Lovely weather updates. No more thicken sweaters with fur-covered boots. Half a mind to return back to Singapore for good, and yet, Melbourne seems to be the best option for now.
A question posted to me recently got me thinking. When is a mid-life crisis, considered mid-life?
Melbourne. A city that never ceases to amaze.
I’m not exactly a perfectionist, but he’s little vendetta makes me laugh, possibly as it tickles more than my funny bone. The other poster I love would be the penguin one….where it is advisable to conform. Or… be Cold. Check out ‘How I met your mother’. It is…Legen… wait for it… Dary!
Brrr-ingly Cold. lols!
If i had a cat, it better look like this little tubby one. Isn’t she adorable?
I remembered a time when I really ❤ cats. Loving them.
[x] Both of your parents are from Asia
[x] You were born in Asia
[ ] You use the term "Azn"
[x] You think DDR is cool
[x] You’ve watched lots of anime
[x] You like Korean drama
[x] You have stuff hanging on your phone
[x] You think your parents want you to marry within your own race
[x] You eat rice almost everyday
[x] You drink lemon tea
X’s so far:9
[ ] You style your hair
[x] You have a bebo/myspace/friendster
[x] You speak languages other than English
[x] Your parents are strict
[x] Your parents have high expectations of you
[ ] You always get A’s/B’s on your report
[ ] You do Chemistry/Biology/Physics/Accounting
[x] You know your multiplication table
[x] You play badminton or table tennis or Irish Pingpong
[x] You’ve seen the asian version The ring/The grudge
X’s so far: 16
[ ] You go/want to go to a university and would NEVER consider an apprenticeship
[ ] You own an asian car (Honda, Toyota, etc)
[x] You’re not the only child
[x] You’ve gotten little red envelopes around February (Chinese New Year)
[x] You know the difference between kung fu, karate and tae kwon do
[x] Your mother tries to bargain even though the product is already discounted
[ ] You can solve a rubiks cube
[x] You have a box of noodles somewhere in your house
[x] You play video games
X’s so far: 22
[x] Everytime you’re going out, your parents ask you where you’re going and what time you’ll be home
[ ] You have karaoke at home
[x] You’ve been to a LAN more than 3 times
[ ] You have incense sticks/moth balls in your house
[x] You own a gaming console
[x] You don’t wear shoes in your house
[x] You can use chopsticks
[x] You get nothing if you do well in school, but punished if you don’t
X’s so far: 28
[ ] Your parents won’t let you go out if you have school the next day
[x] You have asian songs on your computer/iPod
[ ] You don’t like football
[ ] You like Soccer.
X’s so far: 29
[x] You have a curfew
[ ] You know what ulzzang/tb means
[ ] You know what purikura is
[x] you like bubble tea
[ ] Your parents bought you shoes many sizes too big so you can "grow into it" and wear it for years to come
[x] You’ve played final fantasy
[ ] You believe in fortune cookies
X’s so far: 32
[x] You know what is bok choy
[ ] You’ve heard the song "Got rice?" (Asian Pride)
[x] You’ve had pockys/yan yan before
[x] when you ask for ur mums permission she goes "ask ur dad"
X’s so far: 35
Total X’s: 35
Multiply your total score by 2 and put the subject as I am _% Asian!
Chicks in gaming is a hot topic right now. It has been ever since the first generation of role playing gamers were old enough to become interested in chicks. Someone looked around the gaming table and thought, "Man, I wish some chicks would hang out with us." Game publishers also took note, thinking, "Man, I wish twice as many people were buying my games."
Two basic strategies were developed: One, add things chicks like to the games. Two, remove what they don’t like.
If they knew what chicks liked, they wouldn’t have spent their youths hanging out with a bunch of geeks pretending to be elves. So they had to stick with the remove-what-they-don’t-like approach. That’s unfortunate, because what chicks don’t like about role-playing games are, to be specific, the gamers.
I mean honestly, if hunky Brad, captain of the football team, were playing role playing games, chicks would be interested. Instead, it’s not-so-hunky Norman, captain of the chess team. Chicks hate being hit-on by Norman every time they try to play a game, and rest assured, Norman does hit-on them. They call it `sexual harassment’, on account of Norman being such a dork.
