A Miracle Called Life

Will the world end this October? Well, not that I'm concerned about that at all but was thinking that Earth has been around for such a long time it'd probably "ended" many times before (think Dinosaurs) ... It's so true that every day IS a miracle: that all (and every) conditions are just right to make Life, like, happen. But I don't think Life will go on forever though; our civilisation is nothing but a little, tiny, little speck on Earth timeline and, yes, something will happen and something else will "replace", just as humans replaced dinosaurs. So, enjoy every day. Also, I doubt I will witness the end of this civilisation ... simply cos I will end before then (!!) 

Grind Fest 4

100+ hours into the game and I have just one final boss left in the first playthrough (this game allows players to do at least, like, a dozen playthroughs for different endings). But to defeat this final boss I think I'll need to grind for another 100+ hours. No thanks. Really. That is the major difference between Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention and Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Disgaea really encourages grinding whereas TO the grind is optional. I guess I can just redo some of the maps for all the characters I have unlocked ... I have to say Disgaea has much, much better graphics and that's the only reason why I am still playing it.

Well, until I get my hands on the Limited Edition of the new Vita (White)... okay, I'm still thinking about it but the Vita I have has been playing up lately (need rebooting ...) 

On the yoga front, I took a class called Universal Yoga ... the instructor was quite tough but I did walk out at the end of the session feeling "opened" -- especially in the shoulders. But I was exhausted the following day and even the Yin Yang class was a challenge (pain everywhere! Mental note: do NOT take another class for at least a couple of days). This is the only challenging class I take these days ... maybe take one every month.

  

Grind Fest 3

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together vs Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention

Okay, 80 hours in and I think I've pretty out sussed Disgaea; sure, I could grind for another 8,000 hours but there really isn't much point to that unless I just wanna OHKO everything -- which is kinda dull (why have an attack that can take out 10 billion HP while 10,000 already does the trick?) 

What I find most fun about this game is not collecting all the top weapons and unlocking all the exclusive characters (as in TO: LUCT) but just enjoying the totally zany story of Mao the Overlord and Raspberyl the Delinquent Teacher (and all the side quests). There are simply too many classes/characters to unlock in Disgaea and not all of them are that great (bad base stats and special skills). I've unlocked about 20 now and I'm, like, no more please! 

Though there are all these side missions to be completed, I'm taking my sweet time doing those. As far as the grinding goes, since I have now unlocked the two major items that are vital to win most of the battles, the major challenge here is more about solving the various puzzles (battle maps). Some completionist gamers would replay the story mode or "cycle", like, a dozen times to unlock different endings but, unlike, TO, I don't see the point of doing that unlike you want to level up all the characters to Lvl 9,999. 

Grind Fest 2

Clocking in @ 60 hours+ playing Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention. Unlike Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, this a much, much longer game, and like a bottomless pit, there seems to be no end to it. I'd finished the main story at around 50 hours but there is so much post-game stuff to do and unlock. And to get the top weapons you just have to grind till your PSP Vita turns into a blade. However, part of the fun of this game is actually not to be OPed and OHKO-ing everything but to enjoy working out various strategical puzzles, which is very satisfying when solved. Looks like I will be spending several hundred hours on this ... in between my yoga classes ...     

Grind Fest

Okay, lots happened the past week on all fronts (yoga, games and tech) ... but first, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention. 

(Quite a wacky promo with bad VO, "dood"! ... I'd switched over to Japanese VO, which is Great!)

I bought this game (for PSP Vita) back in Apr/May, hoping that it would get me off my Tactics Ogre addiction (bwah!). However, having played it for several hours I was totally overwhelmed by its mechanics; there is just SO MUCH to it yet SO LITTLE is being explained (despite tutorials). I had to put it down. Unlike TO (admittedly it took me awhile to get used to THAT system too), which is quite systematic ~ you level up your team and, with that, you upgrade weapons and skills ~ with Disgaea, it has a warped logic. For instance, weapons (and probably skills) are not directly related to the characters' level, it seems. As long as you have the dosh, you can get the more powerful weapons. I think skills are unlocked as the characters level up but am not entirely sure. I read in the forums that how powerful a character is depends not on its level but weapons ... so as long as you grind (for $$$), you can become OP (over powered) pretty quickly. So, yes, I am grinding "a bit" just so I can breeze through the story mode in my first run through. But there are so many things to unlock, places to explore that I might have to spend more than 999 hours (I did close to that with TO) on this game... and consider I can level up Each character to Level 9999 ... anyway, will report back on progress here time and time again...

Secondly, I bought myself the Nokia N8 (finally!) I've been eyeing this piece of gadget since its release a couple of years ago but it was just too expensive and notoriously buggy. Also, I think "Google phone" Nexus S (Samsung) is a far more superior smartphone I was in no rush getting it. But when I saw this in a "clearance sale" (prices dropped by half) this week, I thought it was time to get it: 1) production of this model has probably stopped so if I don't get it now, I wouldn't be able to get it in the future; 2) I really like its form factor, the metallic feel and curves are aesthetically appealing; 3) great camera with Xenon flash (!) and 4) well, it's a bargain. Since its firmware's been upgraded from the initial Symbian^3 to Belle, the OS is a lot more smooth and stable (but still not as good as Nexus S) but its sound quality of calls is just Amazing!! Also, I really am such a sucker for Nokia I just must have one in my collection, which is now made up of my Blackberry Bold (9900), Docomo F-02D, Nexus S and N8. Perfect!

Finally, from the materialistic to the physical/spiritual ... my last Yin class was another revelation. I was trying to do the split, though with help of not one but two bolsters! The experience was interesting in that, when in this (extremely) challenging pose (for me), I could feel the nerves that run from my lower back, through the knee to my lower leg ... I actually felt slight twinges in the knees and lower back areas, sensations that I don't feel in other asanas. 

Finally, finally, eat your hearts out comics geek! I spoke with Stan Lee the other week; amazing 89-year-old from another era ...

Another Revelation ...

One thing I like most about my yoga practice is that it helps me understand my body better; though, I have yet to learn how not to judge it. Today, I took an inversion class and, again, I felt my tight hips, shoulders and hamstrings ... and this imbalance of my body. Now, I've known about the imbalance between the left and right side of my body for years now but in today's class, I realised just how loose my left hip is as opposed to my right hip; left hamstrings are also less tight. Which is interesting. 

Note: the lifted leg, the heel should
be facing skyward

When I was preparing for the headstand (see left), after I placed my head on the ground and cupped its back with both hands, I walked my legs towards my head, then lifted my right leg up. Now, cos of tight hip and hamstrings, the right leg didn't go very far (i.e.heels supposed to face the ceiling and not the back wall) ... and even with strong-ish core, I just couldn't quite keep my right leg straight and lift left leg off the ground. But when I tried the other side. And the experience was very different. 

This time, because of a more loose left hip and less tight hamstrings on the left leg, my left leg just shot up and I was able to keep it reasonably straight, then I lifted up my right leg with ease. The only thing that stopped me from doing the full pose I still lack Core strength and the psychological fear that I'd flip over and fall. Actually, when I am doing this pose next to a wall, I don't have any problems at all. 

So I think I need to take private classes to address the issues of tight hips/shoulders/hamstrings and build up my Core strength ... before then, I will have another crack at Clayton Horton's (intensive) Ashtanga workshop (the same one I took about a year ago that gave me a swollen knee cos it was too, well, intensive!) This time, I'm just taking one session and I will continue the progress (or the lack of which) of my body.

Marvel Disassembled

Hilarious Clip: