Games I have recently played (part 2)

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3DS games, adventure games, Blackwell Convergence, Blackwell Deception, Blackwell Epiphany, Blackwell series, Blackwell Unbound, first person shooter, games i have recently played, Majora's Mask, pc games, Phoenix Wright, point and click, Professor Layton, Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Sniper Elite V2, video games

Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (3DS)

I really like both the Profesor Layton and Phoenix Wright series (serieses?), though I guess I’ve been playing Phoenix Wright games longer. Games with good stories are always more enjoyable, and I did like the combination of games entertaining. It’s been a while since I experienced the courtroom drama of Phoenix Wright, and the familiarity of it was nice. The puzzles in the game were pretty good, though I wished there were more. I think that this game was made for people who are fans of both series (serieses??), since there aren’t really any more of either to play (there is a new Phoenix Wright game on the 3DS eshop, so I may pick it up, I just worry that my 3DS doesn’t have the room for it). All in all, I enjoyed it.

Blackwell Unbound (PC)

In my first post, I wrote about the Blackwell Epiphany, a point and click mystery-adventure game. This is the first sequel, and it goes back to New York City in the 1970s, where you play as Roseangela’s aunt, Lauren. Lauren is a different character than Rosa, and it makes for a different feeling for the game. Lauren is tougher and angrier at her lot – she doesn’t seem to want to work with Joey to help spirits move on, but she’s resigned to it. The story is interesting, and this game can actually be played independently of the first. This game introduces the mysterious Countess, as well as the mechanic of switching characters, so you can play as both Joey and Lauren. This game is where my obsession with the Blackwell series began.

Blackwell Convergence (PC)

This is the third game in the Blackwell series, and I think one of my favourite games featuring Rosa. Rosa is still a fresh spirit guide, and her world remains fairly small. The story carries forward from Blackwell Unbound, and you have to face the Countess again, as a ghost this time. The graphics in this part were improved over the prior games, and appear more multidimensional. The story this time has many layers, and it’s not always apparent what you have to do next. The game also expanded on the switching characters mechanic, allowing for more interesting puzzles. I enjoyed this game too as an interlude for what was to come in the next two.

Blackwell Deception (PC)

I did not like Blackwell Deception as much as the others. I suppose it’s where the story gets going, but I would have liked more episodes before things really got crazy. I liked the ‘casual’ style of the previous games. What I also liked about how the games carried through to each other is through the emails and messages you have from characters from previous games, which mostly give a realistic aftermath to what Rosa does (trespassing and asking difficult and rude questions). I also feel like the character graphics were downgraded – Rosa looks oddly skinny and lacks detail. I’d have liked for more explanation of the finale of the story, or the mechanism of how it worked, but it wasn’t the case.

Blackwell Epiphany

What I have to say at first about the Blackwell Epiphany is that it is a very pretty game. They have put a lot of effort into the appearance of the characters and backgrounds in order to evoke a certain mood. I almost did not buy this game as it was pricier than the others (which came in a bundle), but after finishing the Blackwell Convergence, I decided I wanted to see it through. I did not know it at the time, but the Blackwell Epiphany is the last game in the series. Again, I would have rather had some more episodic content, but them’s the breaks. The game is deeper than it was before, and I’d say more difficult in a way. The stakes are higher, and the twist is interesting and understandable (in terms of motivation), but I feel that the game rushes to its conclusion after that point, and the pace is not very good. I enjoyed the first part of the game as much as my other favourites in the series. I liked how Rosa became a stronger character and grew and accepted what she had to do. I suppose it’s a good enough conclusion, with a hard ending that doesn’t allow for more expansion, but I would have liked to see more.

