So yeah, been a while since I posted. Around three weeks, in fact. Perhaps later I'll post some entries from my journal or something, but for now I'll keep it simple and just give a summary.
Chile's been pretty daggone awesome. I can honestly see myself living in Santiago if ever I move out of the country. The city moves at a great pace, yet time doesn't seem to pass so quickly here. The people are really friendly for the most part, rather atypical for a city of around six million. There's plenty to do and see here. The people who call themselves Christians here actually try to be remotely like Christ, and one can feel God's presence in church (the one's I've been to, anyway). And the passion for football (the real football) is unparalleled, making Kentucky basketball fans look like small children stuck with Dad in Home Depot (I know this from personal experience, lol).
We've made some great new friends in the students at the Church of God seminary we study at. They've been very cordial and open with us, desiring to be friendly themselves and being understanding of our handicaps with Spanish. They've become great conversation partners and even better friends.
We've visited a bunch of cool historical and cultural locales. Plaza de Armas at the center of town, El Palacio de Moneda where the president works, the village at Los Dominicos at the foot of the Andes, the house of Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda, the fort and series of small shops at Santa Lucía, and more have all gotten our attention and have provided us with fun times, good interactions, and some better perspectives about where we are here.
We're going to be doing some service really soon as well. Tonight, we leave for a day long excursion in Concepción, where there was a lot of damage from the earthquake. We'll be getting ten hours of service in with Lee U.'s Leonard Center when we return. It'll be a good chance to see the results of what happened firsthand (cuz we all know the news barely said a thing about it).
And of course, there's the World Cup. Like I said, the passion for it here is insane and almost literally tangible. Everywhere we go the day of a game we see people flying flags and shouting the popular cheer of "CHI CHI CHI! LE LE LE! VIVA CHILE!!!" And after the game, everyone is out on the streets waving their flags and blowing their horns, united as a nation despite their creeds in those moments of athletic enthusiasm. It's been great sharing the experience with the Chileans, especially since now their national team is going to the second round of the Cup against Brazil.
You may remember my earlier post of predictions for the group stage (if not, scroll down two posts; you can't miss it). I did these for the heck of it in my inexperience. Let's see how I did, now that the group stage officially ended today:
Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France
Prediction: France, with South Africa as the runner-up
Actual result: Uruguay, with Mexico as the runner-up
Analysis: This was probably the fail of all epic fails in sports predictions. The teams I picked for first and second literally got last and second to last. The French loss was especially shocking, as the defending runner-up never won and got only one tie. Can't help but feel sorry for South Africa as well, since it IS only their home field! Oh well. At least I like Mexico!
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, and Greece
Prediction: South Korea, with Nigeria as the runner-up
Actual result: Argentina, with South Korea as the runner-up
Analysis: I was an idiot not to take Argentina into account. Yeah, hadn't heard that much about them recently, but then again, Europe didn't hear much about Genghis Khan until the Mongols were right on their doorstep ready to pwn the heck out of them. Speaking of pwnage, Maradona's squad was one of only two perfect records in the stage.At least South Korea went to the next round, though they were just in second. I feel kind of sorry for my Nigerian friends though.
Group C: England, United States, Algeria, and Slovenia
Prediction: England, with the United States as the runner-up
Actual result: United States, with England as the runner-up
Analysis: Yeah, so I did well getting both teams correctly. What shocked me and the rest of the world almost as much as France and Italy failing was the Yanks edging out the Brits for group leader by one goal (well, that and that Brit goalie's EPIC FAIL of a save). True, we merely tied with the British, but the rest of our goals paid off.
Group D: Germany, Australia, Ghana, and Serbia
Prediction: Germany, with Ghana as the runner-up
Actual result: Germany, with Ghana as the runner-up
Analysis: Sweet, my first perfect prediction! Germany played their usual awesomeness to take the lead, although their only loss was handed to them by the last place Serbia (so my Serb volleyballer friends have something to take pride in this cup!). While I didn't watch Ghana's games, they edged out Australia by 3 fewer goals against them for second place.
