Sub-100 Arns

I don't know if I have said this, but I'm leaving on May 4th at 1:45pm. That's less than 100 hours away.

I have to still say that I'm both scared and excited about the whole affair, though I fear I'm weary of it.

The actual flight will take 2 hours. The scary thing is that I don't know how long I will be out of communication there.




PS. 1 Arn = ~ 1 hour in Farscape.

I must be insane.

There are two things which question my very sanity. I'll list them out really clearly.

1) If you were to hide a voice recorder in the car and record every word that is spoken, you would doubt my sanity. Throughout my trip, I would sporadically say things like "I'm so sorry", or "I hate you". I would say "Scoop! SCOOOOP! scoop!" over and over again. Other times, I would scream like a girl. This doesn't have anything to do with the traffic. I'd do this even if I were the only one on the road.  Actually, this might not be that weird.

2) When alone, I would imagine that there is an audience viewing my life. I think this is due to the idea of the end-of-life purgatory event where whole lives are flashed-before-your eyes. I would explain what I was doing and why I was doing it to the audience.
This isn't that weird either.


So, in conclusion, I have some minor quirks which doesn't affect anyone. My verdict is that I'm not insane.

I'm pretty sure this is Wong.

Story.

Summary: Wang is now most common surname in China.

People may laugh, but Pokemon is still a fun game.

I know what you`re thinking. Pokemon came out and became a huge hit when we`re in... Grade Five? Maybe Grade Six? Because it is associated with our childhood, Pokemon must be a game for kids... or else you must either be a homosexual man-boy-loving furry f-... or you wouldn't be playing it.

Hey... Guess what? You're wrong. I'm not a child anymore, and I'm definitely not the second thing.

While the media (movies, music, television shows) portion of the franchise has always been aimed at the lower demographic (and who wouldn't? There are billions of dollars right there.) , the games have always been multi-tiered. That is, you can play the game with very little knowledge of how the things work, or you can dwelve into the extremely detailed and complex game mechanics.

I remember back in grade school when I was playing my Pokemon Blue, I would inevitably end up with a Pikachu, Snorlax, Pidgeot, Butterfree, Charizard, and a Mewtwo. The reason for choosing this party was mostly because that's what Ash uses in the cartoon show.

Nowadays, I can't imagine using a party like that. While the different types are varied and fairly balanced (to Ash's credit), the individual pokemon aren't that strong. For example, Pidgeot has 25% weaker stats in total compared to Dragonite, Pikachu should really have been Raichu (or Jolteon, which is even better), and Butterfree is an absolutely horrible pokemon. What I'm trying to say is that the game can become more complex if you read into it. (And it is a facinating read if you want to learn about how the Pokemon get their pseudo-random stats, or which move-set is the best for whichever Pokemon...)

Even with these numbers and calculations, the game still ends up being fun. Somewhere within the mindless button-pressing sessions and the mundane storylines, the game manages to grab you. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I had some major nostalgic moments when playing this new Pearl game.

Pokemon can be enjoyed by anyone, not just kids. I know that someone out there will say "Hey, isn't it a bit sad that people can devote so much time to a game?" I just want to pre-emptively reply that Hockey is a game and that Poker is a game. There are people who put way too much time into those. In comparison, I'll probably only put in 100 hours before I lose interest.

Oh, and I probably should have been studying instead of playing games and writing this.

Packing. What do I need?

Help me make a list of all the things I need to bring with me for my 4-month trip.

Necessity
- This notebook computer is absolutely needed.
- Clothing... 7 full set is enough, right?


Wants
- Xbox360 + 2 Controllers + Games
- Nintendo DS + Games
- Stargate DVDs (I still need them back)
- DVD files of other stuff
- Warcraft 3 + Battlechest


Others
- Utensils (Spoons + Forks)
- A cup or two
- Toothbrush



Right, so as you can tell, I haven`t really been in this kind of situation before. Somebody help.
The apartment is fully furnished, by the way.

No internet.

I... just found out that there will be no internet pre-installed at the apartment in Tumbler Ridge.


Which means it could take a week before we get it installed...

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PS. There has been a change in the contract. There has been a salary increase of +$1.5/hr. I still don't know what to think of the trade off.

Fluid Mechanics

in 1h 56minutes

I'm feeling much better about this now. 8 Hours ago, I was practically freaking out.

Don't know if this is due to the fact that I've accepted my coming death.

Gladys wants you.

This sunday night, or something.

Because she is available.

Contact her. k thx.

Bit the first bullet.

Chewed on it.

Swallowed it.


The Technical Communication course isn't hard. I have come to the conclusion that it is a waste of 150 dollars in tuition. Two more exams left to go.

See? The course hasn't helped me improve my train of thought at all! Look at the above! Three separate ideas strung together in a meaningless jumble.

