OK, by the way, Liverpool has since scored 18 goals in about 4 matches....
It's now Sunday morning and as usual, someone else' handphone alarm went off (not mine), but I woke up first....So we freshened up, got ready and left the hotel by about 8.15am. The cool thing this time was that we booked for Sunday night as well, so no need to lug around our whole travel bag and stuff and look like nomads at the tournament (last year that was what happened). Breakfast was unfortunately not Burger King.....Since we were somewhat late (by my standards, anyway, we were there early), we had to go to the venue first, scout around and then decide to have breakfast near the venue.
Breakfast for everyone was similar to KL, Roti Chanai, Fried Meehon and Wantan Mee for myself. No pork though, damn. After a quick (like 15 minutes?) breakfast, we returned to the venue where I proceeded to find some trade opportunities. Dawn made some moves on some Adrian she met last year, though it's intentional here to mean something else, when it actually wasn't. Who am I not trying to confuse here??? Moving on..
Trading didn't go very well in the beginning, probably because everyone was tense over the looming round one...In any case, let's see if you notice anthing about my next seven matches...
Oh, in case you forgot, I'm playing Face Your Freakin' Hero
Round 1:
Edge (Superstar Value(SSV) 3)
Was actually quite confident I'd nick a win, simple because I didn't know any better. Prematches that included Fan's love an Underdog, and I'm an Underdog, sent my SSV sky high and Edge having a handsize good for Road to Victory(RtV). However, due to my lack (none) of practice, I played like a noob( amatuer) and let Edge smack me silly and call me.....I of course, lost....
0-1
Round - 2: Rob Van Dam (SSV 3)
This is actually a kid that Dawn had to rematch with, after (not sure who) they decided to play wrong opponents for round 1. Dawn won the match, got incorrectly paired down to play me, and thus her opponent met me instead (Swiss Round rules....Don't know about it? too bad, haha). Being a kid that he is, he wasn't very confident of his deck and thus by sheer maturity, I won. (yes, me the bully...)
1-1
Round 3: Big Freakin' Machine (SSV 3)
Yet another kid, but this one knew how to play the deck. The moment he dropped the Throwback (TB) Inferno Match, I knew I was doomed. Before we even started the match, I had lost about 20 cards to overturn..Safe to say, I killed myself this match.
1-2
Round 4: Shelton Benjamin (SSV 3)
Aha! My namesake, and a 'tou tai' (student) to my SuperStar....Unfortunately my lack of playtesting meant that I was yet again bashed to bits, and My Freakin' Hero was freaking out due to the number of losses that I have. At this point I was truly contemplating dropping...Wonder why I didn't...Oh, I had a trend, i wanted to know if it would continue...
Round 5: Chris Jericho (SSV 3)
This is by far my best matchup, simply because locally I have a "jericho" player who does nothing but say "Dis-card...a-card..." every turn. Knowing how this SuperStar worked, I manage to do the unthinkable....I Victory rolled this basta@^@^@^@@^!!!!!!!! fyi, this is what the local guy does to win..(you know who you are ,you pirate!).
2-3
Round 6: Junkyard Dog (SSV 3)
Who the hell is this??? His ability was that all his grapples are -7F...Which meant a lot of the big grapple manuevers can be thrown at me from the start. Couple that with him playing Hell in the Cell, I was doomed. I was actually trying to save myself, but my last ditch effort with Do You Live By the 3 I's to shuffle back 7 face/heel cards didn't save my ass and I lost in the end. ( I also cheated by shuffling It's True! It's True! which isn't a face/heel card for me....)
2-4
Round 7: John Cena (SSV 3)
See the trend? I did.. This John Cena player probably played this guy for fun, because he idolises Cena, or he doesn't have any deck and was given Cena to play with. Cena is actually very week in the meta game, and therefore even without my playtesting, Cena lost....A clear indication he was just as ill prepared as I was...He didn't dicard my backlash card at all, and he had about 15 fortitude....
3-4
And so goes the ex- 6-1 performer to a meager 3-4 result. I should be ashamed of myself...Actually I am....NOT!! (lie)
So what did Benjamin Lam learn from this fruitless venture to Singapore?
1) Who needs a backstage signature when all your opponents were SSV 3? Reduce their SSV so that they could Underrated SuperStar???? I tell you, SSV 3 SuperStar rocks now!
2) Don't go to a tournament unprepared, thinking that theory is suffice. My indecision cost me lots of games, if not all, and my lack of playtest as well.
3) Have burget King for breakfast, lunch and Dinner, no matter what your other travelling mates say...Else, what else have you got good to remember by??
Oh, I also failed to mention we did end up having Burger King for lunch.. While they shared a set for 3, I had my own set...But that's not the main story....
Oh, time to go home, last part coming next!!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Singapore - 2006 Quick Note
(Writing this has been harder than I thought this year. With the slowing down of blogging amongst people I know, as well as my own laziness, coupled with my stresses at work and home, this is going to take me quite a while to finish..But I will finish it, albeit very slowly.....And with loads of memory losses)
Friday, March 10, 2006
Singapore, 4th March 2006 (part II)
So where was I?
Oh, we discovered that we were about 300 lots away from our hotel on the same street. With the luggage that we have, the 300 lots weren't as appealing as you'd think. But our need to settle down (as in check in, not anything else, mind you) as well as my need to, ahem, clear certain parts of my body, was good enough motivation that we proceeded to the hotel asap...Oh, asap differs especially when you have people who don't walk fast (you know who I mean, haha).
Upon reaching the entrance to the hotel (fyi, it's a budget hotel, so no fancy lobby to s(h)it and wait...Me and Azmin went up to the reception on 2nd floor to check in..(read this) As we checked in, the receptionist/front desk/owner (probably) asked if it was just 2 persons....And Azmin said yes!!Then we got a room that just outside the reception!! Once we moved into the room, we had to decide quickly how we were going to get Loco & Dawn in as there was no way would could sneak them into our room. It didn't take too long for Azmin to 'bear it all' with the hotel and bring in the rest, while I decided to clear my bowels. (!)
After I finished taking care of myself, I found it worrying that they were still not inside the room. My guesses include:
1) They came in, and went out to chill;
2) The hotel said no to having 4 persons in the room and forces them to check in in another room, thus Azmin is with them;
3) The hotel has no other rooms and wants them elsewhere;
4) The hotel isn't happy we (Azmin, I'm so crucifying you on this one, haha!) lied, and thus god knows what else would have happened'
5) They're still negotiating the deal.
So I decided to go out to look for them, only to discover them all seated in front of the room and the reception. It seems that the hotel does not have extra keys, and the one I have in the room (needed to turn the power on) was the only key that can unlock our room door. So they had waited all this while (I was happily freshining myself, haha) and they were obviously unhappy. It didn't help that I could see no wrong in what I've (not) done, I mean, I really didn't know. But an apology would have made things easier. And you guessed it right, I didn't apologise.
So while Dawn proceeds to freshen herself, the guys (3 Liverpool fans, btw), decided to do some deck practice. At the same time, the trip got it's eventual name, 2 liverpool fans, 1 random girl and a dumba$$ in the toilet came from....that's not relevant. It did, ofcourse, made me feel bad (I actually reacted like a very mean kid, haha)...Fortunately, the other 2 liverpool fans were more adult than myself and the whole situation was 'resolved' peacefully. It wasn't fully resolved, but an understanding was achieved to allow us to proceed with the trip without too much bad blood.
Oh, I should mention, I haven't decided on which deck to play yet. I brought GoldBerg & Chris Benoit, as well as borrowed (insert serial caller)'s Your Freakin' Hero...but still continued to question myself who to play. Everyone's advise to play the deck I'm most comfortable with didn't seem to sink in, and I continued on my streak of insanity by even building yet another deck, RVD, and playtested it that night. It didn't work, of course (and thank god, you'll find out too tomorrow) so try and guess who I played the next day?? (Those who already know need not answer aloud).
