The Chronicles of Jon

Easter forecast

2008-03-23T13:24:40Z

You know there's something wrong when you wake up to snow on Easter Sunday.

To who it may concern,
World's broke - plz fix.
K thx bai.

Freedom of Sword

2007-04-26T23:22:08Z

Before it's too late I'd like to post to a petition that was emailed to me earlier.
This one is similar to the govt. petition that was up before concerning Cars having to have trackers fitted for tax purposes. This time, however, ministers are attempting to put through a complete ban on swords.

"The proposed ban on the import, sale and manufacture of swords will have an adverse effect on legitimate practitioners, collectors and manufacturers. Actual sword related crime is very rare and does not warrant a ban that affects the cultural activities of thousands of legitimate martial artists, collectors and smiths. Current legislation is quite adequate to deal with violent crime connected with bladed weapons. New legislation is merely for show. Enforcing such a ban will also affect cultural events such as Scottish Sword Dancing and many Sikh festivals. We urge the PM to reconsider this knee jerk reaction to media influenced scaremongering."

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/swords/

The deadline is the 15th of May.

An unexpected but welcome call

2007-04-25T20:44:39Z

I got a call this morning from an "Unknown Number" that brought good news. I've been short-listsed for the summer job at Uni and have an interview on Tuesday afternoon.

The deal is pretty simple. I'll get a standard hourly wage to do one of a variety of jobs in halls to cater and care for the foreign students on campus during the summer months On top of that, I'll also get free board until september!

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed and hope to be alert and fresh on the day (if possible, I'll be taking my interview in between a mass of lectures :S).
2"
On a different subject, I've been hankering for "old-gen" games for a welcome distraction to my studies. Nothing brought yet, just lusting. For the KoF group that Nia wanted to have ready for Amecon, I've been wanting to purchase a King of Fighters game for a while. I did a look into the, 3D, Maximum Impact games and it looks like Maximum Impact 2 (which fixes the issues of the first and promises to have a boatload of bonuses) will be coming out at the end of the month - a post-exam reward maybe?

The other reason I've been wanting to look at more games have been a re-awakening of my original dream to do an academic research into Usability, Human Psychology and gaming. I've already informally planned out a set of heuristics for one or two genres (the most detailed being what home-versions of fighting games require) but after talks with my lecturers it seems that my final year project will be needing a Build or an Implementation of some sort (and building an entire fighting game might be beyond my budget and scope).

I've been closing following the work and thesis of Jenova Chen and his flOw theory in games. I have to agree that any user-interface that meets the right criteria can become enjoyable (even if that wasn't its primary purpose). But I also believe that this can be investigated much further than has been written so far. He came up with a great implementation of his Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment hypothesis but that only covers one area of Flow, so maybe I'll be able to look into over areas of this.
http://www.jenovachen.com/

I have a feeling that Usability can make or break playability in a games system. No matter how great the story or how beautiful the graphics, usability issues can make gameplay either incredibly boring or insanely frustrating.

The worst case I came across this week was playing Sonic the Hedgehog on my flatmate's PS3. I knew that Rob had already given his review for it but I didn't want to accept the truth until I saw it with my own eyes. He hit the nail on the head - it's an unfinished game. Loading screens pop in at jarring intervals, you have no way of knowing where you need to go what you need and what you have acquired. These are simple little issues that could have been dealt with via subtle visual cues - so simple that I wished I could recode it just to add some goddam signposts!

It's also usability which, in my interpretation, makes the recent Prince of Persia trilogy so turbulent. The second in the trilogy, Warrior Within, is often cited as a frustrating experience. Originally, it was thought to be because of the "I smolder with generic rage" direction the developers had taken the series but similar games such as God of War and even PoP: The Two Thrones seem to disprove that by not doing that dispite their own violent content. What makes the difference??
It's difficult to say since I'm already rambling but one of the things that made Prince of 'Persia: The Sands of Time' great was the way you could "rewind" time and undo mistakes, even shortly after death! It was the fact you could make death-defying leaps and jumps and throw consequence out of the window that made people fall in love with the series in the first place.
Similarly, with God of War you had a fantastic executiong of "Quick-Time Events". You could trigger a sequence of events were you needed to follow on-screen prompts and were rewarded with pulling off mind-blowing acts of violence and stunt-work - and if you failed to input all the commands, the consequence was just that you didn't get to do the fancy kill that time.

