Catching up with myself.

So, it has been almost two months since I last spoke of my life on this web log of mine, not counting the Teegip just below this post. What to talk about...

For Christmas, I received a sketchpad and some drawing pencils. I made an effort to draw every day, and kept up with it for a whole eight days! Then my apartment got messy and I got lazy. I dropped out of that short-lived habit.

For Christmas, I did not receive my so-desired Nikon D40 DSLR with which I had planned to photograph any wild number of things for my viewing pleasure. My fam's po' so I gotta wait 'til tha cashflow begin again, y'know.

For Christmas, I did not make light bulb terrariums for my mother and grandmother as I had planned to do. Moss is a surprisingly hard thing to find in the dead of winter. Alas!

After Christmas, and after New Year's Day, classes began anew. Only six months left until I graduate, if all goes well. I also took the GRE in an effort to get the ball rolling on my application to DigiPen.

Over Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend, I went to New Hampshire with ten other members of the mountaineering club. Despite my doubts I could make it to the top of Mt. Washington, I let my friends talk me into going, and I had an extremely good time of it. I did not, in the end, make it to the top. But I will some day.

Last weekend, I went to an overnight thing at the Cincinnati Zoo, hosted by a friend. Normally it is a thing for little kids, but... so what?! It was a cool look behind the scenes at the zoo, and she is probably the best tour guide under which I have had the pleasure of touring. I was hoping to get a little more up close and personal with some of the animals, but I also knew that was hoping for too much. It would be dumb to let just any person get that close.

That about sums up what I've done. Now for what I plan to do!

The first priority deadline for DigiPen's application process is February 1. I now simply await the deliverance of my transcript and letters of recommendation, and everything will be there. Nothing to do but wait, and hope that if they do accept me, they also offer a scholarship. It's about the only thing in my life in which I no longer have an active role.

Next week on Tuesday I will go on a night hike. Excite! I hope it is not cloudy. Nothing worse than a cloudy night. Especially when you make the effort to get outside the city to an area where the sky is free(er) of light pollution!

Every day for the past week or so, I swore to myself I would start falling into the habits I want to follow. I want to write something on this blog at least once a week. I want to draw something every day, to get better. I want to start running, or doing something active, every day. I want to stay up to speed with my studies instead of lagging behind horribly like I did last quarter. I want to start cooking meals instead of nuking them; I want to make that damn egg salad and mabo dofu for which I have had the ingredients for weeks. I might even want to start practicing the bass guitar a little every day! I do not have it in my apartment, though. I should make a note somewhere to get it from mom...

Habits are hard things to start, and harder to stick to if they are still new!

Tonight I drew some crap in my sketchpad. When I say crap, I really mean I drew some stuff that is not good. But there is only one way to become good. At the moment, I am following this book that my grandmother got me with the sketchpad. It is supposed to teach me how to draw graphite landscapes. Some of those techniques are far more difficult to perform than I thought they were. I think I am getting better?

I have been sick lately (again), and so did not go to class or work out today as I had planned. Before going to bed, I might to try out this burpee thing I read about... it is supposed to be pretty good workout, and without lifting any weights or anything. I might not, though. As I mentioned, I'm pretty sick. I feel terrible. C'est la vie.

Interestingly, I do not have that strong desire to play video games I thought I would have all my life. I still enjoy them immensely when I have the time to play them, but... I just do not have that time, anymore. Not with everything else I want to do. And everything else I have to do for school.

I am a busy man, apparently. When the hell did that happen? D:

Teegip: Mirror's Edge

Just realized I've had this sitting around for a while now and never clicked "Publish Post." So here goes! Edited to be a little more accurate for my current circumstances.

No one will every figure out what Teegip means. And that is okay.

On Black Friday (and then again around Christmas) there was a sale on that video game digital distribution hub we all know and love, Steam. I nabbed a ton of games for anywhere from $2 to $9.99 - though I probably shouldn't have, even at those prices. I am a little tight on the money.

At any rate, one of the games I purchased was Mirror's Edge, for the low low price of $5.00. A mere tenth of its PC release price. A deal? Fuckin' right. It is not a long game, but it was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have had in the gaming world in a long time. (Where long means since before I went to Japan.)

WARNING: SPOILERS, KIDS. Step away from this blog post if you have yet to play this game that came out last eon.

Behold: the title screen.

This is where it all begins.

I suppose, in the interest of fairness, that I should point out that I had been waiting for this game to go on sale for a while. Not because I did not think it was worth full price, but because Steam sales have spoiled me. As such, there can be no doubt I am slightly biased and trying to justify my purchase, or finding beauty where there is none.

lol j/k it was five bucks, dudes

The game begins, as most games these days, with a tutorial. An unfortunate necessity, I suppose.

But then you play the game.

Some cutscene somewhere.

The colors! One might argue that environments of Mirror's Edge, with their heavy use of primary colors and White, look quite sterile. One might be stupid. Goddamn refreshing.

And here I am sliding down a zipline, about to land on the next roof!

This game makes me feel awesome.

A truly frightening leap.

Death-defying stunts lie around every corner. I would be scared shitless if I had to do this in real life. Not least because it is completely and totally insane.

FLYING DRAGON KICK.* Enemy hidden behind lower body. *Not the actual name.

I even love the combat. A lot of people do not. They are dumb. It is fun, as long as you do not charge in headfirst.

But I charged in as such anyway. Because I am awesome.

Exploring a building's innards.

Even the indoor areas offer excitement. This is another common complain apparently. The populace does not approve of the indoors. What is wrong with the populace? I submit that they are dumb. Oh, have I already said that? Good.

About to take on some snipers.

The shifts in color are sudden, but effective. Also this part was badass. Weaving in and out of cover to avoid the numerous snipers and make one last desperate leap before breaking through the final door to safety... Good times.

Nearing the end.

It is nearly time to win the game. Once on the roof, I will watch some boring cutscene, then leap off the roof to catch the railing above the helicopter door and kick the bad guy in the face and laugh as he flies backward screaming in the agony of imminent death.

Unfortunately everything past the leap is scripted, but it was still awesome!

BOOM hangonkatehangon

I won! Kate, don't fall! Oh wait, I don't really care; I just like this screenshot.

The end.

What's that? What about the flaws? Of course Mirror's Edge had flaws, but no one cares. Go away, child.

Mirror's Edge gets a banana.