Sniper Elite V2 (PC, Co op)

a german or russian, but since we’re americans in the game, the distinction doesn’t really matter

So I’ve been occasionally playing the co op campaign of Sniper Elite V2 with my friend Daniel online. It’s fun enough, though a little bit buggy. Ok, a fair bit buggy. You get to play as a LONE WOLF AMERICAN SNIPER type guy WHO WINS THE ENTIRE SECOND WORLD WAR WAR ON HIS OWN, though in Co op, player two gets to be an inexplicable bald man. I’m pretty crap at it to be honest, though when I do make a good shot, the animation where it follows the bullet into the guy is a little startling. I really like playing co op games like this, though it’s sometimes hard to find the time, and it’s hard to know which games are good. Since I got Sniper Elite V2 for free sometime last year, I can’t really complain too much about it. I suppose had I paid the retail price ($32.99 right now), I’d probably be more irritable about its flaws. All in all, it’s a good way to spend a weekend afternoon.

whoops

Anyways, my Majora’s Mask copy arrived on Monday and I’ve been obsessing over it since, so I’m going to go hide under the covers and play it til dawn.

Em out

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The 2015 Ascension Jiu-Jitsu Championship

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2015 Ascension BJJ Championship, 26 before 26, absolute division, adrenaline dump, ascension, BJJ, brazilian jiu-jitsu, competition, female BJJ, grappling, judo, kesa gatame, middleweight, Ontario BJJ tournament, position before submission, takedowns for life, tani otoshi, tournaments, winning, wrasslin

Get cosy for another post you may or may not care about where I get too excited about grappling and BJJ

So at the end of January I competed at the Ascension tournament in middleweight and at the absolute division (which is all weights at white belt). I had a lot of fun at the tournament and felt really that my confidence and assertiveness were much better than last time. I guess also I’m continuing to keep my 26 before 26 goal, which was to win a BJJ match. Making weight this time felt a little more taxing than last time, to be honest, even though I’m always within 3-4lbs of what I need to be at my normal weight. I always panic diet, every single time. I can’t help it. I’m glad that I’m used to ‘cutting’ (in a minor way), since I felt fine when I got there, and I wasn’t really even hungry. In fact, I don’t really ever feel hungry in a strong way on a tournament day, though after I finish competing I generally just stuff my face forever. After Provincials I probably ate continually for a solid 45 minutes to an hour. I do pack a lot of food for tournaments, but to be honest, it’s because I like to share with my teammates too, even if they’re not competing and running a booth/generously making sure no one runs off with my stuff (shout out to Cory and The Gi Hive!).

This time, the ladies’ white belt divisions were lucky, since we didn’t have to wait until later in the day like the male white belts, so we got to start at around noon, and even better (and unfortunately, unusual for a BJJ tournament), we started on time.

Improving upon my last tournament, my first match was won by submission, namely an armlock from kesa gatame. I was really happy to win a match by submission. I really like traditional judo-style kesa gatame. It’s a solid hold-down and there are a fair amount of options for the finish, and the transition to north south or back to regular side control isn’t too difficult. We practice these in judo as the “holddown clock,” which for me has really helped me position myself better, especially in terms of improving my pressure. I’ve found myself more and more getting the straight armlock from kesa gatame, and I think that’s because I’ve really improved my positioning.

Traditional kesa gatame. All of these photos were taken by (as you can see from the watermark) Joey Simoes.

Trying to get the arm

elation!

I lost my second match, but I feel ok about it, since I didn’t get submitted and I only conceded points near the end. I’m happy about my (numerous) takedown attempts and I know I need to work on getting on top after the take down. I should have stayed tighter with the tani otoshi I caught on her, but I kept fighting hard. I ended up chilling out too long in bottom half guard, like in my other match at Provincials. She had her gi wound up under my nose but it wasn’t really a choke at all, just a pain in the butt. If I had thought better, I would have probably figured that out first, since it restricted my movement. Jeff told me that I need to tighten up my wrestling and learn some more half guard sweeps. Last week Jeff showed me the Bernardo sweep which is from deep half, and then Cory (whom I mentioned earlier) helped me with some of the details when I practised it during advanced class. I feel better now that I’m concentrating more on sweeps.

the worst wrestler

bottom half life

 