There is a possible notion that [amoungst other things] a factorof user-frustration is in the way death is handled, namely the death of the player-character or your avatar. In first-person shooting games like Quake and Unreal Tornament a player constantly kills other players and is often killed in the process - after which, the character respawns.
So why is it that Counterstrike is renound for making people curse and swear [like the "Boom! Headshot" guy and the 'German Kid' internet vids]? Is it that, maybe, the fact you stay dead until the end of the round makes your death more true than games where you respawn or is it that the sudden stop in play impacts your personal flow like a truck to the face?
The question I ask myself is, "What would happen if I removed Death from games?"
Would you ever see a DDR or Katamari Damachy player go nuts?

(I wonder, perhaps it is not the violence of content that [apparently] causes agression in people playing games but using an unusable interface creates frustration in users.)

In Super Smash Bros, the same mechanic is there. You constantly take out the players around you again and again and again. But the consequence of being taken out is so little that it is amusing to all, even the victim, and you get to jump straight back into play. SSM is an incredible game [to me] in that there are no losers. The game counts how much chaos each player creates and it is the most chaotic that wins. In a sense, Burnout is brilliant for those very same reasons.

Anyhow, all this means I have alot of reading up to do over summer. One of my lectuerers has already told me I can make use of existing engines or shells for my build/implementation so I won't need to build up and entire game from scratch- but I still have *alot* of work ahead of me.
For now, I have 4 weeks will exams and 3 papers that need to go in too.

As a last note, and penace for my verbal diahorrea, I'll leave you with this today.Today's Penny Arcade strip covered an unexpected gem of a game they came across by accident: Odin Spehere
http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/odinsphere/video_player.html?id=ISBhwTL-5b4OvjDd

And a cheesy yet cool trailer for Spiderman 3 for Wii
http://kotaku.com/gaming/spiderman-3/new-corny-spidey-3-trailer-254713.php

Today I also happened to stumble across this new show called SPECTER. Imagine if the Power Rangers were run by the MiB.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0sGjLtQSj0&eurl=
http://www.elite-justice.com/?p=9

St George's Day

2007-04-23T06:52:12Z

Happy St George's Day everyone.
Let us remember the Knight of Golden Legend - The warrior that slew a dragon and rescued a princess.

I'm not sure exactly what we are supposed to do today but right now I'm going to finish my tea and Creme-Egg and get back to my paper.

100 GETS

2006-12-20T15:55:17Z

I forgot to mention;

on Saturday, I managed to earn £100 for designing and installing a home network for a friend of the family. When he heard I was aiming to upgrade my machinery, he wanted to pay me 50% more but it didn't seem right to take that. Instead, I will be required to update the network further in the next following weekend or so.

At the moment, I'm feeling like I need to upgrade my computer a fair bit but I'm stuck. I've got a fairly decent P4 but the motherboard uses AGP, so the best gfx-card I can get will be on APGx8.
I keep getting told that PCI-E is the way to go but to get that I'd need a whole new motherboard and compatible processor.
When the costs total up, I might as well get an Alienware and that's most likely outside of any budget I might have.

But for now, yey!, £100!

Dragonball Z

2006-12-20T15:28:19Z

The American dub and subsequent western fanbase nearly completely destroyed my happy, if not rose-tinted, memory of one of my favorite childhood shows. Fortunately, clips of the remastered Japanese dvds have rekindled my nostalgia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtSiqZBrNNc
Note the last Unknown Malaysian Dub! [5:30 onwards]
This christmas, me and Matt have agreed we *have* to make a definitive compilation of the best of my old Malay DBZ dub soundbites.

Who knows, it become greater than Nine Thousand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBtpyeLxVkI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cS18yG8DJI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgJRmdnSnWA
Ah, Master Roshi. You gotta admire his dedication. He knew that he was at the end of his life and had nothing else to loose.

PSP: When Viral Marketing Goes Wrong

2006-12-19T09:42:20Z

Just as I've come close to finishing my research journal on the influence of internet blogs and comments on public opinion, I come across this little story.

It seems that Sony, in their infinite wisdom, hired a viral marketing company to place employees onto internet communities like YouTube.com. Their express mission, to try and create desire for the PSP product by pretending to be "one of the kids" and exploiting that trust for commercial gains.

