Author: Wilfrid

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews Romance

The Vow – What if One is to Lose Years of Memory?

Woah.  Just imagine.  If one is to lose years of memory, how would that change his or her life and those around?  While facts of life like who the parents are do not change over time, our recent hobbies, our career, love life, recently acquired skills, friends, things that we shouldn’t have done but did, and things that we should have done but didn’t  do.

That’s why my friends, blogging is good.  While one may forget where he or she stores the diary (if you have one), a website is [more or less] always there.  I see blogging as an extension of my memory, as well as the memory of some of those who are around me.

I guess reading recent events that one has forgotten is not the same as restoring one’s memory.  It is not the same as living it, is it?  And here we are, a movie inspired by true events.  The Vow tells a story of a married couple.  After a road accident, the wife has lost her recent memory.  To the new her, the husband is a stranger and her ex-fiance still gives her butterflies in the stomach.  The recent life changing decisions, all wiped off from her memory.  Given this unfortunately event, can the husband win his wife’s love the second time?

All along, I thought The Vow was a romance comedy.  OK, comedy or not, it is a technical definition.  At the end of the movie, inside the theater, TK on my left said, “This is not a comedy”.  Cynthia on the right said, “This is not a comedy”.  Fine.  Cynthia did cry.  It is an emotional drama.  There are tons of on-screen chemistry between the main characters, in a moving plot.  We felt the pain and joy, and everything else in between.

I am a fan of Rachel McAdams.  To me, she could well be one of the most charming actresses in Hollywood.  Cynthia seems quite pleased with the rather handsome looking Tatum, whom I wish he would supplement his acting with some danceing (he is good at it I remember).  The Vow is about seeing a glass half empty or half full.  It is a story of a second chance not to be used to wipe off the past, but to relive the good and the bad once again.

Categories
Action & Thriller Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

The Hunger Games – Better Than I Expected, Despite Moral Conflict

I thought to myself, so this is one of those ‘reality show’ inspired movies, where audience seeks to be entertained by watching contestants battling each other to death.  Worse still, we are looking at contestants of age between 12 to 18.  Do we need another one of those movies?  And why the children?  Is this social liberation or a download spiral of human morality?  Who would enjoy seeing children of that age bracket killing eliminating each other?  Increasing, media violence has raised concern across the board.  I feel that we are pushing the limit further down.  Movies like Hunger Games.  Books like Game of Thrones where children wield swords and girls under the age of 14 have sex.  Some video games that are violence in nature played by children.  What would the long term repercussion to our future generations be if we endorse violence at that age bracket?  I do not know.

Now, if I may throw my moral hat away, ignore the conflict inside of me when seeing children of age 12 to 18 hacking, shooting, or killing each other with wits, The Hunger Games is a wildly entertaining movie.  It is said that because 12 districts have in the past committed treason against the central government, each year, each district must pick 2 tributes – a young boy and a young girl – to play the Hungers Game.  Only one will survive.  There is an overarching philosophy revolving around this.  Since I don’t quite get it or finding it quite silly, I shall not elaborate here.

24 contestants are placed in a game location and there is only one survivor.  The rest of the 23 contestants would need to die.  Yes, death to them all.  We love it.  There are tons of twists in the plot.  Because it is after all a TV show, it must be entertaining, especially to the ‘sponsors’ who may influence the process.  In short, not only do the children require to kill off each other, they have to do it in style.  They need to, kill to entertain.  The audience, including us, loves watching this.

Jennifer Lawrence plays the main character who represents District 12th.  I did not like her or find her attractive in X-Men: First Class.  Neither do I find her attractive in The Hunger Games.  Having said that, I grow to like her character as the plot unfolds.  She seems rather suited for this movie.  Genuinely innocent, and determined to stay alive.

I found myself shivering throughout the 142 minutes long movie.  The plot is intense.  More so, was the air-conditioning in the theater.

Categories
Linguistic

End of Spanish Learning Era?

Four long years, Cynthia and I have studied Spanish in Singapore at Las Lilas School.  Over Whatsapp, one classmate mentioned that he is considering to drop our class and join another one.  One that is not as taxing as our advance level.  Another classmate reminded us that she too is leaving because her student visa is expiring.  She needs to go home.  This thought has lingered in my mind for quite some time.  And I have discussed this with Cynthia.  So, I followed the cue and mentioned that we too have decided to end our Spanish studying journey.  One classmate typed in Whatsapp, “Is this the end of an era?”

I suppose the answer is no.  There is no reason not to continue learning, outside a classroom setting.  I feel that, for quite some time, I have hit the plateau.  My passion seems to have deflated a little, when I am not getting as much from the 2 hours lesson as I used to.  There is an increased slowness in trying to comprehend the course materials during the class.  It is like a running marathon.  If you are not fit enough, after a while, you would simply walk and then, stop.  Linguistic ability is never my strength.  Having said that, I am most delighted to make it to this far.

To that, I thank my teachers at Las Lilas.  You are the most cheerful, knowledgeable, patience, and encouraging ones.  I also thank my classmates.  What a fun bunch you are.  And I thank my wife Cynthia for supporting me throughout the journey.  All the real time translation in whispers.  No, I won’t forget.