Someone neglected to film my match in absolutes, and I’m not naming names, but you know, he’s the worst and stuff^{but it’s ok I still like him, I guess…}. I’m glad that I did absolutes in any case. Michelle asked if I would, since her division didn’t have anyone in it, and of course I agreed to. She won against my above opponent (the second match), and then after one of my team-mates had a match, we faced each other. She dominated me for probably 2/3 of the match, staying on top, but I managed to sweep her and get on top then I worked as best I could. I felt like I was going at a frenetic pace, almost the same feeling as when you ride a bike down a huge hill and you don’t know if you’re going to be able to stop if there’s a barrier. Maybe that’s the adrenaline dump? I don’t know. I took her back but didn’t quite get the hook, and as the time wound down my hearing seemed to disappear, but I heard Jeff shouting something about time, and I tried to sink in the choke, but the buzzer went before she tapped. Though I trapped one of her arms, my hook was not deep enough for points, but I still felt the excitement of the match, even though I lost. I felt wild after. I wanted to go again, but that’s that when it’s single elimination. Some people after (namely a random white belt guy who called me “bro”) told me that she tapped before the buzzer, but I didn’t feel anything. I think maybe she hovered a little because I was giving it all I had. A close match is an exciting match, and I’m happy that so many people watched it and we both had a good time.

turning the tide, aka who is that person made of hair

double overhooks eff it imma choke

tight-ish

tired and wild

 

In the end, I received second place in my weight class, and third place in absolutes. I’m pretty happy with how things turned out, and I feel really confident about the next competition in March. I’m working on a post actually about my grappling confidence so hopefully I’ll manage to finish it before then. There are a lot of things I did before the Ascension tournament that really helped me out, and I think other people have had the same problem that I do with assertiveness and confidence.

pleased face

 

All in all, the Ascension Tournament is probably my favourite yet, and not just because I was far more successful in it. It was well-organised, ran on time, and everyone was friendly. I hope my next tournament is just as fun.

Yay grappling ❤

Em out

 

Noon Kom Jug Yuen

Tags

chinatown, Chinese food, crispy spicy beef, crispy spicy tofu, eggplant Szechuan style, friends are the best, hot and sour soup, King Lobster, Kom Jug Yuen, restaurant review, Toronto, Toronto food

Spicy crispy tofu; spicy crispy beef; hot and sour soup; eggplant Szechuan style; missing is the Singapore noodles

So after the Ascension tournament last weekend, and after eating hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes, we headed downtown for two purposes: 1) to see Kate and James and eat a disgusting amount of food, and 2) to see Maddie, who is in the same graduate program as me. We parked in what is probably my favourite parking lot in town, which costs $6 after 6pm for the whole evening until 7 the next morning, and that’s every day, weekend or weekday. It’s on Augusta Ave just north of Queen St W, and there’s almost always spots. We wandered around a little before walking north on Spadina to go to Kom Jug Yuen, which we actually went to with Kate and James after New Year’s Eve, but didn’t eat, since we had Korean barbecue earlier in the day.  The food looked and smelled amazing, so I asked them to meet us there to have supper.

Kom Jug Yuen has a certain Toronto mythology around it, though James (who has been going there for years) informed me that the original owner sold it a few years ago, but that the taste hasn’t changed. I had gone to Kom Jug Yuen before a couple times some years ago when I still lived in Toronto and worked at the bookstore for lunch on a few occasions and was always very pleased with it. This visit was no exception.

Literally

We ordered a lot of food and it was really cheap! The hot and sour soup was nice and thick, with a lovely flavour. I’m not generally a big fan of hot and sour soup, and to be honest I wouldn’t order it on my own, but the one at Kom Jug Yuen is probably the best I’ve had. The spicy crispy beef is the reason I insisted on coming, since James really sold it as one of the best things he’s ever eaten. I thought it was pretty good, though to be honest I prefer something a little less dry in terms of meat – the spicy crispy tofu was, in my opinion, superior if only due to the extra moisture the tofu allowed for. The flavours were excellent, though.  The Singapore noodles are also not my favourite noodle type, but they were nicely curry-flavoured and the texture was good – not too chewy or too soft. My favourite part of the meal was the eggplant Szechuan style. Soft and a little glutinous, with a nice strong sauce, I wanted to eat the whole plate to myself. I usually don’t like eggplant, but the texture of it was amaziiiing. All in all I enjoyed the food at Kom Jug Yuen thoroughly, though I think I might like King Lobster, the place where I would always destroy my gains after Muay Thai with my friends, a little better.