Almost scarily, the collective of the internet were able to pick away and see through the facade. Eventually, the facts about the who actually owned the website and a mass of little details lead to the complete exposing of the deceit. The website AllIWantForXmasIsAPSP.com was flooded with comments and messages and the website was eventually shut down.
-but not before a full confession was posted on the site.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=21702
http://www.penny-arcade.com/2006/12/13
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3155931

Other fake blog sites include the "character" Bee, aka "Lonelygirl15"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonelygirl15

The videos still remain, resurrected by YouTube users. The Internet does not forget so easily:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwdhg_whoKw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G0LlXv-nyI

[edit] It seems that even though the site has been taken down, a spoof site called http://www.alliwantforxmasisaps3.com/ has been created. It uses the same style and format but openly critizes the hardware for being expensive and flawed.
-Thanks to popfulmail for the link.

http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showTodaysArticle&art_type=39

Done and Done pt1

2006-12-16T10:39:03Z

Just finished all of my online tests for Human computer Interaction [HCI].
Judging from my results I must've averaged over 90%.

RIGHT! Now for a fukkin' cup of tea.
I've still got some blogs to do and courseworks to turn in before its the season to be jolly.

[edit]
Oh shit!
http://www.songbirdocarina.com/
I WANT ONE!

Flatmates, Flickr and Fun

2006-12-16T04:41:13Z

brrrr
Doing research blogs and online tests has given me a headache.
My flatmate, Tom, asked me to send him some photos for a flat collage of some description.
I decided to upload them to my poorly, neglected, flickr account.
I've taken so many photos this semester and I still haven't uploaded them.
I'll do it all this Christmas I'm sure!

http://flickr.com/photos/25836267@N00/323550581/

Benders!

2006-12-13T04:49:07Z

Phew, doing extra units in this third year isn't easy. I've got a whole shed load of work to get in before Christmas break and another lot to do before we return in the new year. And yes, I mean I actually have 2 sheds to store all of my work.
Okay, I lied on the last part.

I've been letting alot of things like this livejournal slip alot and have even been missing out on shows like Lost and Dr.Who spin-off Torchwood, not to mention animes. But what I have been keeping up with is the new western animation series Avatar: The Last Air Bender.

It's a a very well animated show, to the point which puts a lot of recent Japanese animations to shame, about the 4 lands of Water, Earth, Fire and Air and the Avatar. Each land has it's own style of martial arts which gives them the power to bend the elements, thus they are called Benders. The Avatar is reincarnated every generation and is supposed to be able to bend all 4 elements. And before you ask, no they do combine to form Captain Planet :)
In this story, the Avatar vanished one day for 100 years. During this time, the Fire Nation grew into a significantly powerful military force and has slowly started to conquer the 4 lands and the Air Nomads have disappeared.
Two siblings form the Water Tribe discover a young boy, named Ang, encased in a meditative state inside a glacier in the South Pole. He seems to be the only Air Bender left - and this is where our story begins.

Here are a couple of amv links, nothing spectacular as amvs go but a good showcase of the epicness of the story and the beautiful animation quality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dlBP9woK-M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPC2a9hsyU0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHAtG243lhk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeQkgdtu5qo
*Suprisingly some of them seem to be from the "I'M THE JUGGERNAUGHT BITCH!" guy

I also found this site for some official wallpapers and stunning backdrops:
http://wheredreamsfly.com/Wallpapers.html

Its that time again

2006-11-17T20:49:48Z

Because recently people have started posting some related stuffs [and because I've wanted to make proper a post but find myself crunching on with deadlines] I'm going to post some 80s/90s nostalgia from youtube:
MONTAGE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJBsuDfqQ50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnUfYEn506I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdCT8_BDAgc

The one show that seems to have stood the test of time, with it's beautifully animated intro and fantastic soundtrack is Thundercats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzXEC7IIbiA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qd_IsxgAf8
"Thundercats ho!"

