In a soundproof room

Well that was unprecedented...never before have I experienced something like that, just panic and pure stress over this.

I was replacing the tubing as I hadn't done so in a while and quite literally the hearing aid fell apart in my hand and eurgh, not only was I disappointed that something that I was so dependant on, something that I take the greatest of care to look after seeing as without sound everything is affected, something so important...whether I liked it or not, could fall apart that flimsily and that really shook me.

So after stressing and panicking about what to do, calling and falling to get someone at the Nuffield Centre which...you'd think that something so vital to deaf people would be available at all times but alas they were not.

So my options were pretty much to go early in the morning and try and do something about it but somehow I doubt that's really going to do anything about it, that time is really on my side. It really could not have come at a worse time and it's a running pattern in my life, the things I'm most excited about, something will come along to ruin it...and I know I shouldn't have that sort of mentality and that I should be stronger but it really is frustrating.

I can't even remember a time even in Mary Hare where I had a day without hearing aids because they broke like that but we had an audiology department so I suppose we had the support but imagine how vulnerable I felt when suddenly access to help was extremely limited and I felt so restricted in what I can do.

This wouldn't had been bad if I wasn't working but the fact that I was got me even more down because I know that I'm at a hearing disadvantage, therefore I know I have to work twice as hard in order to keep up and that's okay, it's not a problem, the easy way out would be to nothing and get a job or put myself in situations where I don't have to interact with other people but that's not me, not in this job no way.

Anyway, so now I'm more relaxed and less stressed now but still a bit annoyed as sound is something I cherish and really do not take it for granted. Ahhh sound, how you are all now distorted and just a bit muffled, how you are now making me work harder than I already do...why must you have all this animosity for me and treat me like this.

Ah well not much I can really do about it, I suppose I'm at the mercy of them really...

Forgotten Gift

What's this? A box? Oh yeah, I completely forgot about those. I guess I got these books at the worst possible time, when I slipped out of the book reading phase.

So I basically have books that that were bought for me but remain unopened for at least a year now, heh, ah well, maybe when I get back into reading books I may read them but until then...*ignores*

And I just wanna run…to the sun

So begins day two of the Nike journey. Woke up more tired then yesterday but it was still good, I think it just means an early night tonight and by early I mean sometime before 0100 hours but anyway here I am and the second day involved quite a bit more lectures, games/tasks especially Ultimate Rock Paper Scissors which I got to the semi-finals of...urgh, another semi final, I need to go one step further and win things but I've no doubt that I will win a task individually someday.

Working for Nike, I just look at some of the videos and I think this is just mad in a good way and again I am really hyped for this whole thing especially when I just realise that this is their biggest project in Western Europe, not only that but that I'll be a major part of the 2012 Olympics, a worldwide event and it looks to be truly amazing. Heh, sometimes I still can't believe I'm part of it myself but here I am, like a kid in awe of his surroundings and just soaking things in.

So this afternoon we went for a jog to Regent's park for a training session to do sprints, jogs and piggy back rides. Yup, amazing and so so so fun and a little bit surreal. I see these things happening in Nike videos all the time but never did I think I would be taking part in one of those events.

Tomorrow begins the three (or apparently more) mile run in the running club and ohhh boy, I guess the question is why did I join the gym when Nike were going to provide the fitness work for me ahaha

Whoo another day gone and home is where I rest until the next day. Also something to note, I started playing Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney...probably should tell Foxx this and did the first level and seriously, the actions and movement of Mr What's his face (the witness) was weird and to top it all off when he ripped off his hair and threw it at my face I thought "what." But it's enjoyable so far and I hope I enjoy the rest of the game but if it's any good then I'm sure I will

Shame there’s a lack of 999 Watches

If you are reading this then first things first. Stop reading this and go play 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors. Do it, I mean it. Play it. These sort of games need a chance to have exposure and commercial success.

Okay now to the actual post:

So what is on my mind today, music and 999. Though I may as well get these thoughts out before I lose them forever to the next game I decide to play...okay maybe not forever but anyways, 999 is a brilliant game, that's all you need to know about it.

I played this on the recommendation of Foxx and well, I've never looked back. 999 is a visual novel not unlike Ace Attorney (which I may play next) and has a deeply engrossing story and puzzles that are clever and simply amazing. It's a game that requires multiple playthroughs however it is actually done brilliantly and it makes sense to play it again and again, to pick up clues and to get the full story.

You basically start off as Junpei, a 21 year old boy who one day is kidnapped and awakes in a locked room on a sinking ship steadying filling up with water and he must use the items in the room and his wits to escape. Of course, once he does he learns that he is now involved in what is called the Nonary Game, a game of life and death where he only has 9 hours to escape the ship or die a horrible death.

