Last night, I was on a mission. I would not be denied! Tary had beaten my high score for this week in Bejeweled Blitz and she just had to let me know while we were at our friends' house (S.I. and J.W.). On top of this, Tary had a monster game last week where she scored in the high 400,000s; her personal best which easily beat anything I have ever done. I hate losing...
After we got home last night while sitting up in bed, I was determined to at least beat Tary's high score for this week. I got into a zone. I was on fire! Jewels were exploding left and right. Oh the carnage! They never knew what hit them. Muwahaha! 60 seconds later, the number "569,000" stared back at me on my iPhone...a new personal best! Not only did I beat Tary's high score of the week, I also destroyed her all-time high score.
On top of that, I had done the impossible! I beat the all-time high score of my long-time nemesis, J.W.. She was a worthy adversary who always topped my weekly leaderboard. Not anymore! I am now King of the Hill! Well, at least until next Tuesday when the leaderboards are reset again.
What's kind of ironic is that we were at S.I. and J.W.'s house a few minutes earlier to try out their new grill. Perhaps the perfect blend of lightly seasoned steak combined with A.D.'s spicy steak sauce and cooked at J.W.'s house provided me the energy I needed to finally beat her score in Bejeweled Blitz!
Ahh...569,000 points. I'm so happy, it makes me want to start singing. This reminds me of the song "Seasons of Love" from the musical RENT.
/sings
Five hundred sixty-nine thousand
Bejeweled Blitz points.
Five hundred sixty-nine thousand
Colors so dear.
Five hundred sixty-nine thousand
Bejeweled Blitz points.
How many games have I played this year?
Five hundred sixty-nine thousand
Bejeweled Blitz points.
Five hundred sixty-nine thousand
Explosions to plan.
Five hundred sixty-nine thousand
Bejeweled Blitz points.
This game can consume the life
of a woman or a man.
Techniques that I've learned,
Helped my score get so high,
The star gems, they burned,
Each point was multiplied!
It's time now, to play now,
Though the game, it never ends
Let's celebrate
Sixty seconds in the life of gems
Remember the love!
Remember the love!
Bejeweled Blitz love!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sports Radio
There isn’t a whole lot to like about the long morning commutes. One thing that makes it a lot easier is listening to sports radio. I love hearing exclusive interviews with local players, coaches, industry insiders, and other sports writers. I enjoy hearing the hosts and other fans ripping the other teams when our sports teams win. I also like sharing my misery with other fellow sports listeners after each tough loss.
So when I first heard last August that “98.5 The Sports Hub”, a new sports radio station was starting, I was incredibly excited. Up to that point, WEEI had a monopoly on the local sports radio market. Don’t get me wrong; I love listening to WEEI…most of the time. But sometimes Gerry Callahan goes off on one of his crazy rants. Though I’m pretty far right on the political spectrum, even Callahan can push my limits when he spouts his extreme rightwing agenda. Also, sometimes instead of talking some big sports news or a big game, Dennis and Callahan will continue to talk about stupid topics like Tiger Wood’s extramarital affairs. Who cares about that kind of stuff, really?
Then there’s “The Big Show” from 2 PM to 6 PM. I don’t usually get to listen to this show because I’m working. But sometimes when I get off of work early, sometimes I catch the end of it. However, this show drives me crazy because it sounds like they have five guys just talking over each other. They’ll sometimes let people call in but they just end up interrupting them before they can get their points across.
Anyways, let’s get back to “98.5 The Sports Hub”. I really was hopeful that this station would be a nice alternative when Dennis & Callahan were gossiping like little school girls or ranting about something else. But I am always left disappointed. Their morning show with “Toucher & Rich” sounds like a bunch of n00bs when compared to WEEI. The show always plays these long musical intros so it just feels like filler. When the hosts actually talk, they sound like immature boys with their brand of frat-boy toilet humor. The producers keep playing these really annoying sound clips when people say various buzzwords. It’s just an amateur production across the board.
I like listening to “Felger & Massarotti” but that’s at that 2 PM to 6 PM timeslot which I love so much (/sarcasm). Felger has a bit of an abrasive personality but I like his honest and sometimes brutal opinions. If a player or team is underperforming, he’s usually the first to point that out.
The only show that is any good is “The D.A. Show” with Damon Amendolara. He’s actually very knowledgeable and he’s is pretty levelheaded with his opinions. He’s also nice to the callers so that’s a plus. The only knock against him is he likes hockey a little too much so he’ll sometimes discuss pro hockey when most people would rather talk about the other major sports.
So anyways, the 2010 NFL draft took place over this past weekend and I was eager to hear what Dennis & Callahan thought of the new Patriot’s rookie class. Surprise, surprise…the hosts instead were complaining about the hypocrisy of Tom Brady and Giselle Bundchen urging others to conserve energy and reduce their carbon footprint while they are building a $20M, 22,000 square foot mansion with 8-bedrooms and a 6-car garage.
