport / Pavonia PATH station.

    Besides being cheaper for cigarettes, the Newport / Pavonia area of New Jersey is actually pretty nice looking.  It has a real southern city feel to it that reminds me of Columbus, GA or Atlanta.

    The area just outside the Newport / Pavonia PATH station.

    Even the skies there were clearer than in Manhattan.  When we left Manhattan the sky was gray and overcast.  In New Jersey the sky was blue with just a few scattered, puffy white clouds.

    Hudson River Waterfront Walkway metal plaque set into the sidewalk.

    Apparently there’s a river walk in the area.  I’m going to have to go back on another trip to check it out and get some shots of the Manhattan skyline.

    The Light Rail in New Jersey, Newport / Pavonia area.

    This is a shot of the Light Rail from a bridge that goes into the Newport Mall.

    An angry bird that was unhappy with us sitting on 'his' bench.

    And this is just some angry bird that got pissed when we sat on ‘his’ bench.  He didn’t let up in his show of indignation until we got up and took a few steps away.

    There’s a lot of city to explore, but tomorrow I’m taking another flight, this time down to Georgia to visit family for two weeks.  Wish me well on the flight.

  • MNG (by Mango) Now At JCPenney Department Store

    Now, I don’t really care all that much about ‘high fashion’ or brands, but this caught my eye because the first time I’d ever heard of Mango, or it’s MNG line of clothes, was in Singapore, where it’s apparently very desirable.  Singapore in general is very fashion conscious and the malls are filled with high end boutiques.

    MNG (by Mango) is now available at JCPenney

    I developed a particular distaste for Mango, not because of how the clothes look (I’ve never even been in the store, but the stuff in the online JCPenney catalog looks nice), but because we lived with a roommate during our first year in Singapore that talked about the brand non-stop.  I’m sure you know the type of person I’m talking about.  She wasn’t happy unless she was telling you about how great and fashionable Mango (or some other brand) is, and about how many items she has, like I gave a damn.  It got to the point that when we’d pass a Mango store in the mall, either myself or my wife would say, “Look! It’s Mango!”  The reply would usually be, “Fuck Mango.”  Like I said, not because the brand is necessarily bad, but because we were tired of hearing about it and associated it with a bitch we didn’t like.

    mng

    Anyway, in Singapore, and I presume other parts of Asia, Mango is a very desirable brand.  If you have Mango stuff, you’re cool.  I suppose that’s just not the case in the US, though.  Maybe it just never caught on the same way it did in Singapore?  Mango has a few stores here and there in NYC and on the West Coast, but I just don’t get that same ‘exclusive’ feel that I did before, knowing that Mango is carried at department store now.

    Regardless, if you’re from Asia and you were wondering how to get Mango clothes in the US, you can get it from your nearest JCPenney now, or just order directly from the JCPenney online catalog.

    (Note: This post is not sponsored by Mango in any way.)