Whether this description of the game sounds interesting or not is irrelevant as you should want to play it and if you don't want to play it then you should feel bad as this is a good game.

In fact, go out and buy it now and thank me later

So now I have finished another game and the question really is, what do I play next as it's not as if there's a shortage of options here but it really does depend on what I feel like playing. I do need to finish Blaze Black and I was thinking of doing some maps on Advance Wars Day Of Ruin but that face keeps propelling me to play Final Fantasy Tactics A2 and Fire Emblem is the other game on my CycloDS at the moment.

The most likely one is probably Final Fantasy but now it's really a matter of getting round to playing it.

…Still got my Nike boots

So here I was twenty minutes early with others who had arrived early as well, heart beating, sweat and just plain nervous about this but then again why wouldn't I be? I did think why am I nervous, I should be fine with this, I'm pretty sure things won't go bad, how can they? Yet I remain anxious about it all but at the same time, very excited.

After the introduction and them telling us the things they have planned on this induction period I can say I'm pretty hyped for all this, still nervous but I think the activities they have planned should settle me down some.

I think about it and I'm glad that I got turned down for other jobs because I wouldn't have ended up here, I still find it unbelievable that I beat 25,000 other applicants to get to this point and I still reflect at times on why exactly do they like me and why do they think I'm the best person for this job. I know I was confident in the presentation but really in the back of the mind I worry I'll be out of my depth but I calm myself again by thinking that I think this every single time and that there's no basis for me to truly believe this but here I am.

So with all the excitement and eagerness buzzing around I just need to step back and realise that this is a step to better things and that while I work here (hopefully for years to come) I will learn and become a better person and from what I can tell on the first day, I'm surrounded by good people which can only be a good thing.

Another thing I notice is that a lot of these people are the completion of everything that I didn't finish, I had an interest in dance, there's someone was a dance teacher, I had an interest in basketball, there's someone who plays high level basketball, I had an interest in writing and th- you get the picture.

“So name something interesting about yourself.”

Ohhh boy, I hate that because I can never think of anything interesting even though that maybe there are things that others would find interesting but for me, I find it nothing to be excited about and then I end up giving the most boring aspect of me. But I don't stress as it'll come with time that things will be found out about me, maybe interesting things but for now I'm just chilled and taking in my surroundings.

So after the morning and rota's and everything it was time for the afternoon session and more lectures but it wasn't the boring kind as it was quite engaging and interesting.

Then of course we had a group task which me and my team won so I'm pleased at that because I genuinely don't lose on tasks like this though I was disappointed with second place on the clap, knee, stamp task but you can't win them all. Ah well

So I'm prepared for tomorrow and whatever it brings but it never ceases to amaze me the fact that I'm here.

Also, LeBron James! That's pretty amazing.

Living locally

Living far away...here's a question, do you think that those who live the furthest gets to see the most real side of ourselves?

Why do I ponder this? Because it popped into my mind. I dislike...well, dislike is a strong word. I've no desire to really know the people that live near me because...while this may signify arrogance, it's because I don't believe they think on the same wavelength that I do I can say that I don't believe I'm better than them or anything but rather...different in ways.

I believe them to be concerned with things that I wouldn't be be and vice versa. Their attitude to life does not match my own and therefore getting along is...complex.

Anyhoo so yeah, why is it that the good people I meet always live far away from me...It's annoying to know that I can't just pop on a train or bus to see her but in this case a plane, eurgh, just my luck...

I guess there's nothing to do but enjoy what we have now and maybe in the future the situation will change for the better but as much as I'd love it to be one of my special powers, reading the future is not on my repertoire of skills.

I predict a riot

How do I feel? Happy? Sad, Frightened? Worried? Blissful? I don't actually know, I suppose a combination of blissful and relaxed.
I was worried a bit for my position at Nike but they've sort of reassured me about the situation but I know I won't be relaxed until I start on the first day so until then I'm still slightly anxious for this to not blow up in my face.

Next up is these riots and it's served to do nothing to reaffirm my disappointment in this society. Okay I may not know about the cause of all this other than someone got shot during a protest blah blah blah but what I do know that all this rioting is unnecessary and pointless as well...nothing good is going to come out of it. I may have been all for starting a riot when I was younger in a jokey way (ahhh memories) but rioting without a purpose is....well, like I said, pointless. A change in government policy, a change in the way the place is run, an extremely controversial decision made in court or something like that okay, I can see a riot if enough people felt the same way but even so you'd have to decide whether the repercussions will be worth it for whatever change you had in mind but with this...there doesn't seem to be a purpose with this and that people are rioting and looting for the sake of it.

