Realm of the Imponderable

Albert Toss

Was at Juggling Club last saturday and decided to try something that sounded funky and I've never tried before. It's a trick usually done with clubs (the things that look like bowling pins, for those juggling ignoramuses out there) but can be done with a devilstick, which is insanely difficult. (For those of you who don't know what a devilstick is, click here. If you want to see it in action, clicky here)

So, main point about the Albert toss: Don't ever stand behind the person who's trying it out. Ever. Unless you want to get thwacked in the shins or (erp) if you're a guy and you stand facing the person, in the *you know where*
oopsie I forgot to mention what the hell I'm taking about...

The albert toss is a trick where you stand with your legs far apart, then bring the devilstick from in front of you between your legs, toss it upwards behind you and catch it in front of you. Some risk involved if you're a guy, but if you know what you're doing you don't hit yourself.

alright, so assuming I don't bust my balls in getting this trick right, I'll post a video when I do.

They've Landed!

Yes the freshies (AKA FRESH MEAT!!!!) from Singapore have arrived here in the freezer and they're going to need to find their land legs and blubber coats soon before the onset of winter when even the Devil himself would need to throw an extra bag of coal in the furnace...

No really, they act like anyone would if you throw them in a strange environment and they have to fend for themselves. They congregate together and help each other out, (which is good) and the seniors who are arguably the best source of help around here are apparently missing. (Excluding, of course, myself and a few others)

But you know they're really insecure when you see them gathering at the bedsheets section of Meijers discussing what kind of blankets and comforters to buy and they all end up buying EXACTLY the same bedsheets and pillowcases (right down to the same blue flowery pattern). Personally I think it's good to leave them to stew for a bit, since I'm a believer of Baptism by Fire (Within moderation of course) and yesterday I'm sure was a trying time for them. Having been to Ann Arbor for a grand total of maybe a day or two, they're expected to take a bus halfway through the city, run around Maijers for an hour and get everything they need (You need alot more than an hour to really find everything unless you know Maijers well and you have a pregenerated shopping list) and find their own way back to the dorms. Fun, eh? Especially when you don't know where the hell Maijers is in relation to the city and you're not even sure where your dorm is on the city map...

So for the 3 lucky guys in my car they were treated to blasting Joe Satriani, a visit to the Ring of Steel and a quick driving tour of the university. Well, done guys, you hit a jackpot there. You're one of the few ppl I'm going to help out for this orientation. I've done my fair share last year, I'm sick of this, and my juniors need to do their fair share of work too.

Freedom!

Exams are over for summer term at last. Now that leaves me with a ton of time to.... lesseee... maintain my car... create some devilstick videos and put them online... make a trip to Macys to get something changed for a friend..... try some new cooking recipes... get better at dual wielding devilsticks....
Oh who am I kidding? Everyone knows even the best laid plans have the uncanny ability to cock up beyond recognition.

On a side... Yingying (a friend from JC, for those if you not in the know) has been staying here while she's looking for housing for the 1.5 years she'll be doing grad school. Now that I think about it, looking at her now seems like looking at a mirror 2 years ago when I first came to Michigan. Nervous, apprehensive, blah blah but I think she'll get over it just like I did. But yeah, I didn't land here 2 years ago not knowing whether I'll have a roof over my head for the next year...

Back From the Dead

Yes, these past few months were a dark period for me. Welcome, then, to the world of internet gaming. A place where, if you lose sight of your reason for playing, you stand to lose yourself.

A very dear friend of mine finally opened the door for me and made me realise something. In the world of internet gaming, you have a chance to step into the shoes of someone else, someone who has fantastic powers that you can only dream of having. You may become involved in a race for power, to become one of the most powerful characters around, or in a race for fame. But, in the end, what does it mean that you're most fearsome warrior or the most powerful wizard in an imaginary realm? Probably give you something to boast about to your friends, but then there's plenty of other things around that you can boast about.

What she made me see was this: I was losing the main point of playing. It isn't so that you get to the top and lord it over all the other little players out there, it isn't so that you can lay sole claim to owning something that no one else in the game has, it's just about having fun. And when you play for the sake of getting your character higher on the virtual hierarchy, you play far too much and you don't get so much fun out of the game. If you play for fun, you don't get mad when you don't succeed on a mission, you don't find yourself thinking about it when you're not playing it, and you don't find yourself losing track of real life and your real friends.

That was what was happening.

I made the mistake of taking someone for granted once, and she and I have hardly talked since. I seem to have been on the verge of making it again. Back then I was too involved with myself, now it seems I was too involved with WoW, putting everything aside, even my close friends.

The friends I play WoW with used to joke about ourselves, if someone told us to get a life we'd say we do, it's just online. Well, if you're someone who hangs around geeks and gamers all the time then more power to you, you're seeing the same ppl online that you see in real life, but if you hang out with different people then the ones you see online, you've got to balance it out. Chances are, you're never going to see face to face someone you meet online, but you see your friends all the time. That's something that's far more precious and fulfilling.

So, welcome back, dear reader, and revisit this resurrected blog from time to time. I know some of you may be friends I make online and we'll never see each other but hey, you never know what life may throw at you next.