So what’ next?

Ten weeks ago, at the end of the 10-lesson course, I asked around the table to see if we were continuing.  One said, “What are we going to do if we are not?”  Cynthia and I found it rather amusing.  Indeed, for the last 4 years, every Tuesday we devote 2 hours learning Spanish.  Our dinner has always been a mad rush.  By the time we are home, it is ten o’clock.  This Tuesday, after we bid our farewell to our classmates and to Amelia, our beloved Spanish teacher, Cynthia asked me in private, “What are we going to do on Tuesday?”

I don’t know.  I miss making music.  That seems like eons in the past.  Come to think on it, that question never pops up in my head.  I can always find something else to do.  Enough time we have spent learning Spanish inside a classroom.  It is time to take what we have learned and have fun with the real world.  Watch some Spanish YouTube.  Read some Spanish news.  Chit-chat with Spanish chicas, or chicos.

Categories
Book Reviews Non-Fiction

Night and Low-Light Photography by Alan Hess – Packed With Good Tips For Beginners

Normally, I prefer not to review non-fiction books on my holidays.  However, it is good to hear that Wiley publishes photography books as well.  So I grabbed a copy sent by my contact earlier on and was eager to read more on a topic so close to my heart.

For new photographers, night photography, especially under low-light condition, is likely one of the toughest challenges faced.  Our human eyes adapt to low-light well.  More often than not, as a beginner, what you see from the LCD screen at the back of your camera under these conditions seldom resembles to what your eyes see.  Many I know of struggle with flash photography so much so that they would rather not to use a flash at all.  I too have gone through that journey of frustration and experimentation.  I would say Alan Hess has done a good job in explaining the basic mechanics in Night and Low-Light Photography.

What I like about this book is that it reads more like having someone talks me through the basic, and not a book full of theories.  The author takes his time to explain the different gears required getting the job done.  Hess also in multiple instances explains the fundamental variables and their relationship such as ISO, shuttle speed, and aperture.  Other important topics such as exposure, white balance, metering, and digital noise are covered as well.  I often find myself having to explain the same set of attributes when approached by new photographers.  Hess’s explanation is clear and he uses plenty of illustrations to drive home his points.

The first three chapters of Night and Low-Light Photography talk through the basic.  The last chapter on digital postproduction is useful if you use Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop Elements.  Bear in mind that the chapter on postproduction mainly focuses on night and low-light photography.  Postproduction workflow, for instance, is not covered in this chapter.  Although I don’t use either tool for postproduction (I prefer using Nikon digital filters instead), it does read a bit too simplistic for me.  Maybe it is good for a start.  You may need another book to study the topic better.

Between the first three chapters and the last are chapters devoted to different scenarios.  Scenarios range from indoor shots (people, weddings, and concerts) to sport photography, from nighttime sky to outdoor shots (city and landscape).  For each scenario, the author shares with us many tips cumulated from – I assume – his personal experience.  He also details out the recommended settings and steps used.  Like where you should stand and what moment you should capture if you are a wedding photographer.  Like how your model should pose.  And much more.  I enjoy reading the chapter on Light Painting the most.  Perhaps because it is something I have yet to try (hence I presume the rest of the chapters may well be an enlightening read if I was a new photographer).  I am not a big fan of HDR photography.  But that is also covered briefly in this book, in case if HDR is your cup of tea.

There are a few photographs printed in this book that are inspiring.  I like the Ferris Wheel the most, and some of his concert photographs.  Most of the photographs, though, appear a bit bland to me.  Some, I wish the photographer would stand and point the camera slightly differently so as to get a more symmetric shot, or compose the picture better.  One photograph of a moon, the photographer used a setting of 1/400 second, f/8.0 and ISO 500.  Maybe he did not use a tripod.  Since the moon is pretty bright in nature, I would think that it is possible to use a different setting with a better ISO (for example, see my moon photograph here that uses the same f-stop).  Granted, perhaps the author’s intend is to illustrate his technical points, rather than articulating the art within.  There are other photography books that are full of inspiring printings (such as books by Scott Kelby).  This book does not appear to be so.  Having said that, the most important thing is for you to grasp the fundamental of night and low-light photography.  So that you can go out there and confidently create your beautiful shots.

ISBN-10: 1118138228
ISBN-13: 978-1118138229

Categories
For the Geeks

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Beta Test – First Impression

Hooray!  Blizzard has sent me a beta invite for the testing of their upcoming expansion Mists of Pandaria.  Not that it was a huge surprise, really.  Because I have signed up for their annual pass deal and I know, eventually I will get an invite.  Still, it is good to get a rather early invite as I have been a loyal subscriber since its 2004 launch (OK, my payment lapsed for a couple of months because my credit card has expired but they really should have follow-up).  One of the first 200,000 lucky ones, I am.

“Oh my, guess what I saw when I first logged into the beta test server.  So many pandas!  I think I am getting panda phobia!  Note: Each panda you see in this picture represents one online player.”

