Mystique Inc.

Deutsch Lerne

2011-12-02T10:41:00.004+10:00

At times I feel like I'd be more motivated with a language partner. I have used a few language "hacks" that I'd read from Fluent in 3 Months, which is learn from a phrase book (I used lonely planet). And I have joined a meetup group, but I'm still finding it hard to go out and practise.

My mum has a few friends that she said I can talk and IM with, I'll have to take her up on that offer and push myself.

Skyrim!

2011-11-10T12:28:00.003+10:00

I have pre-ordered Skyrim from game.co.uk since it's much cheaper and in a way more convenient for the game to be sent to me. When I get it next week I'm going to disappear into a miasma of fun and a burgeoning addiction.

Oh to have a new and exciting game ^_^

For now I'll have to be content with EVE Online and wait, cause I really want that Hulk (which is mildly cheaper compared to the Hulkageddon prices). So I better get mining, or get myself a BS so I can finally do level 4 missions. Ironically with the Republic Security Services.

I'm probably a traitor to my race, oh well :D

All hail our glorious Empress Jamyl!

Guten Tag!

2011-09-13T13:05:00.002+10:00

I'm getting serious about learning German and also Esperanto. Today I focused more on German (with only an hour of Esperanto).

So here is a couple of sentences that I've combine from things I've learnt so far.

Heute ist Dienstag. Ich arbeite heute um drei Uhr. Morgen ich auch arbeiten. Ich arbeiten drei Tage Woche.

Today is Tuesday. I work today at three o'clock. Tomorrow I also work. I work three days a week.

Now I just have to practice saying that without forgetting pronunciation or any of the words :)

Delicious and Nutritious

2011-09-09T21:44:00.003+10:00

Well I lied about when I would post next.

...

I have difficulty with time. For me it doesn't really have any relevancy. But onwards!

Stew with no meat
This is a really simple and easy recipe if you've forgotten to take some meat out for dinner (or have lots of veggies that need eating up).

1L Stock (chicken or beef)
Carrot
Onion
Celery
Potato
1/8 cup Red Lentils
1/8 cup Yellow Peas
Salt and Pepper (I like to grind mine and use sea salt, and cracked pepper)
Herbs (I have a great blend of marjoram, thyme and sage)
Tomato Paste (I use a pizza one which has garlic and herbs in it)

Sometimes I use other veggies or add extras (like corn, sweet potato and pumpkin). It's a very versatile recipe.

First chop everything up. Next put the onion, carrot and celery into the pot. Add a little salt and pepper, a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil (try using sesame seed oil or something else to change the flavour) and heat it up to low or medium setting on your stove.
Once that's cooked nicely you can add the rest of the vegetables, the tomato paste and stock. Combine it well and then you can add the lentils and peas. I like to put a bit more pepper in and then the herbs.
Let it simmer away for 40 minutes on medium heat, stirring every 10 minutes or so, so that nothing sticks to the bottom.

Voila!

It tastes even better the next day ^_^

Yum!

2011-08-24T13:12:00.003+10:00

Well the last week or so I haven't been able to cook that much, dinner mostly. But today I got to make Chocolate Mousse. Yay!!

Chocolate Mousse
200gm cooking chocolate (dark or milk)
3 eggs separated
300ml thickened cream (that can be whipped)

Method
NB: There are two ways that I know how to make it. Whipping/beating both the egg white and cream separately or just beating the eggs. In this recipe I've just done the eggs.

File a medium pot with a couple of centimetres of water, just enough that it doesn't touch the heat proof bowl. Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the cream into the bowl. Put the stove on low heat and let it simmer away. When the chocolate starts to melt slowly stir the ingredients.

NB: Don't have any water anywhere near the chocolate because it will seize up and you'll have to start again :(

While that is melting you can get the eggs separated. I do that by carefully cracking the egg into two halves, the egg yolk goes into a little bowl and the white goes into a small or medium bowl. You can use you're hands or a contraption if you want.

Take the heat proof bowl off the stove when the chocolate and cream are combined and let it cool down.

Using an electric beater - or if you're hardcore a whisk - and beat the egg whites till you get bubbles to form and it rises up (this is called soft peaks).

The first time I did this I had no idea what was suppose to happen, and I used a whisk and I didn't beat it hard and fast enough. The eggs just went white. The more you know!

Now when the chocolate mix has cooled down you can put the yolks in and stir till it's combined. Then you can pour in half the remaining cream and half the egg whites and slowly fold it in. The last half of both can be put in and combined.

Spoon the mixture into cups or glasses and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight (or if you do it in the morning till night time).

I also made a chicken veggie stew ... without the chicken. I just used stock because we ran out of chicken -_- I'll post that tomorrow. Now I'm going to play some more Morrowind!

Food Experimentation

2011-08-15T11:20:00.009+10:00

Well I've been looking at different foods to cook with, so I have been cooking things I've not cooked with before.

Example - Spinach

Not really something I would eat by itself, or in a salad, or raw; however, when combined with udon noodles, chicken, carrots and some homemade broth (well partly) it is something that I can eat quiet well. As long as I don't think about it and swallow down. I'm not at the chewing stage just yet.