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon
Prediction: Netherlands, with Japan as the runner-up
Actual result: Netherlands, with Japan as the runner-up
Analysis: And another one comes out perfectly. The Dutch were the only other team besides Argentina to have three wins this stage and played quite well, allowing only one goal. Japan apparently played well themselves, with two victories to their credit. Cameroon... meh, not so hot. Fortunately, they weren't the worst, as you'll later see.
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia
Prediction: Italy, with Slovakia as the runner-up
Actual result: Paraguay, with Slovakia as the runner-up
Analysis: Nobody expected Italy to fall the first round, as they were the defending champion from 2006 (and the victim of the greatest red-carded foul of all time in any sport thanks to the French Zidane). However, they hovered in second place behind Paraguay barely ahead of the rest until the incredible final match with Slovakia. Champions die hard; but in spite of two failed attempts to tie in the final minutes, Slovakia pulled off the win and second in the group 3-2, putting Italy in dead last. Paraguay played well enough to claim first, but this was one of the groups with no crazy awesome standout like Argentina, as only two teams had a win, and only one each at that.
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Portugal
Prediction: Brazil, with Portugal as the runner-up
Actual result: Brazil, with Portugal as the runner-up
Analysis: My third prediction that came out perfectly. Brazil played well, with two wins and a tie. Portugal only had one win, and two ties; however, these ties were 0-0, indicating a great defensive game. However, curiously, their stats point out they scored seven total points. All seven were scored in one single game against North Korea, who made probably the worst showing of the cup. The Commies put up a good fight in the first half, only allowing one goal and making the Portuguese goalie sweat a bit. However, they fell apart in the second half, and the Portuguese looked like varsity soccer players against sixth graders as they scored six goals to close it out. North Korea ultimately made only one goal over the stage (against Côte d'Ivoire), and allowed five more goals in the other two matches for a total of 12 goals allowed. As a couple of my friends from my dorm last year would say, North Korea got raped.
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile
Prediction: Spain, with Chile as the runner-up
Actual result: Spain, with Chile as the runner-up
Analysis: This was my fourth and final perfect prediction, but honestly I wish it were not. But I'll explain in a sec. This was probably one of the best performing groups as a whole; had Switzerland won their final match with Honduras, three teams would have been 2-1 and it would be decided by goals (with the same result). Spain lost early to the Swiss but defeated Honduras, who put up a great fight to no avail and surprised many in their fall. Chile was the biggest surprise, getting two consecutive wins after over forty years of going winless in the Cup. The second win was a nailbiter over the Swiss, with the first goal or two nullified by offsides calls before the strong Swiss defense was finally overcome by a header bouncing high into the goal. However, Spain was a different story. The reason I wish my prediction weren't perfect is because I wish Spain hadn't won the way they did: through some of the worst officiating I have seen in any sport outside the NAIA. An obvious bias was present, with four yellows given in the first half for similar fouls to what Spain was dishing out. The worst overall was the redcarding of Estrada, who had previously received a yellow. As he was running behind a Spanish forward off the ball, the toe of his shoe happened to graze the cleat of the forward, who then fell either by the brief contact or from tripping on his own feet. Either way, Estrada continued without breaking pace, indicating that any contact at all was very little. It shouldn't have even been a foul, but the referee gave him a red. Spain on the other hand got nothing, save two goals. Chile got one near the end of the half, and the ref did better the second half, but the damage had been done. The Chileans, a man short, had to play defensively the rest of the match. Spain edged them out by one goal over the stage to take first in group. Granted, Chile's gone to the next round, but they'll have to play against Brazil without three of their starters: Estrada for the red card, and two others because they each got their fifth yellow. Overall, however, it was a very good stage for this group.
