Gamebites

Short post!

Gamesbites is a Dutch (very important part, this!) blog/website that does podcasts alongside Youtube videos (let's plays) about video games and video game related news.

Check it out, they're awesome!

Gamebites

Off the grid

Geez, talk about suddenly disappearing, right?

To sum it up, life got a little bit hectic, worked a couple of days at a casino (but saving that lovely story for another time!) and then financial problems kicked in and my internet got shut off.

Fun, fun, fun!

Either way, it's not back by any means, I just have kind enough neighbours who'll let me borrow their wi-fi in the meantime. I knew it would pay off to always greet them in the hallway!

So, the long and short of it is that blogging should resume as normal starting now.

Totally wish I had GTAV, though.

Bouncing around

Rebound. Everyone is familiar with that word, be it through their own experience or seeing it happen in front of their eyes. Maybe you've been a rebound to someone before? Either way, it's not a word we're strangers with.

But what does it mean, really? What qualifies someone as a rebound? Is it a time period after your relationship has ended? Is it just the next thing that comes along afterwards? Does it qualify as a rebound if it's not a short fling, though? When does it stop being a rebound and turn into actual affection and a 'real' relationship?

Moreover, when you're in the rebound phase, how can you tell? Does your brain know when you're simply using someone as a rebound? Or are you just blinded by the fact that you miss your old relationship? And if not, if you're totally oblivious to it being a rebound, can it really be called a rebound then? After all, it feels just like the real thing.

And to jump back a tiny bit, let's say the rebound turns into something more than a short fling, and you break up after a year or two, does it still count as a rebound at that point or not?

I think what it comes down to, is after your relationship ends, for whatever reason, you look for a replacement. Any sign of affection from anyone goes straight to the heart and you can't get enough of it. And after a while, you might realize if you two click or not. If you do, it stops being a rebound and a fling, but if it doesn't, it ends, and ends up qualifying as a fling/rebound.

Either way, that's enough rambling for now. Let me know what you think.

Streaming!

So a friend and I tried our first hand at streaming last night. It was great fun, I have to say. Experienced some slight technical difficulties the first half hour to hour or so, but once we figured out the problem it was quickly sorted out.

We ended up settling for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Seemed like a perfect nice game to start out with, co-op and all.

I definitely want to make this a regular thing, whenever there's time for it. Now I suppose it's time to actually get some art work and banners done for the while thing, to make it look al nice, right? Right.

Link to the stream is here.

And the Youtube channel is here.

The night is dark...

What is it about night time that makes humans think and contemplate?

Now, I'm not talking people who work night shifts exclusively and basically flipped the switch from day to night. But I mean when you can't sleep or just have to stay up late for one thing or another. Hell, even sometimes when just laying in your bed.

Why do we take this time to think about things? To reflect on the past and make plans for the future? But the weird thing about it is, it's generally very serious or gloomy, isn't it? We always think about the life questions, about the scary future or often about the things we regret.

Why is this? Is it because night time makes us assume the world is more depressing? The sun is gone, so the fun must be as well? It's a hard question to answer because there's things such as clubbing that only start once the night hits, so it can't be that. And what about the people mentioned earlier who flipped a switch? Wouldn't they be depressed and serious all the time, then?

Hell, even this post stems from the same problem. It's night time and your mind wanders to all the serious things in your life. One of my favorite activities is to sit on the window sill as music softly plays in the background, cigarette in hand and just looking outside--at life going on.

The Wolverine - Reviewed

Double header!

Well, sort-of. But whatever, just roll with it. As per the last entry, spoilers!

The Wolverine

What else can I really say here? It's more-or-less another origin story. Or rather a continuation thereof. This time it follows the Mariko storyline, but it was quite abrupt and out of nowhere, especially so when everything was cut short. The arc is still incomplete, but I doubt they'll ever go back to it. Especially judging by the scene after the credits.

The acting was overal good. I'm glad they hired proper speaking Japanese people rather than forcing English people to learn the lines and mispronounce everything. Which is why I'm also glad Hugh Jackman barely said a word in Japanese, either. Some scenes/lines bugged me here and there, but overal it's what you would expect from a Wolverine movie.