In the end, after several games (which actually isn't enough), I decided the inevitable......I shal play Your Freakin' Hero!!! And then I proceeded to go to sleep, got to wake up early tomorrow, you see.
Sidenote: The was EPL that night, and as usual I decided against watching the Liverpool match. They didn't lose, but they didn't score either....And they haven't won since....boo hoo..
Oh, we discovered that we were about 300 lots away from our hotel on the same street. With the luggage that we have, the 300 lots weren't as appealing as you'd think. But our need to settle down (as in check in, not anything else, mind you) as well as my need to, ahem, clear certain parts of my body, was good enough motivation that we proceeded to the hotel asap...Oh, asap differs especially when you have people who don't walk fast (you know who I mean, haha).
Upon reaching the entrance to the hotel (fyi, it's a budget hotel, so no fancy lobby to s(h)it and wait...Me and Azmin went up to the reception on 2nd floor to check in..(read this) As we checked in, the receptionist/front desk/owner (probably) asked if it was just 2 persons....And Azmin said yes!!Then we got a room that just outside the reception!! Once we moved into the room, we had to decide quickly how we were going to get Loco & Dawn in as there was no way would could sneak them into our room. It didn't take too long for Azmin to 'bear it all' with the hotel and bring in the rest, while I decided to clear my bowels. (!)
After I finished taking care of myself, I found it worrying that they were still not inside the room. My guesses include:
1) They came in, and went out to chill;
2) The hotel said no to having 4 persons in the room and forces them to check in in another room, thus Azmin is with them;
3) The hotel has no other rooms and wants them elsewhere;
4) The hotel isn't happy we (Azmin, I'm so crucifying you on this one, haha!) lied, and thus god knows what else would have happened'
5) They're still negotiating the deal.
So I decided to go out to look for them, only to discover them all seated in front of the room and the reception. It seems that the hotel does not have extra keys, and the one I have in the room (needed to turn the power on) was the only key that can unlock our room door. So they had waited all this while (I was happily freshining myself, haha) and they were obviously unhappy. It didn't help that I could see no wrong in what I've (not) done, I mean, I really didn't know. But an apology would have made things easier. And you guessed it right, I didn't apologise.
So while Dawn proceeds to freshen herself, the guys (3 Liverpool fans, btw), decided to do some deck practice. At the same time, the trip got it's eventual name, 2 liverpool fans, 1 random girl and a dumba$$ in the toilet came from....that's not relevant. It did, ofcourse, made me feel bad (I actually reacted like a very mean kid, haha)...Fortunately, the other 2 liverpool fans were more adult than myself and the whole situation was 'resolved' peacefully. It wasn't fully resolved, but an understanding was achieved to allow us to proceed with the trip without too much bad blood.
Oh, I should mention, I haven't decided on which deck to play yet. I brought GoldBerg & Chris Benoit, as well as borrowed (insert serial caller)'s Your Freakin' Hero...but still continued to question myself who to play. Everyone's advise to play the deck I'm most comfortable with didn't seem to sink in, and I continued on my streak of insanity by even building yet another deck, RVD, and playtested it that night. It didn't work, of course (and thank god, you'll find out too tomorrow) so try and guess who I played the next day?? (Those who already know need not answer aloud).
In the end, after several games (which actually isn't enough), I decided the inevitable......I shal play Your Freakin' Hero!!! And then I proceeded to go to sleep, got to wake up early tomorrow, you see.
Sidenote: The was EPL that night, and as usual I decided against watching the Liverpool match. They didn't lose, but they didn't score either....And they haven't won since....boo hoo..
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Saturday, 4th March 2006
It's 6.10 am. I'm actually quite awake, but sometimes getting out of bed isn't as easy as it seems. So after a couple of snoozes (of my alarm) I finally woke up to get reasy for the trip to Singapore. Then some bloke (you know who you are) decided to call me while I was brushing my teeth! At least it's good to know the rest have woken up too, but getting a call at 6.45am when you have already awaken isn't very nice. However, when you are asleep.......
Got a ride from my sister all the way to Puduraya. Meeting time was supposed to be 8.00am, however I arrived at 7.30am instead (This is not the only time where I do a reverse of the Malaysian timing culture). Called the others to ascertain their location and ETA and then proceeded to find a Mamak restaurant to have some tea. I wasn't feeling so well in the tummy, so couldn't bring upon myself to look for a moeny changer or get the tickets for our rides down to Singapore. About half an hour later, Azmin called to find out where I was, only to pass by the Mamak and not know I was there because they thought I was inside Puduraya...
Oh, maybe it's time to introduce my travelling party....There's me, well, you should have known that by now...There's Azmin, who also went to Singapore last year for the same event. There's Dawn, who for the second consecutive year, is the only female player in the tournament, and lastly there's Loco, the 'new arrival' who isn't that 'new' really because he's actually older than all of us... So this was the trip of 2 Liverpool Fans, 1 Random Girl and a DumbA$$ in the Toilet (Did I get this right? Something like that lah, ok?) I'll explain the dumba$$ later...
Funny number 1: All 3 'veterans' forgot about getting Singapore currency, and as it was way too early, the money changer isn't open. While the turn of events made it possible for us to change Sing dollars before we boarded our bus, the truth is, we would have gotten better rates had we have changed in Singapore instead.
By the way, we managed to secure bus tickets for a Bus to leave at 9.00am, only to have the 'traffic' situation in Puduraya make us wait until 10.00am before the bus went on it's way. Thus we managed to get some Sing dollars, as the local money changer opened at 9.00am.
Funny 2: As I mentioned, I had some issues with my digestive system, and took the delay as a chance to 'relieve' myself. However, i took longer than the gang expected, so they sent Azmin to go search for me. After I was done, I noticed 4 missed calls (god knows why I didn't hear them in the first place) and an sms "dude, where are you?". I rushed to the platform only to find Azmin is still looking for me...Luckily we all managed to get on the bus together (obviously helped by the late, late bus).
The bus stopped somewhere in Batu Pahat, I think, for a break. We alighted for lunch, and then Azmin and Loco made a startling discovery...It seems that a certain cashier was demanding a lot of their attention, and they made very little effort to hide it. They also brought to my attention that one of the passenger was somewhat, tomboyish. Unfortunately, me in my unwell state (still having stomach issues) it took Dawn quite a number of sentences before I got what they were saying. Back to the cashier, Azmin made a second trip for tissue, while Loco was admiring the scenery very much. We only had 1/2 an hour, though, so time to get back on the bus.
Nothing much else happen, we passed through Malaysian Border, then Singapore Border, with little fuss. Loco was made a pass on by the Singaporean Immigression officer, but other than that, nothing we didn't expect.
Conversation 1:
"So Azmin, do you know where our Hotel is?"
"It's on Beach Road."
"And how do we get there?"
"I don't know."
"So you have the map with you?"
"No."
"You have their number?"
"Yes. And the address too."
(Please note that having the number isn't reall helpful as all of us are on prepaid mobile phones, and calling/receiving calls cost a bomb!)
In the meantime, we were also having this serial caller calling each of us, one after another, almost every other hour..(You know who you are)..Will talk about that person later...
The bus drove into Beach Road (road signs help, I tell you!) and we asked to be allowed to board off. However, the driver explained that Singaporeans are very strict towards where busses may offload their passengers, so we only manage to get off (ahem) another block away. Taking all our stuff, we had to walk about 150-200 metres before reaching the junction of Beach Road.
