I'm Back! Maybe.. I Don't Know..

Phew, that hiatus took longer than I anticipated.

There's no more kidding myself: that was because of video gaming. Yep.. that.. and due to that as well, I can't really promise a regular update.

I've had ideas floating around but for the life of me, I just don't remember it at the moment. I'm afraid this blog will be seventy percent about my gaming experience. I could go out for experiences, but doing that for topics isn't worth it..eh.. nevermind.

Ok, I guess summary of what I've been up to is in order:

Games, games, bought a PS3 last December, games games... and you guessed it, games.

Ah, went to Manila last October and bought a sweet watch among other things, it was mostly a shopping trip, my wife and I did not do some sight seeing...hhm.. the hotel was nice, I guess.

Also, apparently, it's a famous opinion right now that the Earth is flat.. It's not the Dark Ages, it's the Idiot Age, folks..or maybe all of us can be idiots from time to time, it's just that social networks makes it easier to immortalize that stupidity for the world to see.

Wife: GO, Husband: STOP

My wife is going back to school. She will be taking law to advance to a more comfortable and higher paying position at her work at Court. She will take classes in the afternoon after work has concluded.

I can't say that she has my full support, because one percent of it was the baby in me saying, "Oh no, my wife won't be cooking dinner anymore." and the husband in me saying, "Well, there goes the weekday sex". It's just me being selfish, I know. I just have to suck it up for the next five years

But of course, it's for a better future, and I know she can do it. I know nothing is more gratifying than a life with a purpose, and as far as I am concerned, my life had no purpose if it wasn't for my wife.

Have you seen my wife on jeans wearing a backpack? Yeah, I think she will fit in with college, she does look like a High Schooler sometimes.

On a different note: I will be in hiatus for an uncertain number of weeks. This time, I can honestly say that it has nothing to do with my gaming, I just ran out of ideas. The few ideas I do have, I'm unable to make coherent to be deemed postable (yeah, I think that's not a word.)

So yeah, a break. Now I know how Eiichiro Oda feels.

My nephew Rafael

I have a cute nephew.

I find him rather amusing. Raphael is completely cute and overall agreeable. I've rarely seen him cry and he actually watch me play video games. Twice has he sat on my lap while I play. My wife said he even swayed when my game character moves.

He fidgets alot, my wife said it's normal but I'm not so sure. He looks like he's dancing an awkward boogie. It's more twitchy rather than normal baby movement, but it could just be my perception.

He likes to pout alot too. Like he's sucking teensie weensie nipples.

From time to time, he looks like the most serious baby in the whole wide world, likes he's plotting or dreaming some world domination scheme.. in a cute way, of course, even the most evil expression becomes cute for a baby.

He has a round face, like a dumpling. I call him Siopao, or in cute lingo, Chupaw. If you know Momotaro, you get the general idea. Ah, maybe I should call him Momo when we're alone. *Evil Laugh*

So far, I am liking this baby, There might be a chance he could be an introvert. We might share a silent "I feel you, bro" dialogue. We'd be like the most awkward Nephew and Uncle tandem. 

IF he is an introvent, he might be the first baby I won't mind learning to talk..because chances are, we'll probably stare at each other and enjoy every awkward moment of it.

Student Life

Since I breached the topic of High School, I might as well tell you how I am as a Student.

Elementary

Let's skip Pre-school, because I completely don't remember if I attended one or not. But I probably didn't because we weren't as well to do then as we did now, to put it lightly.

As an Elementary student, I was a nobody, a wallflower. Chances are none of my classmates remembers me because I surely don't remember them. Well, I haven't really forgotten all, I do remember bits and pieces like being forced to perform in a group on the school's foundation day and participating in class because the teacher mildly hinted that I might fail the subject if I don't participate. So yeah, I might have remembered the bad parts and completely forgotten everything else, what can I say, I was a ghost in Elementary school. As far as I know, the school still exist albeit in a different name. I heard they installed a pool a year after I graduated.

High School

This was the period where I was thrust into the spotlight and where I was finally figuring out what I was. I was Class President on my first year, although honestly, I have no idea why I was even picked. I did not know anyone and they surely did not know me. 