Though, with that said, I think it's also one of its gripes. It wasn't as actioned packed as I would've liked it to be. There was a lot of build-up, if you ask me. But it all led to pretty much... nothing. The action scenes were very subpar and short. Hell, the best one, in my opinion, was on the train, and to make the matter worse, it was against a random Yakuza grunt. And most of that you even see on the trailer.

I was also very disappointed by the lack of other mutants. I mean, sure, there's the Viper chick, but she wasn't really impressive or a proper antagonist. Speaking of antagonist, it seemed very much so like the movie couldn't decide who they wanted it to be. Was it the grandfather? Was it the Viper chick? Was it the dad? Make up your mind, movie! It all becomes clear by the end, of course, but until then it's a rollercoaster ride.

I can't really comment much on the soundtrack as I don't remember any of it. So I guess it was just your run of the mill music and ambiance. Which is fine, there weren't really any epic moments or whatnot to throw a good score underneath it. The 3-D was also very disappointing, I literally didn't notice a single effect. This is more a gripe with the industry as a whole of late, but this was a typical example of just wanting to milk out the extra buck for the glasses.

Overal I'm disappointed with the movie. And this is coming from someone who liked the previous Wolverine movie. I'd give it a 4 out of 10. If you're a fan I'd give it a rental, but that's about it.

Pacific Rim - Reviewed

As the title already says, I'm going to give it a knack to review a movie. Now, I do have to say I've never done it before, so I apologize if it's totally stupid and whatnot. And, of course, spoilers! But without further ado:

So, Pacific Rim.

Let me just start off by saying that as a general movie go-er and not as a critic or anything, I had a good time at the movie. I literally went in blind, I knew absolutely nothing about the movie. The only thing I had in mind, judging by the name was that I expected it to be a submarine movie in the Pacific.

I could not have been more wrong.

Pacific Rim cuts right to the chase and it's known within the first few minutes what the movie is like and what it's about. Which is good, the movie was already two hours, if they needed to explain the backstory and have them develop the Jaegers then it would've been too long, or needed a sequel, which wouldn't have fit at all.

I can't harp on the beginning too much, it has the standard fare of the main protagonist losing someone dear to him, as a setback and something he needs to overcome later in the movie. I'm glad they didn't really make that the main focus, but more-so just used it as an excuse to work in the girl as his Drift partner. My only complaint about it is, of course, you don't have time to grow a connection with the person who dies so early on in the movie.

The cast was great, consisting mostly of unknown or relatively unknown actors, with some more 'famous' ones getting less important roles. But they all did a great job, if you ask me.

The monster and Jaeger design was great, I loved how every single one of them was different. The Jaegers in the sense of their speciality or fighting style, and the Kaiju in regards to which animal they represented. Some were more obvious than others, but still very great!

I'm not going to nitpick every little thing about the movie, because to be frank, there are quite a few plotholes and just stupid/cheesy things. Or failing those, things that just don't make sense at all. Just enjoy it for what it is, an action packed CGI movie of mechas vs huge aliens.

The soundtrack is amazing, however! It felt proportionally epic with slight changes depending on the scenes, in regards to the 'main' theme it had. Even if you never intend to watch the movie (you should!) get your hands on the OST, it's great.

Overal, I'd rate it a 8 out of 10. If you can, you should watch it, but it will be a forgettable movie by the end of the year, sadly. I've already forgotten most dialogue from it.

Employed unemployment

As the title suggests, I have a job. Catering for a casino. It sounds lovely. You get to dress nice, entertain guests, make food. The good stuff!

Except it's been two weeks and I have yet to be called in for my first day. Which is kind of frustrating. I mean, this has prompted me to look for another job, and when asked "Do you currently work?" I have to fill in yes, but I have yet to set foot in the place or do actual work.

So life has been pretty boring, still. Other than that, the old baby maker is leaving next week, so I'll finally have some quiet time again.

Fireworks of nothing!

So, it's been a while. But fret not, for I still wander this earth!