Conversation 2:
"What's the address again?"
"97 Beach Road"
!!
The lot number of the first building on Beach Road that we saw was 397!! Long, long walk ahead....
(to be continued...)
Got a ride from my sister all the way to Puduraya. Meeting time was supposed to be 8.00am, however I arrived at 7.30am instead (This is not the only time where I do a reverse of the Malaysian timing culture). Called the others to ascertain their location and ETA and then proceeded to find a Mamak restaurant to have some tea. I wasn't feeling so well in the tummy, so couldn't bring upon myself to look for a moeny changer or get the tickets for our rides down to Singapore. About half an hour later, Azmin called to find out where I was, only to pass by the Mamak and not know I was there because they thought I was inside Puduraya...
Oh, maybe it's time to introduce my travelling party....There's me, well, you should have known that by now...There's Azmin, who also went to Singapore last year for the same event. There's Dawn, who for the second consecutive year, is the only female player in the tournament, and lastly there's Loco, the 'new arrival' who isn't that 'new' really because he's actually older than all of us... So this was the trip of 2 Liverpool Fans, 1 Random Girl and a DumbA$$ in the Toilet (Did I get this right? Something like that lah, ok?) I'll explain the dumba$$ later...
Funny number 1: All 3 'veterans' forgot about getting Singapore currency, and as it was way too early, the money changer isn't open. While the turn of events made it possible for us to change Sing dollars before we boarded our bus, the truth is, we would have gotten better rates had we have changed in Singapore instead.
By the way, we managed to secure bus tickets for a Bus to leave at 9.00am, only to have the 'traffic' situation in Puduraya make us wait until 10.00am before the bus went on it's way. Thus we managed to get some Sing dollars, as the local money changer opened at 9.00am.
Funny 2: As I mentioned, I had some issues with my digestive system, and took the delay as a chance to 'relieve' myself. However, i took longer than the gang expected, so they sent Azmin to go search for me. After I was done, I noticed 4 missed calls (god knows why I didn't hear them in the first place) and an sms "dude, where are you?". I rushed to the platform only to find Azmin is still looking for me...Luckily we all managed to get on the bus together (obviously helped by the late, late bus).
The bus stopped somewhere in Batu Pahat, I think, for a break. We alighted for lunch, and then Azmin and Loco made a startling discovery...It seems that a certain cashier was demanding a lot of their attention, and they made very little effort to hide it. They also brought to my attention that one of the passenger was somewhat, tomboyish. Unfortunately, me in my unwell state (still having stomach issues) it took Dawn quite a number of sentences before I got what they were saying. Back to the cashier, Azmin made a second trip for tissue, while Loco was admiring the scenery very much. We only had 1/2 an hour, though, so time to get back on the bus.
Nothing much else happen, we passed through Malaysian Border, then Singapore Border, with little fuss. Loco was made a pass on by the Singaporean Immigression officer, but other than that, nothing we didn't expect.
Conversation 1:
"So Azmin, do you know where our Hotel is?"
"It's on Beach Road."
"And how do we get there?"
"I don't know."
"So you have the map with you?"
"No."
"You have their number?"
"Yes. And the address too."
(Please note that having the number isn't reall helpful as all of us are on prepaid mobile phones, and calling/receiving calls cost a bomb!)
In the meantime, we were also having this serial caller calling each of us, one after another, almost every other hour..(You know who you are)..Will talk about that person later...
The bus drove into Beach Road (road signs help, I tell you!) and we asked to be allowed to board off. However, the driver explained that Singaporeans are very strict towards where busses may offload their passengers, so we only manage to get off (ahem) another block away. Taking all our stuff, we had to walk about 150-200 metres before reaching the junction of Beach Road.
Conversation 2:
"What's the address again?"
"97 Beach Road"
!!
The lot number of the first building on Beach Road that we saw was 397!! Long, long walk ahead....
(to be continued...)
Friday, March 03, 2006
Singapore 2006!
It's that time of the year again where I make my way to Singapore for a Raw Deal Tournament. For those who have actually followed this site, you'd recall my 'amazing' adventure last year.....Ok, maybe not that amazing, but who knows??? So I'll make a pre-empt move today and talk about it before it even happens!
Singapore Raw Deal Qualifiers 2006 - Prologue
I've actually been deck testing for a 2 weeks (only) and have not yet settled on a deck. This time the travelling party is much smaller, with only myself, Azmin & Dawn from previous trip and Loco who's the newbie....I mean, new to this travel to the next country and bash up singaporeans in a tournament.....Wait, I think he's done those too, just with a different card game...Oh, whatever....
So the past four days have had me going to AmCorp Mall every night, trying to get back in the groove of playing wrestling....You see, I've been somewhat sidetracked for a couple of months with other, erm, 'priorities' not amounting to future planning. In fact, nowhere close..Oh what the hell, I've been Anachronism-ing, playing Space Rangers and Football Manager 2006 on PC. Therefore my wrestling skills have somewhat, dwindled?
So, back to wrestling, as I mentioned, I can't decide on what deck to play. So I'm currently deciding between Chris Benoit, GOLDBerg or Your Freakin' Hero ( those with no WWE interest would have no inkling what I'm talking about). I haven't even built the Benoit deck yet, and am relying on another player, who, unfortunately can't go, to supply the Freakin' Hero deck. Oh well, what should I do???
Tonight I have to build a Babe of the Year deck for Dawn, pack my luggage, pack the stuff I need to bring to Singapore, and hope that I wake up on time tomorrow.....Did I mentioned I offered to be an alarm clock for Azmin??? I wonder if I'll oversleep and miss the whole thing.....Actually, that's not too bad an idea....
Wait.....MY CREDIT CARD WAS USED TO BOOK THE HOTEL!!!!!! I can't not go!!!!!
Singapore Raw Deal Qualifiers 2006 - Prologue
I've actually been deck testing for a 2 weeks (only) and have not yet settled on a deck. This time the travelling party is much smaller, with only myself, Azmin & Dawn from previous trip and Loco who's the newbie....I mean, new to this travel to the next country and bash up singaporeans in a tournament.....Wait, I think he's done those too, just with a different card game...Oh, whatever....
So the past four days have had me going to AmCorp Mall every night, trying to get back in the groove of playing wrestling....You see, I've been somewhat sidetracked for a couple of months with other, erm, 'priorities' not amounting to future planning. In fact, nowhere close..Oh what the hell, I've been Anachronism-ing, playing Space Rangers and Football Manager 2006 on PC. Therefore my wrestling skills have somewhat, dwindled?
So, back to wrestling, as I mentioned, I can't decide on what deck to play. So I'm currently deciding between Chris Benoit, GOLDBerg or Your Freakin' Hero ( those with no WWE interest would have no inkling what I'm talking about). I haven't even built the Benoit deck yet, and am relying on another player, who, unfortunately can't go, to supply the Freakin' Hero deck. Oh well, what should I do???
Tonight I have to build a Babe of the Year deck for Dawn, pack my luggage, pack the stuff I need to bring to Singapore, and hope that I wake up on time tomorrow.....Did I mentioned I offered to be an alarm clock for Azmin??? I wonder if I'll oversleep and miss the whole thing.....Actually, that's not too bad an idea....
Wait.....MY CREDIT CARD WAS USED TO BOOK THE HOTEL!!!!!! I can't not go!!!!!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
And the conspiracy continues.....
Remember I posted last year on a conspiracy, where certain events were happening to allow someone to move into my position??? ( I hope I didn't move that entry, haha...better go check later) Well, it's been awhile and Part 3 didn't happen. So I decided to do my little bit and give it some push by vacating myself....psst...Don't tell anyone in my office, it's not official yet...