Norman: "If you’re hurt, my Paladin can heal you by laying-hands on–"
Chick: "Don’t even think about it, dweeb."
And so it went. The game publishers sought to remove game fans from the role-playing hobby.
To their credit, they did a pretty good job. They also discovered some other things along the way that chicks don’t like about gaming, but possibly this was coincidental. In removing things from games that the game fans liked, they did indeed remove some other elements that chicks weren’t comfortable with.
The word `chicks’, for instance. Chicks hate that. Not many game rules use the word `chick’ to refer to chicks any more. Not that there ever were that many games literally using the word `chick’, but figuratively, the tone was the same. Also, games don’t make so many generalizations about chicks. Chicks don’t like to be generalized. Art that featured chainmail bikinis on big-breasted warrior chicks, to site another example, was disliked by most chicks and, at the same time, was one of the big draws for chess-captain Norman, who was also disliked by most chicks. Anyone that ever played 1st edition AD&D remembers the succubus drawing in The Monster Manual. Sure, she would drain hard-won experience levels, had fangs, little horns and bat-wings, but just look at those hooters! Woo-hoo!
The DM would threaten, "She’s going to suck the life out of you," to which Norman would respond, "Bring it on, baby!"
… (eliminated bits cause it was getting a little wordy…)
Men like hunting. They like being given a target/goal and then pursuing that target with single-minded fanaticism. That’s why so many fantasy adventures are of the `quest’ or rescue variety. Actually, a `rescue the princess’ adventure is just a quest in which the goal has breasts. It isn’t really a different type of adventure so much as a variation on the theme. It’s the medieval fantasy equivalent of surfing the net.
Chicks, on the other hand, like shopping. They like going out to see what they can find, versus knowing what they are looking for right off the bat. Also, female adventurers will stop and ask for directions if they get lost, so you won’t need either random encounters or `getting lost in the wilderness’ charts. The chicks will seek-out encounters on their own. "Excuse me, Mr. Orc? Can you tell us if this is the way to the Dark Forest?" Mind you, they aren’t going to the Dark Forest for anything in particular, they’re just going to see what they can find there.
Don’t think you can get away with just having the Orc attack them, either. Men will kill the Orc, rifle the corpse and be on their way, even though they are totally lost and haven’t any idea which way that is. Chicks will want to form an interpersonal relationship with the Orc. They won’t kill him at all, but they might capture him and then bitch until he wishes he were dead. "Look at what you’re wearing! I mean honestly, how could you leave the cave looking like that? Don’t you have any respect for your mother?" and "Why are you being so hostile anyway? I’m not going to untie you until you learn to express yourself in a non-confrontational manner."
Also, `questing to recover something of great value’ isn’t as appealing to chicks as `finding a real bargain.’ That is, a sale. Let them hear a rumor that broadswords are on sale in the next town and next thing you know, they’re off. Of course, they’ll have to outfit for the journey, which for them means actually buying an outfit for the journey. You’ll have to role-play all of that, so it’s best to develop some game-mechanics to handle the situation. Get used to saying things like, "Okay, you try-on the outfit… now roll d20 to make a saving-throw versus it-makes-your-butt-look-fat."
You can throw out the character sheets that you’ve been using for the past ten years. They’ll need to be redesigned to account for the increased detail in equipment descriptions. Whereas men write "clothes, worn" on their character sheets (if that), a chick will list the type of clothing, designer, color, washing instructions and where she bought it. Instead of recording the cost of any particular piece of equipment, chicks will write down how much they saved by purchasing it. "Sword, long, elven-styling, gray steel with mauve handle featuring Krados High-Elf designer insignia, saved 10 gold coins at the Sword Warehouse in Morgorim City." It might be best to use a separate page.
Game snacks are going to change a whole lot, too. Forget the Cheetos, Brand-X budget cola and pizza. Welcome to the world of hors d’oeuvres, fat-free cookies, dry popcorn, diet coke and wine coolers. An `hors d’oeuvre’ is going to be a pretty bite of food on the end of a toothpick and if the group is meeting at your house then "stay out of the it, it’s for company" (you’ll hear that a lot). Get used to eating with toothpicks, or for that matter, silverware. There are also small square bits of paper or cloth, called `napkins’, which you will be expected to use. This assumes that you’re even invited.