I enjoy beta testing.  The last one I did was for the upcoming Diablo III.  I get to see an evolving product, based on testers’ feedback.  That gives me more insight on Blizzard’s design strategy (like how they value UI friendliness in Diablo III looking at the tweaks they do).  If you do get a WoW beta invite, here are some friendly reminders to make your journey more rewarding:

  • Beta means that it is an unfinished product, although Blizzard does reveal beta at its finest quality.  You get to see its beauty at its rawer form.  But you also get to see some rough edges.
  • The server is going to lag like crazy, regardless of your network performance.  It could be frustrating.  Hey, look at the bright side.  How often do you get to see hundreds of online players crowded in one place?  Nightmare no doubt.  But you would cherish this insane moment looking back.

“So I created a female pandaren.  Character customization seems to give me 14 face options.  Unlike the male pandaren, there is no customization option for the female face shape.  Just different color patches. Is it because we are at the beta stage?”

Female Pandaren

I don’t think I would try out the 85-90 high level zones in this beta testing.  Because I want to save the experience for my 10 characters.  Moreover, I don’t want to be sick of it by the time Mists is released.  What I do not mind is to try out the new pandaren starting area a couple of times since at most, I would only experience it once when this expansion is live.

The new pandaren race – silly as some may say – is down right adorable, especially the female pandaren.  I must say though, the female race looks a bit plastic to me, almost like a robot in her god forbid cuteness.  Maybe just a matter of getting used to.  Also, I observe that not all customization features are opened as of now.  The male version’s face customization varies the shape of the face.  The female version seems to vary the color pattern only.  I am not sure if it will be the case for the live version.

You can have a black and white pandaren that looks more like a panda.  Or you can have an orange version that in Cynthia’s words, looks more like a fox.  Female orange pandaren comes with a big orange tail too.  Alternatively, if you wish, you could have a hybrid look.  Black and white face with an orange body and in the case of a female pandaren, a fat orange tail instead of a tiny stub.

Female pandaren, in my opinion, is a bit short and plump.  I think I may roll a male pandaren when the time comes to save me some money to do a sex change later.

“Stop humping that scroll you silly pandas!  How are we supposed to click it when there are so many pandas crowded at it?!  Note: The trick is to pan the camera as show and keep spamming right click on the top right corner of the scroll.  You will get it eventually.  Also, if too many pandas are standing on top of the quest giver, press SHIFT-V and interact with the NPC’s green name plate instead.”

New Monk Class

It has been a while since Blizzard releases a new class for World of Warcraft.  So I rolled a monk class.  This new class is quite possibly what I look forward to most when Mists is live.

Some online reviewers describe the new monk class plays like an arcade game, combo-like button meshing and all.  I was a bit weary when I first heard about.  After experienced 11 levels of playing a monk, it is not as dramatic.

True, there is no more auto attack.  It plays like a rogue and shares the same energy pool concept, except that the combo points are not with the enemy but upon the monk herself.  This new resource called Chi can be accumulated up to 4 points.  Chi does not dissipate over time, unless you log out.  Some abilities generate Chi while others consume it.  For example, at level 1, you can consume 40 energy, perform a Clobber, and whack your target with your weapon (in my case, a staff).  Clobber generates one Chi.  You can also consume a Chi and whack your target with your hand – Tiger Palm – while you regenerate energy.  Tiger Palm deals more damage when the target is above 50% health.  So common sense would tell you to whack your enemy with your palm at the beginning of the encounter.  Perhaps even unload your Tiger Palm at that early stage when you have excess Chi.

Once your enemy drops below 35%, you can perform a Blackout Kick that has a 3 second cool down.  Blackout Kick consumes 2 Chi and it refunds 1 Chi if the target is dead by your kick.  So in effect, it would consume 1 Chi if you kick properly.  The so-called combo move is really how you wish to optimize your abilities based on the target’s health.  You cannot spam Clobber because that consumes energy.  You cannot spam Tiger Palm because that consumes Chi.  And you cannot spam Blackout Kick because not only does it consume Chi, it has a cool down.  With a potential to specialize into tank, melee damage, and heal, the new monk class sounds interesting.

All you need to do is pray that you don’t lag.  Because there is no auto-attack to save you.

“The artwork of the new pandaren starting area is colorful and beautiful.”

The Pandaria Artwork and Quests

While I am not overly excited by the oriental theme (strange eh given my background?), the artwork is colorful and beautiful.  A lot of work must have poured into the new starting area.  The oriental music background sounds good too. Unlike the Cataclysm new races’ starting areas, in this upcoming expansion, Blizzard has minimized phasing technology so much so that it does not matter at which stage of the quest line you are at, you can always see your friends.

Truth be told, I am not against phasing technology.  The downside is that the world around you seems a lot emptier than it really is.  Players at a different stage of the quest don’t necessarily see each other’s presence.  Till today, I still think that the goblin’s starting area is the best, out of all.  Tight storytelling, full of colors and insane humor.  Questing in the new pandaren starting area appeared to be a bit bland, initially.

“OK, I need three carrots and three turnips.  Where shall I begin?”

The quests in pandaren staring area can generally be broken down into a few types.

  1. Help someone to kill some unpleasant enemies.
  2. Help someone to collect some useful items.
  3. Take someone to somewhere.
  4. Go somewhere with someone.
  5. Defeat a mini boss.

