Retro Duo

Yesterday, I finally acquired the Retro Duo by Retro-Bit.  After over 20 years of faithful service, my original Super Nintendo console have been giving me issues with reading the game cartridges.  It probably just needed some cleaning of its contacts.  My even older Nintendo Entertainment System have had issues with reading games for over a decade now.  Hence the reason for me getting a replacement in the meantime.

SSD Modded iPod Classic

A few weeks ago I decided to purchase a modded iPod Classic from a vendor on eBay.  Up to now, I have been using another digital music player which I will write about in the future but I have always liked how the old style iPod units feel.  After some research, I decided to go with a unit from a particular vendor who has a 100% eBay rating based in the US.

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet

Late last year, Sony decided to restructure their business and pulled out of the Canadian market.  As a fan of their Xperia line of phones, it was disappointing to see.  I had read many good things about their tablets as well but they seemed so pricey to me.  I was very interested in their Z3 Compact Tablet but at a retail price of $499, it was too much to for me.  I have not been able to find any retailer that have this in their store and they were not available on Sony's Canadian site for some reason.

Long Overdue Update

It seems like I have not made any entry into this blog since September, 2014.  Now that I have finished my course, I have time to update this blog regularly.  I will probably go back to some items I purchased and do a follow-up review for them.

For a short update, I had gone back to school to take a two-year program and during that time, I was not able to update this blog due to the fact that I only had time to be at school, study, and work.  I have now moved on to a new job but at the moment, due to my part-time status, I am not able to go to any airsoft events on the weekends due to my schedule.  I hope to change that in the near future.

Arcteryx Alpha Jacket Gen 2

It is now officially fall and that means a new jacket for me.  I thought about it for a year but finally I took the plunge and got myself the top of the line from the Arcteryx LEAF division.  This is their clothing line for Law Enforcement and Armed Forces, hence the LEAF acronym.

Aside from the differences in color, the most obvious difference from their civilian mountaineering line is the addition of the velcro squares on the sleeves.  This is so patches can be placed on them.  In addition, I noticed pocket placements are different and so are some of the draw cords.  The type of GoreTex fabric used are also different but I have no idea which is stronger.

I have yet to field this jacket but I am itching for some horrible weather to come so I can play in the rain.

Arcteryx LEAF Alpha SV Gen 2

Real Grade Gundam Kits

Seeing as I had not played much airsoft this year, I turned to my old hobby of building Gundam model kits again.  This time however, rather than build the Master Grade kits that I am used to, I decided to try out the newer Real Grade kits instead.  Introduced back in 2010, these kits are 1/144 scale, so the same size as the smaller High Grade kits.  However, the RG kits have the internal skeletal frames of the MG kits and the detailings of the much larger PG kits.

So with that basic knowledge, I went to my go to hobby shop and purchased a few kits and some new equipments.  With this grade, I decided to try the clear coats, water-transfer decals, and a different type of Gundam markers.

Since I am in school full time at the moment, I won't be playing airsoft for the time being and therefore I will upload content from my first two RG builds.

Princeton Tec Switch Rail

My new toy came in the mail a few days ago and it took me some time before I managed to get around to test it out.  The following is a quick hands-on of the product.  I have yet to field test this and it may be some time before I can do that.

Arcteryx Drac Jacket

Winter doesn't seem to want to go away anytime soon but when it does, I have my newly acquired Drac jacket for the warmer weather.  Purchased from DS Tactical, it took some time before they were able to get some in but I am glad it finally came and I received mine in the mail today.

BABYMETAL's First Album

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I received my limited edition copy of BABYMETAL's self-titled first album today in the mail.  Honestly, I was not expecting it so soon since this album was supposed to be released on the 26th.  CDJapan probably just decided to ship them out as soon as they received them.  In any case, I am happy to have it.

Wiley X SG-1 Tactical Goggle

A while back I decided that I would try a different approach to being more comfortable at the long outdoor games.  Part one is to change the goggles that I would use at these long games.  In my research, I decided upon this pair made by Wiley X called the SG-1 Tactical Goggle.

Bravely Default

I have been playing this game over the weekend after picking it up about a week ago.  I must say I cannot put this game down.  I am completely addicted to this game.

JKT48

At long last, I finally received my first two CD's of KT48.  I ordered the Heavy Rotation album and Yuuhi wo Miteiruka? single from eBay since I was not able to find these in any Japanese online stores and their official store does not ship overseas.

It's Still Winter

This is a view from behind my school this morning.  It was a snowy morning with the temperature of around -14°C.  Nothing much to report other than I am tired of the cold.

BabyMetal

Over the holiday break with nothing to occupy me I took a gander at the weird part of the internet and came back with BabyMetal.  Funny sounding name I thought.  Oh look, three Japanese girls singing metal?  That's cute...

My New Nexus 7

Six months after I dropped my tablet and cracked the screen, I decided to replace it with the new version of Google's Nexus 7 tablet.  This time with an overpriced official red folio case, because I know I will drop it again.

I haven't played too much with the tablet yet but from a quick glance, the most noticeable difference is the much higher resolution of the screen.  It really is sharp.  I loaded some music and video files and my essential apps such as banking and Kindle on it.  I will also try to use it for studying rather than using the old fashioned print outs.  With Quickoffice already loaded on it, I can now open Word and Powerpoint files on the go.

Here's hoping I am more careful this time around and not cause another fatal accident.

First Game of 2014

A new year and a new game.  This time at a closed school that is scheduled to be demolished.  In any case, this was the first game I took part in since I stopped playing six months ago.  I have been busy with going to school full time and working when I am not in school.  That left very little time for airsoft.

Broken Tablet

I did the unthinkable one night as I accidentally dropped my beloved Nexus 7 tablet.  I was visibly shaken that night after having a life changing shocking moment.  I am not sure if it was my grip that was weak or my sweaty palm, but I managed to somehow let go of said tablet and it took a two foot fall onto the concrete bus station floor.

Inside Combat Rescue

I had just finished with a National Geographic documentary called Inside Combat Rescue.  A six part series that portrayed the activities of a team from the US Air Force Para Rescue deployed in Afghanistan.

Every episode followed different members from the team as they deploy to rescue US and ANA soldiers who were injured in battle and as well as civilians.  Viewers are able to see the action up close thanks to the abundant cameras placed inside the Pave Hawk helicopters as well as on the helmet of the PJs themselves.

For those who does not have the National Geographic Channel, search for Inside Combat Rescue on YouTube for the full six episodes.  I highly recommend this.

Oakley SI Belt

Revealed for the first time at ShotShow, Oakley have finally released their SI Belt.  I was able to acquire one from SKD Tactical.  Retail price of $100 is not cheap but I was always curious about these belts.

Colin's Winter Classic 2013

This past weekend, Colin held another one of his newbie MilSim training at FlagRaiders.  Despite the cold and wet weather that day, we had a good turnout of around thirty people.  Despite the numbers, there were actually only about six people that are new to the sport.  The rest were veterans and regular players that live close to the area.  In any case, we were all there to have fun and fun was had.

The day started slowly and Colin ramped up the difficulty eventually.  By the time we came back from lunch, we were conducting business almost like usual.

You may be asking, what does the gun in the picture have to do with Colin's game?  Nothing.

The day was so miserable I did not take any pictures.  So instead, enjoy my work in progress of a Mk.18 mod. 1.