Here is the recipe which feeds about 6 people

Chicken Breasts x 2 - cut into thin strips
One Large Carrot - cut into matchsticks
Shallots - just pick a stalk thingy, slice all the green parts and leave the white bit for later (you can use chives as well, if you wanted)
Bag of Baby Spinach leaves - no prep, and you can put as little or as much as you want
Udon noodles - I used three 200g packets
Soy Sauce - I used a couple of splashes (several tablespoons)
Mirin Sauce - just one splash since I've never used it before (couple of teaspoons)
Chicken broth - not that much maybe 1/3 cup, however you can add more
Lemon Juice - I used a lemon, so I cut a slice and just added it in. Probably a couple of tablespoons, though it can be to taste

Method
After cutting the carrot and chicken, get a pot or saucepan of water to boil.
Carefully put some of the strips of chicken into the water. Let them cook for about a minute then put them in a bowl (have several bowls). Keep doing this till all the chicken is cooked.
Then you can pour the water into a big pot, no idea what it's called. I have one for stew. Then put the udon noodles in, the carrot, the sliced green parts of the shallot and as much as you want of spinach.
Now comes the saucy stock part. Add the soy sauce, mirin sauce, squeeze of lemon and then the chicken broth. You can add all of them to various degrees or just have the chicken broth, but I liked the combination of them all.
Let it boil and simmer for 15-18 minutes, stirring gently every couple of minutes.

To serve, have one scoop and dump it right on top of the chicken and then add the white sliced part of the shallots. Add a bit of the broth, or a lot and enjoy!
If you're using chives I recommend to just add them at the end here so they don't lose their flavour. If you wanted you could add the lemon juice here as well, I guess.

It turns out really well and is very filling.

And now for the other experiment.

Almonds

A few days ago I came across a blog talking about almond milk. I was intrigued and curious so I did an internet search. Turns out it's very easy to make. As a byproduct it creates almond meal.

So I combined them together to see if some of my treats are just as good, but more healthy (for a given number of health).

Pikelets
1 cup self raising flour - I changed to 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup of almond meal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar - I used a mixture of organic and raw castor sugar
1 egg - room temperature
2 teaspoons butter, melted - we just have margarine which I heated in the microwave
1/2 cup milk - I substituted the almond milk
I also added a heaped teaspoon of honey which smells fantastic when cooking in the pan

Method
Sift the flour and baking soda. Add the sugar (which I sifted as well, I'm just like that), then add the almond meal and mix together.
Add the egg (I normally just beat them in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients around) and butter. I usually like to mix all the ingredients in, so it doesn't clump strangely when I add the milk.
Add the milk and mix through, getting rid of any big lumps of flour and such. Then lastly the honey.
Turn on the stove top to a low heat. Then just use a pan and put a tablespoon of the batter in. Flip when bubbles appear and then flip again after a minute or so. The first one will look a bit monged and pale instead of a nice goldeny brown colour because the temperature won't be quiet right, but after that (still good) pikelet the rest will be fine.

Serve hot and fresh like pancakes or let them cool down. They taste awesome with a bit of butter (margarine) and honey, or maple syrup, or cream and jam - if you wanted.

The experiment turned out very good. Much better than oats which soak up the milk in a strange way (though they are delicious as well).

Here are some photos of batter and the end products.

Batter

Nearly ready to flip

Golden brown goodness

End product, so good ^_^

Back into Gardening

2011-08-08T13:20:00.002+10:00

Starting from the end of last month I've been slowly getting back into gardening. My first trial however was today while I was cleaning pots. Horror of horrors I found lots of tiny slugs :(
So onto the web to check out how to dispose of them without harming other plants and animals. Turns out there is a few things that can get rid of them.

Beer ...

Apparently left out at night in a little thin bowl thingy. I don't think I'll need to test that just right now.

Salt!

This worked a treat. However I should have brought the pot undercover so I won't get any on the grass, but meh. It's super effective (spot the reference)! But only works on the ones that you can see and get to. So I'll have to look for additional help.

Also I found two worms in the same pot, so I hurried them along before I exterminated the slugs. Now I want to make/get/construct a worm farm.

EVE Online Election Time

2011-03-10T14:14:00.003+10:00

So finally it has come around. Campaigning and voting for CSM6.

This will be the first time I've participated in the CSM process since the last time I started playing EVE there wasn't one on (not to my knowledge). Unfortunately for me I was unprepared for the miasma of information regarding candidates.

How was I to choose the most worthy representative? And which candidate was a good fit for my interests?

Thankfully on the EVE forums an enterprising citizen had part of the answer. They had made a website that compares your views with that of participating candidates. There was a questionnaire you had to fill in and then once completed, compared it with the candidates answers. Plus most of them gave a bit of extra information on why they felt that way and also if a particular item was extremely important to them.

There was so many good answers, but it still left me with about 7-10 candidates to pick from. So I went on the EVE forums once more to see what they had posted and what the responses were. There was a lot of topics by the candidates and it was clear there was a few that would definitely get voted on, just by the shear size of the alliance and friends backing their candidate.

Hopefully mine will get chosen to fill a seat at the CSM table. There are nine spots with various roles and of course a few places reserved for the alternates in case of members quitting or scandal, as is what happened a month or so ago (and indeed several times during the history of CSM).