Ultimately, game publishers will have just swapped audiences. Instead of expanding, selling to both men and chicks, they’ll be selling all-chick games to chicks only. This is still a better financial situation for publishers. They will eventually be paying chicks to do the design, art and authoring of games. That means real savings, because they’ll only have to pay the chicks 75-cents on the dollar compared to what they pay men.
Now, you might be thinking that you enjoy role-playing games and you don’t want to hand the hobby over to chicks. You might feel as though this is not at all fair. Well, stop crying, sissy-boy, there’s nothing you can do about it. Men should have thought of that before they let chicks vote. Now they feel empowered to take whatever they want, the way we used to feel. There’s no stopping them.
Source: RPG.NET/ Jeff Freeman
Going Green was never meant to have been anything related to the ‘green eyed monster’ or something that’s perpetually difficult and unattainable. But rather, a simple love and tree hugging can go a long long way. Or so we thought.
Watch this clip for our Green Thing who actually teaches us a thing or two about what’s Green in our world that’s worth a second look.
The GSAT:
1. I own and wear t-shirts featuring the logos of computer/operating system manufacturers. – mostly video game shirts though. Would Halo count?
2. I am over the age of 22 and live with my parents. – omg. yes.
3. I am, according to the medical definition, obese. –Na. But sometimes i feel i could be if I breathed alot more frequently.
4. On an average day more of my human interaction happens on message boards or in blog comments than with actual other people. – WWW for the win.
5. I have ended real friendships over arguments about computer or product choices.
6. I very seriously and passionately try to talk people into buying or switching to my OS/phone/product of choice. – Oh yes, and i’m a Win-Mo head.
7. I commonly use very specific technical jargon without considering whether or not the person I’m talking to understands it. – sometimes… i try to keep it real.
8. I hold an engineering or IT degree.
9. I have made a member of the opposite sex sit and watch me play video games for an hour or more. – yea. when you’re warring with the hordes in Wow. You’ll need some company in real life.
10. I play with my phone at restaurants. – naturally. with a 3G data card, you’ll go places.
11. Almost all of my jokes are actually just catchphrases or references to The Simpsons, Family Guy, Borat, or any other popular comedic film or show. – Say what? Excellent… Mostly Simpsons.
12. I have a medical problem that makes me sweat a lot.
13. I live or have lived for an extended period completely nocturnally, sitting at my computer all night and sleeping all day. – Actually. its the opposite but hey, it counts. 12hrs a day. 1/2 a whole day.
14. I generally do not leave my home if it’s not necessary for work or food retrieval. – my sentiments go wayy back. Primal even.
15. I have over 50,000 Xbox 360 Gamerpoints. – I’ve er. used up at least 20k. >.<
16. I work in electronics retail. – i write for an electronics-related mag. same-o.
17. I generally am only friends with other Apple people/Windows people. – generally. YES. Where’s my next gen Windows! Bring on Windows 7! No more betas!
18. My sense of humor is more in line with 4chan than any other comedic source.
19. I hang out exclusively with members of the same sex. – well… that’s about right. Got to keep myself and the boy happy. Ladies, we’re all good friends =D
20. I own and wear a cowboy hat, Kangol hat, fedora and/or bowler. – just a cowboy hat.
21. I am the dominant talker in most conversations I have. – listener and related. More like a PR agent in conversations.
22. I think the Star Wars trilogy/Star Trek series is the greatest thing ever put to celluloid and will argue all night about it. – Only because Ewoks exist, and teleportation was conceptualized.
23. When I hang out with my friends, we usually play Risk, Axis and Allies, Dungeons and Dragons and/or Settlers of Catan.- Mostly WOW, and Dota. Scrabble?
24. I have a level 80 character in World of Warcraft. – er. 67. But hey. who’s counting.
25. I’ve dressed up as a video game character/manga character in public on a day other than Halloween. – Yea. Jack the pumpkin man, and a geekette. People still scream when I cross their path.