#1 and #2 often go hand-in-hand.  So in Mists, you can almost predict what your next quests are going to be.  To be honest, I yawned (staying up till wee hours trying to defeat server lag didn’t help).  But I got through them nonetheless.

“What is this creature following my panda?!”

Maybe I am getting too old for this expansion.  Mists seems to have a playful undertone to the entire setup, unlike the previous expansions.  You wake some creatures up.  Play with some creatures.  As a pandaren, you start off as a neutral race.  You get to interact with two pandaren NPCs that are supposed to help you decide if you wish to join the Horde or the Alliance at the end of your journey as an initiate.  Later in your starting area, you get to interact with traditional Horde and Alliance races as well.  I wish Blizzard could work more quests into this part of the journey, to give players a better sense of which fraction their way of life is to be.  As of now, it feels a bit too shallow.

In retrospect, I really enjoyed the blood elf and draenei starting areas.  The quests take you to around level 20 and reward you with some good blue quality items.  For pandaren starting area, provided that everything stays the same as beta, you will get to level 11, and wear a set of white inferior items.

I am quite a sad panda.

“When you roll a panda, you start on top of a giant turtle who has a Chinese name.”

Closing Thoughts

I must admit that I am not overwhelmed with the new race’s starting area.  Maybe because I was not playing with my friends and the server lag was understandingly horrible (no complain on the latter).  The new female pandaren artwork is a bit too cute and plump to my taste.  The overall artwork though, is beautiful.  The quests are still linear, not much innovation I have seen except the one you have to stand on top of a log to dual with other NPC monks.  The entire journey, coupled with the server lag, took me 5 hours to complete.  That includes reading the quest text.  By then I have chosen which side I am on.  When this is live, I would not expect anyone to spend more than 3 to 4 hours on this starting area, which is kind of short.

The new monk class though, sounds promising.  Now, I wish we have tri-spec instead of dual-spec.

“My life is for Horde!  Hellscream took me in with open arms, not without a very scary and lengthy speech (or wall of text).  When will Blizzard give us more voice acting?”

Categories
Diary

Meet Hairy And Berry

Ain’t these fellows cute?  To the right is a Wind Rider Cub.  Cynthia and I call him or her Hairy.  We are still debating whether Hairy is a boy or girl.  And to the left is a Gryphon Hatchling whom we call Berry.  Its sex too is undetermined, for now.  For those who are curious about what they are, well, they come from the online game World of Warcraft.  Wind Riders are the flying creatures that take Horde players to destinations within the continents while Gryphon’s service is to the Alliance.  These 22cm tall real life plush toys are soft and cuddly.  I wish there is a larger version though.  When you buy the toys, you get the in-game pets too.  Check out the cubs here and the hatchling here.  It is advertised that these toys are available for a limited time only.  So hurry!

By the time you read this, Cynthia and I are holidaying in Indonesia.  It is a family visiting trip with little Internet access.  I, or rather we, have been looking forward to a break for months.  I would be spending the whole day reading by the garden, disturbing my mother-in-law, and terrorizing my brother-in-law’s kids.  As for Cynthia, catching up with her mother and brother, niece and nephew.  I can imagine I having some sort of video gaming and Internet withdrawal syndrome here in Indonesia.  I may have already read a few books by now.  I think I would miss my website the most.  And I hope that my readers understand this rather lack of update during my break.

2012 is disappearing in an accelerated rate.  So many things are happening.  Every week is flooded with news and new releases of anything and everything.  I can imagine by the time this entry is published, I may have started to compile ten-things-I-want-to-do-when-I-return-to-Singapore.  Top of the list would be to watch The Hunger Games.  I heard that is good.

So tell me, what do you think?  Are Hairy and Berry boys or girls?

Categories
Diary

A Typical Day – Reload

Couple of days ago, I wrote an entry called A Typical Day.  As I keep reading the entry, I realize that last Tuesday is not as typical as it sounds.  Is there such a thing as a typical day?  Or every day can be special?

So I want to try once more, penning down what happened this Thursday.

7am

I love you, my avid readers.  You know exactly what I am going to type here.

7am my alarm clock rings.  I spring out of my bed in my usual vigor eager to face the day!  OK, I have to admit that my body feels somewhat stiffer than yesterday.  Last night was a tiring night.  I had a call with a business champion from UK till 8.30pm.  By the time I grabbed my chicken rice dinner, by the time I grabbed a cheap can of Japanese beer from a convenience store, and by the time I gave up waiting for Cynthia who was having a business dinner, I returned home at 10pm.  I bathed, then I played Mass Effect 3.  The robots I vanquished in the game came haunting me in my dream.  Because of that, I did not have a good sleep.  In my dream, I was the prey.  My stronger than usual desire to pee in the middle of the night saved me from my nightmare.

On the Road

Now that we have our car back, we listen to music of our choice.  Or rather, my choice.  And that is, Katy Perry.

Cynthia and I seldom fight over the car stereo.  She let me have it.  It is hard to define couple compatibility.  Letting somone to have the control over song choice is one.  In return, I let her have the TV remote control.  I watch anything that she throws at me.  Dogs.  More dogs.