Sigh…I guess beggars can’t be choosers. Maybe one day I could be the host of my very own sports radio station. And on the day after a Celtics playoff game and the weekend of the NFL draft, instead of talking about sports I can complain about how other sports radio stations are complaining about the hypocrisy of their favorite athletes.
So when I first heard last August that “98.5 The Sports Hub”, a new sports radio station was starting, I was incredibly excited. Up to that point, WEEI had a monopoly on the local sports radio market. Don’t get me wrong; I love listening to WEEI…most of the time. But sometimes Gerry Callahan goes off on one of his crazy rants. Though I’m pretty far right on the political spectrum, even Callahan can push my limits when he spouts his extreme rightwing agenda. Also, sometimes instead of talking some big sports news or a big game, Dennis and Callahan will continue to talk about stupid topics like Tiger Wood’s extramarital affairs. Who cares about that kind of stuff, really?
Then there’s “The Big Show” from 2 PM to 6 PM. I don’t usually get to listen to this show because I’m working. But sometimes when I get off of work early, sometimes I catch the end of it. However, this show drives me crazy because it sounds like they have five guys just talking over each other. They’ll sometimes let people call in but they just end up interrupting them before they can get their points across.
Anyways, let’s get back to “98.5 The Sports Hub”. I really was hopeful that this station would be a nice alternative when Dennis & Callahan were gossiping like little school girls or ranting about something else. But I am always left disappointed. Their morning show with “Toucher & Rich” sounds like a bunch of n00bs when compared to WEEI. The show always plays these long musical intros so it just feels like filler. When the hosts actually talk, they sound like immature boys with their brand of frat-boy toilet humor. The producers keep playing these really annoying sound clips when people say various buzzwords. It’s just an amateur production across the board.
I like listening to “Felger & Massarotti” but that’s at that 2 PM to 6 PM timeslot which I love so much (/sarcasm). Felger has a bit of an abrasive personality but I like his honest and sometimes brutal opinions. If a player or team is underperforming, he’s usually the first to point that out.
The only show that is any good is “The D.A. Show” with Damon Amendolara. He’s actually very knowledgeable and he’s is pretty levelheaded with his opinions. He’s also nice to the callers so that’s a plus. The only knock against him is he likes hockey a little too much so he’ll sometimes discuss pro hockey when most people would rather talk about the other major sports.
So anyways, the 2010 NFL draft took place over this past weekend and I was eager to hear what Dennis & Callahan thought of the new Patriot’s rookie class. Surprise, surprise…the hosts instead were complaining about the hypocrisy of Tom Brady and Giselle Bundchen urging others to conserve energy and reduce their carbon footprint while they are building a $20M, 22,000 square foot mansion with 8-bedrooms and a 6-car garage.
Sigh…I guess beggars can’t be choosers. Maybe one day I could be the host of my very own sports radio station. And on the day after a Celtics playoff game and the weekend of the NFL draft, instead of talking about sports I can complain about how other sports radio stations are complaining about the hypocrisy of their favorite athletes.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Lin Yu Chun
Every once in a while, someone comes along and absolutely wows me with their God-given ability. Nick Pitera was one such individual. He is best known for his solo rendition of Aladdin's A Whole New World. This past week I learned of Lin Yu Chun, a Taiwanese singer who like Nick Pitera, has the incredible "ability" to sing well in a girl's voice. In this clip, he sings "I Will Always Love You" and his performance amazingly and eerily resembles Whitney Houston's cover version. People are already calling him "Taiwan's Susan Boyle".
I have great admiration for people with amazing talents. That's why I love following shows like "Dancing With The Stars", "So You Think You Can Dance", and "American Idol". I can't dance to save my life so I really enjoy watching those who can. I think I am an okay singer (especially in the shower) but when I hear great singing, the kind that raises the hairs on the back of my neck, there's nothing else I'd rather listen to.
My interest in music and singing started while growing up in church. Our church was blessed to have some very gifted singers through the years. I loved sitting near the late Shirley Rathbun. Her singing voice was not only beautiful but also incredibly strong. The congregation often would lean on her voice to carry the tune, especially on the more unfamiliar hymns.
I also enjoyed listening to Mrs. Robinson sing. I think her family moved or something but when I was a kid, I remember that she also had a powerhouse of a voice. I think a part of her enjoyed showcasing it a little bit and I'm glad for it. To this day, some of my favorite hymns (e.g., And Can It Be That I Should Gain?, Gloria in Excelsis Deo) were the ones where she would effortlessly reach those high notes.
Our own Pastor Rathbun is also a great singer. He doesn't sing as many solos as he used to (perhaps to save his voice), but when he does, it still is a treat to listen to. I like it when he changes up the melody a little bit to harmonize with the congregation.
Anyways, back to Lin Yu Chun. He may have a slightly goofy haircut (which brings back some repressed memories) and a slightly chubby build, but he is an incredibly gifted singer. I hope he continues to be recognized for his talents and I'm looking forward to more videos of him.
I have great admiration for people with amazing talents. That's why I love following shows like "Dancing With The Stars", "So You Think You Can Dance", and "American Idol". I can't dance to save my life so I really enjoy watching those who can. I think I am an okay singer (especially in the shower) but when I hear great singing, the kind that raises the hairs on the back of my neck, there's nothing else I'd rather listen to.