This week I found out, much to my suprise, that The Mysterious Cities of Gold was in fact originally animated by Studio Perriot in Japan. This is the same animation studio responsible for the likes of Naruto, Bleach and even Hikaru no Go.
The site can be found here: http://pierrot.jp/title/esteban/
The japanese dvds are still available and a quick google search found that one fan has a small ebay enterprise in putting the old english dub track onto the japanese dvd video. Sounds like good stuff.
The old intro for linkspam's sake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGMIgbkimtI

And finally, I am happy that one of my favorate webcomics, Sinfest, is still running.
Each strip is immediately punchy and humourous and his rants about having a stomach ache and finding heaven in a bluberry muffin are a joy to read.
If you haven't already, check it out: http://www.sinfest.net/

"It's diversing"

2006-11-06T18:24:59Z

Looking for a brief distraction from my studies today, I stumbled across this quartet of DJ's called C2C.
They seem to be the reigning champions for the team competition @ DMC 2003/4 and 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP-86de-oUA

A fun little act, even if individually they may not be as great as DJ Yoda. I must remember to pick up the newest album :)

DJ Yoda vs the duelling banjos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph3sRX9SViM

Hallow-meme

2006-10-20T19:06:07Z

Meme stolen from rachelmei and _jinjin_.
I'm worried by the concept of a "Prickly Power Ranger" and impressed by "lvl1 fighter". Knowing this party, "Bear" would always be "Pedobear" O_o'
The Special prize goes to the cojoined-twins Chris, Jon was very lovely as Madonna and it turns out that Choco was my grandfather all along.

jonathanli's Halloween party:

_jinjin_ dressed as the Brady Bunch -- all of them.
agent_grey007 dressed as the Archbishop of Relzetom.
bammy dressed as Barney Gumble, and it suited them disturbingly well.
bizarrecookie dressed as Paul Harvey.
bless_chan dressed as a disturbing self-made character called "Flunky Diaperhiney".
burned_leather dressed as Michael Jackson, though it looked more like the Cardinal of Osbusdale.
ceroblade dressed as Optimus Prime.
chococat dressed as your grandfather.
chubbzilla dressed as a catcher for the Yankees.
diaho dressed as Yu-Gi-Oh.
durandle dressed as a Agnes's Manufacturing employee.
fatkraken dressed as Grover Cleveland.
fuunsaiki dressed as a goblin.
gothicmaidchii dressed as the Prickly Power Ranger.
hachimaki dressed as a nasty vampire.
kahochan dressed as a bear.
kneebone dressed as the love child of Al Pacino and Janet Reno.
lubey dressed as a bottle of Itanpetom.
masseuse87 dressed as a oblivious circuit.
mastersluggard dressed as a 1970's disco child.
matt_marshall dressed as a rainbow fish, and it suited them disturbingly well.
mithrandir2k dressed as a associate sheet spreader.
mquin forgot to put on clothes!
mrmigs dressed as a Level 1 fighter.
nadesico_kitty dressed as something large, but what, specifically, you can't tell.
naukhel dressed as a new member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Mighty Leader.
nic didn't dress up, spoilsport.
popfulmail dressed as Mary-Kate Olsen with her very own conjoined Ashley.
rachelmei dressed as the Governor of South Dakota.
sailor_perrin didn't even show up and doesn't get any candy.
samie_ling dressed as Ted Williams.
sasahara dressed as a wrath.
shinin9_fin9er dressed as the main character of "Rain Man".
simonx dressed as a puck.
sleepinglate dressed as Anna Nicole Smith.
takuropop dressed as a new superhero: Phantom Worm.
tha_moose dressed as Madonna.
trav_uka dressed as Captain Kirk from "Star Trek".
true_delusion dressed as a angel.
trueagrocrag dressed as Herbert Hoover.
wynner_presents dressed as Jessica Alba's mother.
zero_butterfly dressed as a ferret.

Throw your own party at the Hallomeme!
Created with phpNonsense

Personality Test

2006-10-18T16:33:52Z

Yep, its another one of those personality test questionaires memes.
linked to me by gothicmaidchii @ http://similarminds.com/global-adv.html

Advanced Global Personality Test Results

Extraversion	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Stability	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	86%
Orderliness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	36%
Accommodation	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Interdependence	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Intellectual	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	90%
Mystical	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	90%
Artistic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Religious	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	83%
Hedonism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Materialism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	76%
Narcissism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Adventurousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	83%
Work ethic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Self absorbed	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Conflict seeking	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Need to dominate	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%

Romantic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	90%
Avoidant	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Anti-authority	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Wealth	\|\|	10%
Dependency	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Change averse	\|\|\|\|\|\|	23%
Cautiousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Individuality	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Sexuality	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Peter pan complex	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Physical security	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Physical Fitness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	90%
Histrionic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Paranoia	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Vanity	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Hypersensitivity	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Female cliche	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|

Stability results were very high which suggests you are extremely relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.

