Bracing

"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

That's why whenever I park my bike, I half expect it to be stolen by the time I get back to the parking lot.

We just received our contract termination notices. Hopefully, we'll be able to find reapplication letter templates by tomorrow. I'll be saving the last bit of this semester's pay for future investments.


Target items for next semester:
- 1 TB EHDD (Movies, Anime, and other videos) - WD/Seagate
- 2/3 Formal Black Pants (Uniform)
- 8 GB RAM Upgrade (Laptop)
- Training Pants (Second Pair)
- Radiohead CDs (OK Computer - Top Priority)
- 8 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo (PSP/Camera)
- 4 GB Sony Headset MP3 Player (?)

I'd have to spend wisely though, because they're going to include income tax deductions for the second semester's salary.

Finger Skills

I've been twirling pens since my college days, but I never managed to smooth out my technique/execution. When I did the twirl, there wasn't any pleasant flowing motion, but I did manage to fling the pen halfway across the classroom.

Just a few days ago, I read a thread on reddit about a ring skill that was in the movie Prestige. This was in one of the most upvoted comments, a link to a tutorial.
It's been only a few days since I first practiced, but I'm actually learning really fast. The only thing I need to work on next would be speed and consistency.

I guess I'm more of a ring person, but I'm willing to train and learn more pen and coin skills.

Teaching Job

This news is kind of old, but here goes.

I got hired as a university instructor this semester. Straight out of college. I was hoping to rest for a bit, maybe even help around the house or do something about the family farm.

It was morning when my mother suggested that I visit my relatives here in Kabacan. It was to be a symbol of reconciliation, but I wasn't really keen on travelling ten hours and staying here for three days when I had "stuff I had to finish"*.

When I got here, my three day stay got extended for some reason. That's when a wild opportunity appeared. I used subtle hints that implied "no". Needless to say, it was not very effective.

(I am not a confrontational man. It has it's ups and downs.)

"Oh shit. I was supposed to be taking it easy, now I have to be interviewed for a job", I nervously thought to myself. Then another thing happened that completely caught me off-guard. The interview got rescheduled one day earlier. Good thing a member of the panel was an acquaintance of my father. He helped me relax a bit by talking to me before the interview proper. Thankfully, they must have been able to hear me through the stuttering because I actually got the job.

I was still in a state of disbelief even as the department chairman gave me a tour of the Biology wing. I paid close attention to everything he said, not wanting to mess up my first few weeks.

It's been a good semester, and I've learned a lot of important things. Next semester, I'll try to avoid depressing the students with my philosophies and try to focus more on the class material. It's a good thing I handle Environmental Science Classes. I can include socio/psychological input without veering too far off topic.

[Final Examination October 17-21, 2011]

*Dragon Age: Origins (Rogue Playthrough)

Game Reviews

I recently got pulled back into the "compelling" world of video games. I'm playing a bunch of games now, and I'm planning to post some reviews.

Empathy Game Reviews

Games will be scored based on the following criteria:

- Story

- Gameplay

- Graphics

- Audio

- Also included: Good and Bad Points

Now I'm no gaming expert, but I've been playing games since I was in kindergarten. I won't judge the game exclusively from a technical standpoint, I'll also include personal input and the like. Basically, I'll try to determine whether the game itself would be a title that will be remembered fondly for a long time. (think Mario, LOZ, FFVII, Metroid, etc.)

Current Games (not in order):

*Rune Factory 3

*Okamiden

*Mass Effect

*Mass Effect 2

*Spore

*Torchlight

*Progress Quest    (=3)

*Machinarium

*Dragon Age: Origins