My interest in music and singing started while growing up in church. Our church was blessed to have some very gifted singers through the years. I loved sitting near the late Shirley Rathbun. Her singing voice was not only beautiful but also incredibly strong. The congregation often would lean on her voice to carry the tune, especially on the more unfamiliar hymns.
I also enjoyed listening to Mrs. Robinson sing. I think her family moved or something but when I was a kid, I remember that she also had a powerhouse of a voice. I think a part of her enjoyed showcasing it a little bit and I'm glad for it. To this day, some of my favorite hymns (e.g., And Can It Be That I Should Gain?, Gloria in Excelsis Deo) were the ones where she would effortlessly reach those high notes.
Our own Pastor Rathbun is also a great singer. He doesn't sing as many solos as he used to (perhaps to save his voice), but when he does, it still is a treat to listen to. I like it when he changes up the melody a little bit to harmonize with the congregation.
Anyways, back to Lin Yu Chun. He may have a slightly goofy haircut (which brings back some repressed memories) and a slightly chubby build, but he is an incredibly gifted singer. I hope he continues to be recognized for his talents and I'm looking forward to more videos of him.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
420 = Lame
I woke up this morning and thought today was just another day in April. Apparently April 20th (or more specifically the number 420) carries a little bit more meaning than I originally thought. The term "420" refers to the consumption of cannabis (i.e., weed, pot). I saw at least half a dozen references to "420" on Facebook from various people. Sigh...
I don't understand the fascination with smoking weed. For starters, it's a drug so it's illegal to possess it or to use it. To all of those people who want to try to legalize pot (especially under the guise of closing the budget gap), don't waste your breath with me. I just don't condone the use of drugs, period.
On top of the fact that smoking weed is illegal, the stuff stinks. I remember playing softball a few years ago in a park and some people were smoking the stuff in the woods nearby. Wow, that stuff gave me an instant headache! I don't know how people can stand using it on any kind of regular basis.
Some people claim that pot isn't really a drug. "When was the last time you saw an angry pothead?". "It only gives you the munchies." "It helps me relax." I can't really comment on the validity of any of those claims. Praise God that I've never touched the stuff. I suppose what people do in their own homes and how they choose to waste their money is none of my business. But when I see all of these pot references on an otherwise normal April day, at least I know who all of the potheads are.
Now that I'm gonna be a parent (really) soon, I can't help but feel even less tolerant of this kind of stuff. I want to protect our little guy from as much of this nonsense as I can. I know that I can't raise him in a bubble. I just pray that I teach him well enough where I won't have to.
You know on days like today, I really wish Facebook had a Dislike button...
I don't understand the fascination with smoking weed. For starters, it's a drug so it's illegal to possess it or to use it. To all of those people who want to try to legalize pot (especially under the guise of closing the budget gap), don't waste your breath with me. I just don't condone the use of drugs, period.
On top of the fact that smoking weed is illegal, the stuff stinks. I remember playing softball a few years ago in a park and some people were smoking the stuff in the woods nearby. Wow, that stuff gave me an instant headache! I don't know how people can stand using it on any kind of regular basis.
Some people claim that pot isn't really a drug. "When was the last time you saw an angry pothead?". "It only gives you the munchies." "It helps me relax." I can't really comment on the validity of any of those claims. Praise God that I've never touched the stuff. I suppose what people do in their own homes and how they choose to waste their money is none of my business. But when I see all of these pot references on an otherwise normal April day, at least I know who all of the potheads are.
Now that I'm gonna be a parent (really) soon, I can't help but feel even less tolerant of this kind of stuff. I want to protect our little guy from as much of this nonsense as I can. I know that I can't raise him in a bubble. I just pray that I teach him well enough where I won't have to.
You know on days like today, I really wish Facebook had a Dislike button...
Saturday, April 10, 2010
What's in a Name?
I started this post about 3 months ago and I think today is the perfect day to actually complete it. Tary and I just got back from a full-day child-birthing class. It started at 8:30 AM this morning and it taught us what to expect during the whole child-birthing process. Baby Trinh will be here soon! 5 weeks, 3 days if Baby listens to what my iPhone app is telling me. We still don't have a name finalized for Baby yet. We better get crack-a-lacking!
There a gazillion names to choose from. But how do we narrow down the choices? Well, there are a few things we must keep in mind. Pick a bad name (e.g., rhymes with male anatomy, sounds like an old person's name, has a weird spelling, initials form a bad word, is a fruit, etc) and kids will tease him while he's growing up (until our height genes can kick in). One thing that stinks is a "foreign" or "ethnic" name might limit his opportunities as an adult. We are living in America after all.
Let's start with what we do have. Baby's last name will be "Trinh". That part's a given. Tary and I are traditionalists and Tary took my last name when we got married. I'm actually very proud of that fact. The practice isn't as common as it used to be where you would just assume the wife took her husband's name. It's definitely not common in Asian cultures. It's just a name. Why is it such a big deal? By taking my name, she gave up something of her own. In a me-first society, Tary did the opposite of what the world would have her do. Instead, she wanted us to be united with one mind, one body, one soul, one family, with one name.