There is a report on newspaper today.  Jessie J was in town and apparently, she sang 15 songs and she sang them well.  I knew she would sing well in live.  I doubt she would perform more than an hour or an hour and a half with only one album in her pocket.  Perhaps when she releases more songs, I may consider forking out some money to watch her performance.

Katy Perry

You must be thinking, I am crazy over Katy Perry, can’t stop talking about her.  I have a theory.  To the female audience, a female singer having a voluptuous body is a liability.  I further speculate that to the male audience, it is the complete opposite.  No wonder Cynthia did not like Katy Perry.

But, you know me.  I value song craftsmanship and music delivery more than … ahem … physical appearance.  The One That Got Away is my favorite track.  The music sounds so happy, but the story seems so sad.  I am a hopeless romantic.  The lyrics hit me like a homing missile.  The song speaks to me.  Katy Perry speaks to me.  I am in love, with her music.

9.05am

One buddy of mine sent me a non-work related email.  COE – a certificate that allows Singapore residence to own a car for 10 years – for cars above 1,600cc has breached the S$80,000 mark!  I cannot imagine how much my car would cost today.  The news further mentions that a similar phenomenon was seen in 1994, when that piece of certificate cost S$95,000 to S$110,000.

I hit reply and joke with my buddy that mid 90’s was round about the time when I was ditched by my ex-Singaporean girlfriend.  She did not think that I could provide for a certain level of lifestyle.  Seconds later, he replies that it is funny.  I hit reply and type that back then, it was not that funny, lol.  Send!

OK, that isn’t the complete picture.  But you know how history is written by those who type out blog entries in black and white.  There you have it.

9.53am

Feedback of the business requirement definition (BRD) document written for the Financial Markets folks starts to arrive at my electronic mailbox in batches.  After more dings and dongs, I have finally get a consented picture.  I made an update, and more updates, and I hit that send button at 11.46am.

One trusted colleague of mine who is holding onto a DHL parcel filled with books sent by a publisher for my review seems to be missing.  I inquire further and find out that she is on medical leave.  I guess, not today.

Lunch

Sophie Kinsella and I have a connection.  The library has messaged me saying that my reserved copy of Kinsella’s new novel is availability for collection.  I have been jumping up and down in joy since I received the news.  This morning, I have a plan on how to conceal this library book after the collection.  You see, a guy like me carrying a chick-lit novel painted in pastels under the broad daylight is not cool.  But like all things in life, I have forgotten to bring an envelope.  So I have to proudly proclaim my deep affection to chick-lit on a public street full of people, during lunch hours.

I call Jason, my old time buddy who now works a couple of blocks away from my office building, to join me for lunch.  I have no clue what girls talk about when they meet.  But here is a laundry list of our lively conversation.

  • He talks about Sony Playstation 3.
  • I chip in on the new Mass Effect 3 video game.
  • He talks about a flying man who mounts a pair of rocket engines behind his back.
  • I talk about last week’s Formula One in detail, breaking it down into drivers, car technology, engineers, and politics.
  • He talks about GP Motor because he is a bike lover.
  • I bring the topic back to Formula One.
  • A waiter who looks like someone straight from a Japanese anime comes to our table and asks: what base [of the pizza] would you like?  My friend answers round.  I answer tomato.  That is so funny!  I can’t stop laughing.
  • My friend says he wants to change his mobile phone.
  • I say why not get an iPhone (you wouldn’t believe I said that right?!)
  • He says he wants an Android.
  • I say I am thinking of getting an iMac.
  • He screams, “You?!”  He knows how much I dislike Apple.
  • He asks if an alien race visits Earth and wants to know three must-read novels that are entertaining, what would I recommend?
  • I say the first one is easy.  The Unbearable Lightness of Being written by Milan Kundera.
  • He replies: the unbearable what?
  • I continue.  If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino.
  • He says: what?!
  • I speak slowly, mouthing each word in perfect pronunciation, with an Italian accent.
  • He asks: is that even a legit sentence?
  • Duh.  As for the third one, it has to be one of the books by Doris Lessing.  I haven’t decided on which one of hers I like the best.  By then he seems to lose interest.  So we talk about movies.
  • Over the library counter, while I collect the chick-lit, Jason asks out loud, “You read chick-lit.  Are you gay?”  He speaks slowly, mouthing each word in perfect pronunciation, with impeccable Singaporean accent.
  • Duh.

You see.  Guys don’t think of sex all the time, in contrary to what you girls think.

PS. I have to say there is this particular girl I see in the mall …

More Updates

After lunch, I return to my desk and continue updating another BRD document.  This one is content intensive.  And I do need to think pretty hard.  I have a forum to attend hosted by my boss’s boss’s boss at 5pm.  I have to work faster!

4.21pm

I hit that send button and the Word document has instantly been disintegrated into a finite, albeit long string of one’s and zero’s, flashed down through the cable at the back of my laptop, and into the false flooring.  This string of invisible wave form hits the network exchange box and is transmitted to a computer server in chucks.  Within nano seconds, chucks of my beloved document are reconstructed into its former glory, ready for the recipient to perform yet another round of review.

4.45pm

My contact in UK messages me via instant messaging, asking for clarification on BRD #1.  I really need time to prepare for the 5pm forum!

