I can't run in this...

With snow the last several days and me being off work for a week, I haven't been able to go to the gym to exercise.  I wanted to jog today but with more snow when I woke up, I decided to just walk my normal 5KM jogging route.  With fresh snow on the route, it took me longer than usual but I needed the exercise.  I did not find it too cold so it was a good opportunity to get some fresh air and clear my head.

After coming back from my walk, I decided to clear the snow from the sidewalk and driveway.  I prefer to do it several times rather than wait until it stops snowing because it tends to become heavy.  Anyway, more exercise for me.  It still was not cold but I managed to get some ice built up on the wires of my ear buds.  I will probably go back out again in the evening or whenever it stops snowing to clear it all up again.  With an old fashioned snow shovel rather than a snow blower (which is sitting in the garage) because that is just how I roll.

2013 Airsoft Wish List

As the new year looms, I can't help but think of some of the essential things I want to get or replace for airsoft.  I cannot say how much I will be gaming in 2013, but nonetheless, there are just some things that I would need when its time for me to hit the field.

Was Missing But Now Found

This pistol went missing sometime last year and it wasn't until a few weeks ago that it was found again.  I had lent it to a friend and he had returned it back sometime after.  When I was not home to receive it. he handed it to my brother who then just placed it on a table and not tell me about it.  As time went on, it was all but forgotten when other items were placed right over it.  But, eventually, it finally resurfaced when the table was cleaned out.

In case you are wondering, this pistol is a Tokyo Marui based Sig Sauer P226.  It was converted to full metal using the Prime Navy Special Warfare kit.  The difference between the stock 226 and the NSW version is the lack of rails underneath the frame of the NSW one.  It also has an anchor engraved on the left side of the slide and a unique NSW serial number on the right side of the frame.

It has a good weight and felt very comfortable to shoot in my hands.  Definitely my workhorse in the handgun department for years and I will continue to use this for many years to come.

The Beast

At least, I hope my new toy is a beast.  And the fact that this toy is not really new.  I bought it from Colin, and I think he bought it from someone else.  In any case, this is a first for my collection.  I have never owned a squad automatic weapon before.  The main reason being that spraying large amounts of BB is not my play style at all.  As a matter of fact, my gun rarely ever go fully automatic and yet, here I am with a  gun that is only full auto.  And also heavy too, at 13lbs.  Please do not mind the fake ACOG mounted on it, as I felt it needed something there.  I am not too big on optics as well.  I am looking forward to gaming gun, but I am not looing forward to actually feeding it.  Oh well.

New Acquisition

After a long absence, I am finally back with a new update.  This time, it is with the USMC BDU set.  It is a desert MARPAT FROG set.  The acronym stands for Fire Resistant Organizational Gear.  This is one of the dangers of browsing eBay at night when you can't sleep and have nothing in particular to buy.  Everything leads back to looking pretty for airsoft.

Thompson Metal Lower Receiver

I was finally able to receive the metal lower receiver for my Thompson from RedWolf Airsoft.  Made by King Arms, it is to replace the ABS plastic lower receiver for my recently purchased KA Thompson.  I promised myself that if the receiver was not seized by Customs, I will continue on with acquiring the rest of my WWII gear.

Also on a plus note, the receiver came with an English guide on how to disassemble the gun to install this new metal receiver.  For a non mechanically inclined person like myself, this is truly a bonus.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks as I attempt to do this installation.  If I succeed, my next purchase would be the real wood kit for the gun and a few metal mags made by Tokyo Marui as all the mags made by King Arms are plastic.

Halloween at Work 2012

This year, rather than wearing one of my way too many airsoft gear for work, I decided to go with something that is completely out o character for myself.  I am more comfortable behind a mask, but this time, with only a sunglasses, I decided to go as Psy.  The reception was much better than I thought as I didn't think I look even  remotely like him.  To my surprise, many people complimented me and said I look like him.  One person who forgot it was Halloween really mistook me for the real Psy and asked for a picture with me.  In the end, I am happy with my decision.

Sunday Gaming

This past Sunday, I attended another airsoft gaming session at Ultimate Airsoft.  This time, the game was arranged by a teammate who booked some time for his private group.  He wanted to bring his co-workers and show them how she spends his free time and a few of us tagged along for fun.  The disheveled looking guy pictured beside me is Shawn, who is more comfortable sitting on a chair rather than the great outdoors, despite his saying the opposite.