So we have a last name. It's a Vietnamese name. But Baby isn't just Vietnamese. He's also Cambodian. Beyond all that, he's also American. His name should represents us, our multiple cultures, and how we plan on raising him.
My given name at birth was Phúc Thanh Do. Say it phonetically in English and you can imagine the kind of childhood I had. Thankfully, someone recommended that I be given an Americanized first name, Paul. Now that sounds more like it. My brother Nguyễn was given the name James.
Paul and James. Two awesome names from the Bible. I can't believe I never realized this until much later in life. My closest cousin is Joseph. My other cousins' names: Steven, Andrew, David, and Daniel. They are all great names found in the Bible. When we started thinking about first names for Baby, we definitely wanted a Biblical name.
The core of our family's values are clearly defined by the truth of God's Word. I am thankful that most of my immediate family are Christians. I think it's starting to be a family tradition to give our boys biblical names. Maybe we will be the first to make it official. Whichever biblical name we choose for Baby, just like how we're putting God first in his name, we're hoping he grows up to put God first in his life.
That's why we really love the name Daniel. The name Daniel means "God is my judge". The prophet Daniel was best known for his fidelity to God. Despite facing persecution for his faith, he remained in God's service. We want to raise Baby to be a light in this world. We want him to be able to stand up and still do what's right. We want him to love and respect others and more importantly, to love and fear God.
So that leaves us with the middle name. There are a bunch of Cambodian names to consider. We want a name that has a good meaning. We also want the name to be relatively easy to pronounce so it's easy for both of our parents to say. I also don't want a name that has "harsh" sounds in it. Names (and words in the English language) with the letter "k" often have a very hard "cuh" sound that I'm not real fond of.
Here are some names that I like. Heng means lucky. I like the way it sounds. It also resembles my father's name, Hung. My father-in-law really likes it too. Another name I have been considering is Arun which means sun. I guess it's pronounced similarly to Aaron. Another name I kind of like is Odom (or Oudom). It is pronounced like Adam and it means supreme, magnificent, or excellent. I also like Dara which means stars.
Ahhh...I can't decide. So many names to choose from. I guess sometimes when you are indecisive, people say to trust your first instinct. Hmm...Daniel Heng Trinh. It does have a nice ring to it. What do you guys think? /discuss.
There a gazillion names to choose from. But how do we narrow down the choices? Well, there are a few things we must keep in mind. Pick a bad name (e.g., rhymes with male anatomy, sounds like an old person's name, has a weird spelling, initials form a bad word, is a fruit, etc) and kids will tease him while he's growing up (until our height genes can kick in). One thing that stinks is a "foreign" or "ethnic" name might limit his opportunities as an adult. We are living in America after all.
Let's start with what we do have. Baby's last name will be "Trinh". That part's a given. Tary and I are traditionalists and Tary took my last name when we got married. I'm actually very proud of that fact. The practice isn't as common as it used to be where you would just assume the wife took her husband's name. It's definitely not common in Asian cultures. It's just a name. Why is it such a big deal? By taking my name, she gave up something of her own. In a me-first society, Tary did the opposite of what the world would have her do. Instead, she wanted us to be united with one mind, one body, one soul, one family, with one name.
So we have a last name. It's a Vietnamese name. But Baby isn't just Vietnamese. He's also Cambodian. Beyond all that, he's also American. His name should represents us, our multiple cultures, and how we plan on raising him.
My given name at birth was Phúc Thanh Do. Say it phonetically in English and you can imagine the kind of childhood I had. Thankfully, someone recommended that I be given an Americanized first name, Paul. Now that sounds more like it. My brother Nguyễn was given the name James.
Paul and James. Two awesome names from the Bible. I can't believe I never realized this until much later in life. My closest cousin is Joseph. My other cousins' names: Steven, Andrew, David, and Daniel. They are all great names found in the Bible. When we started thinking about first names for Baby, we definitely wanted a Biblical name.
The core of our family's values are clearly defined by the truth of God's Word. I am thankful that most of my immediate family are Christians. I think it's starting to be a family tradition to give our boys biblical names. Maybe we will be the first to make it official. Whichever biblical name we choose for Baby, just like how we're putting God first in his name, we're hoping he grows up to put God first in his life.
That's why we really love the name Daniel. The name Daniel means "God is my judge". The prophet Daniel was best known for his fidelity to God. Despite facing persecution for his faith, he remained in God's service. We want to raise Baby to be a light in this world. We want him to be able to stand up and still do what's right. We want him to love and respect others and more importantly, to love and fear God.
So that leaves us with the middle name. There are a bunch of Cambodian names to consider. We want a name that has a good meaning. We also want the name to be relatively easy to pronounce so it's easy for both of our parents to say. I also don't want a name that has "harsh" sounds in it. Names (and words in the English language) with the letter "k" often have a very hard "cuh" sound that I'm not real fond of.