Anyway...what else is there? Ooh yes, the gym. Well that's going okay I guess, the programme that was given to me I'm trying to stick to and trying to stick to the amount of reps and sets but of course I have off days and that but I'm trying so that's something I'm pleased at. I've been doubted for long enough in regards to football so this year I'm going to be like "I'M BACK MOTHERFUCKERS!" and teach them a lesson in true greatness and what it looks like (me).

I am Jason Mycroft, accept no substitutes.

Braaaains, braaains

Resident Evil...what have they done to you, you used to be all about fighting ACTUAL zombies and more about survival than about action and upper-cutting boulders and the likes.

My beloved franch- well, to tell the truth I wasn't really that into the series anyway haha, I only ever played Resident Evil 2, the one with Leon S Kennedy and Claire Redfield and that is one of my most cherished games...yes nostalgia does play a part in it but there are plenty of other games I know weren't good but I still like them anyway.

Anyway, so the first game I didn't play but I know somewhat about the storyline along with the third game. Now when it comes to spinoffs and any games that are not part of main entries of a story, I'm hesitant to play them. The reason for that is that when it comes to a story, anything that relates to the plot and is somewhat essential should be in the main entries anyway.

The last thing I want to do is to play a completely separate game to understand something that's vital to the plot. Everything not mentioned in the plot should preferably just be background information and nothing more.
That being said I haven't actually played any of the Resident Evil spinoffs or other games so yeah...wait where was I going with this? Ahh forget it.

So Resident Evil 4 I am a huuuuuuuge fan of because it was different and exciting and it was actually good especially the dialogue ("What 'r you buying strangah", "Your right hand comes off?" and "You're small time!" all brilliance), it was also fun to play for a second time with the better weapons and additions such as the Chicago Typewriter and the infinite rocket launcher (blowing up a villager's head with a rocket launcher has never been so satisfying).

So while Resident Evil 4 was applauded and praised, surely you can't mess up with Resident Evil 5 right? WRONG!

Eurgh how do I start with this. While Resident Evil 5 is by no means a bad game, it's just not that good enough. It's far too similar to RE4 and that it offers very little. I don't mind to use the criticism that it's similar against it but it really just feels like it's Resident Evil 4 IN AFRICA (or Haiti to be more precise, I've always hated it when people say Africa as a catch all term for things set in that continent) and that wait...haven't I played this before?

Yes the co-op was a nice feature but too many times have I been let down by incompetent team-mates who failure to understand that trying the same thing over and over will not bring about results and means we have to redo it again and again and it's frustrating ergh. This feature doesn't make up for the boredom in this game really (AND OH MY GOD WHY CAN'T YOU GUYS JUST CRAWL UNDER THE LASERS, WHY DO I HAVE TO GO AROUND IT) and its blandness and it just wasn't very good.

So with the speculation of Resident Evil 6 along with a leaked shot of the announcement date, I've not checked if it was faked or not, I am wary in what direction this new game will take and how it pans out. Hopefully it'll be another masterpiece as even number entries usually are for me but I guess along with many other things in life, I'll just have to wait and see.

Flyer than the rest of them, still got my Niké boots

Oooh optimism, you are one funny thing, so easy it is to gain you just as quick as it is to lose you. Pre season training has arrived and this is it, the start of what hopes to be a promising season…promising for who? Ahhhh well you see that depends on exactly what happens between now and the date of the first pre season training session.

So basically put, I’ve put on weight, no pulling punches about it and it doesn't bother me because honestly I really didn’t think I’d be able to get back into football as a combination of playing with an injury and lack of motivation meant there was nothing to aspire for.

So has that changed now? Hmmmm somewhat…hmm. Yeah it has, I’m thinking to just get back into shape simply because my game plan when playing football is not about power and is more about being agile and using trickery to turn the tides into my team’s favour. I haven’t really set any goals yet and you know something? I think I might just do that right now.

Teams can play as good and as bad as they want but the simply undeniable fact is that goals wins games.

Basically I need to set myself a target of goals seeing as last year (which I don’t really count due to injury) I scored…what 4 goals or something? Barely any assists and that is just a disgrace.

So this year I aim to get hmmm let’s say…see I’ve got to think, where exactly is it that I will be playing because defensively I’m pretty much done so it’s all about the offense baby! Ahem…yeah I’m only up for playing as Attacking midfielder/Striker so that being said I’d say 10 wouldn’t be such a bad choice for a target, 15 if I’m pushing it but I honestly don’t know what the situation will be like when we return.

Assists? Well, the same thing as above applies so 10 assists should be a reasonable target for me to reach.
Getting back into shape, now I’m thinking this is a must especially as my game plan relies on it…sooooo that’s a must, I shall need to keep up my fitness throughout the whole season and that means NO QUITTING OR GETTING LAX…ahh who am I kidding, we all know it;s going to happen sooner or later, my only hope is that it happens waaaay waaaaay later.