Results of predictions vs. actual results:
Teams going to next round: 12/16 teams
Placement of said teams: 9/32 possible placements
Closing comments: Good first stage. Some stood out like they should. Others... well, let's just say North Korea hasn't made a fan out of me. It was especially interesting watching the Chileans play while I was in Chile... I got to see sports really bring a nation together firsthand, and it truly was a beautiful experience. And it was fun doing this prediction bit. Will I do one of subsequent rounds? Not sure. But if I do, it'll be for another post...
Peace y'all.
Say Chi! - CHI!
El le! - LE!
CHI CHI CHI!
LE LE LE!
VIVA CHILE!!!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Chile: The Journey Begins
Here I sit at my computer, about to go to bed early as I will leave for Cleveland, TN in the morning. On Saturday afternoon, I will embark on my first international trip, a trip to Chile. My stuff is packed into a suitcase, a smaller bag, and my backpack. My dues are paid, my forms notarized and faxed in, and all that is left is to get up and go.
I'm having a mix of feelings at the moment. There's the typical nervousness about traveling thousands of miles away on only my second flight (and what if the infinitesimal chance of the plane crashing comes to be? lol). There's the strange mix of disbelief and nonchalance, as I wonder how this moment is already so close. But then there's the excitement, the anticipation of finally being immersed completely in a culture that is not my own and furthering my knowledge of a language that is not mine, trying different foods, and getting to know things from different perspectives.
I know I'll be in good hands. The CoG seminary students in Santiago are supposed to be awesome and very understanding of our newness to their culture. They'll be helping us along in our quest for knowledge, cultural appreciation, and avoidance of more unwholesome folk. The professors guiding the trip will always be there to help with anything we need.
I know that this trip, while a month long, will seem WAY too short. With all the things to do and learn, time will seem to fly by faster than the jet we'll travel in.
However, I also know that this trip will be very worthwhile. So as I check my camera pouch, making sure that I have all six gigabytes of memory and all the power I need to fill it up, I know that I'll lay my head down tonight ready to embark on an adventure of new proportions.
Ahora, voy a dormirme. En la mañana, Cleveland. En el sábado, ¡Chile!
The road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can.
Pursuing it with eager feet
Until it finds some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
- Bilbo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring
I'm having a mix of feelings at the moment. There's the typical nervousness about traveling thousands of miles away on only my second flight (and what if the infinitesimal chance of the plane crashing comes to be? lol). There's the strange mix of disbelief and nonchalance, as I wonder how this moment is already so close. But then there's the excitement, the anticipation of finally being immersed completely in a culture that is not my own and furthering my knowledge of a language that is not mine, trying different foods, and getting to know things from different perspectives.
I know I'll be in good hands. The CoG seminary students in Santiago are supposed to be awesome and very understanding of our newness to their culture. They'll be helping us along in our quest for knowledge, cultural appreciation, and avoidance of more unwholesome folk. The professors guiding the trip will always be there to help with anything we need.
I know that this trip, while a month long, will seem WAY too short. With all the things to do and learn, time will seem to fly by faster than the jet we'll travel in.
However, I also know that this trip will be very worthwhile. So as I check my camera pouch, making sure that I have all six gigabytes of memory and all the power I need to fill it up, I know that I'll lay my head down tonight ready to embark on an adventure of new proportions.
Ahora, voy a dormirme. En la mañana, Cleveland. En el sábado, ¡Chile!
The road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can.
Pursuing it with eager feet
Until it finds some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
- Bilbo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring
Saturday, May 29, 2010
World Cup 2010: Predictions for the Group Stage
I recently went onto ESPN and the FIFA site to see who all the qualifiers for the World Cup were. I was impressed by some of them and surprised by others. One doesn't hear much about some of the African and South American countries who qualified, and it'll be REALLY interesting to see what happens if North and South Korea face off later in the tournament. Anyway, I thought I'd make some predictions as to who would make it out of the group stage. Please note that I'm still not the most diehard soccer aficionado, and so you might think some of these may be weird. This is just going by what little I know of the teams.
Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France.
My predictions: France, with South Africa as the runner up. While Latin America has some formidable squads, home field advantages can often come into play and I doubt South Africa will be a big exception. However, France is the defending runner-up and will not be easily beaten.