26. I say internet acronyms such as LOL and BRB out loud. – Oh…ZOMG. YESH. LMAO. FTW.
27. I own a sword, nunchucks and/or throwing stars. – just a wooden Kendo sword… that’s not in my possession currently.
28. I’m an obsessive collector. – Yes. I obsessively collect photos and games that I don’t really get around playing.
29. I make my own image macros. – Windows Gallery and quick fix-it programs FTW. I do collages like the beast.
30. I am really, really into my cat. Like, really. – if i had a cat that is. although dogs are preferred in this case.
31. I have corrected someone’s spelling or grammar on a message board or in blog comments. – Sadly. Many times.
32. I have authored and obsessively updated Wikipedia entries about cartoons from the 80’s.
33. I breathe through my mouth, mostly. – only when the surroundings toxic-fied by sick coughing people, especially in the office.
34. I’ve read all of the greatest novels ever published, all of which happen to be graphic novels. – only one has ever ever made my list. Sandman.
35. I suffer from halitosis and/or a laziness-based aversion to dental hygiene.
36. I vote for politicians based on their stance on net neutrality. – Yes. Now could we have a vote please? Stop bypassing us good citizens based on the area that you live in. Sheesh.
37. My dream girl has eyes the size of dinner plates, is part robot or, optimally, both. – My dream guy? Na. Then he’ll look like Yoda, or ET.
38. I am a very active member of a private, invite-only BitTorrent tracker with extremely strict ratio/bitrate requirements. – used to be. Never again. Say NO to piracy! *hides*
39. I regularly ingest caffeine through unconventional means. – are coffee bean laced with dark chocolates counted? If so, I’m in.
40. I’m convinced that I would be happier if I worked on the Starship Enterprise. – Better pay, never the need to take an MRT again at peak hours, Futuristic pill supplements for food. Alright. Beam me up Scotty.
41. I do things for the "lulz."
42. I always have the last word in online arguments. Always. – Would the continuous typing of LOL for most answers work? Can’t understand why people don’t want to continue arguing after that…
43. I wear sweatpants more than any other type of pants.
44. I am a guy and I have a ponytail. – I am a girl and I have a ponytail. I win.
45. I believe that it’s the rest of the world that’s awkward and I actually have everything pretty much figured out. – Exactly opposite. Perhaps that’s why they say the world was built for men. I oppose that notion.
46. I have a hard drive exclusively dedicated to porn.
47. I write letters to companies and consumer interest blogs whenever I feel that I’ve been wronged. – Only if it is detrimental to my well-being, for instance if they commented on a stitch-and-fold that involved a wrong threading in the ‘DIY Jewellery’ forum.
48. I’m married in Second Life but single in real life. – I’m married in GTA IV, but still hang around plenty of women. Whatzzup!
49. I read Gizmodo more than the New York Times. – Yeah. That’s right…
50. I am offended by this test. – unfortunately. Bemused would be the word.
Now, for the scoring. Simply add up your points and click on where you fall below to get your diagnosis.
–0-10 Points
–11-20 Points
–21-30 Points
–31-40 Points
–41-49 Points
–50 Points
****
This is who I really am…
Most of your friends are from the internet, and the only time you see them is when you drive six hours to a meetup or convention. You find it much easier to communicate with people on the internet rather than in face-to-face settings, and you never really feel comfortable in social situations. But you’re a god in some sphere, be it World of Warcraft, Second Life, some message board or a "scene."
For uber blinkage individuals who enjoy the glitz and glamour high-street lifestyle, this Acer Aspire one, designed by Momoeri – a japanese model who decided to set up her own company that does re-styling gadgets the fun way.
In any case, I would like one of them netbooks… even though I’m not all about the shimmery shine, but hey, diamonds are a girl’s best friend. =p
Stuff we should be clothed in, to say what we feel. Geek-Pride!
#1: The cake is a lie…From the game, Portal.
#2: any Star Wars fan? Slogan: Noob, I am your Father…
#3: My favourite at this very moment. Epic Fail. Vista style. Bring back XP, I implore you!
Source: Jinx.com
Mariel Wong 