So since then the ball is rolling again, and Part 3 (Creation) will commence pretty soon. Once that happens, I am confident Part 4 (Reconciliation) will take place and I will be free!!!!!!!!(?????????)
Planning for a trip down to Singapore next week, yet another Raw Deal qualifiers....Might just go crazy and post it like last year....Let's hope my poor spirits don't stop me from writing another story for your enjoyment!!
So since then the ball is rolling again, and Part 3 (Creation) will commence pretty soon. Once that happens, I am confident Part 4 (Reconciliation) will take place and I will be free!!!!!!!!(?????????)
Planning for a trip down to Singapore next week, yet another Raw Deal qualifiers....Might just go crazy and post it like last year....Let's hope my poor spirits don't stop me from writing another story for your enjoyment!!
Friday, February 10, 2006
How are you??
I hate that question. Really. Because everytime someone ask me that I have to lie. Either that, or I'll end up deliberating what should my answer be, and eventually still lie.
I'm Fine. Excellent. Ok. Great.
My best honest opinion is " I'm still alive". Yet when people hear that they think that I'm being difficult, or that I'm being sarcastic. Why can't they see that it's the only non-lie non-damaging answer that I have?
I can't tell them I'm not getting any, can I? I can't tell them I'm broke? Or that I'm having a pain in the neck and wished I was at home. I can't say that I would've been better until I saw their face, no?
So that I believe is the question I hate most. If you read this, and you meet me sometime in future, just say hi. I'd like that much more.
I'm Fine. Excellent. Ok. Great.
My best honest opinion is " I'm still alive". Yet when people hear that they think that I'm being difficult, or that I'm being sarcastic. Why can't they see that it's the only non-lie non-damaging answer that I have?
I can't tell them I'm not getting any, can I? I can't tell them I'm broke? Or that I'm having a pain in the neck and wished I was at home. I can't say that I would've been better until I saw their face, no?
So that I believe is the question I hate most. If you read this, and you meet me sometime in future, just say hi. I'd like that much more.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
No post for so long....why???
I've noticed that I have had nothing much to write about myself ever since I've decided not to write about my feelings. I have been writing about them, just that their in another blog (those who know me well would be able to find that blog...).
So, as it turns out, my thoughts now are very much inclined to emotions, so I continue to have nothing to write here..
So Updates it will be then:
Have resumed playing Anachronism CCG, though my sucky dice rolls have cost me way too many games. Hopefully I'd be able to improve my luck in the future.
Have decided that by February, in my living conditions don't change, I will change it personally...(wonder if this is an update, after all).
Uh, too tired to do much more considering it's 7.42pm and I'm still at work..
Boring, boring, me....
So, as it turns out, my thoughts now are very much inclined to emotions, so I continue to have nothing to write here..
So Updates it will be then:
Have resumed playing Anachronism CCG, though my sucky dice rolls have cost me way too many games. Hopefully I'd be able to improve my luck in the future.
Have decided that by February, in my living conditions don't change, I will change it personally...(wonder if this is an update, after all).
Uh, too tired to do much more considering it's 7.42pm and I'm still at work..
Boring, boring, me....
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Extended nothings.....
couldn't think of how to tilte this post, therefore I chose to word what I would say to explain my lack of updates.
1) New Year came and gone. Went to a colleague's house on New Year's eve, spent the whole time watching fooball instead while the other people played blackjack. Nothing much else happened...since there were only single men, the women all came as partners...
2) Played 2 hours of futsal yesterday. Had a cracking good time, scored 3 goals and did quite a number of dribbles. I guess I can do some random burst of speed, however my shot power and accuracy is way, way, off. Still, in company of game lovers and not game players, I guess I fare quite well. Hope to do this more often so that I can play better in the upcoming competition in my company.
3) Mood is extremely low these days. Made some impulse purchase of card games just to sate my poor emotions. Hate that phrase, "that won't keep me warm at night". What's wrong with just a good, heavy, blanket!!??? (depression obviously looming).
4) Actually had my first.....wait, can't say this yet...Give me a few months, and one of my "to do" list items should be completed.
5) You know what, I think my heart likes to be in pain. No amount of trying by my brain to get it out of situations seems help. I forsee a hear attack in like, say, 5 years, tops? Not often you find a person foreseeing it's own demise, eh? Wait, it's just a heart attack, not a life ending one!!
6) I can't take my workload anymore. I use to have a breather everytime my boss goes on extended leave, however with 2 bosses, I'm never getting that breather. I need a new job, and fast!
I don't expect to be able to update much for the next couple of weeks. Will have a lot of personal and external demons to fend off.....May I survive a better man.
1) New Year came and gone. Went to a colleague's house on New Year's eve, spent the whole time watching fooball instead while the other people played blackjack. Nothing much else happened...since there were only single men, the women all came as partners...
2) Played 2 hours of futsal yesterday. Had a cracking good time, scored 3 goals and did quite a number of dribbles. I guess I can do some random burst of speed, however my shot power and accuracy is way, way, off. Still, in company of game lovers and not game players, I guess I fare quite well. Hope to do this more often so that I can play better in the upcoming competition in my company.
3) Mood is extremely low these days. Made some impulse purchase of card games just to sate my poor emotions. Hate that phrase, "that won't keep me warm at night". What's wrong with just a good, heavy, blanket!!??? (depression obviously looming).
4) Actually had my first.....wait, can't say this yet...Give me a few months, and one of my "to do" list items should be completed.
5) You know what, I think my heart likes to be in pain. No amount of trying by my brain to get it out of situations seems help. I forsee a hear attack in like, say, 5 years, tops? Not often you find a person foreseeing it's own demise, eh? Wait, it's just a heart attack, not a life ending one!!
6) I can't take my workload anymore. I use to have a breather everytime my boss goes on extended leave, however with 2 bosses, I'm never getting that breather. I need a new job, and fast!
I don't expect to be able to update much for the next couple of weeks. Will have a lot of personal and external demons to fend off.....May I survive a better man.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Guilty as charged
for not posting for quite awhile. Been having such busy weeks at work, haven't found the time nor the topic to post.
Bought myself a keyboard last sunday, cost me about RM 600.00. It was cool at first, and cheaper than I thought, but after a week of use I realised it's not good enough..
But "nasi dah jadi bubur", so I'll have to stick with my beginner keyboard.....sob..sob..
Since then I have managed to remember what I knew how to play (and that's not a lot at all, i think it's just 2 piece)...And I plan to move on the the 2nd reason why I bought the keyboard....
by jan next year (which is 9 days away)..
Hopefully I'll be able to post the MIDI versions here (or somewhere) in 6 months time. Then anyone here can feedback.... haha..
I hope to have nicer things to write after this weekend as X'mas gives oppotunities for the youth to grow up and the grown-ups to be kids again...Interesting....
Till then.....
Bought myself a keyboard last sunday, cost me about RM 600.00. It was cool at first, and cheaper than I thought, but after a week of use I realised it's not good enough..
But "nasi dah jadi bubur", so I'll have to stick with my beginner keyboard.....sob..sob..
Since then I have managed to remember what I knew how to play (and that's not a lot at all, i think it's just 2 piece)...And I plan to move on the the 2nd reason why I bought the keyboard....
by jan next year (which is 9 days away)..
Hopefully I'll be able to post the MIDI versions here (or somewhere) in 6 months time. Then anyone here can feedback.... haha..
I hope to have nicer things to write after this weekend as X'mas gives oppotunities for the youth to grow up and the grown-ups to be kids again...Interesting....
Till then.....
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Night of the Stars
On Friday it'was my company dinner. Men wore like hip hop stars, women just dressed nicely. Granted, not every woman looks good when they go for the broke, but you can't fault them for trying. They have the right to what they want to wear, as long as they're willing to be seen wearing them.
