My Best Birthday Gifts for 2012

Wow, the last time I posted was in January. But yesterday, which happened to be my birthday, was so inspiring that I really felt like writing about it. As many of you know, I had been so exhausted and stressed over game production work and my doctoral dissertation (41% done at 195 pages) that I felt I had hardly any time left for myself. Well, it’s a habit for me to make March 5 my “Me Day”, which usually involves going to museum trips to just basically enrich myself. And if there’s work left to be done, I usually would just worry about getting scolded on March 6. Haha!

Going on a museum trip was a little bit impossible yesterday, since I am still writing my dissertation. I had planned to go to Bataan’s Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. I ended up in Alabang Town Center, at Timezone, and re-acquainted myself with my long lost love: Dance Dance Revolution.

In any case, I have received wonderful surprises from the middle of the day onwards so all is well. Let me just enumerate the top three:

#3 Received a “gift” from Facebook

These babies I picked up from the City Hall (where the post office is haha). I thought I was going to have problems with the customs, but it turns out that a lot of people have already claimed them.

Did you know that Facebook is giving away free business cards based on your Timeline? I guess it’s their way of  promoting Timeline even further (goodness knows, I have a difficult time using it). In any case, they teamed up with Moo to give us these.

You get to choose which of your cover photos you can use on the cards and it will use your latest profile photo as some sort of an ID picture. They arrived quicker than expected. Only two weeks, whew!

They’re lovely! I just wish I had better cover photos, though.

#2 George R. R. Martin’s Dream Songs

This one is from my sister, who probably bought it for me so she can read it for herself. Haha! Anyhoo, I love George R. R. Martin. I just wish he’d stop killing off characters that I have gotten attached to. He kind of has that habit in his books.

I am so looking forward to curling up in bed with this. As soon as I find out when I can defend my dissertation. So excited!!

#1 Launching the game Grave Mania

This is the very first Anino original intellectual property game that I have worked on and I am so happy to have done this with team mates who are not only incredibly creative and driven, they’re also waaaay quirky. And why is this game really special to me even though I have worked with other Anino projects? Because it’s ours, our intellectual property,  not something we did for clients. That gives us the kind of satisfaction no other kind of project (except maybe for pro-bono tie-ups with educational institutions) can bring. So, yeah!!!

Finally, after 8 months of adventurous travails (where we also got called “silly” by real adults), it has arrived!!

And on my birthday, to boot!!

Grave Mania is a casual Time Management game about a husband-and-wife tandem, who had to deal with a zombie epidemic. Since they own a funeral parlor, they solve the problem the “Loca” way: by dressing up zombies — making sure they are  happy and contented before laying them to rest. We think it’s pretty fun. But that’s just us. You have to be loca to appreciate it. =P

Check it out at Big Fish Games!!

And yes, I think we are silly in real life, haha! Wouldn’t have it any other way.



A quick note to pirates: Have mercy on us developers from third world countries. It’s only $6.99. Joke! (No, actually that was half-meant. Hahahahahaha!)

13 Comments

  1. animetric

    March 6, 2012 at 5:21 am
    Reply

    Happy Birthday! I still owe you a Sony Bluetooth Headset baka by the time magkita tayo di na compatible sa mga bagong gadgets. XD

    I didn't know FB was giving those away! How do I get them? XD

  2. animetric

    March 6, 2012 at 5:22 am
    Reply

    Teka okay yang game mo ah! I want! 

  3. skysenshi

    March 6, 2012 at 5:30 am
    Reply

    Oh yeah, punta ka sa “About” mo sa Timeline. Then find your contact info. Click on the “Print Cards” icon. It will take you to Moo and the next set of instructions. 😀

  4. skysenshi

    March 6, 2012 at 5:31 am
    Reply

    Yay thanks!!
    Nakalimutan ko lagay ang link sa Big Fish Games download kaya in-update ko yung blog entry. Hahaha!Although…based on the way we designed it, mukhang mas maganda siya laruin sa iPad.

  5. Jonna B.

    March 6, 2012 at 5:46 am
    Reply

    Oh, yay! Finally. Ang nice nung Moo Cards, noh?

  6. skysenshi

    March 6, 2012 at 6:00 am
    Reply

    Yeah! So happy! And bilis lang niya!

  7. Mom-Friday

    March 6, 2012 at 2:29 pm
    Reply

    I am not a gamer but will definitely share your game with my hubby and friends! see you soon! I have GCs for you pa!

  8. skysenshi

    March 6, 2012 at 3:19 pm
    Reply

    Thanks!!! Grabe, end of March, alam ko kakayanin ko na makipagkita sa inyo. I miss you guys na! 😀

  9. Mom-Friday

    March 6, 2012 at 3:28 pm
    Reply

    sige game!!! vacation na!

  10. Issachavez

    March 7, 2012 at 9:37 am
    Reply

    Happy Birthday!  And congratulations on your new game! 🙂

  11. skysenshi

    March 7, 2012 at 10:16 am
    Reply

    Thanks!

  12. Karina Ysabel Nario

    March 17, 2012 at 4:04 am
    Reply

    belated, Bea! I would love to try Grave Mania but I'm on a Mac. Huhu. And is there a way that I can purchase Anino Games locally?

  13. skysenshi

    March 17, 2012 at 9:25 am
    Reply

    Hi Kari! Great to hear from you again! 😀
    Hopefully, our Mac build will be out soon. We're just clearing some bugs.

    Unfortunately, most of our games can only be purchased through either Big Fish Games or Zylom. They're downloadable kasi.

    Thanks for dropping by and for the greet! 😀

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