Then the next year I changed schools and stayed there for the duration of my High School life.

Honestly, It was fun. 

I was surrounded by puberty and raging hormones. Adults that say kids today talk too much about sex have obviously forgotten their HS life. It was rampart then as it is now.

Of course, not me included. It was hard to get a semblance of an early sex life if you have a few idiosyncrasies and romanticized thinking about sex. OK, Talking about sex might be the wrong starter topic when talking about High School, specially since I didn't get any, thankful for that though. Let's back up for a bit.

I was either number 2 or 3 in class. My Science Teacher insisted that I might have stayed on 2 if only I have kept a notebook. Yep, never kept a notebook. Earlier in my HS life, I realized listening to the teacher beats taking notes why they talk, although there was this time I sat down one night and copied 30 or so pages from my textbook so that I have something to show my teacher the next day. Yep, filled a blank notebook in one night.

From time to time, this one classmate gets to take my place as number 2, smart enough dude, skipped a couple of years in Elementary for being smart. We we're friendly enough but I think he was competing with me for the number 2 spot, it was a one-sided competition, though. If you know me well enough, you know I don't care how other people are doing and it does not affect my work.

I joined a few poetry writing competition during school events, proud enough to say I've always taken first place but I never attended the awarding ceremonies. Never, Assholes! *Evil laugh*

Sorry... er... being the center of attention wasn't really my thing, then and now. They did manage to get me upstage once when they changed the time of awarding to a regular school day when I was (cruelly) expecting the regular flag ceremony. My classmates endearingly boo'ed me as I approached the stage. No, my class likes me, they just want to embarrass me more that I already was. It was fun, I guess.

College

I was unprepared. No one discussed College life to me, no one told me what to expect in college, no one told me the subtle importance this time on my life was to my future. I was like going to war unarmed and naked. I promised to never make that mistake once I become a parent. I was a wreck, temptations surrounding the campus. It was also the time where Ragnarok Online entered the scene and completely screwed College for me. There was this one Subject where I did well, though. I got a highest score any student could ever get on a subject. It was a mixture of Psychology and Philosophy, I was doing great that most of the exam questionnaires was taken from what I said. I had my moments when I took the time to attend classes, but it was few and rare in between.

I had to drop out and was able to resume College when I was older and fully comprehend what College really meant. On round 2, I was fully dedicated. I was hungry to learn and finish it.

And I did. I learned, I hungered and I was fed. I devoured all the knowledge they can give and sought elsewhere when it was insufficient. I was the ideal student, and at times the bane of the school administration. I had to transfer classes a few times because I felt the professor incompetent and unable to impart his knowledge. I had to explain to the School Administration why I wished to change classes and arguments often ensued. I, of course, won. It was my right to choose and I was assigned to a more senior professor where I learned a lot. 

The senior Professor I got was said to rarely give a high grade. I was told that I was the 3rd ever in his teaching career to receive a high grade. Something I was definitely proud of, Programming was a complicated subject. I was supposed to be a candidate to receive honors on graduation, but unfortunately, transferees aren't eligible for awards.

And I did not attend the graduation ceremony. Never, Assholes! *Evil laugh*

Nah, I was working by then.

So here it is, my student life in summary. Though my life as an actual student may be over, I am always learning something new. Education is not something you tie to a diploma or to an establishment. Learning is something you never stop doing till the day you breathe your last breath.

Story time

A long long time ago, in a land known as High School, our then young protagonist (me) decided, for whatever reason I could not even begin to fathom, to go to his High school Prom.

Hence he went and bought a clothes specially for the occasion. One of the lesson I can impart at this point is that never ever let a high schooler pick his own clothes because what he thinks he looks and how he really looks might be completely different.

Obviously, we was completely unaware of how his swank full zipper maong polo looked on him; and he won't know for a couple of years when he's older and wee bit wiser. Ah, the ignorance of youth, saved alot of embarrassment, or rather; conveniently delayed it.

Back to the story.

So the night of the enchanting prom came and our young hero thus embarked on his way to adventure..ADVENTURE TIME!