King Arms M1A1 Thompson

Thanks the Stephen who likes to have other people spend their money, he informed me of a sale at Tier One Tactical for the King Arms Thompson.  At $160, this is the cheapest AEG i have ever bought.  The KA version of this gun is highly rated by those who use it so I jumped at the chance.  I was hoping that if I bought this, Stephen would too and I would have someone to go into WWII airsoft with.  Sadly, he didn't and left me disappointed.  But at least with the Thompson and a 1911, I now have all the weapons for the WWII scene.

Y'know what I think?

Don't really matter what I think. Once that first bullet goes past your head, politics and all that shit just goes right out the window.

That was a quote from a Delta operative from the movie Blackhawk Down.  Pictured above is my half assed attempt at looking like one of the Delta guys in the movie.  Half assed because most of my gear is modern, as I do not have anything from the early '90s to make the proper impression.  Regardless, it was something that I always wanted to do, and after several years, I was finally able to do it.  I think I will run this more as it is actually quite comfortable.

Oakley Juliet

So I am a bit of an Oakley whore.  Meaning I do like many things made by Oakley.  I own three pairs of boots, gloves, clothing, and even my glasses are made by them.  The one thing that I always wanted but had never bought was the Juliet sunglasses.  It was several years ago when I went to see Blackhawk Down and I noticed that Eric Bana wore an awsome pair of shades.  After some research, I found out the name and I have wanted one ever since.

Space Sherriff Gavan: The Movie

My inner eight year old just crapped my pants when I saw the trailer for this movie.  As a kid, I loved Gavan a little too much.  Many kids have sport figures as their childhood heroes.  Mine were Japanese men who transformed to cyborgs.

Gavan's TV series was the first time I ever saw a light saber, though his was called a light sword.  And his space ship is actually very similar to the Enterprise, complete with a saucer section and a lower section that could separate.  Except the lower section could transform into a giant mechanical fire breathing dragon. 

It is also fitting that the suit inspiration for RoboCop is coming out first.  The RoboCop remake started shooting in Toronto last week as well.

Damn I am excited.  The movie comes out on October 20th in Japan.  It will be some time before we will get a good quality rip and a decent subtitle for this.  It cannot come soon enough.

TM Glock 17

It has been almost two weeks since I received my PGC metal slide kit for the TM Glock 17.  I installed it right away and it is a perfect fit.  It required no sanding or fitting of any kind.  Upon using it for the first few mags, I noticed the slide would stick half way through its cycle, but with use and some silicone oil, the problem seem to have disappeared.  The pistol now cycles until the mag is empty. 

I can now proceed with the purchase of some extra mags and a Blackhawk Serpa holster.  The Serpa is my preferred holster but a stock plastic slide of the TM pistol will not fit in it due to a slight difference in the slide dimensions.  The PGC slide is slimmer and is able to fit.

The standard issue of Toronto Police, the G17 is also used on the TV show Flashpoint by the SRU officers.  This is the main reason for why I acquired the pistol to begin with.

Operation Rush Hour 2

Today, I attended a milsim game ran by Renegade.  I was a little less than enthusiastic about attending the game, seeing as I am still suffering from a cold and I was pretty tired from attending a game at Ultimate Airsoft the night before.

Impression Breakdown

 
I may not have the body of Chris Evans but that doesn't mean I can't dress like him.  Below is what I plan to get to complete the outfit he wore in the Captain America movie during the prison breakout scenes.  Aside from the leather jacket and his shirt, the rest of the outfit is actually pretty standard WWII stuff that can be purchased easily.

My Glock

Thanks to Stephen, I can now add a Glock 17 to my collection.  This will now complete my SRU impression.  As for the gun itself, it is completely in stock form.  First order of business is to replace the plastic slide with a PGC slide.  As of now, a stock Tokyo Marui Glock 17 will not be able to fit in a Blackhawk SERPA holster due to the plastic slide being slightly larger than an actual one.  With a metal slide, I can use it with the SERPA that I prefer.

Lucky for me, the metal slide and extra mags can be purchased locally so when I gather all the funds, the slide will be replaced.  I had a look at the internals of the slide and it seems simple enough for me to take apart and put together again.  I have done this several times with a P226 and a Desert Eagle but this will be my first time with a Glock.