I'm so totally going to fail the Fluid Mechanics course.

A month of WoW - my experience.

World of Warcraft is first and foremost classified as a "Massively Multi-player Online RPG". This is, infact, a lie.

WoW is a single player game. You spend 90% of the time alone in the wilderness. Sure, you occasionally run into other players, but that is rare. Now, if you run into someone of the opposite faction, there is three possible outcomes. Because the game rewards you with points when you kill a comparable enemy player, most would choose to fight. This means that one player dies while the other lives. This is not based on skill ( though if one player is retarded, the battle would change) but rather it is based on your character level. A difference of 5 levels will almost always guarantee victory. Yeah.  Outcome 1: you fight and you see that the enemy is higher in level than you. You lose. Outcome 2: the enemy is lower in level than you. You win. Outcome 3. Neither of you wish to engage in combat (due to whatever reason) . You lose.


And then there is the grinding. It takes forever to level up a character. It takes forever to travel from one town to the next. It just takes too long.
Quests in the game so far fall into one of three categories.
1) Bring a message to XXX in YYY town.
2) Kill X number of Y creatures. This includes bosses.
3)  Collect XXX number of YYY. (Usually this is drop of the Y creature.)


There are multiple zones in the game, and at peak hours, you can find up to 40 (I've never seen more except in towns.) human players. This doesn't matter as you'll be spending that time alone anyway.


So.

Things better than Guild Wars:
- Customizable UI.
- Lower system requirements.
- Auction Hall (!!!)
- Mail delivery system
- Upgradeable inventory//storage
- Unlimited character slots

Things worse than GW.
- need for grinding
- PVP
- travel time
- lack of a useful wiki (gwiki is two point seven billion times better than wowwiki)
- items. There are far too many in-between items in the game. It is too complex.



Finally, I wrote this because I got the Burning Crusades today.
Coincidentally, my paid time for WoW ran out today, so I haven't been able to play.

I guess this is excellent timing since my exam starts tomorrow.

Virginia Tech

There's nothing like waking up to a tragedy. I feel like I can't relate to it.

This picture made me smile.

It came from 4chan, I think.

The Demon Bus.

Part 1.

A pair of enthusiasts explore the mythos of a small town when reports of UFOs surface. As they stay in the town, there is a report of alien contact.

The town gathers around the abandoned grass-grown lot only to find several mucus covered shells. The local sheriff quickly takes over the scene, recommending everyone go home. Just as that happens, the several shells open up, revealing alien objects, and toy trucks, cars, and even several large soviet era warheads. The sheriffs were quick to examine these items. The enthusiasts noticed some marks left on the items and warned the sheriffs to be careful not to contaminate the evidence.

Part 2.

Nothing happened for two weeks. The entire world is stuck in an alien frenzy, wondering why and what all the contents of the shells were. The small town now has a huge following of religious zealots and sci-fi geeks. The enthusiasts themselves had a working theory of what actually happened when they pieced together the history of the town. There had been disappearances, sightings, and reports of monsters for hundreds of years. At the end of the two weeks, alien ships appeared from the sky.

Part 3.

Three large multi-kilometre ships enters the orbit of the Earth; a much smaller ship detaches, descends, begins hovering just over the small town. This was the first irrefutable proof that life exists out there. Welcome signals were broadcast on all frequencies in the hope that the aliens could understand. Fear spread around the country to those who have seen one too many Hollywood Movie.

Soldiers, scientists, and linquists of the highest caliber where quickly flown out to the contact point. Regular people were forced out of their homes.
The alien ship finally began opening up after minutes of idling. Everyone in the world was looking at this footage. The whole world was in suspense at the thought of seeing our visitors.

As smoke filled the area, a silhouette of the visitor appeared as the result of the bright backdrop of the ship. It was about four foot tall in total, bipedal with four appendages in total. On the whole, the visitor seemed  humanoid.

The figure walked down the ramp until its feet touched earth. The military was tense. The scientists were tense. The linguists were just plain tired due to jet lag. The pair of enthusiasts, who had hidden in the bushed area, were also tense. The door to the ship closed, and within two seconds was back up into orbit. The smoke had, by this time, faded away and the visitor appeared to look like a human child.

The Military was the first to step up, greeting the visitor with English. They offered peace and prosperity between the two races and extended an invitation to meet the leaders of the planet earth.

The scientists were the second to step up. They offered knowledge of the planet and practically begged the visitors to share the technologies between the two worlds.

The linguists began to speak in dozens of languages hoping that the visitor would understand them.

The pair of enthusiasts stepped out of the bush and confronted the visitor. The military didn't dare show force in front of the interstellar visitors.
They asked "Hey, boy. Where did you go? Do you need help?"

The boy replied, "I got on the wrong bus to school. Can you help me find my house? I'm lost."

