So, I've just finished with one of the, by-far, best freeware/underground game I have ever played. Squinky's games, of course, are also wonderful, and TGTTPOACS has got to be my 2nd favorite game, along with one called, "Five Lethal Demons", about a computer game developer team. Anyway, these games are great, but I have found my love in...Nanobots.

I was blown away by this game. The graphics are nice, and it's quite a long game, but those aren't what makes it for me. It's the characters! I've never seen such detailed characters, with personalities and etc, in an underground game. I found myself loving all of the characters, at least the bots, which is actually a rare thing for me, since I tend to find a 'favorite' character, and just like him/her. No, I loved all of the bots, and the little arguments they had and discussions made it feel realistic. Best characterization I've seen in a 'freeware' game. I'm still stunned. Okay, sorry about that. End rant. ;)

Nano! Always good. I have to play that game! ;)

Dear blog,
It is 10.10 AM here in Amsterdam. I guess the sun is shining, but I can't see that, because I am working in my little windowless cellar room in the VU medical center where I'm doing my internship.
I am currently trying to control my nerves, who are complaining terribly about my end presentation of this afternoon. I can't disagree with them: I hate presenting as well.
I am supposed to tell the whole department about the research I have been doing the last 4 and a half months. That is not the most nerve-breaking part. Well, it is in a way, because it means presenting, meaning talking in front of people.


The worst part is that there will be people listening who all are experts in the field, way much more than I am, and some of them are capable of reducing research to a heap of nothingness with only a few sentences.
So yeah, reason enough for my nerves to freak out. What if it turns out that the work I have done all these months has been utter crap? What if I have to redo everything in the last month?
You know blog, the more I write, the more my nerves calm down. To more normal presentation standards, that is, I'll never be able to present without my voice rising 3 octaves and my hands shaking like I have had too much caffeine for one hour, but at least now I am almost certain my audience will not eat me.
Only 4 hours to go...

Good luck!

Good luck, Luna!!

Well, it's like 7 in the morning here, and I'm still not sure why I'm up. I'm the type of teenager who doesn't wake up till 1 in the afternoon and stays up till 2 at night. I'm so tired! :P

And, how did it go? If your work of the last four months had been utter crap you would have heard about it long ago. Tell us how it went!

Well "Five Lethal Demons" has me in the credits (have you played the non-spoof original, Five Magical Amulets? My first credit) but if you're playing Squinky's games you should play "Des Reves Elastiques Avec Mille Insectes Nommes Georges" which has me as a character. :D

It went rather....well :)
I am not that satisfied about having left out some things I really should have mentioned, but it could have been far worse.
And...my voice stayed in normal range! I guess I am getting used to presenting or something :P

Thanks for all the good luck wishes :)

I haven't played that yet, but I'm going to. I wasn't too excited about that game, but the reason I loved the "Five Lethal Demons" was that it was making fun of making games. It was so new and refreshing. I've never heard of that game, and I've looked at her games! Is it in, err, English? lol

I've been a Beta Tester for 2 games now, which I'm prettyproud of. I wish I could get some more. It's such an adrenaline rush to see your own name in the credits. I've helped, a lot with the grammar, on "Murran Chronicles: Talons of Terror" and "Last Half of Darkness: Tomb of Zojir". :)

I'm kinda wishing I can get a shout-out in Jonathan's new game in the credits from Emma, or the new "Barrow Hill" game. I'm one of the biggest fans, I don't think anyone would argue, and I've become best friends with Emma Harry. :P (I like saying that, it makes me feel special!)

Yeah, the gratuitous français in the title is just there for faux-pretentiousness.

Really? I must have overlooked that game because I thought it was in another language. Thanks, Squinky! lol

Currently, I'm going through a lot of the freeware adventures I downloaded to my computer at school, since I have slow dial up at home, and I won't be able to download a picture, let alone a game! I'm playing "I Want to Die", and I'm intrigued, although I'm stuck at the freaking beggining, unable to find that stupid small rock. :( lol

EDIT: So, as everyone knows, I've always wanted to go to England. I've saved up $3,000, and I only wanted to spend that on things I can only buy over there, in Britain; like special Red Dwarf stuff, etc. But that's a bit unrealistic, so I'm sure I have to use some of that money; for lodging, air plane ticket, and getting around over there, to see my beloved Cornwall. Food? Who needs food! lol So I was wondering, how much do you think a trip over there would cost, but not a long trip. Maybe a month, etc. I'm just hacing trouble seeing if I have enough money, what all I'd need to buy, etc. Anyone who's travelled, who's everyone but me, if you could help me out, I'd really apreciate it. :)