At first. I was not a fan of Glocks but somehow, the 17 grew on me for some reason.  My preference would be a 1911 or a P226 but since my P226 is missing and I now have two 1911s, I needed a sidearm for my law enforcement impressions.  The 17 is perfect for this, seeing as Toronto Police also use it.  I can't wait to game this pistol once I finish the upgrade.

Some Thoughts

Lately, I have been thinking of getting into the WWII airsoft scene but have yet to make the plunge.  I know that several of my teammates are interested as well.  Overall, I always loved the classic look of the US paratrooper so I am leaning towards that look for now.  Several of us have talked about what faction we should go into, and I have joked that I should go as Captain America.  I am actually not sure if this is allowed but I think it will be fun.

I'm So Pretty

Here is a picture of me with Jason from Rhino 2012.  I was told that I look pretty in this but I am not so sure.  At this point, we were guarding against an entire section of Russian forces who were planning to advance on our position.  We had no cover and eventually we were killed but we looked good doing it.  I guess.

2011 TAD Stealth Jacket

Three years ago, I purchased my first TAD Stealth Jacket out of curiosity.  I had nothing to go other than the description on their website but it seemed like a Navy SEAL gucci kit so I bought one.  With names like Urban Brown and Sith Black, who could resist.  I got the brown and upon receiving it, I really didn't think much of the jacket.  It was expensive, it was a softshell with a thin fleece lining inside and it didn't have an inside pocket for me to put my iPod in.

Rhino 2012

This year's location, in the early morning.

Finally, having missed last year's epic game, I was finally able to attend this year's Operation Rhino.  This was not my first 24 hour military simulation event, but this one was by far the hardest.  Due to various circumstances, I ended up leaving early.  I wished that I was able to stay until the end, but there will be other events in the future for me to redeem myself.

Ice Cream Sandwich Woes

After upgrading my Galaxy Note to the Ice Cream Sandwich from Gingerbread, I have noticed a significant increase in battery power consumption.  Prior to the upgrade, with moderate use during work hours, I would still have plenty of power to spare.  Now, there have been several instances where I had to plug in as soon as I get home.  During a normal day, I use only the stock browser and Google Talk.

Another bug I notice is the constant locking up of the data antenna.  Several times, I had to either restart the phone to get it up and running or switch to airplane mode and back again.

As a normal user, I find this very discouraging and hope that a fix will be released soon.

Final Fantasy Theatrhythm

To occupy my time with the jet lag and being sick, I decided to pick up this game during one of my walks after work.  To be honest, I had no intention of ever playing this game as I have not enjoyed the 3DS too much.  Much to my surprise, as soon as I turned this game on, I was reminded as to why I loved the Final Fantasy series many years ago.

New Gear

I knew a package had been waiting for me for a few weeks now since I had left on vacation.  I was eager to open it up.  Two weeks before I left, I ordered a 5.11 set of MultiCam combat shirt and pants to replace my worn out and now too big set of old MC.  Also ordered was a new set of Mechanix gloves in coyote brown and an ESS goggle.  I ordered these with the intention of wearing them for Op: Rhino but I don't look too great in the form fitting combat shirt.  I guess I need to shed the several pounds I gained this past month.

Souveniers

So I am at the Hong Kong airport waiting for my flight to go back to Toronto. With two hours to go, I decided to update my blog because that is how awsome I am.  I think.  I am tired, I need a shower and brush my teeth, and I still have a fifteen hour flight ahead of me.  So here is a picture of shirt I decided to abuse with the team logo on it.  Someone cool will get it when I am back.

Visited the Dead

Chinese cemetery in Manado.

 

With only two days left in Manado, I decided to visit my relatives who had passed away today.  Many of them passed away while I was in Canada so the last time I saw them was the day I left Manado over twenty years ago.  My aunts, grandmother and many others were buried in several sites around the city so my cousins and I had several sites that we visited that took most of the morning.

Wedding

Suddenly, lens flare!

 

Not mine.  My cousin's wedding.  One of the reason for my returning home was to attend.  I had never attended an Indonesian wedding before so why not give it a try now.  There were many local customs that I did not know but one thing that is common around the world is the feast afterwards.  The wedding ceremony itself was a mixture of traditional Chinese and local custom.  My cousin is Buddhist while his bride is Christian.  It was an interesting observation.

More Manado

Clouds.  Nimbostratos or Stratocumulus, I wonder...

More pictures that I took in and around Manado.  It is surprising at how little there are on the internet.  I hope to change that but enjoy them regardless.  I tried to get a little artistic with some of them but with only my phone's camera, I can only do so much.

