Tag Archive: video games

Block stacking

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Fri. August 27, 2010

Long ago, the first video game system that was ever given to me was the Nintendo Game Boy. It was a Christmas gift and was totally unexpected. I actually cried for joy when I got it. Now, the game that shipped with the Game Boy was Tetris. I spent many hours on that game and became pretty good at it. It served me well whenever I played head to head battles with other people at school–including my computer science teacher. During lulls, sometimes I’d challenge him to a versus game on the school computers. I always ended up on top; I had a knack for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. I remember some friends being amazed at how I often managed to survive even with my blocks stacked high. At night, I remember finding an Internet Tetris client: TetriNET. Among my friends and I someone would set up a server and we’d all connect to play a multi-player battle Tetris game. Sometimes these sessions would last until the wee hours of the morning. Crazy stuff. I had a decent track record with that.

I stopped playing Tetris actively after high school. I had a version of the game on my computer, but I didn’t really touch it that often. Over time my skills rusted. I never thought I’d get back into it. The other day though, while I was poking around the Wii stuff at BestBuy, I spotted Tetris Party Deluxe. It wasn’t crazy expensive or anything so I just picked up a copy. I figured that it might come in handy as a party game at some point in the future. I broke it out this evening just to see if I was as good as I was maybe a decade ago. Umm…nope, can’t say I am. I can hold my own, I guess, but…yeah, my old-self would have cleaned the floor with me. No matter. The game is still fun after all these years. It’s so simple, and that’s perhaps one of the key factors as to why this game can withstand the test of time, right?

To close this off, here’s a guy playing Korobeiniki on an electric guitar.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j9W5PBsa30

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Rewarding myself

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Mon. February 1, 2010

This whole journey of “shrinking” has been quite a bit of an eye opener for me. In years past I’ve been going about it all in a half-assed manner, getting mild results but nothing too drastic. It’s not that I’m discounting progress that I made in the past. It’s just that in the end of it all nothing seemed to have a sense of permanence. It makes me wonder though if this current phase I’m going through will be any different. I’d like to think that it will be. I mean, finally, everything seems to have clicked; I found the keys to my self-imposed prison cell.

Anyway, what I’ve found interesting for now is that now that results have been forthcoming, I’ve been recognizing the importance of rewarding myself for reaching small milestones. You’d think that breaking 200 lbs. would have been the big reward point. Mentally, that was a barrier for me. See, I never thought that I would find myself below that number ever again. It had been years since my weight was below that point. I’m sure it must have been some time during puberty that I was last at that weight. However, when I actually cleared that point I was still finding my way and unsure whether I was on the right track. Odd, isn’t it? It wasn’t until much later that I started making it a point to reward myself for staying on track, and to forgive myself more readily if I veer off path. The point of it all is to reinforce good habits.

At 190 lbs. I decided to go clothes shopping. I wanted to find better fitting clothes that suited how I felt about myself. I think when I was heavier there was a little bit of a tendency to just find clothes that are “good enough.” There’s almost a sense of that it really didn’t matter what I wore because it would never look all that great. Of course, that’s just a load of horse biscuits. What I was feeling was just a lack of confidence. Well, I figured that new clothes would help me jump start that confidence and get the positive momentum really going. And they did. It may seem a little materialistic, but that’s just the nature of things: when you look good you feel good. It’s nice to get a few more looks than usual as you’re walking down the street, right? As much as people maybe be reacting to how you’re dressed, they’re also reacting to your confidence.

After that, I told myself that upon breaking 185 lbs. I’d go out and buy a frivolous video game for my somewhat-new laptop. Yeah, I know that video games aren’t exactly conducive to healthy living, but they’re useful for keeping a bit of balance. Honestly though, it was something I really wanted. So I was more interested in satisfying that need by making it a reward. Does that make sense? Besides, with this lifestyle change, it’s not like something like a video game would derail my efforts at all. Well, this morning when I checked the scale, I was surprised to find myself right at 185. I actually had to step off and step on again to confirm that the scale wasn’t acting strange. Of course, it wasn’t. I knew that the weight loss was from the heavy workout I did the day before. In all likelihood things will fluctuate back up a little bit to some equilibrium point. Even so, it doesn’t matter! I’ve broken through the gate. This required celebration.

Tonight I declared that upon breaking 180 lbs. I would go and buy a new leather jacket. I have an old black leather jacket from 2002 or 2003 that’s pretty large on me now. Whenever I wear it I feel like I look like I’m borrowing a jacket from some larger relative. As such, that jacket’s been out of circulation for the past few weeks. So, this reward is intended to fill that void. I’ve even got the look a little planned out. I want a black leather jacket that’s bomber length with a little bit of military inspiration. I don’t want anything to flashy, but nothing too minimalistic: I want a bit of detail. Am I obsessing? Hahah.