One of my female colleague wore a true bareback, the kind that reveals the back all the way to the waist, and it was truly an elegant dress. My pick for the night. Kudos for the taste.
There was a line up for people to take a 'mugshot' of sorts, of which is suppose to be a memento for them of that night. Me, being the anarch that I try to be, chose to dress against the theme, turning up in boring collar T and pants. At first ignored the whole photo thingy, however halfway through the event I gave in and took a mugshot of the horrible looking me..
Fun fact, I was showing a mad face but the picture looked like I was smiling with glee! What????
I left early, as there were certain individuals that I need to dodge from.....shouldn't mention it here, remember???
One of my female colleague wore a true bareback, the kind that reveals the back all the way to the waist, and it was truly an elegant dress. My pick for the night. Kudos for the taste.
There was a line up for people to take a 'mugshot' of sorts, of which is suppose to be a memento for them of that night. Me, being the anarch that I try to be, chose to dress against the theme, turning up in boring collar T and pants. At first ignored the whole photo thingy, however halfway through the event I gave in and took a mugshot of the horrible looking me..
Fun fact, I was showing a mad face but the picture looked like I was smiling with glee! What????
I left early, as there were certain individuals that I need to dodge from.....shouldn't mention it here, remember???
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Of weddings and findings
Pre-Post:
Never go to a Chinese Wedding Dinner in my country on time. If they say it starts at 7pm, it's likely to start at nine. Less you are going with your sig-other, or a bunch of friends who'll spare you of a movie length of boredom, take my advise.
Post:
Went to a wedding last night. It was one of my colleague, and I must say the couple looks good together. Surely a match to envy. But I'm not really keen to post about the bride & groom. I'd like to write on my observations during the wedding.
First of, it was a chinese wedding dinner, at a hotel. It wasn't an expensive hotel, so the banquet area was quite big. I guess that's the economics, lavish hotel, smaller banquet, reverse when applicable.
Food was ok, standard 8-10 course meal (oops, don't even remember how many dishes there were, probably due to alcohol consumption), which was delayed as the 'VIPs' (bride & groom) were late. Me being me, I arrived o time only to suffer boredom for a good 1/2 hour before entetainment began showing up.
And this entertainment came rather unexpectedly (or it's just me being naive). The ladies (those aged 16-40s) started turning up with more, and even more cleavage revealing dresses. Some of these ladies I know, especilly those at work, but to see them dress up this way......
I don't know, and i shouldn't be complaining, but it was as though there was a unmentioned competition amongst them.....Who's got more to reveal, and who dares to reveal more.. I mean, legs you don't see a whole lot, but cleavage......
Don't they know that alcohol will be served? And that some men will loose their inhibitions (or pretend to loose them) and go all out to, 'get more'? Wait, why do I even worry, since it is this 'sets' that opens the opportunity for relationships to form. As for myself, I chose to focus more on F&B than the 'other' entertainment. Don't want to get myself into trouble.
Whatever it is, I just hope that they realise that when you're dressed to be seen, expect looks comin your way. And you don't get to choose who looks. It can be the cutest guy yu'd probably want to date and be with for the rest of your life, to some lowlife 60+ old man still trying to revive his manhood. I personally believe women should be allowed to wear whatever their comfortable (men too, but we're less adventurous on this area) with, and it's the people who see them who should have the right mental state and control. If you can't handle it, don't look.
Oh well, left te wedding right after the food ran out (course dinners alwas serves dessert as the last dish, so that's a good time to go), so I didn't stick around for more action. I'm pretty sure many others got drunk, and some of them were single (not necessary available) females that the men work so had to get them high, which should lead to more interesting stories. I'll just wait to hear about them when I get back to work.
Never go to a Chinese Wedding Dinner in my country on time. If they say it starts at 7pm, it's likely to start at nine. Less you are going with your sig-other, or a bunch of friends who'll spare you of a movie length of boredom, take my advise.
Post:
Went to a wedding last night. It was one of my colleague, and I must say the couple looks good together. Surely a match to envy. But I'm not really keen to post about the bride & groom. I'd like to write on my observations during the wedding.
First of, it was a chinese wedding dinner, at a hotel. It wasn't an expensive hotel, so the banquet area was quite big. I guess that's the economics, lavish hotel, smaller banquet, reverse when applicable.
Food was ok, standard 8-10 course meal (oops, don't even remember how many dishes there were, probably due to alcohol consumption), which was delayed as the 'VIPs' (bride & groom) were late. Me being me, I arrived o time only to suffer boredom for a good 1/2 hour before entetainment began showing up.
And this entertainment came rather unexpectedly (or it's just me being naive). The ladies (those aged 16-40s) started turning up with more, and even more cleavage revealing dresses. Some of these ladies I know, especilly those at work, but to see them dress up this way......
I don't know, and i shouldn't be complaining, but it was as though there was a unmentioned competition amongst them.....Who's got more to reveal, and who dares to reveal more.. I mean, legs you don't see a whole lot, but cleavage......
Don't they know that alcohol will be served? And that some men will loose their inhibitions (or pretend to loose them) and go all out to, 'get more'? Wait, why do I even worry, since it is this 'sets' that opens the opportunity for relationships to form. As for myself, I chose to focus more on F&B than the 'other' entertainment. Don't want to get myself into trouble.
Whatever it is, I just hope that they realise that when you're dressed to be seen, expect looks comin your way. And you don't get to choose who looks. It can be the cutest guy yu'd probably want to date and be with for the rest of your life, to some lowlife 60+ old man still trying to revive his manhood. I personally believe women should be allowed to wear whatever their comfortable (men too, but we're less adventurous on this area) with, and it's the people who see them who should have the right mental state and control. If you can't handle it, don't look.
Oh well, left te wedding right after the food ran out (course dinners alwas serves dessert as the last dish, so that's a good time to go), so I didn't stick around for more action. I'm pretty sure many others got drunk, and some of them were single (not necessary available) females that the men work so had to get them high, which should lead to more interesting stories. I'll just wait to hear about them when I get back to work.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Controversy (Part II)
Early this week, Eddie Guerrero from WWE died of unknown causes. On Monday Night RAW (shown on tuesday night in Malaysia), the show paid tribute to the wrestler of 15 years with many of his peers wrestling with him in mind, and some of his peers giving their thoughts of him on video.
So what has this got to do with my controvesy? Imagine grown men crying on air. And these aren't just normal men, these are SuperStars! What more, they're wrestling superstars!!!
Remember the thing I mentioned about women expecting their men to be macho and strong, yet sensitive? These are the nincompoops that give women that false hope. Big macho and strong men crying over a dead colleague. Real men don't cry, at least not in public. THose who need publicity stints, however, cry whenever a sad tale is heard...Just to show their sensitive side.
Again, real men don't cry in public. In private, even the strongest and insensitive men will cry. In public, no.
And there you have it. It may not really be the women's fault that their expectation of men have grown by so much....sigh....
So what has this got to do with my controvesy? Imagine grown men crying on air. And these aren't just normal men, these are SuperStars! What more, they're wrestling superstars!!!
Remember the thing I mentioned about women expecting their men to be macho and strong, yet sensitive? These are the nincompoops that give women that false hope. Big macho and strong men crying over a dead colleague. Real men don't cry, at least not in public. THose who need publicity stints, however, cry whenever a sad tale is heard...Just to show their sensitive side.
Again, real men don't cry in public. In private, even the strongest and insensitive men will cry. In public, no.
And there you have it. It may not really be the women's fault that their expectation of men have grown by so much....sigh....