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, and Greece.
My predictions: South Korea, with Nigeria as the runner up. I'd heard that Argentina hasn't been as good as they were several years ago, and I've heard nothing about Greece. South Korea, from what little I've seen, has had good teams, and Nigeria has beaten the U.S. in recent years. However, this is one of those brackets that I know the least about, and having Nigeria in the second round may be mere wishful thinking due to how many Nigerian friends I have at school. Don't take this one at face value.
Group C: England, United States, Algeria, and Slovenia.
My predictions: England, with the U.S. as the runner up. Our allies from across the pond have had some of the best squads in the world consistently, and I doubt they'll fail to please. The U.S. invests a lot in its sports, and while we don't have as much emphasis on soccer/football as every other nation on the planet does, we've got an incredible drive to at least try to be #1 (though perhaps not as much skill to consistently win as England).
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, and Ghana.
My predictions: Germany, with Ghana as the runner up. I watched Germany play through the Euro Cup and barely fall to Spain in the final. They have a very straightforward, usually effective playing style that I think will do them well in the group stage. I had heard that Ghana did well in recent years, so based on that I know little about this and the other two teams, I'll go with them. However, I'm kinda hoping Serbia makes it to the next round since I have friends of that ethnic group. *winks at Lee volleyball team*
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon.
My predictions: Netherlands, with Japan as the runner up. I don't hear much at all about Denmark or Cameroon, though I've heard the latter isn't too shabby. The Dutch have usually had a very good team from what I've heard from friends. Japan had some success in recent years, so I'll go w/ them.
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia.
My predictions: Italy, with Slovakia as the runner up. Italy is the defending champion and will fight hard to keep it. I've heard that Slovakia did OK in prior tournaments, giving superior teams a run for their money over the years. Haven't heard much about the other two, but that's just my inexperience. Again, don't take it at face value.
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Portugal.
My predictions: Brazil, with Portugal as runner up. I mean, come on. It's Brazil. 'Nuff said. Portugal has also been formidable over the years. While I would love to see South Korea stomp the Commies, I doubt that North Korea would have the talent to overcome the West. As for Ivory Coast... they might be able to pull off the second round and make it in with Nigeria, but they still have Brazil and Portugal to tangle with...
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile.
My predictions: Spain, with Chile as the runner up. Spain was the Euro Cup champ and, I think, in the semifinals of World Cup '06 (correct me if I'm wrong). Plus their playing style is beautiful and effective. Honestly, I know nothing of the other three teams, so I'll put my wishful thinking to good use and pray that Chile wins. Since I'll be in Chile during the entire group stage, I really would not like being accosted by disgruntled fans if they don't make it through (and especially if the U.S. does in their group).
Closing comments:
You might be asking yourself why I even put this together when it's obvious I don't know what I'm talking about w/ a lot of these teams. Honestly, I really just felt like it and thought it would be fun. Hopefully it invoked some interesting thoughts, laughs, or reactions of WTF and the like. Besides, if I get some of these right, I'll get a whole lot of satisfaction out of having done this!
So, let's sit back as the month of June approaches and let the games play out!
As that stupid commercial says about certain Monday nights: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!
Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, and France.
My predictions: France, with South Africa as the runner up. While Latin America has some formidable squads, home field advantages can often come into play and I doubt South Africa will be a big exception. However, France is the defending runner-up and will not be easily beaten.
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, and Greece.
My predictions: South Korea, with Nigeria as the runner up. I'd heard that Argentina hasn't been as good as they were several years ago, and I've heard nothing about Greece. South Korea, from what little I've seen, has had good teams, and Nigeria has beaten the U.S. in recent years. However, this is one of those brackets that I know the least about, and having Nigeria in the second round may be mere wishful thinking due to how many Nigerian friends I have at school. Don't take this one at face value.
Group C: England, United States, Algeria, and Slovenia.