I guess the main reason I didn't update is because a lot happened and nothing happened at the same time. Certain things happened which made life a bit hectic, but they're not things I wish to share publically. Not yet, anyway.

Other than that nothing really happened. I landed a job as catering staff for a casino, so hoorah for that. Money is always good, right? Right.

My birthgiver is currently also visiting me and has been for a while, which can be quite stressful at times. But you learn to deal with it. I also discovered that headphones help a lot!

That's about it, really. Here's to hoping the next post will be a bit more exciting, eh?

And happy be-lated freedom day, America.

Remember, remember...

As I sat gazing outside of the window last night, I couldn't help but wonder:

"What makes memories so special?"

It's a weird question, no matter how you look at it. You never stop and think about it, do you? Memories. You make them constantly; good ones, bad ones, you even forget most of them. But what causes us to distinguish between certain memories? What makes a certain object more important than another one?

Why is this picture more precious to me than this letter? Why would I easily throw away this store bought card from one person, but not from the other? We don't even stop to think about it, we just know which items are more important to us than others. Why is that?

Is it because of the feelings attached to it? Can we truly remember more than being generally happy or sad when recieving a certain item from someone? Is it because we associate the person with the items they gave? But if so, why don't we treasure everything like hoarders? Certainly almost all the people in your life are important to you?

To give a personal example, I relinquished the things my ex-lady gave me back to her, I regretted it and wished for it back. She wanted to keep a picture of herself and a souvenir she had gotten me. I gave the souvenir back but I fought tooth and nail for the picture. Why? Why does that picture mean more to me than the souvenir?

And the answer is that I don't know.

Doctor Who?

As most Whovians already know by this point, Matt Smith is going to be replaced as the 11th Doctor in the famous show Doctor Who. There seems to be quite a clear divide between fans, with one half going "Damn it, no!" and the other half going "Damn it, no!"

Wait. Did I do my Matt wrong? See what I did there? Right. Moving on.

Anyway, I personally embrace the change. Now, before you start wishing to exterminate me, just hear me out. Smith is a great Doctor, he's not Tennant, but he's brilliant. He brings the show alive with his quirk and the better writing also helps, of course.

But as with time and the show itself, it's constant, flowing and changing. So it's time for a change, 4 years is quite a long time to be a Doctor, and there's only so much longer you can drag it on before people completely resent the idea of ever having a new Doctor at all. Plus, with every new Doctor, it's a good chance to bring in new people to the show.

All in all, I'm for the change of a new Doctor, as long as he's good, of course. I realize everyone (me included) will be upset when they announce it, and we'll all need a couple of episodes upto a season for the new Doctor to grow on us, but we'll all love him. Just like we did with Smith.

"Run you clever boy and remember."

Strapped

So Animecon happened. Well, somewhat. It was only for a day and even then nothing was going on, it was more just sitting and standing around, watching people run around in cosplay. The atmosphere felt different than in the past, not sure why, but I didn't have as good of a time as the previous years. I guess it doesn't help when you're pinching pennies with every purchase you look at during such conventions, either.

I didn't take any pictures of cosplay, I wanted to at certain points but couldn't be bothered. It feels a bit cheap to whip out your phone to take a picture at those kind of events. People--well, most of the people, put in a lot of time and effort into their costumes and props and I whip out my phone because it's the only thing I have on hand.

I did buy this nice Sanji strap, though!

Honest lies

So, the car sale seems to be progressing into its final stages. It's sadly not quite the money I had hoped to get for it, but life is most certainly never fair and you got to play the cards you're dealt. I expect--well, I hope it'll be sold by the end of this week.

On another lighter note, I decided to go a convention tomorrow. I wasn't going to go, at all, due to lack of funds. But life has been dealing me blow after blow, so I figured I deserve a day off, so there's that. Expect pictures! Maybe? Maybe.

And to turn this around for a sec; what makes people lie? And I'm not even necessarily talking about straight-up lying, but just... omitting the truth. I mean, yes, that's technically a lie, but stick with me here. What makes people rather ignore a person, or push them away in desperation/fear/anger/whatever it is rather than just be honest with them?