Now we just have to wait and see at the beginning of April for the election outcomes. My fingers are crossed that we get a good selection.

On a completely different note, I've decided to only update my deviant art journal and not this one just to save time for the Sketch a Day posts.

Day Two

2011-03-02T14:43:00.004+10:00

Beach Time!!! Woohoo!!!

But naw, seriously I could only stay go for an hour (it was really hot). So I did a quick sketch of the beach and sea, and then I did some debris sketches.

I only had a 6B pencil with me at the time.

Part of the sides and bottom was cut off though :(

A few shells, some driftwood and a leaf.

As always to see the full image just click on it ^_^

Day One

2011-03-01T10:55:00.006+10:00

This is the first day of my Sketch a Day for a month challenge.

I decided to get more familiar and experiment with the Sketchbook Pro program. I mostly used a Marker, and tried to blend some of the colours together. My rocks aren't great but I've only used the program two times.

Here it is.

Click on the image to see the full version.

I'll get more time tomorrow to do a sketch since I don't have work.

Sketch-a-Day

2011-02-28T11:12:00.002+10:00

I have decided that during the month of March I will draw or create some art once a day. Might be able to see some improvement as I get into my stride ^_^

Hopefully I'll be able to sustain it.

Oh yeah, each day I have to do something different. It can't all be just people or sci-fi etc

Should be fun and challenging.

New Year

2011-02-27T11:26:00.005+10:00

I haven't really blogged all that much, because I have slowly become addicted to EVE Online again. The worse thing though is that at the end of the year a new game is being released that I will HAVE to get. I have no say in the matter. None at all.

That game is Skyrim, and from what I have seen in the trailers, it's quiet shiny (except for the water, but hopefully that'll get fixed).

My other addiction is Minecraft. And I am always frustrated when it crashes and I haven't saved it; inevitably I get suffocated. It's no fun at all when that happens. When it does I just change worlds for a while to forget the painful experience. Until it happens again :(

The recent update kinda made me freak out. The shadows are just ... egh. I hope I get use to them but I don't know.

So now I'm going to try to control these addictions, by doing some work and then rewarding myself with an hour of a game.

This may take some time.

Reviews!!

2010-12-22T14:24:00.005+10:00

It's been a good couple of weeks and I've gotten some presents, seen a movie and treated myself to some very good things. So I thought I'd share.

First though.

Lunar Eclipse last night (on the Midsummer Solstice too). Yay!

But it was more like $%^*&%@#$ CLOUDS!!!!!

/rage

The movie I saw on the weekend was Tron and it was with some friends from uni. I quiet enjoyed it and it was easy to follow even though I had never seen the "first" one. Nice effects, interesting costumes (wouldn't wear it though), story was ... good. All in all I would recommend it.

Treats I

I went to the Pancake Manor before going to Tron. It was wonderful. Nice servers who were polite and prompt, even though it was busy (gave a nice tip 'cause I was so impressed). The food and drink was delicious. I got a Hot Cocoa with marshmallows and a Regular Stack (three pancakes) with cream and ice-cream. So delicious but I couldn't eat it all, which was a shame. Next time I treat my self I'm getting a Short Stack.

Treats II

On Monday I purchased Minecraft Alpha just before it became Beta. It was interesting and worked quiet well despite being just an alpha. I had a go on a few servers, some of which now do not function because of the change to beta. The game reminds me of Dwarf Fortress, except it is a first person game. I would recommend it to everyone, though if you don't want to pay Є14.99 and then an extra Є20 for the completed game try the free Classic Minecraft.

Bioshock Day 2

2010-12-10T09:09:00.004+10:00

I recorded this on the 31/10/10 but have been too busy to put it up straight away

Last time I limited myself to one hour, and will do so again. This is so I can get it out of my system and move on to my animation assignments.

I met the woman I had heard earlier. She had a projectile weapon os some sort, which disorientated me. I shocked her several times before I remembered my wrench. I also drank a few bottles of whiskey and vodka I found lying around to calm my nerves.

I found some cash and another recording near where the toilets are. Down the stairs near the couple. It was from a women at New Years Eve, and it seemed that a battle or something broke out.

Found a couple of packets of cigarettes which kinda hurt to smoke.

I went in the kitchen and found a few dollars and ammo. When I came out there was two splicers in the water (a bit of flooding I think), Atlas told me to electrocute them. So I aimed at the water, cause of all the conductivity.

Met another one of them up the stairs, where I'd been before. I don't know how they get in. Probably from that hole in the wall I saw before.

I went through the hold and Atlas told me to lower my weapon. I didn't know why till I saw a little girl with a massive syringe stickin' it to a dead fellow. Don't know what she was doing though. As I was walking across some rigging above the girl, Atlas informed me she is a Little Sister. Created for the genetics, and that she was no longer an innocent child. I heard here singing, and he said the name of this place. Rapture. It just doesn't seem right.

There is a stair case, but I find myself not wanting to go down. As I descended, a splicer attacked the Little Sister. She shrieked and that mechanical monster I saw before destroyed it. Atlas told me that it was the Big Daddy, and that it looks after the Little Sister as she goes about her business of extracting the Adam. Which I assume is what they call genetic material. I do not want to be on the bad side of those freaks!