Here are some names that I like. Heng means lucky. I like the way it sounds. It also resembles my father's name, Hung. My father-in-law really likes it too. Another name I have been considering is Arun which means sun. I guess it's pronounced similarly to Aaron. Another name I kind of like is Odom (or Oudom). It is pronounced like Adam and it means supreme, magnificent, or excellent. I also like Dara which means stars.
Ahhh...I can't decide. So many names to choose from. I guess sometimes when you are indecisive, people say to trust your first instinct. Hmm...Daniel Heng Trinh. It does have a nice ring to it. What do you guys think? /discuss.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Weekend Recap - Part 3 (PAX East 2010 - Day 2 Continued and Engagement)
After the tournament, my friends and I were really bummed at what could have been. We walked across the hallway to the Main Theater again just in time to catch the beginning of the Video Game Orchestra (VGO). These musicians are known for playing music from classic video games with a full orchestra. After hearing their awesome renditions of Super Mario Brothers, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy, I felt a lot better. How can you be down after hearing the Chocobo theme song? We stayed as long as we could but we had to duck out about halfway through to catch our friend’s birthday party. It ended up being so much more.
On the drive back home, my friend S.I. whose birthday we were going to, texted me to find out when we were arriving. I replied, “About 45 minutes”. He followed up with another message reminding us to also pick up Tary. I then realized that something big was going down that night. My buddy was going to propose to his longtime girlfriend!
On the ride home, we swung by to pick up Tary. By the time we got to S.I.’s house, it was almost 11:30 PM. There were a ton of people already there which included his parents. I guess he was waiting for us so I feel a little guilty staying as long as we did at PAX. It only felt like a few minutes after we arrived before the festivities got underway.
A cake was brought out and we all sang Happy Birthday. S.I. paused briefly before blowing up the candles. The crowd lobbied for a speech and S.I obliged. He started by thanking everyone for coming. He then shared that the lines between friendship and family are often blurred and he considered many of us as his brothers and sisters. He rhetorically asked that without friends, what would we be celebrating?
Then S.I. pulled out a beautiful diamond encrusted ring from his pocket. After some coaching from the crowd to get on one knee, he then asked for J.W.’s hand in marriage. To his relief she said, “Yes!” I love seeing my friends in their happiest moments. I admit it; I got a little teary-eyed. I can’t believe that it was almost 2 years ago that I was proposing to Tary in front of the same group of friends. Congratulations you two lovebirds!
On the drive back home, my friend S.I. whose birthday we were going to, texted me to find out when we were arriving. I replied, “About 45 minutes”. He followed up with another message reminding us to also pick up Tary. I then realized that something big was going down that night. My buddy was going to propose to his longtime girlfriend!
On the ride home, we swung by to pick up Tary. By the time we got to S.I.’s house, it was almost 11:30 PM. There were a ton of people already there which included his parents. I guess he was waiting for us so I feel a little guilty staying as long as we did at PAX. It only felt like a few minutes after we arrived before the festivities got underway.
A cake was brought out and we all sang Happy Birthday. S.I. paused briefly before blowing up the candles. The crowd lobbied for a speech and S.I obliged. He started by thanking everyone for coming. He then shared that the lines between friendship and family are often blurred and he considered many of us as his brothers and sisters. He rhetorically asked that without friends, what would we be celebrating?
Then S.I. pulled out a beautiful diamond encrusted ring from his pocket. After some coaching from the crowd to get on one knee, he then asked for J.W.’s hand in marriage. To his relief she said, “Yes!” I love seeing my friends in their happiest moments. I admit it; I got a little teary-eyed. I can’t believe that it was almost 2 years ago that I was proposing to Tary in front of the same group of friends. Congratulations you two lovebirds!
Weekend Recap - Part 2 (PAX East 2010 - Day 2)
I was determined to have a better second day at PAX. My friends and I all got up relatively early considering how late we stayed up the night before. We took our respective turns in the shower. I went 2nd so I could sleep in an additional 15 minutes. After I got out of the shower, I *purposely*left the shower lever on. A.D. went in after me and a few minutes later, we heard a scream through the bathroom walls as the cold water hit his skin. Haha, owned.
We went to “wagamama”, a Japanese restaurant inside the Prudential Center known for their fresh ramen noodles just as they opened their doors at 11 AM. Okay, maybe we didn’t get up that early. We ordered some duck dumplings, wagama glazed ribs, and chili squid for starters. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone delicious. For the meal, I got the “miso beef ramen”. It was pretty good (though it pales in comparison to Pho).
After lunch, we went back to PAX and walked around some of the exhibition booths where various hardware and software companies were showcasing their various products. We didn’t really spend too much time at each booth because the guys had already seen everything the day before and even though it was all really cool stuff, I get bored easily.
One notable booth was the NVIDIA booth where you could see their new 3D cards. I put on the 3D glasses and stepped up to a keyboard and mouse. The other guys put on their glasses as well and watched as I played part of the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 single player campaign. The technology is really cool but the only thing that really looked “3D” was the gun that your character is holding. Everything else looked pretty much the same so I was a little disappointed in that. My friends also complained that the 3D was causing motion sickness.