4.55pm

My contact in Singapore calls me, asking for clarification on BRD #2.  He finally gets that I have another meeting to attend.  He possibly hears me running up the stairs, in an enclosed area full of echos.  Let’s talk tomorrow, he says.  I hope that he doesn’t mistakenly think that I pick up his call inside a loo with one hand on the phone and another hand on …

Nah.  I can never do stuffs like that.

5pm

It is my first time being so up close and personal with my boss’s boss’s boss.  A forum is for a group of people to meet face-to-face and to contribute ideas.  As always, there are some who speak a lot.  There are some who are perpetually quiet.  I strike a happy medium between the two extremes.

6.05pm

After the forum, I continue my online messaging with my contact in UK.  Looks like more work needs to be done.  I have a party organized by my boss’s boss to attend.  My UK contact understands.  There is always tomorrow.

After I have shutdown my laptop, I pop by my department’s area and ask if anyone need a ride for the party.  We gossip on who our next matchmaking target would be.  And etc.  We giggle.  It is girls’ talk, plus one man – a man who enjoys reading chick-lit.

7.15pm

The drive to Riverside Point is brutal.  There are at least two road accidents along the highways.  I often eat first, before any party, or media event, even though food is served at the venue.  I choose Subway, because I know exactly what to order and what to expect.  At the queue, in front of me is an old Western man.  He drops his walking stick while ordering his sandwich.  I hesitate, wanting to see how flexible his body is when he picks it back up.  Well, one day I will arrive at that age.  And I want to know what I will be able to do.

Of course I don’t have the heart to see that.  So I quickly – after a few nanoseconds of hesitation that really doesn’t count – pick up the walking stick and hand it over to him.  He seems delighted.

7.50pm-ish

I am late!  The party is already in full swing.  Drink and food is served.  People are having a great time.  It is good to catch up with some colleagues and external business contacts.  Some are local.  Some fly in from overseas.  Is it work?  Sure it is.  While I am at it, why not have fun out from it?

I have one pint of fruit beer that looks like watermelon juice.  And several pints of ice water thereafter.  Someone has ordered ultra spicy buffalo wings.  The watermelon juice has painted my face pink.  These wings turn my face red, bright red.  I forbidden anyone to take a photo of me.  I do not need a Facebook disaster to haunt me for the rest of my life.

During the party, I have overheard a story.  A funny story.  A story with a morale.

In one village, there was a sage who had a problem.  He wore a loincloth, the only piece of garment he wore round his waist.  Every time he hang his cleaned loincloth for drying, a rat came by and bite a hole onto it.  What should he do?  He consulted his friend and his friend told him to get a cat.  Because cats chase away rats.

So the sage bought a cat.  But the cat did not chase after the rat.  It kept running away from home.  The sage returned to his friend and asked, “What should I do now?”  His friend answered, “You have to feed your cat with milk!”

Because the sage was a busy man, more often than not, he forgot to buy milk home.  The cat was not fed and the rat was still there chewing onto his loincloth.  The sage visited his friend again for advise.  His friend then proposed, “Why not get a cow?  You can milk your cow to feed your cat.  Problem solved!”

The sage listened to his friend and bought a cow.  Then he realized that it took time to milk a cow and the task was tedious.  He just did not have the time!  Now that his problem escalated, he approached his friend again.  His friend gave it a thought and said, “How about hiring a helper to help with your domestic work?  She can milk the cow and you can carry on with your work.”

When the village learned that the sage was living with a young maiden, there was an uproar.  How could a wise sage stay with a young maiden under the same roof?  That was preposterous!  Now that the sage ended up with a bigger problem, all because of a piece of loincloth, he turned to his friend in desperation and asked, “Tell me.  What shall I do now?”

“Marry her”.

10.10pm-ish

The party is great.  But I am getting sleepy.  My boss seems a bit tipsy.  So I offer to send him home.  My another colleague asks if I could drop her off to a train station near my home.  I offer to send her home instead.  I mean, it is getting late.  I don’t have the heart to drop a lady in the open dark.  Who knows what sort of monsters spawn out when the clock strikes twelve.

I drive to the east, and then to the west.  By the time I reach my home in the north, I have clocked in a total mileage of 150km for the day.

11.30pm

Cynthia greets me at the door.  After a long day at work, seeing her renews me.  I am happy.  All my tiredness melts away.  That is a magical moment.  Cynthia is magical, even though she looks half asleep.  Time for a hot shower!

Midnight

Time now is twelve and I am stuck with a movie review deadline.  I keep hitting the wrong buttons, typing in the wrong words.  I must persist.  There is a deadline to meet!

1.07am

I hit that publish button.  The review for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is live!  Mass Effect will have to wait.  I submit my entry via electronic mail.  Now, I need my bed, bad.

Categories
Comedy Movie Reviews Romance

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen – Good Humor, With An Enlightening Spirit Within

I overheard in the radio one evening that Emily Blunt has rejected quite a few movie proposals lately including Captain America.  Yet she has decided to take on Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.  Emily is a great actress.  So I was curious.  Why salmon fishing?  When omy.sg offers two movie preview choices, subconsciously I picked this one.  I am happy that I did.

