End of the snow season...

I am back from Vancouver two weeks ago as I wrote this. Looking back of last winter it almost sounded like a dream.
I only thought of taking snowboarding class just after the season actually started (in December, around Christmas) and actually put it into action in New Year. In any case, the New Year's Resolution is kind of completed. Certainly I did not thought of ending the season in Whistler.
I had the vacation days, and some spare money: why not take the chance and see the outside world - the really big mountain, which does not exist in Ontario. So I did.

By now the snow season *should* have ended in Ontario, especially when it stopped snowing mid-February.
(Apparently not for Blue Mountain... the place got a feet of snow on Monday and they announced that the place will be open in Easter - admitting that the snowstorm is unseasonal.)

T-6 and counting.

To Whistler, British Columbia... that's all I have to say.

That's it. That's all. No, not that one. I am not crazy yet.

OK. This is getting so surreal for this winter.

So let's rewind back to March 2008. As I mentioned in here before, there was a company ski trip. I had always wanted to try snowboarding so I chose snowboarding on that day.
My feeling was that I wanted to do it for real but the season was ending soon so this soon slipped out of my mind.

Then another winter came. Apart from video gaming (one of which is Shaun White Snowboarding (which I got for PC version)) and stuff, I somehow decided to make my New Year's Resolution that I should learn snowboarding for real. So I signed up for snowboarding class at Glen Eden early January to put my New Year's Resolution. Then things are getting weirder by each week.

By late January someone in office actually asked me whether I wanted to go to Mont-Tremblant (in Quebec) in the Family Day long weekend with him. Then, a couple days later he told me that one of his friends was injured while snowboarding (season-ending type) so out of respect the whole group would not be going. It was not really a problem since it never went beyond the planning stage anyway.
A week later another group of people asked the same question - i.e. to the same location in the same weekend. My thought was like "Again?" They ended up not going but history did not repeat - they just could not get the logistic to work.

I heard they went to Blue Mountain on that weekend. In any case I had other engagement that prevented me to go.

Yesterday was the last lesson of snowboarding. I was able to ride down green run and is chairlift ready. That's all good. I posted on my Facebook asking if anyone is interested for a ski/snowboard trip on March 14 weekend. The plan was actually a day trip but I had not planned which day of the weekend at that time.

This morning:
Someone asked me whether I am going to Whistler with them (all skier...) during the March break... My thought was actually WTF. The trip posted on Facebook certainly does not mean a trip to the other side of Canada.

But don't get me wrong. I am rather neutral on this atm.

My supervisor will have my head for making him do the schedule again....
BTW, if I am going, date would be from March 19-24.

Some MSN conversation

[23:19] taiyo@T-5d - o contract, where art thou ?: how's your 50-50 on rails ?
[23:28] SYSSMouse.blogspot.com is pain.: not yet :p
[23:28] SYSSMouse.blogspot.com is pain.: still a beginner, so not jibbing yet.

After I typed my reply my thought was WTF as I actually knew what he is talking about.

Two disaster planning stories today,

Power outage primer
If a plane went down in the harbour - but then, Hudson River was not frozen solid.

Hum, the star is not of news today.

New Year Resolution.

Well, well. I am not really into this. But anyways, I am gonna make one this year.

Perhaps I should learn snowboarding for real. (and promptly got mocked by friends.)

A continuation from yesterday.

Yesterday I mentioned about snowboarding games, which boils down to: arcade-trick style (SSX, Amped), tech style (Shaun White [regular - not Road Trip], Shaun Palmer, 1080) and back country style (Stoked).

I should elaborate it further:
Those arcade-trick style like SSX tends to have absurd tricks (to the point of physically impossible) - little more than a button-masher on a snowboard. Graphics and plot also tends to be a bit cartoonish.
Tech is also about mad tricks but more realistic. Those are the frestyler in the snow park.
Back country style is about the freedom. The freeride down the mountain is what it is about.

So it is essentially park vs freeride.

On snowboarding games

As of now Ubisoft has published Shaun White Snowboarding, all is good. At the same time, some unknown developed named Bongfish announced another game simply named Stoked.

Based on what I read it is all back country snowboarding. You ride alone; you are the hardcore snowboarder; you are the hero on the mountains.

And all hell broke lose.

Now gamers are debating which style of snowboarding is better. Between arcade-trick style (SSX, Amped), tech style (Shaun White, 1080) and back country style (Stoked, as mentioned above).

This is just the beginning - Shaun White Snowboarding is nearly guaranteed to have a sequel.