I was attacked by another one of those splicers, just after the room with the Little Sister. She had a gun, but was easy to dispatch. I passed another one of those Vita Chambers, and heard a voice. Probably another splicer. I got him further along, and through the window I observed two more of them down stairs. It looks like they were looking for something, nothing good I figure. It was near something that looked like a Big Daddy, but it wasn't moving. Could it be a downed one?

There was more flooding where they were so I shocked them. When I came down, it was indeed a corpse of a Big Daddy. Frightening that something so powerful could be killed.

I found some bandages in another toilet block, near a gate labeled medical. I couldn't get there due to the closed gate. Opposite was an opened door called Neptune's Bounty.

When I went to go through the gate, an alarm of some sort went off. Three splicers came, but I got them as they went in the water. There was a machine of some sort that spit fire on the other side of the now closed gate. Atlas tells me to go through Medical instead.

It is now open.

When I got to a Room with many monitors, the lights went out, and the door closed behind me. Atlas is trying to find or override the system to get a way out. Before too long a giant monitor came to life, and a Ryan, started raving about the CIA and KGB. I'm not sure if he's sane or not, but I can hear voices not too far away, so I don't really care all too much.

I was right, three splicers came and started bashing on the glass windows. Atlas got the door to open and I quickly passed through and opened the next door.

It took a while for the door to open fully. It looks like an airlock and the water could flow in from the side. But it was fine. On the other side there was another Vita Chamber and some more ads. Atlas told me the Ryan guy was the founder of Rapture. Seems a bit Return to Sender, if you know what I mean.

I hear a maniacal laughter beyond. I don't know what I'll find.

I found a bot of some sort, and am attempting to hack it now. I go it to work and now it is flying about. I hear a voice on the other side of the door. I am about to investigate.

A splicer nurse and doctor awaited me. They had weapons too, but I got them. I inadvertently tripped another alarm as I tried to gain emergency access to Neptune's Bounty. I went into the next room and found a semi-automatic weapon, but also saw some more splicers coming to get me through the window. I got them. But Atlas says I have to find a Doctor of some sort. He doesn't know how human he will be after so long.

Bioshock Day 1

2010-11-01T12:40:00.004+10:00

This is my written journal, word for word. Also anything in italics is an explanation if I think something needs more.

I am setting a limit to how long I will play. An hour seems sufficient, but I am unsure. I will use the kitchen timer.

I checked the options and I can't change the difficulty for some reason. It is on medium. I don't know how I will go. I found out why. I clicked on the New Game and it asked me to choose Easy, Medium or Hard.

Cut Scene

I got to control my player when he surfaced. It was very nice cinematics.

Inside the submersible

I can't move, during the descent, only look. The music is awesome, as is the underwater city. Though it could be better now. It was released in 2007. I saw a whale and a worker of some sort. And ads like the 60s and the lights of Vegas/New York.

I was met by someone but he was viciously murdered by some god-awful creature, which then attacked my vessel. It went away, I was directed by Atlas, someone on the radio, to seek higher ground. I don't know what for, since I'm under water. I shall be very careful, since I don't know what else may be lurking in the darkness of this underwater marvel. I encountered a Vita Chamber. Apparently it revives you if you've been injured or killed.

I don't want to experience that at all!

It looks like I'm in a station. Like the Grand Central Station in New York City. However, everything is in a disarray, and all the flights or trains have been cancelled. I wonder what happened. I don't feel very safe. I can still hear the creature, murmuring in the shadows. I don't have anything to defend myself with. It has hooks for hands, while I merely have hands. Here is a picture, as far as i can make out.

Picture of curved hooks

Description next to the picture. It was dark, but they glowed, like red hot embers.

I saw the 'Splicer', as Atlas calls it, the fiendish thing went for me. But Atlas had a contraption that chased it away. It was in the station area and I soon found a weapon of sorts. A wrench from a construction site. Abandoned for some reason. I still don't like my chances. The Splicer eviscerated the poor fellow from before.

Nearby there was debris blocking my way. I smashed it and on the other side a stair case with a burning table was pushed down. I heard noises of a battle. It was some kind of Splicer. Not the one from before. Less dangerous, but still formidable. A quick bashing soon sorted it out. I was slightly hurt and a bit shaken. I then heard a child, but am not sure from whence the voice came. I searched its body. It had some sort of first aid, and an 'EVE', whatever that is.

Nearby there is a door, which I daren't open for fear of flooding the chambers I am in. There are windows beside it and I can see the great expanse of ocean. I'm not sure how much has collapsed or been broken. I don't want to find out.

I saw an ad for 'Plasmids'. I'm not sure what they are either. I heard the child again. It seems it is an ad like on the radio.

I just woke up from an injection of Plasmids. Very painful. It seems it changes my genetic code some how, as Mister Atlas puts it. While I was semi-conscious I was visited by two more of the Splicers, who soon fled because of a 'Daddy'. I wasn't sure I heard right. I blacked out again, but then saw what must of been the Daddy. I cannot fathom what it is, but it was accompanied by a girl child, which I did not like the look or sound of. They went away though. Thank God! When I was fully recovered, or as much as I could, I discovered I could shoot electricity from my hands. A useful thing in a dangerous city like this.