On the way, our hero of the story was struck with one of the insightful, eye-opening, enlightening question that rarely comes to a young man. En route, his inner psyche, his common sense had to rear his ugly head and ask our hero:

"What the hell am I gonna do there?"

So he detoured to a PC shop two block from the school and play Counter-Strike the whole night. No regrets, ever.

THE END.

Penspinning

One of my hobbies (that's not gaming) is Penspinning which is the art of spinning a pen using your fingers in an aesthetic manner.

Before committing to learn the harder tricks, I first encountered Pen spinning in High School where a classmate thought me a basic 1-2 combo that I now know to be called a Thumbaround Harmonics. That trick has been in my "repertoire" for over a decade.

The only one for over a decade; because I was not aware that it was actually a thing, or that it was even called Penspinning, or that there's a huge international community dedicated in disseminating information, competing and glorifying Penspinning.

Truth be told, it was boredom that made me take interest in Penspinning. I was, around two years ago, between jobs to put it lightly. I needed something to occupy my time that would somehow compliment my primary pastime: Reading.

My thought at that time was that while a hand is holding a book (or my Kindle), the other would be idle which is unacceptable (yeah)... and then came Stumpleupon to solve this dilemma. an article featuring Penspinning was featured in one of the websites that Stumbleupon randomly feeds its users. I was like "Hey, I knew a bit of it, why not give it a try."

So long story short: I gave it a whirl.

Funny thing is "training" became so engrossing that it was no longer a complement to reading, it has become a full blown hobby that it needed it's own time apart to master some of the trick. I even bought pens specially for Penspinning from the US.

Now, I can't really call myself an expert Penspinner, I'm way way still out there, but I'm pretty confident enough to say I'm no longer a novice because I know enough to freestyle, and I know at least 1 difficult trick. I think they call the next level Intermediate so I think I'm in that area.

Unfortunately, I think I'm stuck on that level as I have not tried to learn anything new for a few months now. In truth, I'm running out of easy tricks to learn and the difficult ones are.. well.. really difficult. I also have alot of things going on so i don't have enough time to train a new trick.

But maybe someday.. you never really know, and you can't really unlearn all the tricks you've learned, it's not something your muscle memory can forget like touch typing.

I hate DataBlitz

As far as online transactions go, my dealings with Gaming store DataBlitz is the worst online experience I have ever come across, enough that I will never be buying from the ever again.

I usually buy all my gaming needs from Game One Gadgets, because it's easier to talk to them, but they did not have an R1 of Borderlands: Handsome Collection at that time so I had no choice but to buy from DataBlitz.

The email conversation with DB took only four emails from me but it took around four hours, they respond to emails like one every hour. Minus points already.

Deposited the money to their account on Friday noon so they can have it delivered later and I could have the game by Sunday. To my surprise, the response I got on 3 PM that day was that they don't deliver on Weekends thus the game will be sent on Monday, Take note, DataBlitz shops are open everyday. Minus a ton of points.

I asked for a refund then and there or at the very least, have the money diverted to a branch where I can have a relative pick them up and deliver it themselves (faster than waiting for Monday). They said no refund on confirmed orders and my idea was impossible. Not flexible and Greedy as hell. Negative points.

On Monday, after around five emails to them asking the status on my order, they replied at 4 PM telling me they don't have a stock on hand so they have to get one from one of the branches so it won't be delivered that day. Has it ever occurred to them that they could have just had their employee at that branch send the game instead of pulling a copy that said branch? How is it not like my suggestion? What did they do for three days?

I understand protocols, I love protocols, but that was not protocol, that was red tape, red tape that pisses customers and made them lose one. So far from the reviews around online, their face to face service sucks as well, sucks enough that DB has a Facebook hate page (inactive though.)

Mind you that that was the Holy week, so I received my game after eight days, instead of the two days I usually get if I ordered from Game One Gadget any day of the week. You can be certain that my Four-day no-work was ruined because the game arrived on the third day.

Damn you, DataBlitz.

Most Played Game

List time.

Here's my most played games of all-time in order of most played.

1. Borderlands 2

I have to admit, I've avoided first-person shooters for a long time and I only played Borderlands 2 because it came as a bundle when I bought my PS Vita. Playing BL2 change my game genre preference dramatically, now shooters will always be on my to-buy list. My game time is around 350 hours total for all my characters.

