Leo Chiang DOT COM

Earlier in the week I was invited to be the special correspondent for FUTURELOOKS‘ special coverage of Bungie’s latest release in the Halo series of video games.

Halo 3: ODST takes place during the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3, in the Covenant ravaged New Mombasa, East Africa.

You play the Rookie, the newest member of your ODST squad.  Dropped behind enemy lines, you try to reunite with the rest of your squad.

Much more than an expansion, Halo 3: ODST allows players to explore dangerous new ground, search the dark, abandoned streets of New Mombasa for clues, and fight back against the Covenant invasion from multiple perspectives. Dropping in as “the rookie,” a new member of an elite squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers sent into New Mombasa on a classified recon mission, you’ll be armed with specialized weaponry and upgraded technology, including silenced weapons and a VISR enhanced vision mode.

Separated from your squad, you’ll have to scour the city for clues in order to learn what happened to Buck, Dare, Dutch, Mickey, and Romeo. As you collect new clues, you’ll experience the story from their perspectives, fighting through the occupied city hours earlier.

Xbox Canada held a launch party in Vancouver and we have a sneak peek of what to expect prior to the game’s official release tomorrow.

Here’s also the latest live-action commercial, it gives us a good idea of how awesome the feature film will be if it ever gets made.

Posted on September 21st, 2009 by Leo
Filed under: Lucid Thoughts | 1 Comment »

Following on the success of Bungie’s Halo 3 and Halo wars, the long awaited Halo 3: ODST (previously known as Halo 3: Recon) is set to arrive in stores this fall.

ODST stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper and represent the elite special forces arm of the UNSC Marines.

You play the Rookie dropped onto Covenant occupied Earth and separated from your squad. Apparently they are going for a more non-linear, open world game play experience much like Fallout 3. I hope.  As of yet I’m not sure if there will be a co-op option in the retail release.

Purchase of the game will also get you a chance to participate in the beta for Halo Reach.

Videos are courtesy of my friends at Futurelooks DOT COM who have just returned from E3 with a bunch of sneak previews. Check it out!

Posted on June 11th, 2009 by Leo
Filed under: Shooting Gallery | 4 Comments »

This meal cost me NT$180, which is roughly $6 CDN.

I find it abundantly amazing that a place with the population density of Taipei,  currently approaching 3 million people, not including Taipei County, with the relatively expensive standards of living that the food and beverage costs can be so low.

Approximately a total of 23 million people populate the island of Taiwan, which is about the size of Vancouver Island.

It would not be difficult to live life here simply and spending less than $10 CDN per day.

Cheap eats are available in a variety of roadside vendors and small, alleyway shops.

Part of the fun of Taipei is visiting the various shops and eateries which reside in the old alleyways that criss-cross this large metropolis.  The Japanese occupied Taiwan from 1895 to 1945 and the Japanese influence is still readily apparent in the design and layout of the old city and particularly in the narrow alleys.

The above pictured sugar cane is roasted to caramelize the sugars, then pressed through a giant juicer.  Fresh ginger extract is an optional addition for addition goodness. A healthy juice snack and the smell is amazing.

Hot pots are popular here in Taipei.  We visited one that gave you a choice of your own hot pot, a bowl of rice and unlimited soft drinks and ice cream for only NT$100 per person, that works out to about $3 CDN.

Let’s not forget desserts.  A Taiwanese favorite is shaved iced with various toppings.  A delicious treat especially during Taiwan’s very hot, tropical climate.  A genuine coffee from Mr. Coffee is also a must, forget about Starbucks.

If you ever get the chance to visit Taipei, follow your nose, you may be pleased with what you find.

Posted on February 5th, 2009 by Leo
Filed under: Lucid Thoughts, Shooting Gallery | 20 Comments »

Naruwan!

I believe it means “Welcome” in aboriginal Taiwanese and the spokesperson for Tourism Taiwan is aboriginal Taiwanese singing star named A-Mei.