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Controvesy (Part1)
Watched the Myth the other day, starring Jackie Chan. Gist of the story has 1 male General who risks life and limb to protect his emperor's concubine dutifully. The concubine finds true love in him, however fate has it that they are not meant to be.
What's the controvesy??
It got me thinking on male-female relationships, the selfish one. Some people I know refer it to BGR. From our history books, as well as movies and stories protraying our past, the criteria for a female partner are:
1) Pretty, if not prettiest of the land. Feel free to swap it with great body, well endowed, etc.. Ultimately it's the looks.
2) Youth....Sweet sixteen...
3) There is a 3rd criteria?????
The criteria for a male partner is:
1) Strong & Manly (Subject to female interpretation; stregth and manly doesn't always refer to physical traits)
2) Willing to die for the damsel/love
3) What 3rd criteria???
Now, fast foward to the 21st century.
Criteria for a female partner:
1) Pretty, if not prettiest of the land. Feel free to swap it with great body, well endowed, etc.. Ultimately it's the looks.
2) Youth....Probably not 16, since it a little dangerous if the female turns out to be a minor, but in general female of age less than the searching male. As the male grow older, somehow the age of his partner remains relatively the same.
Exempli Gratia: 24 y.o. male marries 18 y.o. female. Age difference = 6 years.
48 y.o. male marries 24 y.o female. Age difference = 24 years.
Go figure.
3) There isn't really a 3rd criteria, really...If someone meets the criteria above, especially the looks part, the guy's most definitely a goner....
Now, the criteria for a male partner, however:
1) Strong and Manly (Still subject to female interpretation)
2) Materially capable (and I'm not even saying filthy rich, ok!)
3) Sensitive (Huh? Strong, Manly, sensitive???)
4) Ravishingly good looking (Some girls will deny this, but let's face it, good looking men have it so easy...)
5) Funny (but not a clown.)
6) Good in bed (again, women will deny this but we all know how men with excellent bed manners can control their women like pawns.)
7) With clear goals/dreams in life. Men that idle doing nothing but their everyday routine tend to be single. Real single.
And the list goes on. You see, the thing is, over the years, or centuries, what men look for in women haven't really changed. Ok, the physical measurements may have differred, but it's still the physical outlook. Ohter than that, really, anything goes. Once the men cannot tolerate what they expect women will do, then they find the next partner. FYI, men looknig for partners tend to be rather tolerant.
On the other hand, men have since neede to upskill themselves to attract their women. And this upskilling is resulting in the dying of the male species. Look at the ration of men & women in the world population. Life as a women is tough, as you have so much to do, but you know what it is, and unless you chose otherwise status quo works just fine for you. Men, sorry. Lag behind in meeting their criteria and you lose out.
Oh, I think I better disclaim here, this is by no way a measure of how the BGR turns out to be a successful one (which usually spells M-A-R-R-I-A-G-E), but just how the initial contact, the ice breaker, is decided.
I know, it's just another sorry loser complaining about not getting any! (You think?)
What's the controvesy??
It got me thinking on male-female relationships, the selfish one. Some people I know refer it to BGR. From our history books, as well as movies and stories protraying our past, the criteria for a female partner are:
1) Pretty, if not prettiest of the land. Feel free to swap it with great body, well endowed, etc.. Ultimately it's the looks.
2) Youth....Sweet sixteen...
3) There is a 3rd criteria?????
The criteria for a male partner is:
1) Strong & Manly (Subject to female interpretation; stregth and manly doesn't always refer to physical traits)
2) Willing to die for the damsel/love
3) What 3rd criteria???
Now, fast foward to the 21st century.
Criteria for a female partner:
1) Pretty, if not prettiest of the land. Feel free to swap it with great body, well endowed, etc.. Ultimately it's the looks.
2) Youth....Probably not 16, since it a little dangerous if the female turns out to be a minor, but in general female of age less than the searching male. As the male grow older, somehow the age of his partner remains relatively the same.
Exempli Gratia: 24 y.o. male marries 18 y.o. female. Age difference = 6 years.
48 y.o. male marries 24 y.o female. Age difference = 24 years.
Go figure.
3) There isn't really a 3rd criteria, really...If someone meets the criteria above, especially the looks part, the guy's most definitely a goner....
Now, the criteria for a male partner, however:
1) Strong and Manly (Still subject to female interpretation)
2) Materially capable (and I'm not even saying filthy rich, ok!)
3) Sensitive (Huh? Strong, Manly, sensitive???)
4) Ravishingly good looking (Some girls will deny this, but let's face it, good looking men have it so easy...)
5) Funny (but not a clown.)
6) Good in bed (again, women will deny this but we all know how men with excellent bed manners can control their women like pawns.)
7) With clear goals/dreams in life. Men that idle doing nothing but their everyday routine tend to be single. Real single.
And the list goes on. You see, the thing is, over the years, or centuries, what men look for in women haven't really changed. Ok, the physical measurements may have differred, but it's still the physical outlook. Ohter than that, really, anything goes. Once the men cannot tolerate what they expect women will do, then they find the next partner. FYI, men looknig for partners tend to be rather tolerant.
On the other hand, men have since neede to upskill themselves to attract their women. And this upskilling is resulting in the dying of the male species. Look at the ration of men & women in the world population. Life as a women is tough, as you have so much to do, but you know what it is, and unless you chose otherwise status quo works just fine for you. Men, sorry. Lag behind in meeting their criteria and you lose out.
Oh, I think I better disclaim here, this is by no way a measure of how the BGR turns out to be a successful one (which usually spells M-A-R-R-I-A-G-E), but just how the initial contact, the ice breaker, is decided.
I know, it's just another sorry loser complaining about not getting any! (You think?)
Monday, October 31, 2005
I drank at a party???
I have to admit, last saturday, I actually drank liquor at a party. It was the first party I had the opportunity to go to with the folks at my favourite hangout store, Wolf's Games Shop. I do confess, I really wasn't sure why there was a party (I was informed originaly that it was for Wolf, but then it turned out it was for a host of other October babies, like my dad, my younger brother, etc.. :) ) and was informed of it by sheer concern of my Raw Deal Marketing Manager, Ms. Triona Lydia Leo at the eleventh hour as I was suppose to hold a tournament the next day (Oops, fragment).
Now, for people who don't know me (well enough), I do not drink beer, or any equivelant drink. If it's liquor, that's fine, but no beer. I just don't like it, period. I'm also a poor drinker, whereby a few drinks (i.e. 3+) should put me to sleep. And I don't get high from alcohol, but a kind of pain, which is why I have always said, "I will not replace 1 pain with another", i.e. No drowning of my emotional/mental anguish with alcohol and get myself physical pain.
Oh, I didn't drink for that either, that night. I drank because I was involved in a drinking game, which was, in my honest opinion, a lame excuse to drink as a penalty. The game had us taking 1 card each from a deck of cards, and the biggest card decides who needs to drink 1 shot of the available liquor. Then the victim gets to make up a new rule, in which case almost everyone decided to restrict speech freedom (e.g. Can't say drink, pass, etc.) Eventually, 1 round could have 5-10 shots being drunk by 1 or more persons, resulting in a single round lasting 10 minutes or so. And all everyone had to do is to keep their mouth shut. But then again, we all needed an excuse to drink.....I mean, they all.....really...
In any case, I didn't have to drink until half way through, when I said the 'illegal' words twice and downed 2 shots in a go. Subsequently I made several more mistakes and took about 6-7 shots in total. I wasn't wasted, but I like to act like I am. Otherwise people wouldn't give up on me.
What else happened during the party:
1) We watched EPL and was more keen on players playing well than the result itself.