Against my better judgement I used my new found power on the door I had passed. The controls where sparking before I got very close.

Holy Crap!

As soon as I got through the door the plane wreckage smashed into the glass!!! walk way. I had to rush to the next door to avoid drowning. I was right to be cautious.

Another one of the creatures. Atlas advises to zap then punch. I hope I can do it without dying!

I did it! But it tired me out greatly. I found a blue liquid which I hope will revive me somewhat.

Several more attacked me, one was on fire. I heard shouting before him. Looks like he came from a lift, which is now on fire, no doubt because of an engineering error. I still hear the unseen man. Atlas pleaded with me to help him escape this hell hole with his family. I can't say I blame him.

I went on the elevator and it took me past the Splicer I had heard, but then I heard a woman I think. I have to take care not to assume. It was a woman. A crazed one at that. It was then, that Atlas told me of the Plasmids' affects on the population and the descent of the cities denizen into madness and chaos.

I went forwards to a bar like room. Music was playing, but I heard a couple arguing. Not to be too heartless, I used the gun I found to put the bloke out of his misery. I came to a rest room. The mens, I think, has a hole in the wall. The other had a ghost like apparition of a women. I found some liquor in a toilet stall and some more first aid stuff. A Splicer surprised me. He was in a stall that I didn't look in. Now I have no more ammo for the gun. I found an account of a man. I can't remember what he said though.

This is where I finished the hour of play. There is quiet a few errors in grammar and spelling in my account, as well as in my written journal (much more in fact in the journal).

Bathroom Pondering

2010-11-01T12:29:00.002+10:00

I was just having my shower, when it occurred to me that Christmas is fast approaching. Only 55 days to go! I was thinking of the gifts I would have to get for all my family and friends, some of which aren't in the same state as me anymore. Some are difficult to buy for, while others are really easy.

My brother, for instance, doesn't care much what I get him. I asked him what he would like, a game? some hardware? or money? He doesn't know what he wants. I will probably end up getting him a gift card to Sanity (other audio/visual shops are available) or the local hardware store. Or a book about cars.

My mind wandered to the people around me, and then I remembered the nice Samaritan that helped me get home several months back. One of her sons was interested in a train game, so that is one gift I can give.

I will document from beginning to end how I create the models, textures, gameworld and programming. The first three are easy, the hardest is getting it all together and programming it with no errors. I will use Unity for that because I have had the most positive experience with it as a game engine. It will still be very hard, but worthwhile as a learning exercise.

More to come!

Great Escape

2010-10-31T10:30:00.003+10:00

Well last night was the first of a monthful, where my parents are no longer in the country. It felt like any other day, except now I have to clean, cook and take out the garbage.

I'm not sure how they are doing. I've only gotten two text messages. One from mum about landing in LA, the other from my father about my work. Since I don't want to get in debt from replying, I emailed back (my mum has a blackberry). Hopefully they are having a blast.

Today I have an assignment due, which I confess I have done absolutely nothing on. Except for a few things. So I have to beaver done and get working. It will be hard because I got a new game yesterday (Bioshock) and am chronicling my adventure as I go along. I did it with TES: Oblivion, which had a lot of pages of my experiences, though I'm not sure where I put the massive amount of pages. I'm post my adventure of Bioshock later.

Abroad

2010-08-18T10:15:00.003+10:00

It has been such a long time since last I wrote. However, now I have much more stuff to write about.

Lamenting that I didn't see Avenue Q with my glasses, I went and got myself a passport and had a lovely, if short, holiday across-the-way, in New Zealand. Short, in that I arrived at 1am on a Sunday and left the next day at 7am. It was my first time visiting another country, and it was a positive experience, so during the Christmas holidays I will most likely go again, hopefully for longer than the 36 hours or so I stayed before. And the good thing about living in the Southern Hemisphere is that it will be Summertime, so I won't suffer under the harsh cold.

Recently I discovered that a friend of mine had also been to New Zealand, except a different part. And he stayed longer than me (ten days), but I don't envy him that much because he went to Queenstown to snow board. It would be a nice thing to experience once, 'cause of the snow, but the novelty would surely dissipate in the first couple of hours. I'm more of a sun and warmth person, so Queensland is just fine for me.

I have also gone to a new bar this year, the first time with a friend, because Fortitude Valley is not for one, and the second time with a whole group. Unfortunately one couldn't make it because of her sisters birthday.
Happy 18th Birthday!!!
So next time for her.

The bar is called The Mana Bar. It is a very unusual bar, because unlike most it has video games to congregate around. Some that are old, some that have just been released, and once in a while one that hasn't even come out yet! The drinks are also different, though I don't partake of the alcoholic beverages, they have all kinds of names from the game genre. Some that even the game illiterate should know of, like Princess Peach (from Mario Bros.), Health Potion (from any game really) and Finish Him (from any fighting game).

Avenu Q

2010-03-28T20:55:00.005+10:00

Tonight I finally saw Avenue Q. It was the last performance of it's run in Brisbane. Hopefully it is going to Sydney or Melbourne, because once was not enough.

The whole experience was fantastic. The atmosphere, the crowd and even the refreshments during the interval, was great. The only problem was I forgot my glasses. A cardinal sin for me when I'm going out to the Theatre or a movie.

Curse my short sightedness.