It was almost 1 PM so we went to the main theater for the “Penny Arcade Make-a-Strip Panel”. It was my first panel at PAX so I was excited though I had no idea what was going to happen. The panel featured Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the two guys responsible for PAX, as they showed what goes into making a Penny Arcade comic. We sat way back of the balcony section. Several large screens displayed closer views of Jerry and Mike on stage.
The panel started with Jerry typing some dialogue between the characters of the comic. The audience cracked up but I had no clue what was going on since I don’t follow the comic. Mike then pulled up Photoshop and started sketching out the comic while Jerry answered questions from the audience. I was incredibly impressed with Mike’s drawing ability. I’ve always loved art and drawing. Maybe I should start my own webcomic one day. ;)
There were multiple microphones spread throughout the theatre and people got in line to say whatever was on their minds. One guy came up and thanked the two guys for hosting PAX where nerds can get together and be comfortable. Several people later, another person offered similar sentiments. At that moment, it finally hit me. PAX was so much more than just another “nerd” conference. People who may be a little socially awkward, a little obsessed with geeky things, are somewhat allergic tosunlight razor blades bath water, and are often ridiculed in other circles of life actually felt welcome and “normal” here. To quote the keynote speaker, Wil Wheaton, they were at “home”. At that moment, I felt proud to be alongside 60,000 of my fellow nerd brethren. I don’t really remember anything else that either Jerry or Mike said. It didn’t matter. I was just happy to be there.
After the panel, it was about 3 PM so we headed to the PC free play area where the tournament was being held. The organizers told us that our bracket wouldn’t start until 5:30 PM so we had some time to kill. Since we were already there, we stayed there to play some random games on their computers. We stopped playing a little early to check-in but they still weren’t ready for us.
We walked around and checked out a few other areas but nothing really interested us. We eventually settled down in a room with some random people playing music. It’s kind of cool that people who have never met before could still make music together.
We went back to the PC free play area and continued waiting for our bracket to start. The previous brackets were still going on and we noticed that no one had 3D glasses on. It turned out that the 3D cards were having problems so the tournament organizers decided to just hold it in regular 2D. That was such welcome news to our ears…and our stomachs.
It finally was time for our turn in the tourney. The format was “Squad Deathmatch” with single elimination. That just means that each match was between four squads with four players in each squad fighting to reach 50 kills. Our squad was comprised of S.Y., his brother G.Y., L.D. who had never played the game before for the PC, and me. We were the last team to be seated and they sat us down together on a row of computers. We had to quickly configure our buttons and join the designated server. I tried out my settings and I hurried to fix a few buttons that were still messed up.
This was my first gaming tournament so I wasn’t sure how the competition would be. I consider myself to be one of the best players in my circle of friends so I was hoping that we would at least advance past one round. Our strategy was relatively simple; since L.D. had never played this game on the PC before, we had him play a support role and try to stick together with our squad. Since it was a race to 50 kills, we decided to ignore any tanks that the other teams would use and just focus on killing enemy infantry. It ended up being a very sound strategy.
The first round finally got started. I accidentally picked the Recon class to begin the round so I was pretty worried that it might cost us the match. I had trouble getting used to the mouse sensitivity and I missed the first few enemies I saw. Fortunately, the rest of my teammates finished them off. It was a jungle map and there was a tank somewhere on the map. One of the other squads hopped inside of it and started causing havoc. Knowing that tanks are slow and that we could use the foliage for cover, I sprinted up to the tank and dropped a pair of C4 on its side. I pulled the trigger and BOOM! I blew up the tank and everyone inside. I didn’t care that I blew myself up in the process because I knew that my teammates would be safer with that thing gone.
At that moment, I finally settled down and realized that, “Hey, we can win this!” I changed back to my normal Medic class with the M60 (aka “The Gun of Rambo”) and I was back in my comfort zone. G.Y. helped direct the squad from one area to the next and we mowed down everyone along the way. Before I knew it, the round was over. We were amazed at the final score. We had 50 and the 2nd place team had only about 18! Ownage! I finished with about 18 kills and 6 deaths. That felt so good! The adrenaline was freely flowing now. I am so glad we entered this tourney!
The organizers had us stay at our computers and the second round started shortly after. This time, we were playing on a desert map. The competition was much harder this time around. We got off to a bit of a slow start. The score was really close between all four squads. One squad hopped into a tank and started to kill everyone. They started to pull away from us score-wise! They had about 38 points and we were just over 30.