Well I havent travelled much but I do live near Cornwall and actually in Devon. You could stay in a Youth Hostel (they have one on dartmoor, which funnnily enough is near a blace called Bracken Tor;) ) which varies from place to place but costs about £10 a night. As for food depends on what you want to eat, as there's plenty of cheap food at supermarkets so you could probs get by on about £10 a day. Warm clothes I guess would help, and a waterproof maybe, its probably wetter than your used to over here. Getting trains and buses locally don't cost too much but getting up to places like london can be pricey. Oh and of course I have car (which hopefully I should be able to drive on my own next week) and will be living down in Cornwall from October so u could always just give me a shout:) As for plane fares and such I have no idea.

I think you are getting used to presenting. You may even like it in the future!

So ten pounds would be $20, and I wouldn't need to eat that much food. :P And thank you! I may take you up on that offer of the car, especially so I can finally meet you! I do want to see London and stuff, but I really want to see Cornwall and everything from Jonathan's games, so hopefully I'd stay somewhere over there. And if $3,000 would do it, I may just go over the summer, when I'm away from Louie anyway. Man, I'm getting kind of excited!

I've decided screw waiting!! As you guys know, I've been putting it off for fear of being away from Louie, etc, but I decided to just go for it. Only for about 2 weeks, since I can't afford more probably.

And I have you wonderful people to tahnk for giving me the courage I needed. :)

Hmm. Well, tonight I'm going out with the girls to see the new Transformers movie, which I'm excited about. It'll be fun to hang out with my friends, and go out.

You're right. Of course. I realized that those people I see in S.F., I am incredibly excited to see them because of who they are not what they do. So how it could be any different with me? Thanks, sweeties.

http://www.sxc.hu/pic/m/b/br/brokena..._parchment.jpg

Dear Blog Thingy,

I finally, Finally, FINALLY am getting back to writing! Earlier today I was in a brown study over the lack of spontaneity in my life in the past few years. I've been so fixated on taking care of Nanay, obsessing over the freedom I gave up to be there for her, fighting with it, and feeling I had no sense of purpose other than taking care of an elderly person. I gathered dust.

I was listening to a Depeche Mode song and it suddenly created a scenario in my head, and that lead to a narrative, an idea to explore. It percolated in my head for weeks. I began writing tonight.

I look forward to the week in San Francisco. I'm bringing my copy of Henry & June, and my Moleskin journal for notes. The laptop stays at home (though if I had one I would have take a netbook). I just need to experience again to get new ideas for stories.

Dang I really want to go see that movie, but it was a choice between going to see that and getting the new ghostbusters game:s I hope its good, I'm starting to regret choosing Bill Murray and Dan Ackroyd over Megan Fox now, ahh Megan:9~

Go you Fantasysci5! yeah there is no point in waiting! it can only "stop you from doing all the things in life. You'd like to"

*had to quote the smiths even if its about shyness though :P*

It will be a great important experience to get to realise some of your dreams/goals.
Plus it will be over before you know it, and you will be back with Louie!

That sounds really great! it encourages a lot when we find back to something we like to do and master. It gives us purpose and strength.

It was pretty bad, I tell you. Nothing like the first movie.

And guess what guys? After all of that worrying about Louie and stuff, he's said he'll come with me! Money will be a bit of a problem, but hopefully, we can work it out. :) I love him.

So much planning!! I'm so full of anticipation and stress, but I'm loving (almost) every minute of it. Louie said he'd go with him, since he was worried about me travelling alone, bless 'em. He's so sweet, I love him for doing this for me. Money's going to be a little tight, so I'm helping to pay part of his way.

Right now, I'm looking online for all those little, and big, expenses for my England trip, which I'm going to be taking next May for 2 weeks! I'm finally doing it, and it feels so wonderful.

