... in which the Fool moves from PC to PC

I've been in this net cafe for over two hours now, and I've had to move from one unit to another because of some problem.

The first unit I used had no problem really (aside from the fact that it slowed down whenever I used a search engine) but suddenly, the unit restarted for no particular reason. I moved immediately after that to a unit just behind me.

This second unit didn't have the slow loading problems that plagued me earlier, but a few minutes into my use of the thing, the mouse, well, the mouse suddenly developed a mind of its own, and the cursor started to jump all around the screen minimizing, closing, maximizing, and clicking all over the place. I don't know what really happened to it, and I left the unit to the people in charge of the place.

This is the third unit that I've used, and thankfully, there are no problems yet. Hopefully, this'll last.

I'm so ashamed to say that I was unable to solve even a single calculus problem in the last set that I answered. I mean, sure I was able to differentiate equations, I was able to analyze which problems had simple solutions... But when it came to those that required some form of thinking (I had to set up equations in relation to the problem such as the maximum volume, area, or cost), my mind just went totally blank. As if I had absolutely no idea which factors were which. Of course, the time that I did the problems might have had something to do with it (I started solving problems at around 11PM). I finished at around 230AM with 28 problems left unsolved, all of them word problems which I studied in the morning of the review session. That, was humbling. It means that there are still a lot of things I really don't know about my exam...

Speaking of things that I don't know, I really like the way Xtiane set up her blog. Not just with the colors, but with the overall setup of the entire thing. The boxes look symmetrical, the links look very organized... Its like she really put a lot of time into it (as opposed to my more, cut-edit, style). I should really find the time to edit my blog as well, put in the pictures that I do like, change the colors, make everything look the way I like it... stuff like that. I'm pretty sure that by the time I get net connection at home, I'd have something to do... At least I won't be spending too much idle time in front of the TV watching Jack TV and other sick shows...

Speaking of Jack TV, I like some of their selection of their shows. Except that I think they're showing too much of MAD TV when most of it are just reruns. I mean, once a week of new episodes is enough. Showing the same thing every 7PM on every weeknight is... something else. And besides, the satirical content comes here a little dated. They're showing things about the recent American voting season, how George W was debating with Kerry, but that was a long time ago. George W already won that... Why show it again?

At least their other shows aren't as blatantly dated (except for their WWE shows, which are 3 weeks delayed from their actual broadcast). Prime Time Glick for example doesn't look dated, because its content is usually about interviewing celebrities with general questions. Crank Yankers is about people making prank calls, and these happen a lot of times (they're all still old shows, but they don't look THAT old).

The reason I'm complaining about their lineup is because they moved the WWE shows to the weekends. That's right, it may be great for other people, but it isn't good for me. Because I use my weekends to go elsewhere (play VS for example). I can't watch RAW regularly anymore, much less Smackdown (Smackdown is shown every Sunday, and my Sunday is more erratic than my Saturdays, at least I know where I'm going on Saturdays...) and... I need my wrestling fix.

So what do I do when I've nothing to do at home?

Nothing. That's what I do. I stare at the TV for hours until I feel my eyes water. And then stare some more.

Just recently though, I played this (old) game about the heroes of the Warring States period of Japan. Its another brainless hack and slash game, involving controlling one character and wreaking havoc across the plains. It uses the same engine as the Dynasty Warriors game (after all, they were produced by the same company) except that the game is more complicated with the amount of missions that can be accomplished in a single stage. My thumbs hurt with all the mashing that I did yesterday and I think my brain also turned into mush then. I think that's enough playing for the next few days (I can now concentrate on studying again), at least until Sunday I think.

What really struck me with the game was its close examination (well, it took liberties so it could make a better game) of Japanese History during the time of its Warring states. When the game first came out in 2004, my first reaction to it was "Great, another war game from Koei, just what we need..." but in hindsight, I know that I was also slightly intrigued with the game. After all, it was about a time that I didn't know a lot about.

Fast forward a year later (and an expansion near the end of 2004) and I find myself immersed in the game, finishing mission after mission, character after character. Because I know nothing about this time, I do not know which path will take me through the right ending historically, or the good ending fictionally. I just try to go through everything and see what happens afterwards. Its a great experience for me, as I find that I'm surprised by some things again (some, I say because when you play this game, you know that you're going to win) and I'm learning at the same time. These are people that are deeply ingrained in another people's culture, and it never hurts to learn about other people. The bad thing is it already includes other people's prejudices and opinions about the events and the characters. But it doesn't matter, learning always starts under someone's prejudices...

I'm actually browsing through the net for some material about these people, amazing that, because I never bothered to look for these things before, and I always dismissed them as a minor point of history. Ahh.. The things you learn...

Next time, I'll probably be borrowing a book from the library about this time period, to know who its heroes were, to know the end of this bloody time, and to see its parallelisms with other cultures.

(For some strange reason, I always think of European history as very, very similar to the warring states period of Asian countries. The only difference is that Europe was never unified under one banner for a long time, as opposed to say China, India, or Japan, or even Indochina. But then, this is my opinion.)

The other day, Dennis bought the "Complete Arcane" supplement book for Dungeons & Dragons. Now, the thing with D&D is there are already 11 basic classes in the core book alone. 11 different things that people can be each with their own specialties. For example, there are the Fighters who are the most versatile characters when it comes to battle, with all sorts of combat tricks that they can do (but not all of them), a fight with a Fighter is never always the same. There's the Cleric who specializes in divine magic, magic from the deities of the D&D world, and who specialize in aiding their friends (or alternatively, hindering their foes) in the name of their chosen deity. There's the bard, one of the more interesting characters that inspires his allies and distracts the opponents, and also knows magic as well, making for a very versatile (or downright useless, if played too versatile-ly) character. 11 of them from the core book alone. That's a lot of choices already.

Each "Complete" book adds 3 more classes into the fold, showing players just what else they can do with the same concept. From the "Complete Fighter" book alone, they showed just what it means to be a Hexblade: a character that curses other people, thereby decreasing their effectivity, and at the same time, the Hexblade can also cast magic. Very distracting yes (but personally, a little weak when it comes to battle) and a very interesting character at the same time. There's also the Samurai -- the equivalent of a very skilled/talented knight fully dedicated to fighting for his lord. And the swift and witty Swashbuckler (or was it duelist? I forgot...) utilizing quickness and the mind to battle opponents and leave them in the dust.

There are a total of 4 "Complete" books, bringing the grand total of playable classes to 23! I know that this all boils down to 11 (since the other 12 are optional) but the idea that there are 23 choices out there... That just brings a sense of excitement to me.

I'm not complaining about the huge selection. I know that if I wanted to make things simpler, I could reduce the choices down to 4. Its just that, I was thinking what could bring all 23 (or more) characters together for an adventure? I mean, think about it... All these people working together for a goal (not necessarily always good, since some characters are required to be non-good) and encountering challenges and internal conflict along the way... What a great story that could make!

That's actually what's occupying my mind these days (aside from VS, Samurai Warriors, other games... etc.), what could bring all 23 people together to work together, and the amount of conflict that they'd get into with each other... Just what force in the world could possibly stop these guys when they work together? I doubt a single enemy would be sufficient challenge for them... These kinds of things.

I'm at that point where I want to pull out a notebook whenever I think of something new about them. But the problem is, there are 23 different people that I have to think of, all of them protagonists in some way. Their adventure is the story but before that happens, I have to think of each character as a single person with their own distinct characteristics. I think that effort alone might drive me to MPD, but I exaggerate...

I think I already have MPD anyway! Mwahahahaaha!!!