2. Final Fantasy VII

It's probably the first game I have ever played on a Playstation unit. I fell in love with it completely, enough to have played it around eight times. Though I have probably given up on it being remade on the current generation Playstation, and also how I detest Square Enix from milking its popularity (Not just me, I guess. Just look at Square Enix's Facebook page and you'll see walls of rage post about it). Still, it has a place in my heart, right next to..

3. Vagrant Story

Another Square Enix game around the time Final Fantasy VII became popular; and though the world loved FF7, Vagrant Story went pretty much slightly under the radar. It was due to the fact that its powering up concept was revolutionary at the time that most had a hard time getting around it. No level up system required: Use a weapon repeatedly on a certain type of enemy type or elemental affinity and it will deal more damage to that enemy/elemental type, You can pretty much kill a human boss with your default weapon (or your fist) if you've attacked enough humans with it. I love it. From time to time, I imagine they made a part 2 of it where Ashley Riot is training his successor. Played it almost as many times as FFVII. I was generally unpopular that there was rumour of its developing team being demoted/deported because how poorly the game was selling. *Shrugs*

4. Super Mario Bros.

Is it any wonder? You can't save your progress and the Gameboy uses Four AA Batteries but I beat the game a few times before the batteries dies. It was pre-GAMEFAQs era so I might or might not have found every secret in the game. Probably won't be playing any platform games anymore but it was nice to being able to play it when I was a child.

Anyway, that's it. Final Fantasy 7 and Vagrant story can be bought and downloaded from the PSN story so you can relive or try the Game. Final Fantasy 7 is also available on Steam.

Trivia Crack and Quiz Up

I've always loved Trivia. The weirder, the better. One of my favorite shows as a child was Ripley's Believe It or Not!, both series hosted by Jack Palance and Dean Cain, though my preference is leaning more towards Palance.

I've joked before that my early childhood memories has been deleted to make room for the useless information, like a full memory hard drive. I don't remember much of my childhood, but sure, I can tell you off the bat what L.A.S.E.R means. (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, read it off a book when I wan in elementary school)

I also know that prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, Filipinos did not have a last name and that later after the Spaniards arrived, Filipinos were allowed a last name and were given a chance to actually choose one. Makes you wonder why some people has unpleasant family names, eh?

Anyways.. I feel that I need some trivia in my blood again, maybe get some new information flowing or re-read old bits so I downloaded two apps from the Play store: Trivia Crack and Quiz Up, both popular trivia related app.

But if you want to know if the two apps are OK, I couldn't tell you, It require Internet connection to actually make it work/run that after trying to use it when the WiFi was turned off and learning I couldn't, I uninstalled it without even bothering to see if it was OK to use.

What's the use of trying a trivia app that tethers you to a network? I understand why the YouTube or Facebook app needs constant connection to work, buQt I don't see the point in a Trivia app that can't work offline.

So that's that.

Skype and me

As an introvert, I make plenty of efforts not to be noticed.

Honestly, I prefer to be ignored by the general public because talking to them is a grueling task.

I come off as rude at times, I know, but they are just not aware that at most, I have no idea how to respond so I end up not responding at all.

One of the "I don't know how to respond to that" instances are when people greet me on my birthday. It is just a very awkward encounter for me that I have gone to great length to delete any way people will get notified of my birthday.

I have removed my date of birth from my Facebook page, as an example. I have told my agents that I don't celebrate my birthday and would prefer that they don't broadcast it if they ever knew when.

And then there's Skype. If I can only stop using it, I would; but I use it at work. I don't know who developed Skype but I bet they like to be greeted on their birthday and assumed everyone else in the world likes the attention.

You see, you can't hide your birthday from all your contacts at Skype. Not only can't you hide it. Skype makes it impossible for them to ignore your birthday by notifying them with an automated message. You can't even change it to the wrong date, because if you forgot to change it to a much later date, people will not greet you at the wrong date, which is more embarrassing to both greeter and you.

I hate you, Skype. If I had a choice, I will never use you again.