It’s been a couple of hectic weeks here in Taiwan, everyday has been spent with friends and family.  Life in Taiwan really revolves around the food here.

From the very simple street vendors to the very finest in upscale cuisine the goal of socializing with others is ever present.  I think that’s why Chinese dining tables are round to reflect this cultural distinction.

Chinese New Years was celebrated this year on February 26th, 2009, bringing in the Year of the Ox.  Chinese New Year is by far the most important holiday for the Chinese people and most family-based, and some larger commercial-based to a lesser extent, close shop for up to a week or more to visit family and celebrate with food and drink.

Another common pastime during the Lunar New Year is to visit Buddhist temples to pray for good luck and prosperity in the New Year.

As luck would have it, I was in the area when Taiwan President Ma’s motorcade raced by as I was strolling near a major monestary.  It is customary for the president to visit the more prominent monestaries to hand out red Lucky Envelopes to the droves of visitors.

Taiwan President Ma’s Motorcade during New Years 2009 from Leo Chiang on Vimeo.

Posted on February 5th, 2009 by Leo
Filed under: Lucid Thoughts, Shooting Gallery | 7 Comments »

Hello All!

I write this belated update from sunny, tropical Taipei, Taiwan.

I’ve been here for a couple of weeks already to attend my sister’s wedding and visiting family and friends for Chinese New Years. Happy Year of the Ox!

Since my flight to Taiwan left on the day of my actual birthday I decided to celebrate with my Vancouver friends over the last weekend before my departure.

Since Darla’s birthday is only a few days after mine I celebrated with the Exit Gear beauty first.

The following night I celebrated at a buddy’s house while we watched UFC!

On Sunday, the big shindig was held at The New Bohemian and stayed until closing where we finished off at a local nightclub called Republic.

I promise a few more updates before I leave Taiwan but my time has been sparse since I’ve been eating my way across the island. Free internet is available everywhere but I’m trying to travel light and keeping my laptop at home. Expect LOTS of food photos in the upcoming posts.

In the meantime, enjoy the photos from the birthday parties!

Posted on February 2nd, 2009 by Leo
Filed under: Lucid Thoughts, Shooting Gallery | 4 Comments »

I had to watch UFC 92 at home alone today due to the fact that I can’t get my car out of my driveway.

We’ve had about two weeks of snow and sub-zero temperatures in the Greater Vancouver Area.  It doesn’t help that the city workers had neglected to plow the roads around my condo.  The layers of snow have been compacted and a dangerous layer of ice is left on the bottom.

To worsen the situation my rear-wheel drive Mustang is shoed with summer performance tires, which effectively turn into hockey pucks in these icy conditions.  Vancouver is simply not used to this kind of adverse weather conditions and is not properly staffed nor equipped to deal with the aftermath of such a prolonged exposure.

The Vancouver International Airport measured 41 centimetres (just over 16 inches) of snow.  The Vancouver Airport is located in the city of Richmond, which is at sea level. My home in Burnaby is at a much higher elevation so I estimate we have about two feet of snow accumulated over the last two weeks.  The bad news is that it’s supposed to snow again throughout the next week.

I can’t wait for the rain to come back.

At any rate, I missed out on another UFC party and had to watch it at home alone.

Just about every fighter I had expected to win had lost.  Good thing I’m not a gambling man.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson pummeled Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva to a Knock Out victory 3:21 in the 1st Round.

In the co-Main Event Frank Mir looked his best ever with an impressive TKO victory, 1:54 in the 2nd Round over Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.  After the TKO Mir ran to the side of the cage and faced Brock Lesnar yelling, “You’ve got MY belt!”  Clearly indicating that Mir is confident he will once again defeat Lesnar for the coveted UFC Championship title that Lesnar holds after defeating Randy Couture.

Fan favorite Forrest Griffin suffered a disappointing loss to Rashad “Sugar” Evans in the Main Event, a TKO at 2:46 in the 3rd round, even after dominating the first two rounds.  Gracious in defeat as he is in victory, Forrest Griffin was full of praise for Evans.  How can you not like the guy?