Get a life!

Seeing as whirlpooled hasn't posted anything about the new member of the family, mighty moon-sama has come to give this blog a good hard nudge in the rear because she's unhappy, and needs a place to rant.

Here's the question. WHY DO "GAMERS" RECIEVE SO MUCH FLAK AND GET CONTSANTLY PREACHED AT TO "GET A LIFE"?

I, personally, find this terribly offensive. I consider myself a gamer, not a great one, just one who has a particular OCD about getting every item you can get ingame. (Which is why the PS3's trophy collection idea should have never been realized, but anyway).

For non-gamers, a legendary game is coming up for release, the great Diablo III, announced way back in 2000, (if my memory serves me right) but constant delays kept pushing back the release date. It's finally coming out in May and needless to say, has gamers all over the world frothing at the mouth. I'm actually looking forward to getting my hands on this than Skyrim and Assassin's Creed III put together. I mean, a game that took these guys a decade to make? Seriously!

But when I was discussing the finer points of pre-ordering the game against getting it later with my cousins, friends of his started popping up left and right, commenting things like "another game? You already don't have a life." Or, "May-June, MIA at work." Or, "What a waste of money, your gf sure not happy."

I wished I had those whacking sticks to whack those annoying moles back whence they came.

Really, no life? I beg to differ. Gaming is and always has been, many peoples' past-time. A great stress-relieving tool, a chance to escape your sucky life for an hour or two. And if you think about it, gaming is actually MUCH better as a past-time than other more socially-approved mediums.

For example, a typical past-time that a typical girl has. One thing comes to mind. Shopping. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, and I'm not saying only girls shop. (guys, you guys shop too, ADMIT IT!) Let's break it down, shall we?

Buy a game, anything from $40-$100, entertainment value, anything from 10 hrs-100 hrs. (Depending on how severe your OCD is).

Go out to shop, 10 hrs, just 10 hrs, your credit card will die and your entire family will eat grass for the rest of the month.

Here's another example. Watching TV. (Again, I'm not saying watching TV is bad, but....) What do you do when you watch TV? You..... watch it. If someone was to put an MRI machine on you to check your brain activity, it'll probably show a flat line.

What about gaming then? You plant yourself in front of the screen as well, right? Well, yes and no. When you game, you have to problem solve a lot of the time. How to get to that goddamned ledge to get that goddamned treasure. How to kill that goddamned boss without getting your own arse handed to you. Strategy, strategy, strategy.

In fact, scientific research has proven that playing mah-jong is better than watching TV, as mah-jong prevents Alzheimer's. They even have Wii's at some old age homes now! (I may have fabricated the first point but the second point is true. Google it.)

And who says one can't work when one is a gamer? I hold a job, I think I do pretty good by it, and yet I completed 3 Assassin's Creed games in under 2 weeks. (Don't ask me how I did it, I have no idea myself). I'm not bragging about completing games, I'm proving a point that a gamer can function in normal society. It's as simple as "SAVE" and "POWER OFF".

So, in conclusion, all hobbies are terrible because they waste time and money. We should all just do 4 things in life. Sleep, Work, Eat, Procreate. Oh and taking dumps, that's 5. Only problem with that, 2 weeks of just those 5 activities will turn any normal human being into salivating, gun-toting mass murderers. Therefore, dear non-gamers who think themselves superior because they have far more constructive hobbies to attend to, shut up about gaming already.

Because when a zombie apocalypse hits, you guys are gonna be the first to die. Trust me.

Perk it up with an update!

The thing about blogging abt life is that it never reflects how busy you are actually living it. Here, to give it a new breath of fresh air is Fi. Soon, Fi will be blogging about the recent anime she's watched (Ao no Exorcist) and the recent game she's played (Disgaea 3 etc.) simply because the holidays are here! And there's a new member of the family in the house!

So, look out for it!

(found @ http://sorachicken.deviantart.com/art/Hope-Estheim-in-FFXIII-2-258809509)

Love,
Fi.

[game] Dragon Age: the game(s) that established as scientific fact that men evolved from darkspawn

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"Dragon Age III: Bloodlust". Ftw, anyone? Or is it just Lust?"