Then all of a sudden, someone blew me up with a Carlos Gustav, an anti-infantry rocket launcher. I have to point out that that the Gustav is the cheapest weapon in the entire game. You don’t need any skill to use it; it has incredible damage, a large blast radius, and results in instant death. I knew it was only a matter of time before some no-skill n00b jerk face would try to use that cheapness on us. Well, getting blown up by the Gustav set off some kind of switch with me. I went into a blinding uber berserker nerd rage and promptly killed the first guy I saw. I then took out his teammate who spawned on him. I ran toward a building and killed everyone along the way and knifed the last guy for good measure. I saw my teammates had died so I killed the guys nearby and res’d my squadmates with the defibrillator. I lost count of how many guys I killed but the game awards you a virtual pin when you get a kill streak of at least 8. I finally died after completely running out of bullets on my primary gun. I glanced at the scoreboard and we took over the lead and were pulling away. We got to 49 kills and it felt like forever to get that last kill. When we finally took out that last guy, we all let out a collective yell. I ended up finishing with another score similar to the first round.
We had to get up from our computers while the other brackets played out their rounds. We all stood around reflecting how awesome this whole experience has been. Whew, the second round was so intense. All of that adrenaline had me flying sky high. I can’t believe we won another round. Boo yeah! We pwned so much face! I can’t believe we made it to the finals of a 64-team tourney that we only joined on a whim with a bunch of weeknight warriors featuring someone who has never played it before. I started to feel like we could actually win it all.
For the finals, there were two other pro teams who won their respective brackets. The last squad was another amateur team like our own. The round started off as badly as it could possibly go. Boom, I died. Boom, my squadmates died. One of the pro teams got on the roof of some building (which I didn’t know you could even do) and everyone was using Gustavs! Every time we died, the game kept causing us to respawn near the other teams where they could keep raining death upon us. We tried to run for the hills (literally) to get away from the cheapness but to no avail. They had no honor. Even if we played as cheaply as they did, I knew we weren’t going to come back and win.
At this point, it felt like we were now only fighting for 3rd place. Someone n00b tubed me and the round was over. We took a moment to congratulate the other teams. We finished last of the four teams. To add insult to injury, we found out that they only handed out prizes for the top three teams. Fail.
I am so proud of our squad for getting as far as we did. We finished 4th out of 64 teams! What an experience. I am so happy that we did so well but I am incredibly disappointed in the way the other teams won in the finals. I know that cheap tactics are part of the game and you can’t fault another team for using what’s available. But in the final round, I don’t think any of us died from even a single bullet. All they used were those cheap Gustavs. @#$%!!! Had the round taken place on a different map with different terrain, I can’t help but think that we would have placed higher. I can’t wait for next year! Team Rambo will rise again!
We went to “wagamama”, a Japanese restaurant inside the Prudential Center known for their fresh ramen noodles just as they opened their doors at 11 AM. Okay, maybe we didn’t get up that early. We ordered some duck dumplings, wagama glazed ribs, and chili squid for starters. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone delicious. For the meal, I got the “miso beef ramen”. It was pretty good (though it pales in comparison to Pho).
After lunch, we went back to PAX and walked around some of the exhibition booths where various hardware and software companies were showcasing their various products. We didn’t really spend too much time at each booth because the guys had already seen everything the day before and even though it was all really cool stuff, I get bored easily.
One notable booth was the NVIDIA booth where you could see their new 3D cards. I put on the 3D glasses and stepped up to a keyboard and mouse. The other guys put on their glasses as well and watched as I played part of the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 single player campaign. The technology is really cool but the only thing that really looked “3D” was the gun that your character is holding. Everything else looked pretty much the same so I was a little disappointed in that. My friends also complained that the 3D was causing motion sickness.
It was almost 1 PM so we went to the main theater for the “Penny Arcade Make-a-Strip Panel”. It was my first panel at PAX so I was excited though I had no idea what was going to happen. The panel featured Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the two guys responsible for PAX, as they showed what goes into making a Penny Arcade comic. We sat way back of the balcony section. Several large screens displayed closer views of Jerry and Mike on stage.
The panel started with Jerry typing some dialogue between the characters of the comic. The audience cracked up but I had no clue what was going on since I don’t follow the comic. Mike then pulled up Photoshop and started sketching out the comic while Jerry answered questions from the audience. I was incredibly impressed with Mike’s drawing ability. I’ve always loved art and drawing. Maybe I should start my own webcomic one day. ;)
There were multiple microphones spread throughout the theatre and people got in line to say whatever was on their minds. One guy came up and thanked the two guys for hosting PAX where nerds can get together and be comfortable. Several people later, another person offered similar sentiments. At that moment, it finally hit me. PAX was so much more than just another “nerd” conference. People who may be a little socially awkward, a little obsessed with geeky things, are somewhat allergic to
After the panel, it was about 3 PM so we headed to the PC free play area where the tournament was being held. The organizers told us that our bracket wouldn’t start until 5:30 PM so we had some time to kill. Since we were already there, we stayed there to play some random games on their computers. We stopped playing a little early to check-in but they still weren’t ready for us.
We walked around and checked out a few other areas but nothing really interested us. We eventually settled down in a room with some random people playing music. It’s kind of cool that people who have never met before could still make music together.
We went back to the PC free play area and continued waiting for our bracket to start. The previous brackets were still going on and we noticed that no one had 3D glasses on. It turned out that the 3D cards were having problems so the tournament organizers decided to just hold it in regular 2D. That was such welcome news to our ears…and our stomachs.