This movie begins with an unusual business proposal to set up salmon fishing in Yemen.  At the same time, there are some conflicts happening in the Middle East and the UK government is desperately looking for some good news to orchestrate.  When an government official played by Kristin Thomas catches wind of this rather bizarre business idea, she immediately lends her support on this matter.  It is funny that she cares not about the salmon, but the potential political gain.  Emily Blunt plays an investment consultant while Ewan McGregor plays a subject matter expert in fishing.  It is Harriet Chatwode-Talbot versus Dr. Jones.  I chuckled at the pronunciation of the names spoken so many times with a British accent throughout the movie.  The interaction between Emily and Ewan is light and playful.  Kristin as a supporting role is quite honestly a gem to this casting.  Such good actors, they are.  I smiled and chuckled.  The story does get a bit more serious towards the end.  All in all, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is full of humor and original ideas.  Great acting, with a witty script.  If British romance comedy is your cup of tea, this film is not to be missed.

On a more serious note, for those who are not familiar with the world map, Yemen is somewhere in the Middle East.  To create a fishing area in a desert area seems absurd.  Comparing fishing to religion also seems absurd (among many other things in the movie).  But with an open heart though, both activities require patience and faith, and a hope that something good may happen.  To think deeper, the storyteller tries to tell us that love comes from hope which requires patience and faith.  This movie transforms the simple act of fishing into something bigger, embracing lovers and a community alike.

If not for my blogger friend JoV, I would not have known that Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is originally written as a novel.  Do drop by her website and check out her book review.  She highly recommends the book.  I have this belief that when the story is good, the movie is often good too.  I have not read the book so I do not know how well this book is being adapted.  In the movie, the shifting in the relationship dynamic seems a bit abrupt to me.  I may need JoV to verify for me.  I suspect it is because the movie may not have the luxury of time in the development of a love story.  Other than that, the rest of the movie flows nicely, from beginning to end.

Categories
Diary

A Typical Day

This morning, some time between seven to eight, I had this wonderful idea.  Why not write a blog entry on what I do today?  I mean, I have been encouraging people to start blogging, or at least keep a personal diary.  The common response would be, “My life is boring and there is nothing interesting to write”.  To that, I would reply, “It is all about perspective, yes?”

Little did I know that my ‘typical’ day is not that typical at all!

7am

Every working morning, my alarm clock rings at seven.  I jump out of my bed in my usual vigor and ready to face the day, which is going to be great.  I am in great spirit with a big smile on my face.  What a great night I had with my buddy Melvin.  We nailed those 11 waves of robotic and organic enemies in our Mass Effect co-op mission.  Not once, but twice.  33% of online matches end up a failure, according to the global statistics.  Winning twice in a roll has a success rate of 45%.  Yes, we nailed it.  I am so looking forward to nailing it again, with my buddy.  Maybe tonight.

Stretching exercise is good.  I do that almost every morning right after I brush my teeth.  My body has been stiff since the day I have come to know my body.  Every morning, I hope to touch the ground with my long stretched fingers as I bend over.  Every morning, my hope is dashed a little bit.  Never mind.  There is always tomorrow to try again.

Showering is the best time for reflection.  Yesterday, I have spent a lot of time – like 10 millions others I would imagine – going through the media kit Blizzard has released for their upcoming World of Warcraft expansion Mists of Pandaria.  I have tons of questions.  After my shower, I head to my computer, log into the game’s forum, and post my questions.  Seconds later, there are responses.  And more responses from the community at the ticking of the clock.  Despite all these responses, I am still confused.

Ironing too is the best time for reflection.  Yesterday, I have attended a media invite to watch Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. There is a deadline for the movie review submission.  What shall I write?  It is a great movie.  I love it.  Before I can type out the review in my head, my shirt is ironed.  Time to have my breakfast!

Breakfast is prepared by Cynthia during weekdays, always.  Over breakfast, I ponder upon the new reputation system in Mass Effect 3.  I have tons of questions.  I open up my browser, log into the game’s forum, and post my questions.  Minutes later, there are responses.  Useful responses.  I love the BioWare community.  They seem to be more mature than the Blizzard community.  I wonder why.

Washing dishes is not the best time for reflection.  I wash the dishes as fast as I can.  Cynthia and I sing Go West on our way out.  It is time to go to work.  Hooray!

8.37am

Every working morning, I drive 17km to drop Cynthia in town, and then drive 17km to my office in the east.  Today, we are still driving the rental car, which is old and smelly, dusty inside and a big splash of monkey shit at the bonnet outside.  We miss our car, which is still in the workshop, after that stupid accident.

We seldom listen to radio in the morning.  We listen to our music instead.  This rental car with a daily rate of S$90+ does not give us many choices.  So we listen to the Married Man on radio, like we have for the past one week.  Sometimes, the program can be really funny.  Most of the time though, it is a blah.

This morning, the DJs talk about Facebook.  Should employers investigate potential employees’ background via the social networks?  Personally, I wouldn’t check out my colleagues’ social network pages.  My time is precious.  I would rather spend time reading something interesting.  Besides, what you do outside the professional world is not my business.  For one, I do not want to unread what I may have read, including those weird photos.  You are my colleague and I only want to know you as my colleague.