What good does it do to treat a person that way? And I'm not even talking about the person being treated as such, they can go anywhere from being totally fine with it or broken, depending on how close the two of you are. Is it because it's easier? I can imagine that being a reason, it's easier to push a problem under the rug and just ignore it until it goes away.

But if you care about the other person, doesn't it pain you to lie to them? To see them be hurt about it? I can't imagine a lot of cases where telling the truth would hurt more than just being lied to/ignored constantly.

Well, except maybe the day I found out Santa wasn't real.

A flickering flame in the wind

So not much has been going on the past few days, just the same ol' daily drag. Well, I did put my car up for sale, regrettably. But it's either that or, you know, starve. I like to think that's a pretty clear cut choice when those are your two options.

Last night I got this very weird sense of loneliness when I came home. I have no idea why, it's because the apartment was dark and empty, but that has always been the case. It's not like I was expecting someone to be here, no one has ever lived here with me.

Right. To find the silver lining in this depressing post so far, I've slowly started working towards the Youtube/livestream gig. Starting the livestream is only a matter of finding some time with friends to begin and the rest will slowly go its own way after that initial bump has happened.

Hopefully.

Roll to confirm

Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk.

I just had my first crack at it. Well, not even, just with a bare-bone character and a simple fighting exercise to get a feel for the system. It eyes a bit confusing at first, damage wise and such. Especially when you're used to D&D and everything being a D20 rather than a D10, but it definitely offers a lot of freedom and just the option to be... cool.

And everyone loves being cool, right? Of course you do.

If the feeling persists like it did during the session, then it'll quickly become one of my favorite things to play, that's for sure. With that in mind, I'll still hold off on actually making proper judgment on the game until I know how to play it properly. But first impressions are that it's awesome.

Pen & paper aside, today was otherwise pretty uneventful. Which is fine, that's why it's a Saturday, no need to cram it full with activities to begin with. So let's keep it that way and end this post there.

Driving on fumes

Where do I even begin with this? Geez. Well, to clear one thing up a bit, I do live in the Netherlands for the people who didn't know (Yeah, like anyone even reads this.) So in that regard, change your perspective a little bit, it's not as bad as it might be in your country!

With that semi-disclaimer out of the way, on to the story. Or post. Whatever.

As mentioned previously, (here) I've financially been struggling for about a year or so. And an oppertunity finally seemed to present itself, pretty much out of nowhere. I got a job offer as a driver, I was to drive around escort girls to customers and back. I was reluctant to take it, but I need bread on the table as much as the sun is bright. So I took it.

Now, of course, I wouldn't be writing here it all went peachy and dandy, right? Right. Turns out I've been had and dealt with a known-scammer. I never got paid a single cent and the whole 3 days only cost me money for gas and such. It's a fella who gets drivers to drive him around until he catches a girl who supposedly goes to a client, who doesn't exist, so he just takes her to dinner.

Except he doesn't.

He just bails during desert and leaves the poor girl(s) stranded there with the bill. And that's how he goes from meal ticket to meal ticket, pretty much. The cars provide him a warm and nice place instead of roaming the street and the girls are his meal ticket. It's disgusting if I'm being honest, but there are those people in the world as well.

Dark days

See? Keeping promises!

Anyhow, remember how I said I wouldn't do an all-in-one update? I lied.

Slightly.

I'm not going to chronoligically write everything down that happened the last two years, but I do want to mention a thing or two, at least. The lady and I aren't together anymore, it happened quite recently so it's still a struggle to deal with it, sadly. Other than that, it's finanicially just been tough for the last year or so, not really having a steady job doesn't help that fact either.

Maybe that's why I decided to blog again? It helps clear the mind, even if no one ends up reading these posts. Yeah, let's stick with that reason.

Wasted opportunities

Well, it certainly has been a long time since I posted. I won't have some all-in-one update or something like that. After all, no one wants to read those, right? Right.

I hope this time I can actually stick to blogging.

That's all for now, really. Just putting this as an incentive to write again soon. More to come! I promise this time. Cross my heart and all that.