Now, I've never travelled before, so I'm at a bit of a loss for some of this, so if any of you have recommendations or helpful ideas, please don't hesitate to tell me. ;)

I've found a website on Britrail, which is an unlimited railway pass for only tourists for around England, which looks perfect. I think I can get on any train. I'm really wanting to stay around Cornwall, where some of Jonathan Boakes' games were created. I've been looking into Bed & Breakfasts, but are looking for something cheap. And I get confused when looking at the tariffs, because the price is for a room with a double bed, so they expect I might be sharing the room/bed with Louie. So is the price they listed for both of us to pay separately, or do we both only have to pay that price listed? Aaah so confusing!!! :crazy:

Not sure about plane tickets, food (we're only going to eat out a few times, the rest Bed and Breakfasts and getting stuff from the grocery store), and bus tickets, but hopefully I can afford these.

And speaking of the man, I'm going to be able to actually meet Jonathan Boakes, Emma Harry, Matt Clark, and our very own, LQ!!! :D I'm so excited.

I always find the planning is half the fun of the trip. Looking forward to it and checking out each little detail.

I'd gladly help you out if I can when things come up.

You pay the price for the room. And you stay two persons (you and Louie) in the room. Mind you, double beds in the UK can be smaller than the US versions IIRC. Just makes it even cozier, don't you think! :)

There are plenty of websites where you can buy tickets online. That's where you get the lowest prices.

Good luck with your trip Fantasy! :)

Thanks, Mom!

I'm not sure how to communicate over there, because my cell phone would be a pain in the butt to try and get to work over there, with long distance calling, unlocking my phone for a new SIM card, and needing an adapter to charge it. :eyeroll: So I'm not sure what I want to do to call ahead and make reservations, because I think we're going to be staying in different B&B's. lol

So maybe when I'm asking is; What's the best way to contact people over there? I don't really need to call home, I just want to be able to call a different county to make a reservation for a hotel or something. Britain's phonebooths, if they are still around? All that hastle for a prepaid cell phone? Hotel phone (even though I think it would be "long distance" for them?). Renting out a laptop? Any advice?

I'm sorry if that didn't make any sense, I've been ranting to myself all day about these types of things. I couldn't get to sleep last night, since I was mumbling prices to myself and trying to fit it into the budget. :P

And I hope those are room prices! :P

Thanks a lot for the support!!!

Don't you have more than enough time to get your budget together? England is beautiful Fantasy. You will love it there. Just bring an umbrella with you :).

Thanks tsa. It's my dream to go over there. And yes, I have a year to save up money, etc. But I'm just so excited, I'm starting to plan now. :P I'm a worrier, so I like to make sure things will go "smoothly", although I do kind of want to just be free to do what I like over there. That's why I'm not going to making all of the reservations ahead of time. :)

*Fantasysci5*
Hmm I think having internet access is more important, personally it might be a bit pain in the ass/arse to work out a temporary sim card if you are not staying there for more than some weeks.

About the booking stuff, I get confused myself. It should be the same price if you book for a doublebedroom. *As you are paying for a bed for two for a reason*

Hmm these days I have been a busy bee which is not normal as I am always on the internet. There has been this gathering for people who tend to fight for the same beliefs. Which in this case is animal rights, and many vegetarian/vegan activists gather from many countries. Whats hilarious is how these people are so friendly yet they have police from the UK around the area as if they are ticking bombs ready to explode. However thats normal with the police force to overreact in these cases not going after the worst people.

Apparently they try to arrest everyone not looking "usual" and close co operation with the Norwegian police as the gathering is held in Norway this year. Waste of time and money but oh well, not affected by it. Whats admirable is many people come from the UK who started these movements in the 70s, and many interesting personalities and funny people. The younger people are more less interested in conversing with strangers which is a pity since I would like to get to know people from the uk but so be it.

Plenty of english activist hiked to Norway, I don't get how thats possible without getting into trouble but apparently you can. Not something id do, not so safe...
At least they are dedicated for their cause and to meet people who share their ideas and so on. I am not much of an activist, don't really have the balls to do much of like the small but important things like to expose information out to the public which is heavy supressed by the goverment and big companies. People get put into jail even for doing legal demos and demonstration, even without any sabotage. Apparently in England when they did a campaign against plans for opening a secret lab at Oxford University for animal research where they just tortured monkeys for nothing but grotesque pure pleasure. *testing his sanity level by plugging things into his brain and many other things, like how much they could make him crazy and even named him Feelix which means happy in a ironical way due to the research they were conducting*
The goverment hired special security forces from Iraq and even went as far as co operating with the police given orders to arrest people without any cause. People only got out due to someone being able to tape a conversation between the police about arresting demonstrators even without allegations.