2) I drafted my first Ravnica (M:tG) and lost due to mana screw. If not, I would have won on my first draft (wishful thinking)
3) Many people played twisters. I wanted to, but then wasn't sure I'd keep my hormones in check if I did, so abstinence is good prevention. There were girls at the party playing twisters, ok!
4) 3 chicks puked, though I can't recall if any of the guys did as well. I expected myself to puke, but I didn't. Not too sure why...
5) There's this couple that let 1/2 of the couple smooch another for everyone's view (including the said half). All in all I think they smooched like 5 times, at least. After the second one, it kinda got boring......Oh, nothing elsed happened....Or I'm not telling it here. You figure it out yourself.
6) Someone brought his new X-Box but didn't get to play it until like, 4am in the morning because there were football first, and then drunkards lying on the floor in front of the TV later. Eventually they moved away to, a) puke, b) puke, c) lie somewhere else.
7) We had a lot's of pizza. Rephrase. I had a lot of pizza. In total maybe about 10 slices over to feeding sessions. One when the pizzas arrived, about 10pm, and another at about 1am...
So all in all I had fun at the party. For once it wasn't a drinking party, where everyone was just trying to get everyone else drunk, though I know there were a few persons who wanted to get there. I hope I get to join them again for the New Year party, but we'll talk about that when we get there in 2 months time.
Till then, being sober is good. Being sober when everyone thinks your drunk is way better!
Now, for people who don't know me (well enough), I do not drink beer, or any equivelant drink. If it's liquor, that's fine, but no beer. I just don't like it, period. I'm also a poor drinker, whereby a few drinks (i.e. 3+) should put me to sleep. And I don't get high from alcohol, but a kind of pain, which is why I have always said, "I will not replace 1 pain with another", i.e. No drowning of my emotional/mental anguish with alcohol and get myself physical pain.
Oh, I didn't drink for that either, that night. I drank because I was involved in a drinking game, which was, in my honest opinion, a lame excuse to drink as a penalty. The game had us taking 1 card each from a deck of cards, and the biggest card decides who needs to drink 1 shot of the available liquor. Then the victim gets to make up a new rule, in which case almost everyone decided to restrict speech freedom (e.g. Can't say drink, pass, etc.) Eventually, 1 round could have 5-10 shots being drunk by 1 or more persons, resulting in a single round lasting 10 minutes or so. And all everyone had to do is to keep their mouth shut. But then again, we all needed an excuse to drink.....I mean, they all.....really...
In any case, I didn't have to drink until half way through, when I said the 'illegal' words twice and downed 2 shots in a go. Subsequently I made several more mistakes and took about 6-7 shots in total. I wasn't wasted, but I like to act like I am. Otherwise people wouldn't give up on me.
What else happened during the party:
1) We watched EPL and was more keen on players playing well than the result itself.
2) I drafted my first Ravnica (M:tG) and lost due to mana screw. If not, I would have won on my first draft (wishful thinking)
3) Many people played twisters. I wanted to, but then wasn't sure I'd keep my hormones in check if I did, so abstinence is good prevention. There were girls at the party playing twisters, ok!
4) 3 chicks puked, though I can't recall if any of the guys did as well. I expected myself to puke, but I didn't. Not too sure why...
5) There's this couple that let 1/2 of the couple smooch another for everyone's view (including the said half). All in all I think they smooched like 5 times, at least. After the second one, it kinda got boring......Oh, nothing elsed happened....Or I'm not telling it here. You figure it out yourself.
6) Someone brought his new X-Box but didn't get to play it until like, 4am in the morning because there were football first, and then drunkards lying on the floor in front of the TV later. Eventually they moved away to, a) puke, b) puke, c) lie somewhere else.
7) We had a lot's of pizza. Rephrase. I had a lot of pizza. In total maybe about 10 slices over to feeding sessions. One when the pizzas arrived, about 10pm, and another at about 1am...
So all in all I had fun at the party. For once it wasn't a drinking party, where everyone was just trying to get everyone else drunk, though I know there were a few persons who wanted to get there. I hope I get to join them again for the New Year party, but we'll talk about that when we get there in 2 months time.
Till then, being sober is good. Being sober when everyone thinks your drunk is way better!
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Why do I miss it so?
This time the header has nothing to do with what I 'm writing. I really don't know what to write, but I think I should as I haven't written for awhile.
Maybe I should go story telling today. What story will it be?
Why was I a Magic: the Gathering Judge.
For those who knew me a about 5 years ago, I started judging part time in 2000 during KL GP. Despite scoring well below the passing mark of 80 ( I think I got like 68). I got my level 1 that day and thus began my 2 year stint as a somewhat fulltime M:tG Judge.
I enjoyed judging very much, as it allowed me to be part of the game without having to face the hearbreak of loosing it. I'm not too keen in loosing, fyi, and while there are those who choose to see it as a challenge they will take up until they succeed (and then leaving it completely because it's no longer a challenge), I am the type that would rather back-off and fnd another way to enjoy the game and keep an avenue open that in future I may take up the game as a player again (hint hint).
Because of this judging stint, I had valid reasons to visit Singapore & Hong Kong, so I wouldn't say it was anything but a good experience. Eventually, after many tournaments appearing initially as some random judge, and later to being head judge and tournament organiser, I saw a better reason for me to do this; The satisfaction of running the show that everyone else enjoys. Mind you, it was no easy task, as I had to do alot of physical work arranging play areas and running tournaments. Not to mention the extended hours during tournaments, like 7am to 10pm..... And yet after every succesful tournament I would sit back and reflect on the good that I've done to the community...
So why am I an ex-Judge now? The main excuse is that I started to work, and working commitments made it difficult for me to spend those hours making a tournament go smoothly. The actual reason was that I felt betrayed by certain quarters, and lost both the way and the cause. Thus I initiated my exodus in 2003, and hasn't looked back since (lie).
Not too bad for a story from nowhere, huh?
Maybe I should go story telling today. What story will it be?
Why was I a Magic: the Gathering Judge.
For those who knew me a about 5 years ago, I started judging part time in 2000 during KL GP. Despite scoring well below the passing mark of 80 ( I think I got like 68). I got my level 1 that day and thus began my 2 year stint as a somewhat fulltime M:tG Judge.
I enjoyed judging very much, as it allowed me to be part of the game without having to face the hearbreak of loosing it. I'm not too keen in loosing, fyi, and while there are those who choose to see it as a challenge they will take up until they succeed (and then leaving it completely because it's no longer a challenge), I am the type that would rather back-off and fnd another way to enjoy the game and keep an avenue open that in future I may take up the game as a player again (hint hint).
Because of this judging stint, I had valid reasons to visit Singapore & Hong Kong, so I wouldn't say it was anything but a good experience. Eventually, after many tournaments appearing initially as some random judge, and later to being head judge and tournament organiser, I saw a better reason for me to do this; The satisfaction of running the show that everyone else enjoys. Mind you, it was no easy task, as I had to do alot of physical work arranging play areas and running tournaments. Not to mention the extended hours during tournaments, like 7am to 10pm..... And yet after every succesful tournament I would sit back and reflect on the good that I've done to the community...
So why am I an ex-Judge now? The main excuse is that I started to work, and working commitments made it difficult for me to spend those hours making a tournament go smoothly. The actual reason was that I felt betrayed by certain quarters, and lost both the way and the cause. Thus I initiated my exodus in 2003, and hasn't looked back since (lie).
Not too bad for a story from nowhere, huh?
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Evanescence
My fav. band for the moment. I actually spend RM 36.00 to buy the original CD last month... (yes I know, they're a realtive has been now, they were hot a couple of years back).
The reason I bought the CD is because I figured that I would probably like all the songs in the CD, so it would be well worth it. Moreover, I think they deserve my royalty payment....