However, I was pretty close to the stage so I didn't miss much. I do like to see the expression on the actors face though. Hence my hopes of the production moving to another city in Australia.

The only thing that really spoiled my night on the town was the lack of public transport. Luckily a kind Samaritan offered to take me home.

PS

2009-09-15T11:27:00.003+10:00

Also I forgot I'm starting to do a comic about a little demon from Hell.

He is called Jr.

I will post a picture of him as soon as I've finished spiffing him up on Photoshop.

However, direct your attention to some new websites.
dresdencodak.com
http://www.scarygoround.com/
and
http://nobodyscores.loosenutstudio.com/

Have fun kids

Long Time No Blog

2009-09-15T11:15:00.002+10:00

Well I came on a couple of days ago and it appears that my last post was in April.
...
So this is my long overdue post about what has been happening.

Semester 1
Assignment: Make a Game Prototype [tick]

Holidays: Fun in Melbourne [tick]
: See Wicked [tick]
: Shop [tick, though I came back home with money. I mean come on! I should be broke or something. I think I just wasn't trying hard enough]

and other stuff

Semester 2
Assignment1: Finish making the Game [on going]

Assignment2: Animate part of the Battle of Wits scene from Princess Bride [on going *sigh*]

Assignment3: Create a virtual environment [on going, I'm starting to see a pattern emerge]

Oh yeah there was a few gymnastic competitions. One in June and one that just happened. I judged and coached in them. Plus there was one in the Gold Coast which I judged at, didn't get much money for it though *sad face*.

And I got a new watch (has a Dalek on it) and River Song's Sonic Screwdriver. It's soo cool it has a blue and red setting.

Well that's about it, actually there is other stuff, but I can't be expected to remember everything ... about ... my life ...

Exhasting Month

2009-04-07T20:35:00.003+10:00

Well a month has past since I last posted, mostly because of uni but also because of work. Nothing much to report except that I'M MASSIVELY STRESSED!!

I have soo much to do. Basically I have to learn to use Source SDK, importing to said program and create a level as well as textures and various other related game creation thingies.

And I've only got two weeks basically to make it work :(
It wouldn't be so bad if I had more time, but the scope of the project!

Though for one of my projects I'm creating a level from Stargate SG-1. Which is much more fun, and I have more time. It is only three rooms and some corridors. The most difficult thing will be the Kwoosh effect and the event horizon.

Still it is something I can put on my resúme.

Design Process

2009-03-03T10:21:00.002+10:00

Today we had a really boring lecture, one I think we have each semester. Design process is very annoying to hear about.
There is not much to learn. It's learning to use a process that works is what we need to learn.
*sigh*
It is a two hour lecture as well. Lame

First Week Done and Dusted

2009-03-01T09:18:00.002+10:00

Well my first week back was a bit stressful. A lot of things had to be done, like changing a unit, going to a team meeting and buying materials for units I didn't think I had to buy.

I did have lots of fun though. Especially now I don't have to do Interior Design ^^ I now get to do Cryptography and Protocols. One of my friends is in it as well, so I can get help if I need it.

The only annoying thing is that there are two lectures in two different campus' one after another :( Oh well.

Class Update

2009-02-26T08:47:00.002+10:00

Okay I've fixed my timetable. It took a while and I didn't even need to use a TARDIS. Instead of doing Interior Design, I am now doing Cryptology.
It looks very fun too, so I guess it worked out for the best. I still have to go to two different campus' right after each other though, so that is going to be a bit dicey.

Early Rising, Late Falling

2009-02-25T13:28:00.003+10:00

Well now it is the third day back at uni, and as I said before I am really tired. I have to wake up at 5am (just like the sun) and trudge off to classes at 8am. Some days I don't get home till 8pm (a new shift at work, hurray).
It also looks like this whole year will be very work intensive. Eight assignments and a test for the first semester, and who knows for the second half of the year.
I don't think I will be able to keep up with everything (like games), or have as much fun (with games), and I won't stay up to date with the interweb (Penny Arcade and LFG ftw).

This year is starting to look as bad as the economic downturn (or recession for those in the UK and US).

One can only hope the holiday period will help rejuvenate my will to game and other fun related activities.

Day Two

2009-02-24T12:27:00.002+10:00

Damn it!
Two classes clash, and apparently (according to the unit coordinators) they are both really important.
On top of that this is my second day starting really early (5am starts) and it is really taking it's toll.
I'm already tired and I also have to teach this afternoon :(
On the plus side I can now connect to the wireless internet on campus with my little Eee PC. I had to get a fellow student to configure the Linux system.

First Day Back

2009-02-23T15:03:00.003+10:00

So it has been about three months since uni finished, and now it has come back.
YAY!
Now I won't be bored and play games as much. So in the following weeks I will be posting my ideas for my classes with pictures and artwork. The only downside is that this semester looks like it is very heavy workload.
BOO!!!
But I'm sure I will be able to do everything.
Also this year I am aiming for higher grades - the 5-7 mark - so my GPA goes up (it's on a measly 4.6 at the moment).

New Classes

2009-02-17T10:56:00.002+10:00

Well nothing much has really happened since I last posted. But I finally get my own classes to coach gymnastics this year.
Yay!
At the moment I've got three pre-level classes, which is like a beginner class for children. I've only done one of the classes, but this week I start on the other two :)
Hopefully they will all have fun and are fast learners.