My predictions: England, with the U.S. as the runner up. Our allies from across the pond have had some of the best squads in the world consistently, and I doubt they'll fail to please. The U.S. invests a lot in its sports, and while we don't have as much emphasis on soccer/football as every other nation on the planet does, we've got an incredible drive to at least try to be #1 (though perhaps not as much skill to consistently win as England).
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, and Ghana.
My predictions: Germany, with Ghana as the runner up. I watched Germany play through the Euro Cup and barely fall to Spain in the final. They have a very straightforward, usually effective playing style that I think will do them well in the group stage. I had heard that Ghana did well in recent years, so based on that I know little about this and the other two teams, I'll go with them. However, I'm kinda hoping Serbia makes it to the next round since I have friends of that ethnic group. *winks at Lee volleyball team*
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon.
My predictions: Netherlands, with Japan as the runner up. I don't hear much at all about Denmark or Cameroon, though I've heard the latter isn't too shabby. The Dutch have usually had a very good team from what I've heard from friends. Japan had some success in recent years, so I'll go w/ them.
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia.
My predictions: Italy, with Slovakia as the runner up. Italy is the defending champion and will fight hard to keep it. I've heard that Slovakia did OK in prior tournaments, giving superior teams a run for their money over the years. Haven't heard much about the other two, but that's just my inexperience. Again, don't take it at face value.
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Portugal.
My predictions: Brazil, with Portugal as runner up. I mean, come on. It's Brazil. 'Nuff said. Portugal has also been formidable over the years. While I would love to see South Korea stomp the Commies, I doubt that North Korea would have the talent to overcome the West. As for Ivory Coast... they might be able to pull off the second round and make it in with Nigeria, but they still have Brazil and Portugal to tangle with...
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile.
My predictions: Spain, with Chile as the runner up. Spain was the Euro Cup champ and, I think, in the semifinals of World Cup '06 (correct me if I'm wrong). Plus their playing style is beautiful and effective. Honestly, I know nothing of the other three teams, so I'll put my wishful thinking to good use and pray that Chile wins. Since I'll be in Chile during the entire group stage, I really would not like being accosted by disgruntled fans if they don't make it through (and especially if the U.S. does in their group).
Closing comments:
You might be asking yourself why I even put this together when it's obvious I don't know what I'm talking about w/ a lot of these teams. Honestly, I really just felt like it and thought it would be fun. Hopefully it invoked some interesting thoughts, laughs, or reactions of WTF and the like. Besides, if I get some of these right, I'll get a whole lot of satisfaction out of having done this!
So, let's sit back as the month of June approaches and let the games play out!
As that stupid commercial says about certain Monday nights: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!
Friday, May 21, 2010
...And the Floodgates of the Heavens Were Opened
So last night I got off work in Louisville at about 8:30 only to find out from my mom, who works in the same building, that there were tornado warnings in Shelby County. After a while of waiting, we figured it was ok for me to go on and head home while she finished some paperwork. I walked outside into the worst thunderstorm in which I've been caught in a few years (and yes, Lee readers, this includes college years). After tucking my newly acquired paycheck under my shirt, I sprinted to my car and fumbled with my keys to unlock the door. After a 30 second jaunt in the wet, it was as if I had just taken my morning shower in my clothes.
I turned on my A/C, but had to turn to a more lukewarm temperature on the defrost when my window started fogging up. After that dissipated, I was able to pull out of the parking lot and onto Highway 60. The rain then got so thick that I could barely see 20 feet past the front of my car, and I came close to going out of my lane about three times and almost hydroplaned once by the time I left Middletown. The lightning was insane as well, with several flashes a minute. However, this was a blessing in disguise, as it lit up the road ahead and let me make sure I was in my lane still for that fraction of a second of light that I had.
The entire trip I barely cleared 35 mph. About halfway to Simpsonville some bozo in a truck came up behind me and stayed about ten feet off my bumper until we were a mile away from the town. Oh, one more thing: he had his brights on the entire time. Imagine a brightness shining into your eyes from every mirror in your car, almost completely blinding you. I had to scrunch down in the seat and lean forward just to avoid it. Finally the guy got tired of my driving safely in the rain, pulled around me, and kicked it up to about 50 mph. I hope for his sake he had faster wipers, cuz I could barely see at my speed.