I have already memorised 5 out of 11 of the songs, and I want to make it at least 10 of 11 before I move on to memorise other songs. FYI, I still remember 9 out of 10 songs of the only other original album I bought, which was Wilson Phillips back in 1990!
I pity the people around me though, how they have to listen to a guy learning to sing songs by a female singer. Actually, they're mostly my siblings and parents, since I don't sing out loud elsewhere......hmmm..
I have to admit, the album is worth my every cent. Not that it's the best music money can buy, for that I would have to chose a CD compilation that had Overture to Manfred, Schubert's Symphony no.4 as well as Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in 1 CD for me to say "that's the best music moeny can buy". The songs eventually seem to repeat itself on the verse sections, with the themes somewhat angst. But I guess that's what i like about Evanescence, how the angst is so well imbued in the music (Amy Lee's voice is also a major boon).
I also like the way electronic music blends with classical instruments. The piano in Bring Me to Life, Taking Over Me and the string arrangements in Whisper really is very good. It expunges my previous preference to keep Classical and Contemporary music apart.
Just helping think of other things....
The reason I bought the CD is because I figured that I would probably like all the songs in the CD, so it would be well worth it. Moreover, I think they deserve my royalty payment....
I have already memorised 5 out of 11 of the songs, and I want to make it at least 10 of 11 before I move on to memorise other songs. FYI, I still remember 9 out of 10 songs of the only other original album I bought, which was Wilson Phillips back in 1990!
I pity the people around me though, how they have to listen to a guy learning to sing songs by a female singer. Actually, they're mostly my siblings and parents, since I don't sing out loud elsewhere......hmmm..
I have to admit, the album is worth my every cent. Not that it's the best music money can buy, for that I would have to chose a CD compilation that had Overture to Manfred, Schubert's Symphony no.4 as well as Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in 1 CD for me to say "that's the best music moeny can buy". The songs eventually seem to repeat itself on the verse sections, with the themes somewhat angst. But I guess that's what i like about Evanescence, how the angst is so well imbued in the music (Amy Lee's voice is also a major boon).
I also like the way electronic music blends with classical instruments. The piano in Bring Me to Life, Taking Over Me and the string arrangements in Whisper really is very good. It expunges my previous preference to keep Classical and Contemporary music apart.
Just helping think of other things....
Friday, October 14, 2005
Territorial disputes
Confession. Despite moving to a new workstation in my office, I seem to be having difficulty letting my old one go. Someone (who isn't someone I despise, other than the fact he's got someone's attention that I do not, bugger!) is trying very hard to relocate to my old workstation, and I am subconciously defending the area...
Frankly speaking, I don't need it anymore, other than to store junk. But I also want to keep it as it is a prime location. It's a window workstation with the sun behind you a a good view of the city. Since I'm at describing workstation, my current one is next to a 2 walls and right smack at the centre of the floor. Location wise, the old one is by far better as the area is also almost impossible to look at what I am doing without a conscious effort.
I think I know why I'm keeping the place, but even I isn't too sure about that. Really. Oh well, poor guy. Can't move to the 'best place' in my office..
Sorry mate, while I can't call something else mine, this will have to do! Ha ha!!!
Frankly speaking, I don't need it anymore, other than to store junk. But I also want to keep it as it is a prime location. It's a window workstation with the sun behind you a a good view of the city. Since I'm at describing workstation, my current one is next to a 2 walls and right smack at the centre of the floor. Location wise, the old one is by far better as the area is also almost impossible to look at what I am doing without a conscious effort.
I think I know why I'm keeping the place, but even I isn't too sure about that. Really. Oh well, poor guy. Can't move to the 'best place' in my office..
Sorry mate, while I can't call something else mine, this will have to do! Ha ha!!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
If I was a Vampire in V:tM
I'd be a Malkavian.
I actually love Toreadors the most, as they are so cool and exactly what I like most about being a Vampire; Fast, Charismatic and foresight to boot.
I'd even settle with Tremere, but with no spells in repetoire, I guess that just won't do.
So why would I be a Malkavian? Firstly, I admit that I am demented. Not so much in action, but very much in thought. Things that goes through my head are so, so, sick and well, demented. So if you know me personally, chances are you don't...Scared you, didn't I?
Next, I am extremely moody, and thus fit a Malkavian very much. Also, I can see humour in the worst of situations, and yet be dead serious over child's play. Don't you agree I'm Malkavian?
Going to the diciplines that I would have, I'd say Basic Auspex, Superior Dementation and no Obfuscate. That's because not only do I have no tact, I can't really do much in secret without laughing over it. So I'd have a capacity of 3. I'd give myself the ability, BenBHadd can perform any action any number of times this turn. That's because I'm never bored of the same old thing. Wait, that means I'm boring.........Maybe I am.
So that's me as a vampire....If you think you're one too (per V:tM), feel free to comment..
Oh, I'd also be Sterile, meaning to say I can create any progeny.......(this is not a medical condition, I think..ha ha)
I actually love Toreadors the most, as they are so cool and exactly what I like most about being a Vampire; Fast, Charismatic and foresight to boot.
I'd even settle with Tremere, but with no spells in repetoire, I guess that just won't do.
So why would I be a Malkavian? Firstly, I admit that I am demented. Not so much in action, but very much in thought. Things that goes through my head are so, so, sick and well, demented. So if you know me personally, chances are you don't...Scared you, didn't I?
Next, I am extremely moody, and thus fit a Malkavian very much. Also, I can see humour in the worst of situations, and yet be dead serious over child's play. Don't you agree I'm Malkavian?
Going to the diciplines that I would have, I'd say Basic Auspex, Superior Dementation and no Obfuscate. That's because not only do I have no tact, I can't really do much in secret without laughing over it. So I'd have a capacity of 3. I'd give myself the ability, BenBHadd can perform any action any number of times this turn. That's because I'm never bored of the same old thing. Wait, that means I'm boring.........Maybe I am.
So that's me as a vampire....If you think you're one too (per V:tM), feel free to comment..
Oh, I'd also be Sterile, meaning to say I can create any progeny.......(this is not a medical condition, I think..ha ha)
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Blood in my hands
I haven't killed anyone, nor do I believe I'd ever be in a position ot have to, but last night, someone's life was relatively in my hands, and I relatively terminated it.
I can't really say much, but I need a place where I can speak my piece and seek forgiveness, and while I doubt I'd get it, I know I have to try...Maybe doing it here doesn't help, but it's a start. And for me that's quite alot.
The source mf my 'problem' lies within me, my lack of tact when hurling what I thought were impartial comments. I thought that the world's humour levels were much higher, and that people were more used to direct feedback. Unfortunately that isn't the case, I still have certain people in my life more laidback than me, more conventional than me, more narrow minded than me.
And to them, I hope I could not have wished that you could see the light, for that would only mean that I took you, your personality for granted.
Enough said. To each it's own, and "thank you for making my future one without offsprings". (For all it's worth, that wasn't meant sarcastically, nor with dissent, at all..really....REALLY)
I can't really say much, but I need a place where I can speak my piece and seek forgiveness, and while I doubt I'd get it, I know I have to try...Maybe doing it here doesn't help, but it's a start. And for me that's quite alot.
The source mf my 'problem' lies within me, my lack of tact when hurling what I thought were impartial comments. I thought that the world's humour levels were much higher, and that people were more used to direct feedback. Unfortunately that isn't the case, I still have certain people in my life more laidback than me, more conventional than me, more narrow minded than me.
And to them, I hope I could not have wished that you could see the light, for that would only mean that I took you, your personality for granted.
Enough said. To each it's own, and "thank you for making my future one without offsprings". (For all it's worth, that wasn't meant sarcastically, nor with dissent, at all..really....REALLY)
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