Orderliness results were moderately low which suggests you are, at times, overly flexible, improvised, and fun seeking at the expense of reliability, work ethic, and long term accomplishment.

Extraversion results were high which suggests you are overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense too often of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity.

trait snapshot:

messy, disorganized, social, tough, outgoing, rarely worries, self revealing, open, risk taker, likes the unknown, likes large parties, makes friends easily, likes to stand out, likes to make fun of people, reckless, optimistic, positive, strong, does not like to be alone, ambivalent about chaos, abstract, impractical, not good at saving money, fearless, trusting, thrill seeker, not rule conscious, enjoys leadership, strange, loves food, abstract, rarely irritated, anti-authority, attracted to the counter culture

FREE HUGS

2006-10-18T01:00:35Z

For all those who feel like a hug and even those who don't realise they need one
- I for one, welcome more hugs -
then maybe this will be of some relevance to you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

I do warn now. Anyone who replies to this will be eligable for a free hug
and you may get one even if you don't.
Reach out and touch another person today, tomorrow and the day after that.

Reflections 2 - The Pretentious and the Troubled

2006-10-17T23:02:13Z

gothicmaidchii has explained the concept of being "Pretentious" to me.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pretentious

Now I can understand the earlier responses better. My lacking writing skills gave the appearence of self-importance or an itellectual claim. That was not my intention. I meant to query instead of assert.

There was something that was troubling me and through the things which were stuck in my mind I was looking to find the answer. I posted to LJ as a means to find help in that.
Clearly, I need to learn how to ask for help properly :D

With enough thought, I think I have figured it out.
My enrolment process at uni had complications and left me in a limbo for the first few weeks, not knowning where I stood.
Eventually, it was decided that I'd be taking this year but with extra units.
The added work load shouldn't have been a problem but due to the earlier complications I've started late and have been struggling alot to catch up.
Unfortunetly, the biggest complication of all has been my student loan. The processing has become so confused and convoluted that I still haven't received it and probably won't for another 3 weeks or so.

This has been the back-breaking straw. My finances have been highly restrictive on my lifestyle to the point of affecting my diet and impacted on my health.
And even though I have the best flatmates I've ever had sofar [of which I need to post about later] I feel as though I can't go out and socialise properly because of these ties.

At the moment, a friend of mine has been looking into a testing job at Sega and I've been seriously considering taking a placement year so that I can save up and concentrate on my extra units.
Or maybe I will feel different once my loan comes in and I'll carry on with all my units [possibly doing a part-time job in retail].

Either way, my choices hinge on whether I get accepted for this job or if my loan comes through before then.
For the time being, I'm just going to have to though it out.

Self control - A reflection

2006-10-17T21:38:54Z

My student loan still hasn't come through. I could be waiting up to 3 more weeks for it.
I have 0 left on my overdraft. Thankfully, I have about £50 in my pocket to eat with (Thanks Mum, Dad!).

The last couple of days, I haven't been sleeping much [or at all]. I've had a coursework on Soft Systems Methods very early on in the course whose deadline I've been struggling to meet. I think I have a fever now :P

I did, however, take a series of micro-naps and meditation periods to sort out my thoughts.
Some pretty random ones which stuck with me and I decided to write down.
I never claimed to be a philosphical genius, I merely had a set of words and images that I'm trying to make sense of.
The negative feedback is interesting as I never expected anyone to pay much attention. I'm sure there are conclusions that could be drawn from that alone.
I don't take myself too seriously and don't expect other people too either. Some of replies have been genuinely funny and I'm even flattered by the amount of effort some people have put in.

I also sense some serious vitriol from one or two people, which leads me to beleive that there is something in their life which is upsetting them. If a person is going to experience "rage" by the mere midnight ramblings of a humble computing student, I think they need some more joy in their life. Turn your frown upside down.
Might I suggest a hug
or Anger Management
starring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler :)

-Purple
-Monkey
-Dishwasher

The four elements of control

2006-10-17T00:02:29Z

Whilst meditating tonight, some words appeared to me. Words with I have been trying to make sense of.

There are 4 points of energy:

1. The Center
2. The Root
3. The Earth
4. The Heavens

The Root extends from the Center and can be thought of as the physical layer of the body. Without the mediating extension, energy is trapped in the Center or even coccooned.

The Earth brings stability. It is where you stand and without the right footing even a tree with fall.

The Heavens are your Space, the world around you. You are as much a part of it as you are a part of the world.