The rest of the trip was pretty much normal after Simpsonville. The main worry I had at that point was keeping from falling asleep. I hadn't slept as much as needed the previous night, and constant staring into the deluge was very draining. Eventually, though, I made it home right as the rain started easing up (hooray for good timing... not, lol) and hit the sack around 10:30 p.m. After all, I had a shift at six this morning...
Kentucky weather gets crazy sometimes.
I turned on my A/C, but had to turn to a more lukewarm temperature on the defrost when my window started fogging up. After that dissipated, I was able to pull out of the parking lot and onto Highway 60. The rain then got so thick that I could barely see 20 feet past the front of my car, and I came close to going out of my lane about three times and almost hydroplaned once by the time I left Middletown. The lightning was insane as well, with several flashes a minute. However, this was a blessing in disguise, as it lit up the road ahead and let me make sure I was in my lane still for that fraction of a second of light that I had.
The entire trip I barely cleared 35 mph. About halfway to Simpsonville some bozo in a truck came up behind me and stayed about ten feet off my bumper until we were a mile away from the town. Oh, one more thing: he had his brights on the entire time. Imagine a brightness shining into your eyes from every mirror in your car, almost completely blinding you. I had to scrunch down in the seat and lean forward just to avoid it. Finally the guy got tired of my driving safely in the rain, pulled around me, and kicked it up to about 50 mph. I hope for his sake he had faster wipers, cuz I could barely see at my speed.
The rest of the trip was pretty much normal after Simpsonville. The main worry I had at that point was keeping from falling asleep. I hadn't slept as much as needed the previous night, and constant staring into the deluge was very draining. Eventually, though, I made it home right as the rain started easing up (hooray for good timing... not, lol) and hit the sack around 10:30 p.m. After all, I had a shift at six this morning...
Kentucky weather gets crazy sometimes.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Catching up
OK, so the last three weeks of school were insane. Here's a summary of where I've been since last time:
I can sum up my final three weeks as a junior in three words: PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS, and EXAMS. I had a presentation each in ethnomusicology and in Inner Asia; exams in ethnomusicology, culture and personality, Japanese, and international relations; and ungodly huge papers in culture and personality and in international relations (10-12 pages, anybody?!). One or two end-of-year social things occurred as well, but the main thing was the crazy schoolwork. As you can see, though, I survived and made it out of spring '10 with six A's and a B+. My last night in Cleveland, my future roomie Caleb and I went with our future suitemate J.D. to Tako Yaki, a Japanese restaurant in town, and met some of J.D.'s family. I'd met his bro before, but not his mom or grandma yet. Very nice people. And the food was awesome! I told the guy at the front desk "Thank you very much! The food was delicious!" in my newly learned Japanese (どうぼありがとうござ います. おいしいでした. in hiragana), to which he replied with a bow.
After my folks picked me up and I went home, I chilled for the most part until the end of the week, when I resumed work at Oaklawn in Middletown (for those who don't know, it's a rehab/extended care place where I work in the kitchen). So far I've worked six days a week with mostly shorter part time shifts, though the number of 8-hour shifts is increasing. Granted, I'm glad for the money, but I'd rather work fewer days full time than more days part time, lol. It's fun though. Lots of new people now.
I've started replaying Fallout 3 now, putting a little more emphasis on stealth this time around. Sneak Attack Criticals can be oh so helpful, ya know. Hopefully I'll have it beaten again by the time school resumes in the fall.
I now have a paltry two weeks and five days until I leave for my cross-cultural trip to Chile! Just need to get my liability and power of attorney forms faxed in. This'll be my first time traveling out of the country, and I'm really looking forward to it. ¡Y aprenderé mas español!