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Look at the time... What? It's 3 am in the morning of June the 24th and I've only sat down in front of the PS to start playing Dragon Age I: Origins all the way through Dragon Age II, in, oh... when was that again?... ah, that's right... ONE whole month ago.

By the way, this is all M's fault.

Dragon Age Origins could be fatal if avoided, poisonously fatal if indulged, and all because of one character named Alistair: accidentally romantic, clumsy, tragically vengeful if faulted and irresistably *hawt* ... that is, until, he turned 26+ in Dragon Age II. Yeah, in a cameo appearance in Dragon Age II (in which he becomes royalty if played to that ending, or a mad drunk if played to a different, more tragic conclusion) Alistair became a lazy programmer's late-night-party-drinking-morning-after-hangover version of Alister, King of Fereldan, btw, and if you must know, kick-ass tanker and sword-and-shield warrior who eats darkspawn ogres for breakfast... and I mean that... literally.

"Hmm... That's a switch."

What did that programmer decide to feed him these past 6 years in Dragon Age's Ferelden? Did they run out of stew? It caused some sort of genetic deformation in him. At least, they kept his hair intact.

"Swooping is bad..."

Of course, then, there's Fenris: the grumpy dwarf, i mean, elf, who gave brooding, angsty emo a whole new set of tight, black and shiny wardrobe. Sexy, in his feisty 'i hate all bleeding mages' mode (especially with another tight-pants Balthier's voice-acting) but a little exhausting to romance. Could I venture to say that conversation in Dragon Age II took psychological stress to a whole new level?



Indeed, Fenris is best when he is brooding, moping or whatever Varric can come up with, in a solitary corner and reading a book, or at least, trying to. Heh!

Anyhow, this is just a short post to reassure you that I'm alive and not drowned in darkspawn. But I DID wish Dragon Age II had a better ending... the whole world ending in chaos just seems a bit... depressing. The Champion, after all, worked her way up in society from nothing all the way to.... nothing again? Hm... What's up with that, I wonder?

Dragon Age III: Qunari War against the Tevinter Mages, anyone? Or shall it be Ferelden vs. the Orlais Empire? Hah! We'll see!

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Dragon Age I: Origins (my choice of Human Female Noble Rogue, later, Warden-Commander Queen)




Dragon Age II (my choice of Human Female Rogue, later, Ex-Smuggler, Templar-Killer, Mage-Supporter War Renegade)



...and her bed warmer, I mean, partner, Fenris...




Mimi, the Noble Feline Beast, who warmed the PS3 for the entire month and stood by me through darkspawn and poltergeists (I was scared in Varric's brother's haunted house!!!)



and finally, a, er, rather funny situation in Dragon Age II with Anders in the Deep Roads...
(Note: Look at the red dots in the map at the top right hand corner)


Anders: "As a Grey Warden,
I can sense other Wardens even in the Deep Roads...
(glances behind me)...
Or, of course, it could just be Darkspawn..."

Hawke: (silent thought) "Mistaking Darkspawn for a Grey Warden, yeah...
...but an ENTIRE horde of them????
Come on!"

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If you notice, I like the hairstyle and the white/silver/platinum-blonde hair on my characters! They could be lost sisters, who knows?!! They're both from Ferelden, anyway... Haha!

Keep it cool & Love all,
W.

[food] Nakhon Kitchen

I have been hearing rave reviews about Nakhon's notorious long queues but absolutely-to-die-for authentic Thai food. Having nothing else to do, me (and the rest of my family) went to Nakhon's Hougang Branch for an early dinner. I was there at 5.20pm, but had no idea it only opens at 5.30pm. Already, there was a queue.

They opened at 5.30pm sharp, distributed menus and I placed my order for 4.

My iced lemongrass drink. (A must-have for me whenever I hit a Thai cuisine restaurant. That or iced Thai Coffee.)

First came the Clear Tom Yam Seafood Soup. First sip of this and I sputtered. Me, M, sputtered. To put this in perspective, I can eat chili padi without batting an eyelid and I slather wasabi on my sashimi. So yeah, this is spicy. But OH-SO-GOOD! Although it is a clear soup, the both sour and spicy taste beats any Tom Yam soup I have ever drank hands down. A MUST TRY!

