Blitzkrieg Bob

First week of practicum felt like a blitzkreg attack from out of nowhere with sledgehammer to the face. An XXL sledgehammer at that, too. Let me explain the process step-by-step to make it easier for you to understand:

• The part where the sledgehammer was swung was that Sunday before prac started. I knew it was coming straight at me but I was powerless to dodge it. The only thing I could do was wait for the impending slam and hope it won’t hurt too much.
• The next moment, the hammer hits and on that moment, the pain was unbearable. That was practically how the 5 first days felt. There’s a truck-load of things to be done. The lesson plans, organizing the portfolio and of course, dealing with the kids at school were just a few things that I had to bear with. And let’s not forget the icing on the cake. It’s chock-full of artificial sweeteners that its diabetic inducing; afternoon school sealed my fate of staying at hostel every Monday to Friday. Bye-bye McD, be-bye movies…
• And of finally, the last stage - the after effect of the hit. Everything went dark. Maybe a few stars were visible. And then everything just stopped there and then. The pain was gone. So are all the other senses. The next thing I realize is that I was laying down on the floor. Hey, the first week is over and done with and it felt all to short. Not that I hoped it would felt any longer, mind you.
  

And that’s the whole process. Here I am, waiting for the next 11 blows and hoping that by the end of it, my brain would still be functioning with all the screws still intact.

* Blitzkrieg Bob, by the American punk Rock band, The Ramones

The Tale That You Were In

June 19, 2008. On this day, my friend Sue Fin turned 23. I will always rember this day. Unfortunately, her birthday has little to do with it because on the same day, one of my consoles died on me. June 19, 2008, my PS3 has ceased to operate... yet again. Then again, the ps3 has never failed to dissapoint me. The first game I had on the ps3 (resistance) was mediocre at best. After Resistance, I was only using the PS3 to play PS2 games for over a year as no new games caught my attention (and even if there were, I'd prefer to buy them for the 360 anyways - achievement junkie). Just before the end of last year, it got broken once because of a sudden electrical surge in my apartment. EB Wellington was kind enough to had it sorted for me and I got a replacement from Sony NZ just before I left the windy city.

Power lights on, screen completely blank... its broken alright

That is not where the streak of bad luck ended for the console though. The thing weighs a hefty 7.5kg and there simply wasn't place for something as small yet as heavy as that in my bag. As much as I didn't want to, I had to part ways my PS3 at the airport. I had my ex-housemate Kurt posted to me through NZ Post. To my horror, it costs me 250nzd. Thats roughly around RM600. All seems fine after that, until I came to another shocking realization when I went to pick up the console at the LCCT terminal. I had to pay taxes for shipping the thing into the country! I told the customs officer that it was a sed item so I ended up having to pay RM150, instead of RM500 which I was supposed to pay had it been a new item.

The streak ended when PS3 game drought came to a close, which is when I bought Uncharted, and then Devil May Cry 3. The console finally had its chance of redeeming itself through the presence of Rock Band. After 3 months waiting, the PS3 had another chance to prove itself. Metal Gear Solid 4 was released on June 12. I enjoyed MGS4 immensely. I finished the game in just 2 days and immediately began my second play through. Now, approximately a week after I bought the game. The PS3 has failed me yet again. It powers on but the friggin thing just won't boot. Darn, I was so upset. Hopefully GamersHideout will be willing to accept a PS3 for repairs. Don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon though. I've invested too much money on the PS3 that I don't even have enough to get it fixed. Sigh....

*The Tale That You Were In - 君がいた物語(kimigaitamonogatari) - by See-Saw

Take This Life

I watched the whole 7 videos of Giantbomb's 'How to build a bomb' , and my impression is, I am extremely jealous . Oh btw, for those of who aren't keeping up with video game news, Giantbomb.com is a gaming website made by former employees of gaming news giant Gamespot.com, after a senior member (and Giantbomb founder) got 'retired' from Gamespot. On to what I was saying, I was jealous because they have everything that I could only dream of

• a job which revolves around video games.....check
• an office full of game/movie posters..............check
• multiple lcds and consoles for sytem link......check
• a comfy looking couch opposite a big lcd, rigged to various gaming consoles..............................check
• office mates whocan play and appreciate games...........................................check

The list goes on. Me, on the other hand, I'm stuck in my life not being able to have even half of the luxury they have. That does it, I'm gonna get me enough money to start up a gaming shop! Or at least I want to have a gaming studio in my house. Of course, theres that 1 problem - I still won't have people to play with me. Oh the woes of a lonesome gamer (T_T)




* Take This Life by In Flames

Thank U

A few months back my xbox360 went caput. Because it is almost impossible to get it officially fixed by Microsoft, I had to resort to less than official measures. Through some extensive search on the lowyat.net forums, I found Mr. Dominic 'DreamyGhost' Choy. The guy lives Kuantan, not too far from where I live (Pekan) and has a pretty good track record of fixing dead 360's. So we arranged to get my 360 fixed and he said he'd do it for 120. A very reasonable price. Unfortunately, the 360 died yet again after a couple of weeks. I called Mr. Choy and he told me to send it back to him. That, I did, and he fixed it again only to have it broken again not long after that. I gave up.

Now, after more than 4 months, he still insists on reparing that console of mine. I've always thought of it as a lost cause and told him its alright. His reply was 'you oredy paid me, so its my job to fix it'. I was wowed by his honesty and sense of duty. With that kind of attitude, I don't see him having trouble getting promotions with his job. We should take a lesson from Mr. Choy and be as honest with our duty as he is. Thank you very much Mr. Choy.

*Thank U is a song by Alanis Morissette.

Love & Truth

The world hasn't really been a safe place to live in lately with all the disasters happening all over the globe. We should remember that while we are living in the comfort of our houses, there are those unlucky souls out there who are currently seeking refuge in shelters, without having anything to eat. These people need help. The truth is, they are just waiting for someone, anyone, to lend them a hand and show them a little love. We need to show these folks some love, people. I just did - by donating some money. It wasn't really much, merely RM500. A small price to pay if that could make the lives of the unfortunate people in Sichuan, China better. Let it be known to the world, Najibu is such a generous person. I am proud to be me.

Authors note : The post is a big fat lie. I never did donate any money to anyone like I claimed in the above post, well...at least not intentionally. If you want to know the real story, look for the truth. Its somewhere above :)

*Love & Truth is a single by YUI and is the theme song for the movie Closed Note