 Em out

26 before 26 General Update (1)

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26 before 26, academia, annus horribilis, being an adult is great, BJJ, blog posting, employment, feels, games, goal update, goals, grappling, handstand, judo, nails, new places, novel, papers, PhD, regular updates wat, steam backlog, updates, wardrobe, wrasslin, writing

I just wanted to do a quick update on my 26 before 26. I’m only going to comment on the goals I’ve made progress on, rather than taking up a load of space with stuff I haven’t gotten to yet. I feel pretty good about this year, unlike last year, which was probably my annus horribilis.

Last year

Sometimes even like this

Anyways, an update to my goals:

 

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1. Hit a sweet throw or takedown in BJJ competition. I have hit a few takedowns, but I’m not sure if I’d call them sweet. I want to really toss someone!

2. Keep my nails maintained and well groomed. I’ve mostly managed to keep to this, though there are times when my nails look a bit messy.

being an adult yes

3. Find meaningful employment. I’m working now as a research assistant on an interesting project, and applying for PhD studentships, so we’ll see how it goes.

10. Visit 26 new places/towns/cities. I’m not sure how to qualify this, to be honest, because I may have visited new places (i.e. places where there were tournaments), but I didn’t visit them specifically because of this goal.

11. Cull and curate my wardrobe. I have been sorting clothes out as I wash them. I’m not sure how it’s going, to be honest. I may still look a wreck.

12. Find my camera and start taking more bird photos again. I found my camera, and I have taken some bird photos, but none I’d like to share yet.

 

13.  Improve my wrasslin’ and grappling. I feel like I have improved, even if I have a long way to go. My coach says that I’m definitely doing better, especially with my aggression.

14. Do a handstand. I’ve kind of vaguely started on this. I found a good guide (I think) and I’m going to work on the mobility parts of it before I attempt the handstand. Hopefully it will help with my (admittedly terrible) shoulder flexibility too.

omg a goal actually completed wat

16. Finish three games on my Steam account that I haven’t played. I’ve actually already finished this by completing the Blackwell series, which I’ll post about in the future. I’m going to continue to try to finish games, though. I will probably do a Games I have recently played post soon.

17. Get into the PhD program of my choice. I have received some positive feedback, but I still need to apply, obviously.

20. Write a novel. I’ve continued to write bits and pieces here and there, but nothing really concrete.

21. Publish two or three more papers. I have several drafts, so this is going well.

25. Post on this blog at least once a week. Just about managed this, though recently I’ve had more posts, since I draft and work on them when I take breaks, so often each post will go through a number of drafts. Working on them in ten minute increments is helpful.

hi friends sorry if i randomly burst into tears or something like it’s not awkward whatevs

 

 

Noon Snow-Cat

Tags

artie, cat, Cat bff, cat in the snow, cat videos, cats are the best, neighbours, seasons, snow, winter

I saw this earlier and it’s so cute. We’ve never had this much snow at our door, probably because it’s sheltered and set back from the front of the house, and I always wonder what it’s like to have to dig it out without getting everything wet. When the storm came to our house, we had a lot of snow to get rid of, but luckily our neighbour came with his snowblower. We still dug out the paths (to the front door and the electricity meter), but it wasn’t so bad. What I really like about having neighbours is that we all help each other out. But in any case, this cat video is probably my favourite so far this year. I can’t imagine our cats digging themselves out like that. Cats in the snow are really, really cute. I like winter when I can look at it, but not when I have to be in it. What about you? How do you feel about winter? What’s your favourite season?

Sometimes it’s better to stay inside