But most important of all is the Center. "Everything starts with the Center" and it is only when you address things from within first that harmony is found.

Spatial Reflections

2006-10-12T22:46:39Z

Earlier today, I got an invitation to see this Art Exhibition tomorrow. Mei-Yee Man is something of a casual friend of mine and a genuinely nice person, so I'm honored to get to see some of her work. The exhibition will be running until the 27th, so I see no reason why you don't go down to see if you can :)

This morning: Good News / Bads News

2006-09-21T07:43:14Z

Good News:- A Twelth Night/Taming of the Shrew double will be showing at The Old Vic next to my halls until feb, judging from a bill-board I passed.

Bad News:- Richard Hammond, presenter of Top Gear and Brainiacs has had a near-fatal car crash [during a land-speed record attempt] and is fighting for his life right now.
The full story is already covered in my friend matt_marshall's journal entry here: http://matt-marshall.livejournal.com/7049.html
I hope that he pulls through.

Guess what I got?

2006-09-19T18:03:26Z

She may be a bit unstable, spazz-out and keep leaving me out to dry but I lover her anyways. That's right, I got an internet working!

Moved into halls late-ish on Sunday and have been sorting out stuff in between drinks.
The flatmates all seem pretty cool.
I will update with more words later on.

University Halls Returning

2006-09-17T00:36:48Z

I'm moving back into halls tomorrow.

Yesterday was pretty cool because I got to catch up with my God-Brother, David, who I haven't seen in years. I tested out alot of animes I've seen on him, since he's the one that got me into Evangelion as it came out in the East, and he loved them.
The main ones I showed him were some of Last Exile and Eureka 7.
It's the sharing of cool and interesting things that really makes being an anime fan fun, even more than just watching and leeching.

I also tried out Higurashi on gothicmaidchii. Seeing as she's an avid lover of Asian horror and liked Elfen Lied, I thought this would be up her street. I normally only share shows I've finished and know the ending is good, but I've already gotten so far into this show I knew it couldn't fail :)
She gave me some good feedback today. Unlike alot of films which are just creepy, she said she was genuinely freaked out by this.. and she's only 3 eps in too.
I never really realised she got scared until I took her to boxhill earlier this week, where there are spooky forests and no light apart from the cheap torch I brought with me.
It probably looks like I take pleasure in scaring her doesn't it? *scratches head*

Today, I saw about half of Kiki's Delivery Service while rachel was watching. I love Miyazaki films so much.

Here's a meme from fuunsaiki and rachelmei:

1. What are your siblings' MIDDLE names?
Mei, which means "little flower" or "pretty".
I looked for other interpretations and it seems that in hebrew it means "great".
Then again, the same sites say my middle name also means "great, vast" on top of the given meaning of "sincere, genuine, true"
http://www.babynamesworld.com/meaning_of_Chen.html

Sweet stuff. I love chinese names.

2. Where is your dad right now?
Downstairs watching tv while stringing a badminton racket or drinking ale

3. What was the last thing you said and to who?
"Miss you" to Sarah. I'll see you tomorrow ^^

4. What is something you've learned about yourself recently?
You shall do great things but have no idea what.

5. What colour is your watch?
Thick brown leather strap, machined aluminium with a great oversized digital display

6. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Mei and Mark say Steve Irwin, which puts a first thought in my head.
But now I think "It's not Kenya. No lions and tigers there"
http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/kenya/

7. When was the last time you had to pee?
Not too long ago, but not recently either.

8. Who is the last person you liked?
I liked the cupcake mum made earlier today.
It's gone now. It'a all my fault.
WHY?? Why must we always hurt the ones we love?!? ;_;

9. Are you close to your mom?
Sometimes she can be naggy but yes.

10. Where does your best friend work?
By day, he works in the BBC. But eveyone knows he really fights crime at night.

11. Do you like the person who sent this survey?
I think my sister hates me for some reason and that makes me sad :(

12. What was your favourite show when you were growing up?
The Adventures of David Gnome [The ending made me cry]
Dogtanian and the Muskerhounds
The Mysterious Cities of Gold

13. What colour are your pants?
White girl-boxers with strawberry pr-*cough*
Black boxers. MANLY BOXERS!

14. Do you have roommates?
I will be moving back into halls tomorrow. Then I will have plenty roommates

15. What colour is your bedroom flooring?
Blue?

16. Do you have a chair in your room?
I'm sitting on it. It is made of wood.

17. What time were you born?
Sunrise or sunset? Dad told me the first thing he did was hold me up to the window and show me the world I'd been born into. He says I cried.