Going in for one last time.

Tough technically, the last day of school was on Thursday, I'm heading back on Friday one last time.


Its 2:00am and I just finished one of my mineral estimation reports. I still have to hand in two things tomorrow, which is super cool.

My exam schedule is actually pretty nice.

Wednesday the 18 at 3:30 - > Technical Writing exam

Saturday the 21 - > Fluid Mechanics exam ( I have to really study to pass this.)

Friday the 27 for my Soil Mechanics exam.

^_^

My heart does not beat.

I think I have some serious health problem.
Is it normal for a heart to not beat?

I awoke this morning with a slight sting in my chest. As could be expected, I immediately clutched my heart.

Nothing.

I searched for a pulse on my artery at my neck.

Nothing.

I felt nothing at all.

I tried eating something healthy, like a banana or an apple. I couldn't even put it in my mouth before my gag-reflex took over.

I ended up eating some ham from the fridge.

Wants.

This is a list of things I want to buy before I leave for good.

1) Burning Crusades (40 at FS until the 13th)
2) Warcraft 3 Warchest (50)
3) Pokemon Pearl (White>>> all, and also ~ 45)
4) 4 month card  of Wow (60)
.
.
.
5) Guitar Hero?
6) Iron-toed boot
7) ??

Outside food.

I've had at least one meal at a restaurant outside for each of the last five days... and I think I'm getting tired of the food.

I mean, they are just so expensive for the amount I'm getting. A standard burger at WhiteSpot costs 9 dollars? Comon!

Ugh.

Also, those kinds of food all have the same aftertaste. I'm talking about that greasy, sticky feeling that you get.

I don't want those kinds of food for a long time.

Grindhouse blurb

Planet Terror was executed perfectly. It was fun, sexy, and campy. The artistic style was nice too. 9/10

Deathproof, on the other hand, was just garbage. Sure, the scenes with Stuntman Mike was cool, but that felt like only 10% of the movie. The other 90% of the time were spent on idiotic characters who you don't really care about. Also, why was Snake doing all this killing at all?

Maybe the reason for my disappointment was because I thought Snake was some kind of supernatural death-rider kind of guy and that his car was literally supernaturally "death proof".

Alas, poor yorick, that's not what it was about.

The trailers were all fantastic... except for Thanksgiving.

Strip Mining

1) Those clubs are too loud. That seriously can't be good for your ears. Ten minutes out of the place and my ears are still ringing.

2) Not that exciting. I'm not gay or anything, but the atmosphere wasn't quite right. I mean, I feel that chicks getting naked should be a private thing between a couple of people. That in front of a whole place full of flashy lights and people wasn't good for me.

3) Jeffery Duck getting thrown out was kind of hilarious. It was pretty early in the night too.

4) So, as I was going to the Cellar, I decided to take a detour (more like a complete reverse) to the pizza place. Once there, the combination of Jerome's insistance on going home and my hurting of my wallet made me choose to go home instead. Yeah. Six dollars and sixty cents for a bottle of Molson's was ridiculous.

I hope you'll Rest in Peace.

Since BSG/ Stargates have ended, and Heroes is still on hiatus...
Television:
Rome - Good series in total. I didn't like season 2 as much as the first, but it was still very enjoyable. I'd recommend this to people (but not children! Due to the violence/sex)

Doctor Who - Series three just started last week and is pretty good so far. The stories seem predictable, though.

Jericho - I feel like this show is much, much better now than compared to the first half of the season. Yeah, sure, there are still a lot of cheesy moments, but the whole nuclear-apocalyptic feel is much appreciated.

Lost - I have the same feeling for this as I do for Jericho. The first six episodes were tedious and boring. These episodes right now are actually good.

Dresden Files - I've pretty much given up on this show. Rehashed plots and plot inconsistencies (at least perceived inconsistencies) really killed the show for me.

Things to look forward to:

The return of Heroes
The 4400
Painkiller Jane? - Premise sounds really cool.
Babylon 5 - I bought season 3/4. =/

Pressure, Begone!

My Apsc 201 teacher has just given us a 'grace' day for our paper due on Thursday. This means that it is due on the next business day, which would be the following Tuesday.

Huzzah!

April First,

I'm not going to read the news today. There's no point.

I can't remember a single important thing happening on this day.

Do I really have time to go around the forums deciphering if each news topic is real or not? There's just too much time wasted.

And it isn't like missing a day of news is going to be problematic. I can always go back. This applies to slow forums too. It doesn't really apply to LUElinks where there are 50 new topics in 5 minutes or less.

How Quinn destroyed the world.

Terrence makes me sick. I don't like the fact that I can't get under his skin.

He just seems so... prepared for anything you would say.

Ugh.

Anyway, I guess that was a good run. No more, though.