Pandan Leaf Chicken. The other versions I have eaten were not spicy. But this is HOT! You can even see chili seeds in the meat. It is a tad oily for my taste but my parents loved it, so give it a try!

Thai-style fried minced pork. As you can see in this picture, it has chili padi, so it was hot, but the sauce was also yum. The long beans mixed in it gave it an interesting crunch. Very nice!

Thai-style fried Kang Kong. Local style tends to fry stir-fry this vegetable with Sambal (or Chili paste). This version fries it with both chili and garlic, which is a nice change. Very very yummy!

Thai-style fish cake. I hate hate HATE fish cakes and fish balls so I won't comment on this. But parents adored it, so, give it a try.

The dip the fish cakes came with. Chili sauce with cucumber bits and ground peanuts. NICE!

And to polish it all off, Red Ruby for dessert!
Water Chestnut cubes covered in tapioca flour with red food coloring, topped off with shaved ice and coconut milk, garnished with slices of jackfruit. The shaved ice was a little coarse for me, but the coconut milk was nice!

And so, in conclusion, you have never tasted Thai food unless you have been to this little shop. (excluding going to Thailand of course!)

Nakhon Kitchen - 212 Hougang St 21 #01-341

136 Bedok North Ave 3 #01-166

Someone has told me that the Bedok branch is cooked by the original chef himself so it's even more authentic-tasting. But locals might not like it due to it being too spicy and/or sour for their local tastebuds. You have been warned.

K, you MUST go and try it sometime!

W, avoid this shop at all costs. Unless you are feeling particularly masochistic :D

Have fun peeps!

Battlestar Galactica Rollercoaster (Singapore)

M dropped into Universal Studios Singapore today and went straight for Battlestar Galactica. (In fact, she refused to fall into the tourist trap by going to the Park before this ride opened.)




Doesn't look too scary right? It's split into 2 different but simultaneous duelling rides, Human (or simply the RED ONE)...

And Cylon (AKA the BLUE ONE).

Seeing as the Human ride has a slightly shorter queue and it has the reputation of being less scary than the Cylon ride, I tried that first. It is a simple seated thing, with the restraint only over the lap. (Your upper body is completely free.)

No worries, no need for upper body restraints since there are no loops right?

WRONG.

The first two seconds as the car moves out of the boarding area, it's a normal speed, as most rollercoasters inch up the first uphill pretty slowly. Not this one. It immediately accelerates (and when I mean accelerates, you could almost see the "crap" speech bubble I left behind). Before I can inhale after that first scream, I was experiencing the scariest drop on a rollercoaster. Talk about my heart flying out of my mouth, I think mine flew straight into outerspace. After some high speed twisting, screaming, another drop, screaming, several turns and close shaves against Cylon and more screaming, I climbed off the ride. Legs completely turned to jelly but the adrenaline was making me laugh like a maniac.

Without a pause, I hit the Cylon next. This one is a suspended rollercoaster with plenty of loops, so I prepared myself for hanging upside down and the initial acceleration by screaming before the speeding up began. As it turns out, it was a wasted effort. There is nothing scarier then experiencing a zero-G loop with your feet dangling in the air. The rolls, corkscrew and loops were perfectly spaced apart.

My thoughts on this ride?

Bloody, friggin', insanely super duper awesome!

And the most important question: Which is scarier?

Personally, I cannot find a difference. The Human one has a fantastic drop, so you HAVE to go on it at least once, just so you can send your heart to the moon. The Cylon one is just extreme fun from the beginning to the end. Endless loops, whirls and turns.

Vekoma, the maker for this coaster is pretty notorious for jarring and rough rides. While this one was not particularly rough, there IS a crick in my neck now, but that might have been caused by me carrying both my bag and heavyass camera. Anyhows, you have been warned.

Other noteworthy rides in USS is the Revenge of the Mummy ride. It is a enclosed seated coaster. It's not scary per se, as it only contains one teeny tiny drop that hardly provides any zero-G, but the complete darkness during the ride is an absolute thrill. Oh, and yes, you are suddenly accelerated backwards. Fun!

And so in conclusion, W, K, go try Battlestar Galactica!


Went gaga over potion bottles at the Fairy Godmother's shop and bought one. I completely fell into the tourist trap didn't I?

Shh... don't tell W and K!

Cheerios and plenty of screams peeps!