18. Do you know anyone who is engaged?
Somewhat.

19. What's your favourite number?
I used to love the number 9, possibly because it is the largest digit or the stuff about cats lives.
Nowadays, I like to break away from the mold. 100 has a very nice ring to it. It's something to strive for.
Say it with me now: ONE HUNDRED!!

20. Do you know anyone named Laurie?
No...

21. What colour is your mom's hair?
Dark brown and sliver.
Silver hair is cool.

22. Do you have a dog?
Dogs drool, cats rule.
I have 2 cats: Mack and Mao

23. Where did you live in 1997?
Same place I've lived since around 1990. South London.

24. What happened to you in 1993?
Stayed up watching too much TV and megadrive at night.
Something here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/years/1993/index.shtml
In all honesty, can anybody honestly recall clearly what happened when they were 10 years old.
Oh shi- I had my 10th Birthday!! XD

25. Does your first memory involve your dad?
Like I said before, being held outside of a hospital window and sunrise.
I saw the world and cried.

26. No. 26 is MIA
It's okay, we've sent a select group of numbers to go behind enemy lines and bring No.26 back safely.
Leave no man behind.

27. When was the last time you went swimming?
Either with Rob or with Dad about a month or so back. I need to do more swimming when I move back into uni.

28. Has your luggage ever gotten lost?
Not really.

29. When was the last time you talked to your siblings?
I think I heard a grunt from Rachel earlier (??)

30. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
Things like that. Did alot of stuff in the Cubs and Scouts and also holiday clubs with the church.
No "summer camp" camps though. Nothing to take me away all summer.

31. Do you play an instrument?
Did a bit of keyboard and accoustic guitar, I suck though.
I've also been dabbling in harmonica, drumming and singing.
It's nothing to brag about since I'm rubbish at them :P

32. Someone has kidnapped question 32
Is this related to the #26 case?
Maybe the numbers have been taken to THE VILLAGE.

33. Do you like fire?
Quite alot. I'm lucky i've never gotten into trouble for it ^_^

34. Where are your best friends from?
Local ;)

35. Are you allergic to anything?
Death

36. When was the last time you cried?
When Auntie passed away.

37. What type of shampoo do you use?
Herbal Ess- Whatever I can steal in this house ^^;

38. Have you ever been to a spa?
No. Sounds nice.

39. Were you popular in high school?
Somewhat. I was a hellraiser in Grammar School and made some very cool friends there but I also used to get into alot of trouble. I moved to another for GCSEs and everyone there was really cool. I got alot of attention as the mystery exchange student from an all-boys grammar school, especially from the girls, but I was a little too naive to notice back then.
There wasn't a big gap in popularity in my highschool since everyone was very cool and intermingled ALOT.
The change of scene helped to change me alot, no longer the infamous Psychojon ^_^

40. Did you take science all four years of high school?
"Doesn't everyone??" I don't recall anybody not taking science all the way to GCSEs. I was very strong in my Sciences and on reflection, maybe I should've taken the Triple-Award instead of the usual double.

41. Do you like butterflies?
I'd like to see more of them. Moths are the stronger species but I hate them. They get in my lights and burn.

42. What is the last book you read?
I can'r remember the last storybook I read. I have a big backlog of books I need to catch up on.

43. Do you like Coke or Pepsi more?
I try to avoid both to be honest. Does nobody else ever question the mass consumption of an oil-black liquid?

44. What is one thing you miss about your past?
Absolutley nothing. I was often angry and confused when I was little. I'm so much stronger and confident now. I wish I was half the person I am now when I was in school.

45. Did you ever see the school nurse?
Kind of. I had alot of headaches, maybe due to bad sleeping or diet. The headaches could've contributed to my constant rage.

46. Have you ever wanted to be a teacher?
Every now and again. For now I'm still learning.

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
I see things I admire in others and wish to improve myself to be more like that.
Envy is a nasty little thing.

49. Is anyone jealous of you?
I hope not. I'd much rather inspire people.

50. When was the last time you were in an elevator?
A couple of weeks ago at the BBC. Nice lifts, no vomit. My halls will all have lifts and I know somebody is going ot puke in them ^^; </cut>

Clash of the morons

2006-09-06T01:58:37Z

This evening, I rediscovered a beautiful joy in fighting games that I had fought I'd all but lost.
My friend matt_marshall had seen this clip from the '2004 Evolution StreetfighterIII: 3rd Strike' finals and was not only inspired to buy this game but also compelled to fight me.