I was going to get a Star Wars RPG going this summer with some church pals of mine, but thanks to college I didn't have time to develop the campaign as much as I wanted. Won't be able to do it this summer, but perhaps it'll be a Lee campaign in the fall. I'll be working on it bit by bit over this break and hopefully have something together by then.
And last, but certainly not least... HUGHES HALL WAS DEMOLISHED THIS WEEKEND!
So that's pretty much what I've been up to. More stuff in a different topic in the next post!
I can sum up my final three weeks as a junior in three words: PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS, and EXAMS. I had a presentation each in ethnomusicology and in Inner Asia; exams in ethnomusicology, culture and personality, Japanese, and international relations; and ungodly huge papers in culture and personality and in international relations (10-12 pages, anybody?!). One or two end-of-year social things occurred as well, but the main thing was the crazy schoolwork. As you can see, though, I survived and made it out of spring '10 with six A's and a B+. My last night in Cleveland, my future roomie Caleb and I went with our future suitemate J.D. to Tako Yaki, a Japanese restaurant in town, and met some of J.D.'s family. I'd met his bro before, but not his mom or grandma yet. Very nice people. And the food was awesome! I told the guy at the front desk "Thank you very much! The food was delicious!" in my newly learned Japanese (どうぼありがとうござ います. おいしいでした. in hiragana), to which he replied with a bow.
After my folks picked me up and I went home, I chilled for the most part until the end of the week, when I resumed work at Oaklawn in Middletown (for those who don't know, it's a rehab/extended care place where I work in the kitchen). So far I've worked six days a week with mostly shorter part time shifts, though the number of 8-hour shifts is increasing. Granted, I'm glad for the money, but I'd rather work fewer days full time than more days part time, lol. It's fun though. Lots of new people now.
I've started replaying Fallout 3 now, putting a little more emphasis on stealth this time around. Sneak Attack Criticals can be oh so helpful, ya know. Hopefully I'll have it beaten again by the time school resumes in the fall.
I now have a paltry two weeks and five days until I leave for my cross-cultural trip to Chile! Just need to get my liability and power of attorney forms faxed in. This'll be my first time traveling out of the country, and I'm really looking forward to it. ¡Y aprenderé mas español!
I was going to get a Star Wars RPG going this summer with some church pals of mine, but thanks to college I didn't have time to develop the campaign as much as I wanted. Won't be able to do it this summer, but perhaps it'll be a Lee campaign in the fall. I'll be working on it bit by bit over this break and hopefully have something together by then.
And last, but certainly not least... HUGHES HALL WAS DEMOLISHED THIS WEEKEND!
So that's pretty much what I've been up to. More stuff in a different topic in the next post!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Skillet - "Those Nights"
I've heard that a few of my friends have some stuff going on in their lives right now, whether it be family difficulties, significant others, or just life in general. This is for you.
And if you ever need to talk, you've got friends there to help you out, including me.
Skillet - Comatose - "Those Nights"
I remember when
We used to laugh
About nothing at all
It was better than going mad
From trying to solve all the problems we’re going through
Forget ‘em all
Cause on those nights we would stand and never fall
Together we faced it all
Remember when we’d
Stay up late and we’d talk all night
In a dark room lit by the tv light
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive
We’d listen to the radio play all night
Didn’t want to go home to another fight
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive
I remember when
We used to drive
Anywhere but her
As long as we’d forget our lives
We were so young and confused that we didn’t know
To laugh or cry
Those nights were ours
They will live and never die
Together we’d stand forever
Remember when we’d
Stay up late and we’d talk all night
In a dark room lit by the tv light
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive
We’d listen to the radio play all night
Didn’t want to go home to another fight
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive
Those nights belong to us
There’s nothing wrong with us
I remember when
We used to laugh
And now I wish those nights would last
Stay up late and we’d talk all night
In a dark room lit by the tv light
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive
We’d listen to the radio play all night
Didn’t want to go home to another fight
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The Long-Deprived Newbie's Review of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Last winter I invested in something called Star Wars: The Best of PC, a collection of five of the greatest Star Wars PC games ever to be released (as of the middle of the decade, anyway). Four of these five I had never played. I have had several friends express utter shock and disbelief at the fact that I had never played the hit title Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, so I decided to start with that. I recently beat it, and man, was it worth the long effort.