Manado

A fisherman preparing his boat to go out to sea.
 

After twenty one years away, I have finally returned to Manado.  My memories are hazy since I left when I was eleven, yet I still remember bits and pieces of this small city of my birth.  Many things that I thought were big as a kid turned out to be quite small now that I am a grown up.  Many things remained the same, yet at the same time, there were so much new that it could have been an entirely different place.  Meeting my relatives after so long was the main reason for my return and I am glad to be back.

Short Stay in Jakarta

The title says Jakarta, though looking at the picture, one would think that I landed in Tokyo.  In reality, my first destination when I landed there was for a bite to eat.  I was taken to a Japanese ramen house where I ate a very delicious meal.  The name of the place I cannot recall but I was told these types of fancy ramen places all import their chefs straight from Japan.  Japanese food is big in Jakarta since they are found everywhere.

Hong Kong Airport

After 14.5 hours from Toronto on a Cathay Pacific flight, I arrived in Hong Kong at 3AM local time.  At that time, I was extremely sore, and extremely hungry.  I was held up for a bit at the security check as they wanted me to clear my pockets of things and my backpack as well.  A really small and cute girl who worked as a security agent told me to step on a mat as she prepared to scan me for any metallic objects.  Not knowing anything, I just assumed the normal position for being patted physically.  She told me to put my arms down and proceeded to wave her wand around until she was satisfied that I was not carrying any weapons or explosives.

Fish Hunting in the Mountain?

With guests expected to arrive for the wedding of my cousin, my uncle decided to add a few more Koi fishes to his fish pond at home.  With that mission, he drafted my cousin, his wife, and I to accompany him to the mountain villages in search of the perfect fishes.  Manado is surrounded in three sides with mountains and the ocean on the last side.  Which mountain we went to, I was not very sure of, but the road was long, winding and congested with traffic.

Fried Chickens

I have finally arrived in Manado after twenty one years of living in Toronto.  The small city had truly changed when I noticed that there was a McDonald's in the newly developed area along the beach.  As an avid eater of food, I had no choice but to try.  To my surprise, I ended up ordering fried chicken with rice there.  Not something that one would get normally at a North American outlet.  In any case, that was my dinner and I was hungry.

Kopassus Uniform

While on my vacation in Jakarta, I managed to get my hands on a complete set of Kopassus uniform.  Kopassus is the special forces commando of the Indonesian army.  I considered myself lucky to be able to find this whole set tho it seems to not be to hard to find here.  Brand new, still in the plastic wrap, the whole set cost me Rp390,000.  In Canadian currency, it is roughly $39.  Not bad if I say so myself.  Its not really very stealthy with the red beret but whatever, that just means I will take extra shots to the head.

The Raid: Redemption

While taking a break from packing for my trip, I accidentally stumbled upon an Indonesian action/martial arts movie called The Raid: Redemption.  Upon finishing the film, I was quite amazed at how good this movie is. Right from the beginning, the action was non-stop.  I am now worried for my trip to Indonesia as I needed  the subtitle to understand the small amount of dialogue in this movie.

Propper APCU Level V Soft Shell Jacket

A new month and a new purchase.  This time, its a soft shell jacket made by AdventureTech under the Propper brand name.  The reason why I purchased this jacket is because most of the team members bought this jacket when they found out this particular one was being phased out.  From a retail price of $350, it was marked down to $100.  With that kind of discount, I could not resist.  I bought this in Alpha Green sized Large and I am very impressed with its function.  I took it for a spin yesterday in the rain and it kept the water out.  So far, this jacket has been a great purchase.

Op Hydra

Yesterday, several members of Team Ghosts attended an airsoft game at Flag Raiders that was hosted by Zeon.  Us as a team was a late addition to the roster as we wanted to make up the numbers to make the game a go.  Little did we know that we were the only ones who showed up, other than the host.  There was only one person on the roster who actually came out.  Two others came but they never signed up.  My guess is that a series of just odd happenings made things the way they are, but its disconcerting none the less.

Plastic Buckle Replacement

Several weeks ago, at an airsoft game, I had one of the plastic buckles on my Blackhawk chest harness shot out.  It was one unexpected result from having almost everyone in attendance shooting at me at the same time.  Someone will eventually shoot something out.  In the above picture, a team mate had over engineered a complex system of paracord and random plastic junk to keep me combat effective for the day.