The only thing these people did was inform people about the new labs and whats happening there, and informing. Over time they got a special line that they could not cross when demonstrating. Then eventually they were not allowed to film or take pictures of people near the university but it was okay for people from the University to film them *beats logic*.

Sickens me how corporates and state can manipulate rights and restrict them even if its a legal demonstration. Oh well, felt like getting this out even if I am sure this might not go with everyone but easier to remember things when you write things down. *so had to have somewhere to write it down*

Anyways the point is met some nice people, mostly middle aged english people or americans who are very open and easy to approach. Didn't get much of a good impression from other fellow europeans. People could do more effort to get to know other new people.

Thanks Mike. And yes, I think it would be nice to reserve rooms on the internet, and to make sure my friends meet up with me at the right time, etc. I see plenty of Wifi, but I'm hesitant to bring my mom's laptop, since to plug it in over there would be a nightmare, with having to have an adapter, etc.

Well I guess I don't have much experience with internet access places, *I understand your concern about your mothers laptop* but isn't it normal or it should say on their website if they have pc access. May be not perfect as other guests might be around it a lot ,but eventually the pc has to available at times :).

At least it will do good to look around and even if the price might be more, I think its worth some extra quid if you can get better services at a hotel. Like internet access making the trip much more comfortable!. I am thinking more like a computer lobby or a computer by the entrance of the hotel. Less stress! the better and easier it will be to enjoy the well earned vacation..

Well, I'm kind of wanting the "feel" of a small B&B, friendly, and I want to stay in relatively small towns in Cornwall. :)

Hey Fantasy,

Just a few tips and observations about your trip, based on what you've said. :)

Firstly, you'll almost certainly be flying into Heathrow Airport in west London, meaning that you'll be 20 minutes on the train from the city centre. So there's no need to make a special trip to see London - you'll be starting and finishing there, so just make sure you allow enough time at the beginning and end of the trip to see the sights. The majority of London's museums are completely free, so there's no reason not to enjoy them all!

Cornwall is one of England's biggest counties, but also one of the most sparsely populated. This means that getting around without a car might be a pain, so make sure you do lots of research before you make any firm plans. Rail services in particular could be sporadic or nonexistent in much of the county, so think carefully about whether a Britrail pass is worth the money. Books like the 'Rough Guides' and 'Lonely Planet' are written for people exactly in your position - not really knowing much about a foreign country and needing to figure out how to get around - so get hold of a copy and keep it with you when you travel. It'll help enormously. :)

As far as keeping in touch goes, you will find payphones everywhere but they're quite expensive nowadays. The minimum fee is 40p (80c) if you pay in cash, which gives you a 20 minute call - not ideal when all you want to do is check hotel availability etc. In rural villages, payphones still exist but the phone company don't want to bother with emptying coin boxes, so they take credit cards only and are even more expensive.

The option a lot of visitors take is to bring their own mobile phone and install a British SIM card, which allows them to make calls at UK rates. I'm not sure how you'd go about obtaining the SIM card though - one of those travel guides would probably have some tips!

I'm sure a lot of B&Bs nowadays would have computers available for you to use. If not, most libraries do (but I'm not sure if you need to be a member - and therefore live locally - to use them). If you're staying in a youth hostel type environment, they'll almost certainly have an Internet computer you can use, because most travellers will make their next hostel reservation online.

One last thing. It's a long way from London to Cornwall (possibly longer than you realise), but this overnight train exists and takes you all the way to Penzance:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1555

I've never been on the Night Riviera, but it's on "the list" of future travel plans!

Wow, thanks so much for all the info!!

Yes, depending on when the plane comes in, we're going to explore London first, then get on the train to go to our first reserved hotel for the first night.

Wow, now there's another wrench in my plans. *sigh* You don't think a Britrail pass would be worth the money? It sounds good to be able to go see Stonehenge, and go from London to Cornwall and back. And I was wondering how I was going to get around in Cornwall. How would you suggest I be able to get around? I thought the Brit pass was one sure-fire way to go, now even that's in question. *sigh*

Hopefully, the B&B's will allow rentals of laptops, so I can reserve the next place I want to stay, or just use the phone. Aah, this is all so stressful. I would really appreciate your opinion on what you think I should do to get around. I thought the Brit pass was ideal for getting around, especially since I wanted to stay pretty much in the south of England. What do you think I should do?