It’s interesting to note that there really isn’t anything at all to stop me from just getting all of these rewards ahead of time right now. That would satisfy my want for some instant gratification, but in the end doing so just won’t be as special as how I’m setting things up now. Setting these things up as rewards just makes each thing all that much more meaningful. Doing so makes me more appreciative of the progress I’ve made and makes me more determined to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So, yeah, I’m just telling these stories so that you too might get a little bit of an idea for how rewards might fit into your life. If it will help you stay on your path, then go for it!

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The social game

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Thu. December 3, 2009

We had a bit of an event after work today where there were a couple of professionally dealt casino events in office. The people who won the games and accumulate points were able to use those points to bid on mystery boxes which all contained some pretty awesome prizes. I passed up on the card games and instead hung out in the boardroom playing Rock Band. Nonetheless, I was still able to accumulate points from other people that I knew who were leaving early. Thus, I kept claiming that I was playing a social game. You know those people on Survivor that might not be playing the actual challenges all that well but know how to work everyone back at camp? That was basically me, I guess. The tickets basically came to me.

Anyway, when all gathered for the auction at about 9 p.m. There were 12 white boxes all in a row, all a mystery. For the first few boxes I didn’t really have an intention of winning them, but I intentionally put in bids to drive up the price and force people to give up their points. That, and I enjoyed yelling numbers. By the fifth box, I was yelling number emphatically. I think people decided to just let me have one. Most boxes were going for 300 points or over, but I got mine for a bargain at 150. There was a rule that no one can get more than one box so I gave my points to a colleague who managed to get another box with his accumulated points. There were a couple of great things in among the prizes like a week at a time share anywhere in the world, or perhaps a Blu-ray player. For me and my colleague it was just our luck that we both got boxes that contained gift baskets. I suppose I can’t complain: it’s not bad for someone that didn’t play any of the card games.

Just give me Rock Band. Vocals, drums, guitars, bass…it’s all good.

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Repeat repairs

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Mon. May 18, 2009

For the fourth time in a year, our refrigerator broke down. Yeah, no shit, eh? My mother opened the freezer compartment to find that the ice dispenser was leaking water. Obviously, that’s abnormal for the freezer part. When I took the ice dispenser out we quickly noticed that the collected ice was starting to melt. It was at that point that we knew that we were heading for some trouble yet again. Yeah, we were all pissed.

Sure, I mean, the fridge broke down just 1-2 months ago. We called in a repair guy that replaced a part, after which all was well again. Thing is, the repair didn’t seem to have a lasting effect. Sure, things were colder again, but ice cream in the freezer wasn’t stiffening up at all; it was way too soft and pliable for the cooling system to be perfect. So, we got another repairman who replaced the motor. After that, all has been great up until today. Once again, we migrated all of the perishables to the freezer and small fridge in the basement. That in itself is time consuming because it involves having to play some form of food-based Tetris just to get things to fit. Heck, I can even hear the Tetris theme song playing in my head when I think about it.

We’re calling in a new repair guy tomorrow because, really, I don’t trust any of the previous guys at all. Maybe we can get someone with some sort of fridge certification. Does that even exist? Hmm.

Aaaaand, just because I mentioned it, here’s a video of a guy playing Korobeiniki (Tetris Theme A) on a marimba. Purely awesome!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvmxL1gtrDo

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Waiting is the hard part

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Thu. January 22, 2009

So, earlier this morning, according to the Canada Post website my package was in my end of the city and had the status: “Item out for delivery.” Nice! My waiting would soon come to an end. Throughout the work day I was hitting refresh on the tracker hoping for an update saying that the package was delivered home or that a notice was left at the door. Either would have been sufficient. Thing is, no updates happened at all. By 5 p.m. I was a little bit pissed. You’d think that “Item out for delivery” would mean that it was en route. So where the heck is it?

I’m sure it’ll arrive tomorrow, though if it doesn’t I’m going to raise a little hell with Canada Post and Best Buy. As much I know the item(s) in question are in demand right now, I expect things to be secure. That’s why there’s a damn tracking number, right? I can play all these “what if” scenarios in my head but in the end that won’t get me anywhere.

Patience, patience.

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Meditations on the new office

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Mon. January 5, 2009

I think my mind is wanting to write one of those weird train of thought entries. Please bear with me.

Today was my first day back at work, which was something of a welcome relief from all of the vacation time. Yeah, does that make me an oddball? Likely, but it’s been established that a whole lot of you reading this are oddballs in the same way, so…there. Anyway, when I came in, I was surprised at just how open concept the place was. Without the cubicle walls, I could see that the office was still in such disarray. It wasn’t even until midday that out Internet connections were up and running. No matter. Hiccups like these are almost expected during such a move, yes? My desk is pretty nice. It’s kind of prone to minor foot traffic, but the possibilities for social interaction are higher. God, what a relief that is. In our previous place I was relatively removed from the group just due to how desks were positioned. There were many moments I felt isolated. My personality type could handle it but it was still kind of hard. Our team’s area has one of those stereotypical views of Toronto. Just outside of the window we have a good view of the tower. Seriously, the view is really how you’d imagine it to be.