9th Company

Over the long weekend, I was able to watch a Russian war movie titled 9th Company.  Based on a true story, this 2005 movie told the story of several young men who enlisted to fight in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation in 1988.  The movie followed their departure from their civilian lives through their training and onto their mission of guarding a mountaintop FOB against enemy attack.  It was based on a true story.

Got the bug

I really felt the itch to play today.  As there are no games scheduled for this weekend, I had no choice but to take a gun out and shoot in the backyard as I hung my laundry to dry.  Since I did not empty the ammo from last week, I decided to get some trigger time with Colin's M249.  I must say, this thing really shoots straight and fast.  It fed perfectly, although it did had some hiccup last week when I used it.  Its too bad my next game is not scheduled for almost three months away.

Newbie Day at Flag Raiders

Another year and another newbie friendly airsoft game at Flag Raiders Paintball.  This game was hosted by Colin, our team's fearless leader.  The order of the days was just quick skirmishes and I had tons of fun.  I had waited three weeks for this game as that was how long since I last played.

Hulk Smash!

Despite being told by Colin that the LiPo battery will not fit into the MP5K, stubborn me had to try it anyway.  The result of me not listening to him can be seen in the picture above.  It took me less than a week of owning this particular gun before I broke it.  It is a new record for me.  In the six years of playing airsoft, I have never broken a receiver until now.

TM Night Warrior 1911

Another newly acquired toy, this time its a Tokyo Marui Night Warrior 1911.  I have been a fan of the 1911 platform for some time now and currently own a full metal TM 1911.  That pistol is a joy to use and I am sure this new one will be as well.

My CA MP5K

My newly acquired Classic Army MP5K have finally arrived.  Purchased as a second hand from ASC, it came with a couple of stick batteries, five mags, a short silencer, an NCStar red dot sight, and an adaptor for an M4 rear stock.  All of this for $280.

KOPASKA EXPO 2012

Found this video clip on YouTube.  Credit goes to the person who uploaded it.  Shows what Indonesia's KOPASKA uses.  Which in this case, everything.  Just have a look at that gun rack. From AKs to AUGs.

The Front Line

I was able to watch The Front Line yesterday, a South Korean war movie depicting the Korean War between the North and the South.  It tells the story of an officer being sent to the Eastern front to investigate why letters from the North are being sent to the South through one of the units there, Alligator Company.  While conducting his investigation, he also took part in the struggle for Aerok Hill, which seem to change hands on a day to day basis.  All of these leading to the final days before both sides signed the cease-fire agreement.

Added an Armory Page

I decided to add an Armory page to list all the guns in my current collection.  Click on the button up top to view the page.

MP7 Love

What can be better than an MP7? Two MP7s.  Here is a still of Snake Eyes from the upcoming GI Joe movie.  Makes me wish I still have mine.  In the last movie, the Baroness was shown dual wielding the MP7.

Nothing to Envy

I am currently reading Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick.  It has been a while since I last read a non-fiction book and I came across this in the Amazon bookstore.  I am about half way through the book and so far I am quite enjoying it.  It is very informative and have opened my eyes with what goes on on the other side of the DMZ.

Xenoblade Chronicles

For the one year anniversary of my blog, I decided to post about my most recent purchase.  This is the first game for the Wii I bought since the release of Monster Hunter Tri back in 2010.  I know nothing about this particular game, other than the fact that some friends of mine have been waiting for this game since it was announced for North America.

4Minute's Volume Up

I have been enjoying the newest release from the group 4Minute titled Volume Up.  It is rare for me to actually listen to whole albums but this group is just one of a few that consistently release music that I actually enjoy.  Enjoy the music video below.

FR Night Game

My first night game of the year came last night at Flag Raiders Paintball where Chris hosted a small game.  A total of twenty players signed up for the game.  I came with Stephen and the two of us signed up for the Russian side.  Pictured is me in my Gorka and fielding the Real Sword Type 56-1.  I don't have a complete Russian impression yet as I have yet to find all the necessary gear.  More research is needed but for now, what I have works for me.

KOPASKA

Seeing as I will be returning home in a few months, I decided to look up the military for Indonesia, just for the heck of it.  I was actually surprised at how well equipped some of their operators are.  As a whole, it seems like they are regarded as one of the better trained in SE Asia.  One particular unit that grabbed my attention was KOPASKA of the Navy.  They are modeled after the US Navy SEALs and to my surprise, are quite well equipped as well.