Spore and the wisdom

Spore has finally come out.
Despite its relative non-violence of this video game, it still has its own share of controversy - whether it is a game of evolution or a game of intelligent design. EA and Maxis chose to be ambiguous about it.

Now for a recap of what it is: The game is divided into five phase. In the first two phase, Tide Pool Phase and Creature Phase, you evolve your creature using DNA points, gained by eating meat and/or plant. You can add parts that are available throughout these two phases.

Tribal Phase and Civilization Phase evolves the creature into a society and into space. Space Phase puts you into a UFO and, well, allows you to put creatures, create new world, terraform, and tweak creature, like God did.

Here is the problem:

Evolution: you start out as a aquatic cell, adding legs and parts so that you can hunt other creature, and not being hunted. Later you get legs and get onto land and eventually gain sentience and formed a community.

Intelligent design: You, the player, dictates how the creature evolve. Not to mention pace Phase puts you into a UFO and, well, allows you to put creatures, create new world, terraform, and tweak creature, like God did.

How to survive the rain

Well...

That should teach you one thing or two.

People playing DS

DS Oynayan 75 Milyondan 205 Resim

Of course many pictures are staged, but strong photo nonetheless.

Stuff

Well, I have not updated this blog for a while.

Stuff that happened:

• A lot of rain
  
• CBC Radio One: For some reason I found myself listen to CBC Radio a lot.
  
• The World Ends with You. *Open up your senses*
  
• Video Games Live is back. This time it is free. Imagine 5000 nerds standing in Dundas Square listening to an orchastra.
• Guitar Hero: On Tour. Heck, quite an odd game, and you cannot copy it...you HAVE to buy it!
  

snowboarding

Many years ago back in high school (like 2000) someone told me: "You would look cool, very cool, on a snowboard." I responded with a laugh. I was not a active person. Plus, I did not know anyone who snowboards (except a few).

Fast forward.

It is now March 2008. In 2006-07 the winter was dry - no snow at all in December 2006. Many wondered it would be the same in future. Second fewest snowfall in record.

This winter all we talk is just snow, hell lots of it. We are just 15cm short of record with one more month to go.

Also, I have been working for a year now. The company arranged a ski trip. (rather, snowboard trip - more people opted for snowboard than ski, including our COO)

Might as well try it for once - And got pwned by the board.

Maybe I should really learn snowbaording.

Today at Orbit

Well, no longer Orbit. It is Playscape now :p

So I saw MaxX, who is supposed to boycott Orbit, but apparently he is there for Maximum Tune 3. Wonder how many battle stars he got.

And Khoa, who yelled out Diu lei loh moh out of frustration when he failed the stage in IIDX. The thing is, he is not even Chinese. Very funny.

Lumines PC

For some reason Q Entertainment decided to port this game to PC, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The problem is their delivery method.

Wild Tangent.

That company delivers *casual* game online (read - Flash). Even though Lumines actually plays like a Flash game on PC, I don't like it being actually marketed as one. Furthermore, people does not like Wild Tangent - it is accused of delivered spywares (this part is questionable however.)

Worth a try, still.

Synergy

The priest at my church mentioned synergy.

For some reason I thought of Dilbert when I hear that.

Sport Parade.

TheStar.com - Sports - A title for Toronto: Who's next?

Just Sigh. Toronto Star made a funny editorial today asking what will Toronto's next sport parade is.

Nintendo DS

Now, I want to get a NDS. THE PANDORA BAX HAS BEEN OPENED.

(Mom: "I think I want to get a Wii instead).

Gears of War, Manhunt 2 and J. Thompson

So one of the little girl (not even in high school yet - but I won't say the name here) I know from church posted a picture of her Facebook account:

A screenshot of Gears of War, apparently taken in her home. (the 360 is probably not hers, though - probably her friends bringing the 360 to her home and started fragging).

I ain't no Jack Thompson, but I simply cannot comprehend of such a girl like her playing Gears of War. But then, I played Doom II when I was at her age.

I don't like Jack's attitude, but he has a point. Those violent game are not for kids. And Jack won this time : Manhunt 2.

So ESRB slapped Manhunt 2 with an AO rating, effectively banning it. Personally I do NOT want the game to be published at all. The theme of the game just make me sick. Now that Jack has it. I wonder what will the outcome be. For Take Two, it might be the best to tone down the content. (No reason to mothball the project, IMO, even though I do not want to see the game)

Warcrack?

Should I?