Picnic at the Beach

2009-02-09T16:29:00.004+10:00

My picnic on Sunday finally happened (took two weeks to organise).
It was a really nice day as well, practically no clouds in the sky.

Some people at the same beach.

A lot of the beaches were occupied, so my friends and I had to drive for a few minutes before we found an area with less people (as well as sufficient shade).

There were still a lot of people though.

Here are a few of the things we had for lunch.

Pikelets with honey and cream or jam and cream, choc chip cupcakes, crackers and cheese. We had Pepsi and Lemon Lime & Bitters as our beverages.
Though we were in shade, I still got sun burnt on my arms and legs.

Wearing way too much black.

A massive amount of cream on her pikelet.

All in all, a great day.

The New Year

2009-02-06T16:13:00.003+10:00

Hi everyone.
I've been away for a very long time, too much time playing computer games and not enough on the assignments and internet :)
Hopefully I'll be a lot more active this year.

In the mean time here are a few websites to keep you company till I return.

www.penny-arcade.com/comic
www.lfgcomic.com/page/latest
www.ctrlaltdel-online.com
www.xkcd.com

I hope they give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

A Bright New Day

2008-03-16T08:40:00.003+10:00

So far uni has been fun.
Animation classes, although
next week I have a test
(already *meh*), and Fundamental
of Gaming(heaps of fun), and
something about writing, but
we haven't done any yet (just
learned about visual stuff).
Still its lots of fun!
Of course, now that its been
a couple of weeks, I have a
lot of assignments.
Yay *unenthusiastic*

A New Semester

2008-02-07T13:10:00.000+10:00

The second year of my course
is upon me, and I relish the
chance to do new things.
As it is I will have to be
careful because I have gotten
a job. This means I will have
to divide my time, but also
learn to use it properly.

This semester I am doing
KVB105, KIB201, KIB108 and
ITB016. Mostly I'm in KG,
but for one lecture and tutorial
I'm in GP.

The New Year

2008-01-16T10:31:00.000+10:00

Well the Silly Season is nearly
at an end, with the school year
starting in a few weeks.
There are several things that have
changes such as I got a job.
Yay for me.
And a new phone. The Skype phone.
Also yay.
Nearly everyone in my household
has wireless broadband. Another
plus.
On the downside, my laptop (with
*^$% Vista) has had some sort of
malfunction. I suspect some sort
of coding error.
When I want a @ I get a ". It's very
annoying. Still it could be worse,
but its very inconvenient when you've
learnt to touch type with the normal
area's.

Yule Sabbath

2007-12-12T10:57:00.000+10:00

The Summer (or Winter depending on
where you live) Solstice is coming around
and that also means Christmas is
also here at last.
I don't know about other people,
but to me Christmas as a novelty
has worn off. It just seems like it
has been commercialised to the point where
its real meaning has become obscured.
Now I'm not religious, per se, but
even I am spiritual. Christmas just
doesn't seem like Christmas any more.
One of the reasons of celebrating the
Yule Sabbath is the renewal or death/slumber
of the earth (opposites for the N & S
Hemisphere's). Which I find is much better
then celebrating the birth of a prophet.
And though I don't believe in Christianity,
I recognise that the holiday started out
well meaningly.
So, instead of celebrating x-mas this year
try out something different with the Yule.

Halloween Ahoy

2007-10-18T21:15:00.000+10:00

Well its coming around again.
For some it is bliss (USA),
for others a time for the odd
dress up.

But one question on my mind is:
will this affect my marks?
Odd I know, but uni can do that
to a person.
This comes just before three
assignments are due in, and two
exams the next week.

So what should I do? I am
resolutely going to be decadent
and leisurely. Its a pity because
I really wanted to finish the
assignments sooner.

Assignment Blitz

2007-10-10T08:57:00.000+10:00

Once again I have left it late
to finish assignments. My
procrastination in the face
of fire is quite extraodinary.

Now I have two assignments
due on Friday, and another on
next Monday. I'm more confident
with the Monday one though.

So now I am faced with a decision,
much like in London. Whether I
should go bravely on, or cower
and flee.

Not good!

Accidental Deletion

2007-09-11T12:12:00.000+10:00

Well this is fun. I was trying to put a new mod
on Oblivion for PC, when I accidently erased
all the textures and another key folder.
Nice
Its lucky that when I tried to play Oblivion,
it didn't just crash straight up. It did however,
take a very long time to load up.
It could have been worse.

This is a key mistake that I have, hopefully,
learnt from (ie. Back Ups are leet, and be
mindful of what I'm doing)

Counter-Strike:Source

2007-08-24T11:33:00.000+10:00

One of the most engaging games I have
played, but it can be quiet monotonous.
That's why I enjoy the several mods
available, especially the gungame mod.

Of course its not for the faint of heart,
or the newb, as you're likely to get no
frags in this hyper-competition format.

My favourite map while playing this mod
is dust and playground_x_s (I don't know
where you get that map though).
Why?
Because I like to win, or at least get to
level 18 when playing. Still, its great
fun.