[What is also worth noting here is that at the very end of this match, Chun-Li performs a Super-Art and Ken 'Parry's every single hit before coming back with a combo of his own]

The setup was as follows. The players wer me as Ryu, Matthew as Ken.
The Round-match was a best of 5 bouts.

I was pretty cocky before our match. I was talking it up with words of how I'll play without using my arcade stick "otherwise it wouldn't be sporting". To say the least, I was pretty confident in myself and my chances against my opponent.
I was a fool. I had forgotten that he was also a long-time gamer. To my complete suprise, I was overwhelmed with the type of combos and attacks I'd only seen pros do before.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvfFG73lyGU
I was decamated; DESTROYED.
"Best out of three!", I excliamed. The classic pillar of gaming was invoked.

I could not let defeat beat me down while I could still fight, not while I'd found a strong player to fight against.
It was at this point that my mobile rang, the chorus-themetune of the ringtone sounding loudly with pride. It was Sarah, she was calling back because I phoned earlier while she was out. We talked about a myriad of things and organised some things for the coming days... during which time, Marshall was honing his skills against the CPU.
I mentioned the current situation over the phone and she gave me something of a challenge in Guilty Gear. You've gotta love a woman with fighting spirit, you realy do.

Anyways, leaving that aside, the game was back on. I had to keep cool, if I didn't stay in complete control it would just be a repeat performance of Round 1. Things were closer this time around, I was able to keep hit at bay with hits here and there and even got to put some pressure on myself.
Then, the unimaginable happened. Catching a suprise opening, I had the beginnings of some kind of combo. Memories of what I'd seen much better players do in this situation came to me and before we both knew it, about 3/4 of the lifebar had been blown away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56DgnmoNxGI
The kill was mine. Now we both on 1 Round each.

The final fight was so close it wasn't even funny. We'll, if it weren't for that fact it was hilarious.
Hits were matched blow for blow. The bouts themselves were so close you couldn't tell by looking at the lifebars.
It was almost a shame that only one person had to come out victorious but of course that is the case.
But for now, out of respect of this battle and because I am feeling sleepy I shall not declare the winner at this moment.

Maybe I'll leave a clue here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z6a9_8Icrvc

And to celebrate this festival of gaming, I give you Rick Wakeman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ya6dsej-0I

Side notes of notice:
On October the 28th, there is going to be a concert by one of the most brilliant of game composers, Richard Jauques. I say this because I am a great big fan of Sega games music and I want to see this candle-lit musical event XD
http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/2006/09/where-will-richard-jacques-be-on.html

Nice Weather

2006-09-05T14:20:35Z

The weather outside looks pretty nice doesn't it.

Right now I'm currently house-sitting while Mum and Dad go off on their bizzarre country side adventures they like to call a holiday. I'm glad that they're spending time together away from home. They're much happier as people when because of it :D

So that leaves me today with a bit of house maintanence. I've also done some light exercise [I really need to go to the gym] and uploaded a few new photos to Flickr:
http://flickr.com/photos/25836267@N00/234939011/

On the deliveries side; I've just recieved a bunch of Gundam kits today. I've been waiting for them for quite a while now but I have a regretful feeling that I may not have the time to put them together properly.
I also haven't got much money left either. This weekend, I took out the last £10 left on my overdraft.
My student loan has been delayed because of delayed processing of my confirmation for Year 3 at uni.

For now, I shall probably be catching up on some of the many books I've been given to read.
I also have alot of writing up about events these couple of months I should do.

[edit]
I also have to say that Banksy is a hero. The "guerilla artist" replaced copies of Paris Hilton's single with his own interpretation including pictures of Ms.hilton with the words "Why am I famous?":
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5310416.stm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharl/232879701/in/pool-banksy/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharl/232879701/in/photostream/

One of the new tracks can be gotten here:
http://rapidshare.de/files/31911015/01_That_s_Hot.m4a.html

Crocodile Hunt no more

2006-09-04T08:26:46Z

Bit tired this morning after a fun weekend at Vauxhall House, I sprang out of bed when I heard news on the radio that Steve Irwin has killed during a marine documentary.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5311298.stm