Essentially, you're this multilingual person working for the Old Republic almost four thousand years before the events of the Star Wars movie saga. Your ship is attacked and destroyed by the Sith, and you barely escape to the planet Taris with a Republic war veteran. Come to find out this vet was traveling with a Jedi chick who escaped in a different pod, and you need to help find her before the Sith can get to her and her ability to turn the tide of a battle. After meeting the Jedi, Bastila, she senses your strong Force sensitivity and hooks you up with some Jedi Masters who introduce you to the Force. The game really picks up from here, and you embark on a truly epic adventure, meeting amazing new people along the way and kicking some major Sithspit tail.
One huge perk of this game is that you can make your protagonist character your own. From the beginning, you can choose your character's gender, face, and class. Character class will determine the kind of style you'll be using, at least until you start Jedi training. A scoundrel gets through things by stealth, guile, and indirect fighting. Essentially, think Han Solo. A scout is kind of a survivalist and can often take care of things at range. A soldier gets right into the fray and can take a lot of hits. In addition to class, the choices you make throughout the game affects your alignment. Good choices bring you closer to the light. Evil and selfish ones lead to the dark side. These can affect the interactions with certain people and, eventually, how the game ends (from what I hear). Every situation you get in gets you experience points and items, and often tips you toward one side of the Force.
As you level up, you can put points into various abilities (disarming mines, persuading people, using computers, etc.) and choose various feats (added combat boosts and abilities) and Force powers. There are recommended ones for your class that may be practical, but you can give your characters whatever combat style you want, within reason. For instance, you don't want to give your Twi'lek scoundrel companion with 10 strength feats for boosting melee combat. In addition, you can get all sorts of items from boxes, vendors, and dead corpses to boost your stats and abilities.
Combat has interesting aspects. It's in real time; however, it is also turn-based to a point. Imagine Dungeons and Dragons or the Star Wars RPG combat sped up ten times faster. You select moves to do and the game executes them. You can hit an in-game pause button to stop the action and then rotate the camera around the person you're controlling to see your surroundings and figure out which enemy you want to go after first. This comes in very handy, especially when you need to coordinate your three-person squad against a small platoon of Rakata warriors with three rancor sidekicks. Team play is key, especially when facing a series of really tough enemies later on.
Character development and interaction is pretty darn good in this game. At various points you can chat with your companions and get some insight into their backstories or watch them develop. You can get accounts of the Mandalorian Wars from a seasoned veteran, bring a volatile Jedi from the brink of the dark side, help a young girl resolve a family situation, and more. One of my favorite dialogue interactions is when you encounter a lost child who speaks zero basic, and you have to figure out what she's saying through patterns in her speech. As an anthropology major who loves interacting with those of other cultures, my interest was especially piqued.
Finally, the game takes place in the Star Wars universe itself, which automatically means traveling to exotic locales like the forests of Kashyyyk and the watery world of Manaan. In addition, you get to interact with many common races on your adventures, from Rodian to Rakata, Twi'lek to Tusken Raider. The variety of things to see and do is awesome. You can even get extra income by winning swoop races or collecting bounties on people.
No game is without its flaws, however; but these flaws are minor and few. There is a definite repeat of character models throughout, and you'll often find the same people with occasionally different voices in various areas throughout the game. Alien language voiceovers are limited, and the same audio is often repeated when you click various dialogue options. However, these little quirks are nowhere near enough to come close to ruining the game, and enjoyment will still abound.
Overall, this game combines an impeccable adventure with great gameplay, a high degree of player control, and great locales from the Star Wars galaxy. It took me just under seventy hours to complete, but they were hours well spent. I am sure that, upon playing through this, you will feel the same way.
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