Okay so I think I have everything, now all I need is to actually do this and that’ll mean that I go out in style and with a bang.

Look out world, Jason is coming for you

Projects to complete

1. Read The Zombie Survival Guide again because it’s such a good book
   
2. Join a gym to get fitter
   
3. Get back into updating this blog and consistently
   
4. Buy myself Niké CTR Astroturf trainers and football boots
   
5. Buy football shirts of teams that I like
   
6. Have at least one competitively viable Pokémon from every single family
   
7. Listen to songs and albums that I haven’t listened to on my iPod
   
8. Get songs and albums from artists whose discography I haven’t been keeping up with
   
9. Organise the songs I already do have on my iPod into categories
   
10. Buy myself an external hard drive
    
11. Get back into learning Spanish, French, Italian and Swedish
    
12. Get back into writing lyrics
    
13. Play the games that I bought but have yet to play. Bayonetta, Gears Of War, Assassin’s Creed, MadWorld, No More Heroes and some others
    
14. Read a list of manga. This includes Pokémon Special, Yu-Gi-Oh and many others, possibly Full Metal Alchemist but I may just watch the anime instead.
    
15. Play the games on my CycloDS iEvolution that I haven’t played
    
16. Learn some types of ballroom dancing such as the tango, waltz and others
    
17. Change my internet settings back to WPA (Danged Pokémon forced me to change to WEP)
    
18. Get my own place
    
19. Think of more items for this list

Sparkle sparkle

I really ought to watch films as soon as possible when I get sent them from Lovefilm rather than hold onto them for too long but ah well, anyways, I got round to watching Twilight: Eclipse…yeah.

Obviously I’m not oblivious to the Twilight hate and it’s extreme I should add. Not just on the anti Twilight brigade but on the pro Twilight side as well, I mean seriously?

So anyway I watched the third instalment of the Twilight Saga and I felt that it was the best of the three so far, I suppose that isn’t really saying much especially compared to New Moon…gosh that film was bad. That’s not to say that there wasn’t any cringe worthy moments, the portrayal of Bella is one that really grates as she displays absolutely NO emotion and while I’m not annoyed at the author for writing this character into existence, I find it really frustrating that the publishers and editors allowed it to get to the actual selling of the book in retail shops. I feel that somebody should have mentioned that along with millions of the other mistakes in the book (Brazilian west coast anyone?).

While you can’t really ask for a factually correct book in a story about vampires and werewolf shape shifters there comes a point where it becomes jarring to read mistakes after mistakes after mistakes.

So anyway I’m pretty much done with that film until Breaking Dawn comes out and…I’m just thinking, that's probably going to be a massive let-down and here’s why:

While I applaud the fact that for once in a story a confrontation was avoided with simple diplomatic discussion, the build up from the first part of the film (Breaking Dawn will be split into two parts not unlike the final Harry Potter movie) combined with seeing all these vampires with different powers and abilities and just the general feel of it will serve to be a MASSIVE anti-climax.

So I guess I’m going into the last film with extremely low expectations but now I think about it, the could change many parts of the movie to avoid that exact situation but for now it’s a wait and see situation. Though I’m not looking forward to the promotions when the release date approaches as the pro Twilight and anti Twilight groups come out in full force to defend/attack this series. I will just be glad when it’s all done.

IN 3D!!!!!!!

The 3DS is getting a price drop? Just as I thought.

When I first heard about the 3DS I was…skeptical, the 3D gimmick was one that I’ve never really understood and didn’t like all that much but that’s okay because you don’t have to play your games in 3D, in fact none of the games require you to do so. That was pretty much the only noise I heard from the advertising, that in now plays games IN 3D!!!! (Also you don’t need glasses)

Yes there is biggest processing power and the hardware has improved so it isn’t just an update but you’d hardly know that would you just from watching these obviously paid actors perfectly normal citizens gushing about how amazing the 3D is. Not just that but there’s obviously going to be a 3DS lite of some kind despite what PR men at Nintendo might say so I’m better served waiting for that incarnation of the handheld as it benefits me in more than than one way, yes the games.

Of course the thing that’s going to convince me to buy any game system is the actual games for it, so I took one look at the launch games of the 3DS aaaaand suffice to say I was disappointed. Even the upcoming games weren’t that impressive and that any games I may have been interested in weren’t likely to be released not for a long time yet so I guess there’s not really much point of me getting a 3DS yet

Hopefully the game library will pick up and just like the original DS it’ll have a good game library by the time I choose to purchase one but until then I’m just shaking my head at  how disastrous the whole 3DS thing has been handled.