It finally was time for our turn in the tourney. The format was “Squad Deathmatch” with single elimination. That just means that each match was between four squads with four players in each squad fighting to reach 50 kills. Our squad was comprised of S.Y., his brother G.Y., L.D. who had never played the game before for the PC, and me. We were the last team to be seated and they sat us down together on a row of computers. We had to quickly configure our buttons and join the designated server. I tried out my settings and I hurried to fix a few buttons that were still messed up.
This was my first gaming tournament so I wasn’t sure how the competition would be. I consider myself to be one of the best players in my circle of friends so I was hoping that we would at least advance past one round. Our strategy was relatively simple; since L.D. had never played this game on the PC before, we had him play a support role and try to stick together with our squad. Since it was a race to 50 kills, we decided to ignore any tanks that the other teams would use and just focus on killing enemy infantry. It ended up being a very sound strategy.
The first round finally got started. I accidentally picked the Recon class to begin the round so I was pretty worried that it might cost us the match. I had trouble getting used to the mouse sensitivity and I missed the first few enemies I saw. Fortunately, the rest of my teammates finished them off. It was a jungle map and there was a tank somewhere on the map. One of the other squads hopped inside of it and started causing havoc. Knowing that tanks are slow and that we could use the foliage for cover, I sprinted up to the tank and dropped a pair of C4 on its side. I pulled the trigger and BOOM! I blew up the tank and everyone inside. I didn’t care that I blew myself up in the process because I knew that my teammates would be safer with that thing gone.
At that moment, I finally settled down and realized that, “Hey, we can win this!” I changed back to my normal Medic class with the M60 (aka “The Gun of Rambo”) and I was back in my comfort zone. G.Y. helped direct the squad from one area to the next and we mowed down everyone along the way. Before I knew it, the round was over. We were amazed at the final score. We had 50 and the 2nd place team had only about 18! Ownage! I finished with about 18 kills and 6 deaths. That felt so good! The adrenaline was freely flowing now. I am so glad we entered this tourney!
The organizers had us stay at our computers and the second round started shortly after. This time, we were playing on a desert map. The competition was much harder this time around. We got off to a bit of a slow start. The score was really close between all four squads. One squad hopped into a tank and started to kill everyone. They started to pull away from us score-wise! They had about 38 points and we were just over 30.
Then all of a sudden, someone blew me up with a Carlos Gustav, an anti-infantry rocket launcher. I have to point out that that the Gustav is the cheapest weapon in the entire game. You don’t need any skill to use it; it has incredible damage, a large blast radius, and results in instant death. I knew it was only a matter of time before some no-skill n00b jerk face would try to use that cheapness on us. Well, getting blown up by the Gustav set off some kind of switch with me. I went into a blinding uber berserker nerd rage and promptly killed the first guy I saw. I then took out his teammate who spawned on him. I ran toward a building and killed everyone along the way and knifed the last guy for good measure. I saw my teammates had died so I killed the guys nearby and res’d my squadmates with the defibrillator. I lost count of how many guys I killed but the game awards you a virtual pin when you get a kill streak of at least 8. I finally died after completely running out of bullets on my primary gun. I glanced at the scoreboard and we took over the lead and were pulling away. We got to 49 kills and it felt like forever to get that last kill. When we finally took out that last guy, we all let out a collective yell. I ended up finishing with another score similar to the first round.
We had to get up from our computers while the other brackets played out their rounds. We all stood around reflecting how awesome this whole experience has been. Whew, the second round was so intense. All of that adrenaline had me flying sky high. I can’t believe we won another round. Boo yeah! We pwned so much face! I can’t believe we made it to the finals of a 64-team tourney that we only joined on a whim with a bunch of weeknight warriors featuring someone who has never played it before. I started to feel like we could actually win it all.
For the finals, there were two other pro teams who won their respective brackets. The last squad was another amateur team like our own. The round started off as badly as it could possibly go. Boom, I died. Boom, my squadmates died. One of the pro teams got on the roof of some building (which I didn’t know you could even do) and everyone was using Gustavs! Every time we died, the game kept causing us to respawn near the other teams where they could keep raining death upon us. We tried to run for the hills (literally) to get away from the cheapness but to no avail. They had no honor. Even if we played as cheaply as they did, I knew we weren’t going to come back and win.
At this point, it felt like we were now only fighting for 3rd place. Someone n00b tubed me and the round was over. We took a moment to congratulate the other teams. We finished last of the four teams. To add insult to injury, we found out that they only handed out prizes for the top three teams. Fail.
I am so proud of our squad for getting as far as we did. We finished 4th out of 64 teams! What an experience. I am so happy that we did so well but I am incredibly disappointed in the way the other teams won in the finals. I know that cheap tactics are part of the game and you can’t fault another team for using what’s available. But in the final round, I don’t think any of us died from even a single bullet. All they used were those cheap Gustavs. @#$%!!! Had the round taken place on a different map with different terrain, I can’t help but think that we would have placed higher. I can’t wait for next year! Team Rambo will rise again!
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