Tuesday, May 26, 2009

What MasterCard?

Cosplaying Cardboard Gundam: 1 Internet.

Pulling the "in b4" meme a split second before line in question: 2 Internets.

Making an amazingly epic video: 3 Internets.

Taking bus from JC side gate to poolside: Lose.

There're many things worth the Internet. For everything else, there's facepalm.

No, seriously. While heading to Nanyang so as to use their kitchens we took bus in that short a distance as some people were too lazy to walk all the way. D:

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Posted on 10:10 PM.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Victory!

I... I don't believe it.

My team and I went to participate in the Singapore Junior Water Prize. We made it to the finals.

The finals were today. We had practiced the presentation hard for this.

...We did it. We won first prize.

And now in August we will be heading off to Stockholm, Sweden to represent Singapore in the International Junior Water Prize.

I'm impressed.

This is amazing. We didn't score well for 2008 Projects Day. We didn't win a thing for SSEF. And now, when we least expected it, we represent Singapore.

Words... cannot fully convey my feelings for this.

And this year, I'm finally getting to travel to an European country. It'll be cold, yes, but a new experience.

Best of luck for Stockholm.

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Posted on 10:17 PM.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Lonely.

And so there comes a time when you get a strange rare opportunity.

What?

Well, my parents have gone overseas for a short time, at least until Wednesday.

My brother just went off for NS.

So that means at home it's just the maid and me.

That IS rare.

No ramblings from my mother or repeated prompts to go to sleep when it gets late now.

It's going to be a bit lonely here, isn't it?

Probably. But there's always school where I can lurk.

I thought you didn't like staying around in school.

Somehow, by high school, or JC, lurking around in school with friends makes it better.

I see.

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Posted on 8:33 PM.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Mental Notes

What're you doing?

Thinking.

Of what?

Oh, I'm just updating my mental notes. They come in handy in several situations.

Well, mind if you tell me of a few of your latest ones?

Let's see...

-Apparently, the cake is now a pie.

What's that supposed to mean?

The cake is not a lie, it's a pie. Pies are delicious.

Right...

-Never look down on a bag's capacity until you've actually tried it out.

Let me guess, you've managed to stuff a whole lot into your bag.

Yup. Card album, art folder, pencilcase, 3 deck boxes, a box of counters, portable hard drive, calculator, extra shirt. Into a bag with about half the capacity of my schoolbag.

Okay...

-Nyoro~n.

What is THIS supposed to mean?

Nothing.

Nothing?

Nothing. Some of my mental notes are nonsensical. Like this one:

-Woodchucks chuck as much wood as stone which a stone block is capable of blocking, provided that woodchucks can chuck wood and stone blocks can block stone.

This... is confusing...

Then I have done my job.

No wonder why you don't scribble that many notes during lectures...

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Posted on 5:49 PM.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Stardust Accelerator

So, I have acquired this game and have been playing it for quite a while...

...And sacrificing some of your work effort at the same time...

Okay, besides that. So, yeah. This blog post is a brief review on Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2009 - Stardust Accelerator.

So, it's the standard Good, Bad, and Ugly routine, but a brief overview. You have two modes to choose from: 5D's Story Mode and World Championship Mode. Obviously, Story Mode is what you want to complete first, because it's where you get your (usual) pathetic Starter Deck up to speed, and it's also where you unlock other opponents in World Champ Mode. As with all other games, 5 wins on every NPC should unlock nearly everyone and every pack in World Champ Mode.

So Story Mode is essentially very similar to the 5D's anime's first 26 episodes, but with several differences. One, you're the central character in the storyline, and so you end up walking through Yusei's footsteps... and a little more. Two, less exposition, more card games - though this will make several arcs seem rather short, like the time spent in Neo Domino Jail. Three, there are several minigames included, comprising of a motorbike racing minigame, some block-pushing puzzles, and a stealth-based mission.

The latter two sound familiar, where have we seen them before?

World Champ Mode is pretty much similar to the other World Championship series: opponents to beat, and a win/loss/tie record for each. Nothing to see here if you're familiar with these games.

The Good: For one, they've greatly expanded the card database since World Champ 2008, AND filled in several cards which World Champ 08 has missed out! The packs go up to Crimson Crisis, Duel Terminal 4, and Structure Deck 16, so there's a huge card database, and plenty to experiment with. Also, the introduction of Riding Duels is a nice addition for fans of the anime, and those who wish to attempt playing one out themselves.

The Bad: Well, they sure have nerfed the continuous win bonus. Now it just caps at 10 DP. Oh well, guess Konami didn't like how people exploited the old bonus and racked it up to 1000+. Also, the announcer in Story Mode tends to get irritating. It's understandable when you're in the Story's tournaments, but when in Riding Duels with certain opponents outside of tournaments, the announcer mysteriously shows up and DOESN'T shut up. Oh, and some cards are relocated to packs that don't unlock until you've done quite a bit.

The Ugly: Face it, you've got a pathetic Starter Deck and several of the NPCs sport decks that are tiers above yours. One of the first few opponents you may find outside the storyline-mandatory duelists sports a deck designed for countering many moves. Also, another portion of the storyline pits you against FOUR top-tier decks (okay, one may not be so) with no recovery in between. In short, pray that you have good luck on striking staples in the packs, or that the AI messes up and gets a bad hand, or you will have a lot of trouble getting through Story Mode. Oh, and if you came expecting only card games, the mandatory minigames will most likely irritate you too.

But, after you've gotten your deck up to speed and opened up a large portion of the card database to your disposal, there's plenty of decks you can design and test. The up-to-date card database also allows for playtesting of nearly any but the latest card combos and decks. Once you pass all the annoying obstacles in Story Mode, it's a rather awesome game for those who love the card game in real life, since you're not creating a hole in your pocket to get your hands on those rare cards that would complete a deck you want to try out.

Well, you still are using up a lot of time just getting through the game itself.

That's not the point...

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Posted on 8:53 PM.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Hmm...

Daisuke, can I ask a question?

Yeah?

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Alright, let's see. "Chuck" here would mean "to throw a short distance". A woodchuck is a small rodent,alternatively known as a groundhog.

Ah, dictionary definitions.

Now, considering the size of it, a woodchuck would not be able to lift much, or throw much wood. In fact, I doubt it has the ability to throw larger pieces of wood.

Makes sense.

Also, the question is somewhat faulty, for a woochuck could chuck any amount of wood spanning any set time frame. As there is no time frame I'd say that the intended time frame is an entire woodchuck's lifespan, 22 years.

So, in those 22 years, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

...Not enough information.

...That's it?

Yes. We haven't seen the rate at which woodchucks could chuck wood, and I doubt we can calculate it, either.

I see.

...So, how much stone would a stone block block if a stone block could block stone?

Just as much stone as wood chucked by a woodchuck, should it be able to chuck wood.

Ah.

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Posted on 5:51 PM.