Unfortunately I can't find out anything about the Britrail pass for myself, because the site kicks me out as soon as I try to go there (the passes are only available to foreign visitors). How annoying.

How much do they charge for the Britrail pass? It could still be worthwhile, because trains are ideal for travelling long distances and between major towns - but once you get out into the countryside, you'll be more reliant on buses.

I should point out that it's only because you're going to Cornwall that I'm saying this - again, it's one of the most remote and sparsely populated areas of England and so its transport links aren't as good as elsewhere.

If you know where you're planning to go, you can get an idea of train times and fares here (just enter a random weekday date, times are generally the same Monday-Friday):
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

The 'off-peak' fare is the price you would pay if you turned up and bought a ticket on the day, after the morning rush hour. I suspect your Britrail pass would be for off-peak travel only. Even these off-peak tickets are quite pricey, so if you didn't want to go through the hassle of reserving cheaper tickets in advance, the Britrail pass might turn out to be worth the money for its convenience.

That's too bad you can't look at it. For an unlimited pass for 15 days, all over England, it's about $429 dollars. It sounded pretty reasonable to me, especially since to catch a train from London to Cornwall costs about $150.

You think buses would be more worthwhile? Can you suggest a company? I'm sorry to be a bother. :P

It doesn't sound too bad at that price. I tricked the site into showing me the options, and I see you can also get tickets allowing you things like like "3 days of travel in a month", which are also a good option if you know you have a few specific days of travelling while staying put on other days. I really just wanted to point out that you shouldn't assume you'll be able to get everywhere you want to go by train, you'll have to look into it first. :)

I would get hold of one of the books I suggested, because they'll have specifics on how to get to the places you're interested in. I can only speak generally.

I would, although I don't know where to get those books. :P Thank you for helping me. I really appreciate it. I might be scaring people away because of my freak-outness. lol

http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-...6136539&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/England-Countr...6136539&sr=8-4

Amazon is your friend :).

I started a new job last Monday (June 22nd). It's a tool repair shop called, oddly enough, Active Tool Repair. They have a terrible website I'm expected to fix, but my duties are very broad. I'm expected to handle customers, file invoices and service orders, locate ordered parts or repaired tools, help with shipping and receiving, and deal with customers who are getting tired of waiting. I'm still trying to get adjusted to it. There are a lot of little things to remember, and a lot of it keeps slipping out of my head, or I miss things because people blurt things at me in lazy English, so I find myself scrambling or quietly panicking trying to remember what they told me to do in certain specific cases.

In other related but different news, my wife and I went out yesterday and bought me several new pieces of summer work wear. I also have a travel mug, thermal water bottle, soup thermos and lunch bag. This is more preparation than I've ever made for work in the past. My wife spoils me. Now if only I can get money in fast enough to offset the cost of all this stuff.

Congrats, Lee!! I'm so happy that you got a job! Good luck with it! ;)

And thanks Robert, I know I can get them from there, but I was thinking more of renting one from my local library before buying them. I find some are very useful, and others aren't at all.

I feel quite bad for the (two) people I have been ranting and throwing all these figures at the whole time; Louie and LQ. I know I can get on an obsession, and I'm glad they're so understanding.

That is great news Lee, congratulations!

http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smile...mileys-864.gif

:) It's actually my hubby's dream to start a company like that. He loves tools of all kinds. We even have a band saw in our basement.

:D Yeah, that's how it is! Don't worry, it's the same for everyone new to a job.

Pictures, we want pictures!

Good! :)

Good luck with everything Lee. I'm very happy for you!

Congrat Lee..... I agree with Jelena..... we need some pics of this new "summer" line of clothes that your wonderful wife got for you :D

I'm still working on my new game. Everything which seems like a tiny little step turns out (as I get close) to be a really complicated problem. For instance, I just realized today that if I want to have a background (and I do), I need to draw the character's rear end and save it to memory before I draw the background, draw the background over it, redraw the whole body, and then paste the behind on that. If you will pardon the pun, it seems awfully ass-backwards. But it's the only option I see. (I pondered the problem for around a half hour before coming up with this.)

Nothing's simple.