Everything is Awesome (With This Movie)

"As if I were a kid again." If I had to summarize the experience of watching The Lego Movie, this would be it.

Moving on to the technical stuff first, the animation itself isn't the smooth, detailed movement we're used to seeing in big-budget films (or even Lego videogames on previous generation consoles). Rest assured that it's intentional, and once you get to the heart of the story, you'll understand why the directors did it that way. It's amazing what they did with the effects, to be honest, opting to keep using bricks and Lego parts instead of putting some snazzy CGI effects.

Tong Toy Story Woody Minifig [Toy Impressions]

I've been remiss in keeping this blog updated, which normally would be fine and status quo for the most part, except that those Lego knockoff makers in China have been hard at work into putting out sets quickly. And being that I've made it a personal mission to document here some of those here, I also have to ramp up on my side.

For your reading pleasure and possible buying information, of course, and not because I'm into them now.

*nose grows an inch*

So today, we'll be looking at the first of four Toy Story minifigs from Tong.

Sheng Yuan Hulk Minifig [Toy Impressions]

The knock-off stakes have officially gone up a notch. It used to be that Lego (I'm not really comfortable typing it in all caps even though it's officially spelled in all caps) knock-offs, or Lego-compatible products if you're more PC, simply took the standard block sizes of original Lego pieces, made their own original sets, mass-produced them, and called it a day.

Those knock-off sets are still in vogue, of course, and they're becoming more and more common in lower-end malls and bazaars.

What's new is that some enterprising manufacturers have started to take aim at some of Lego's more popular pieces that gives them tremendous staying power with today's kids and kids-at-heart old-timers: licensed minifigs (adopted slang for Lego human representations).

Keeping Your Personal Data Secure on the Cheap [Tips]

Credit: Hinch Newman LLP

Some data are more sensitive than others. Whether it's some top-secret business documents or simply just baby photos you'd rather not let others see easily, keeping that data secure in your hard drive is of great importance and shouldn't be taken for granted. There's always the remote chance that a hacker might access your computer or some thief takes your hard drive, as what happened to a local celebrity recently. So what can you do about it?

It's the Journey That Matters... Right? [Game Postmortem]

I always had wanted to do my own game. It's a personal goal of mine, and truth be told, working on other people's games, while fun at times, isn't exactly all sunshine and flowers, as you always have to contend with extreme deadlines they put up, much more so with last-minute changes that they think are quick to implement but isn't. The crunch some of you read about in the gaming industry is very real.

Iron Man 2 Figure [Toys on the Cheap]

In my old blog, I had wanted to do light, casual reviews on the many thrift toys I see sold in Divisoria and the like. Well, I figure I'd continue doing that here. Why am I doing this? *shrug* Dunno, there's really no huge reason for me to do this, I just find it fun to see and share what's out there. Maybe it might even help along the way with giveaway or gift ideas, maybe prizes for parties and such.

The Lovers' and Haters' Guide to the 2013 NBA Finals [Sports]

(Credit: Tumblr)

So, here we are, again on the precipice of a yearly event that has been around for the past 50+ years already. No, I'm not talking about North Korea's annual saber-rattling. I'm talking about the penultimate series for basketball junkies, the best-of-seven affair that crowns the best team in the biggest basketball league in the world - the NBA Finals.