Nation States

2007-08-22T08:42:00.000+10:00

Well this is one website that is very
strange. It originated from a book and
has turned into an on-line game.

Last semester as a project for ITB750,
everyone (basically) made a state.
Now our region has only 17 states left.

I'm thinking of moving to another region.

To get to NationStates
type in nationstates.net (no www at the
beginning)
and create a state today.

New Semester take 2

2007-08-21T14:11:00.000+10:00

Well I don't know about you but I'm pissed off.
The computer did a spak attack and I have to
rewrite this entry. Oh well.

A recap -
Last semesters results
ITB750 - 7 (yay)
ITB001 - 4 (oh well, passed)
ITB002 - 6 (yay, better than I thought)
DEB101 - 5 (oh well, better than a pass)

And now to this semester
KIB107
KIB105
ITB003
ITB751

Updates -
Steam basicly works only in S601 because
ITB750 is not on this semester.
Need to have SteamBuster though
Also S601 can access Olympus and other
ftp sites that were previously only accessed
in the Green Room.

Panicing slightly with this semesters workload
(5 assignments due in one week), but overall
quite happy.
I'm using Maya (pronounced My-ya), After Effects 6.5
and Photoshop CS.

Wireless

2007-05-19T14:20:00.000+10:00

I live in a region that is a harsh
environment for broadband
wireless.
It's really annoying when your
downloading something or most
importantly playing an MMORPG
or another game.
Plus most downloads don't start
off where they were before
ominously disconecting, they start
right back at the beginning.
Arrrr!!!!
Stupid broadband providers!!!

Review

2007-05-16T10:01:00.000+10:00

Plato's Timaeus & Critias

I haven't actually finished reading it
all yet (still reading Timaeus part).
It does however show what the
ancients thought about the world,
anatomy, atoms (four elements)
and the "soul".
It's good for a laugh if your
inclined to such things (anatomy, atoms)
but I need to finish it to place an
overall rating.
At the moment I give it 3/5 for
being unintentionally funny.

Hackety Hack

2007-05-15T13:01:00.000+10:00

New software based on the Ruby language.
Aimed at 13+, it tries to make learning
computer language fun.
It's really good too. You can do all kinds
of things with it, and it comes with 7
tutorial lessons.
There is also a lot of help files.
This program is great for anybody
introducing programming in school.

Movies

2007-05-15T12:50:00.000+10:00

It's been ages since I've seen anything
at the cinemas. It's rather depressing
really. And the new Pirates movie is
coming out next week.
Sigh
The good news is that I have lots
of DVDs (not the same thing though).

Argh! Assignments

2007-05-05T18:55:00.000+10:00

Honestyly!!!
There are two many things I have
to do at the same time. It's too
much!!!!!!!
[shake fists]
Plus the extra stuff a student
has to do. Work, spare time,
playing games, meeting with
friends, and meeting with team
members for stupid units.
It's never ending!!!!
Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hurray!

2007-04-20T12:11:00.000+10:00

Yay!!!

I have finally finished the design
block week. Our first assignment
got a 6+ (7 is the highest), and
I'm pretty sure our second
assignment got a high mark too.
We did a 50s style government
propaganda educational presentation
(Billy the kid).
Now I have only one more assignment
and a lecture, and I've finished my
design unit.
Hurray!!!!

Block Week

2007-04-18T09:38:00.001+10:00

Rant

This whole week has been exhausting.
At the moment, for my design unit, we
have to come in early (9am) till 8 at
night.
We are in groups and have to do two
assignments (one on Tuesday and another
on Thursday).
At the end of this week we have to
finish a Design Journal. So really we
have to do three assignments in one
week.
I can't even sleep in. :(
I am soo totally over this!

Block Week

2007-04-18T09:38:00.000+10:00

This whole week has been exhausting.
At the moment, for my design unit, we
have to come in early (9am) till 8 at
night.
We are in groups and have to do two
assignments (one on Tuesday and another
on Thursday).
At the end of this week we have to
finish a Design Journal. So really we
have to do three assignments in one
week.
I can't even sleep in. :(
I am soo totally over this!

Panic

2007-04-04T09:49:00.000+10:00

Deadlines

An approaching assignment is giving
me grief, hence the panic. On top
of that Easter is coming up, and you
know that won't help at all.
Curse my infernal mind and its
affinity with books and video games!!
There is however a lesson to be learned,
which is better time and resource
management.
Harshly learned, and learned too late.

Assignments

2007-03-30T12:09:00.000+10:00

Assignments (the bane of my existance)

University is chock full of assignments.
Some of which don't make sense.
I have a coding assignment that uses
DrScheme. If anybody has used it before
you know that its frustrating to use.
I prefer C++, but you can't have everything.
I also have a unit dedicated to team work
basicly. I have an assignment for that as
well.
Overall I think I have six or seven assignments
at the moment, which really cramps my
leisure time (either reading or gaming).
[sigh]
Back to work I guess. : (

My First Blog

2007-03-30T11:41:00.000+10:00

My First Blog

Hi to anyone reading this. :)
As this is my first blog I might
incur the wrath of experience
bloggers.
Sorry in advance

I don't know what to write yet
so don't hold your breath for
anything good. Hopefully this
will become easier.

Anyway, hello to any friends that
are reading this. Good job!