So, anyway, just to kill some time, a group of us went out for lunch on King St. We ended up eating at a gourmet burrito place. It tasted pretty fresh. The beans were certainly potent. I was feeling them well into the afternoon. Yuuuup. There really was a lot of discussion about where to go for lunch because this move seemed to open up a whole new world of possiblities. See, oddly, at our old place it’s not even like we were that far from King. Most of our focus though was along Queen and up to Chinatown and Kensington. King was still some region that was ever so slightly out of range. Does that make sense?

How can I compare it?

Well, a good comparison I can think of right now (if you’ll allow me to indulge my inner gamer) is to compare it to one of those classic Super Nintendo RPGs. Think: Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger. It’s like, at the start you’re limited to exploring certain areas. You get to know those areas well and have probably explored the nooks and crannies for hidden treasures–maybe gold, potions, or OOH new equipment. After a while though, there’s nothing new. You know of other areas but some mysterious force blocks you from really going there. Then, after some plot points are advanced, you end up moving to a new area and previously inaccessible places once shrouded in fog become available. Sure, the new areas have more expensive stuff, but at that point you’ve probably levelled up a bit.

I swear, all of this makes absolute sense to me! I actually have RPGs on my mind because I recently got a copy of the re-release of Chrono Trigger for my Nintendo DS. I’ve been playing through it over the Christmas break. It’s a satisfying game. I remember spending so many hours playing it in high school. Playing it now on the DS really bring back memories. Very nostalgic, you know?

As far as gaming soundtracks go, Chrono Trigger is really good, isn’t it? It’s up there with some Final Fantasy OSTs. Out of curiosity, I went to CDJapan to see if the had any CT Soundtrack CDs. I was looking for an arranged symphonic version to the music. I’m not interested in the bloop bloop versions I hear in the game–I want to hear real instruments, right? Well, I spotted the CD I wanted. It’s definitely under consideration. I trust CDJapan; I’ve actually ordered from them in the past. The last few times I’ve ordered form them were for some Seramyu DVDs from Japan. Yeah, no shit. Marina Kuroki took the lead role when she was 12 years old. How young! By the time the plays ended their run, she was 16. She really grew into her role.

OK so, enough wandering. Time to do some backtracking. Hmm…

Marina–>CDJapan–>Chrono Trigger–>RPGs–>King St.–>burritos–>lunch–>the new office.

Yes. The new office. It’s a comfortable place, for sure. I’m sure I’ll get used to the new nuances as time passes. I mean, it sure beats a place where I’ve breathed in gases from an exploded sewage pipe.

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QWOP

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Fri. November 14, 2008

http://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html

I was browsing around and found this time-waster. No lie, I’ve spent 20 minutes fixated on making the guy run. I’m sure there’s some sort of pattern to get this guy moving, but more often than not I make the guy fall flat on his face. Every splat I hear still makes me laugh. I’ve only made him go a very shameful 4.6m or so. I’m sure y’all can do better, but hey, remember: “everyone is a winner.”

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Katamari on the commute

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Wed. August 27, 2008

I had a bit of an unreal moment this afternoon. I was rushing up north to make the run club. I hit some traffic along the way setting me back 10 minutes or so. I could feel my stress levels rising as traffic was just being uncooperative. I had my iPod plugged in and playing in the car on shuffle. Over on the last stretch, the theme song for Katamari Damacy came on.

Ever play Katamari Damacy? It’s a quirky video game where you’ve got a ball that you can push around to roll up stuff. It all sticks to the clump. At first the clump is small so you can only pick up small things but as it grows you can pick up larger and larger things. You might start off rolling up thumbtacks and get to the point where that same ball of stuff is large enough to roll up skyscrapers. I enjoy the strangeness of the concept and it’s been fun just seeing what I can roll up along the way. I have the soundtracks for the two PS2 Katamari games on my iPod. I picked up the CDs while I was in Japan. Here’s the opening for the first game:

Anyway, back to my commute. When the theme song came on, I started imagining a big katamari in front of me. As I drove, it would roll the ball along, picking up all the cars in front of me. Hell yeah: what better way to clear the road when you’re in a hurry? As I imagined it rolling along, I started singing along:

Na na, na na na na na na na, na Katamari Damacy! Chu-chu-chudu-chu-chu-chuchudu…

I imagined it rolling up trees and some bystanders walking on the sidewalk. As I did, my stress levels came back down. Everyone can use a bit of silliness in their day, no?

Alas, katamaris don’t exist in real life. I suppose it’s for the best. I would imagine that if I was rolled up I’d end up feeling mildly violated.

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