At 8.37, one of the DJs announced, “Time now is eight seventy-three”.  The DJs break into laughter.  We break into laughter.  Sadly, that is the funnest thing we have listened to from the radio this morning.

The car workshop calls.  My car is ready for collection.  Hooray!  I will collect the car at day end, I say to Calvin.

Early Morning

Finally arrived at work, I head to my usual bench area.  The window seat is taken so I take the aisle seat instead.  I am not a fan of the middle seat.  Lucky for me, it is relatively early and there are still options.

Every morning when I arrive at my office, the first thing I do is to pee.  It has been a long drive.  The second thing I do is to fill up a bottle full of water.  The third thing I do is to go through my electronic mailbox.  There are follow-ups, and more follow-ups.  One of my business-as-usual activities is to analyze the change requests.  Truth be told, there are so many other things to do so much so that analyzing the change requests often get bumped to a lower priority.

There is an escalation, on some requests being stuck in the pipe for far too long.  My fault!

Oh great.  Time to write more email replies and to detonate the situation.

11am

It is time to meet our negotiator!  I am excited.  After months and months of organizing workshops and studying the feasibility of a product, it is time to let money does the talking.  The negotiator and I work in the same office.  I see her often and she sees me often.  It is the first time we are introduced.  I quickly get her up to speed on what we are doing and where we are.  Here are the ammunition.  Go shoot something.  I do not actually say that, of course.  But I make it sounds as though she is our savior, and our last hope.  It is true.  We hit a wall.  The price is too high.  It is time to send in our professional negotiator and lawyers and get the job done.

One way or another.

12pm

I go back to my laptop and, you guess right.  I check my electronic mailbox.  Out of nowhere, there is an urgent email sent by my boss: There is a workshop at the vendor venue this week, see if you can attend.  Lovely.  This tosses my schedule off the window, crashed by the landing planes.

All of a sudden, there is an incoming instant message from my colleague who sits very near to my boss’s boss: Are you going for the workshop?  Sure, I say.  It is time to call the car workshop and arrange for an early release.

After Noon

I don’t have a super long lunch break.  The workshop is 35km away from my office.  Time for high fuel burning driving mode!

I arrive at the workshop faster than I thought.  Calvin greets me warmly, with the invoice.  I pay the S$500 insurance excess.  I pay the S$700+ car rental fees.  The total repair costs more than S$3,000.  Out of the total bill, S$1,000 is for the spraying work.  My car now has a shiny backside, I joke with Calvin.  It is true.  View from the back, you would have thought that I have bought a new car.  I wonder when I will receive the reimbursement from the one who hits my car.

On the Way Back to Office

I am hungry.  I am tired.  And I am sleepy.  The only thing that propel me forward, on this never ending highway, is the vision of a large gourmet sandwich dangling right in front of me.  Katy Perry’s latest song plays on the radio.  My vision of a large gourmet sandwich has instantly been replaced by a totally different vision.  Oh man.  Katy Perry.

By the time I am near to my office, I change my mind.  Why not have my quick lunch at the airport instead?

At the Airport

Lasagna talks to me.  I can’t recall when I last ate a lasagna.  So I have a combo meal that comes with warm garlic bread and a can of Coke Light.  After my quick lunch and as I am heading to my car, horror strikes.  Where is my car key?

I dash back to the restaurant.  Combed through the entire counter and the black colored floor, together with the help of the restaurant’s manager and staffs.  My car key is nowhere to be found.  Panic!  I leave my number to one of the staffs, and trace my way back to the car.

Nope.  I pray very hard, and still, I see no car key.  I body search myself very hard, and I find my key at my back pocket.  Oh gosh!  Since when I put my car key … there?!  Morale of the story #1: accident often occurs when you do something unusual.  Morale of the story #2:  what you are searching may have been right there with you all along.  Morale of the story #3: do not underestimate the power of prayers.  For all you know, God may have retrieve the key and put it into my pocket.

I would not have known.

2.02pm

Due to the little episode at the airport, I am late for a 2pm meeting.  For two minutes.  No one seems to notice.

It is the first time the new business analyst team gets together, and introduce among ourselves.  When asked what my favorite animal is, I blur out pandas.  I blame the World of Warcraft media kit I read yesterday.  Year 2012 will be a year of pandas.

Again, I am tasked to look into the project’s overall quality and standard.  That is fine.  I like discipline and I love templates and processes.  I am as rigid at work as my stiff body at home.  Halfway through our meeting, the fire alarm goes off.  A false alarm it turns out to be.  Typical.

3.15pm

I rush back to my desk  and clear some of my work.  Because I need to rush to the workshop in town at 4.30pm.  Another colleague asks if I can share my business continuity plan with her so that she can copy the contact information into her fire drill document.  Sure.  I love to help, always.

My boss’s boss emails me asking if I can review a document crafted by one of the global heads.  Sure.  I love my job, always.

And my work plan for the rest of the week can be flushed into the drain, for good.

3.45pm

The drive from my season car park in Changi to my season car park in town takes less than half an hour.  The workshop is two train station away from where I park.  So I walk to the station and take a train from Bras Basah to Promenade.  Suntech City is right next to the new Promenade station.  OK, it is not really that new a station.  But it is my first time emerging from Promenade.  I am delighted, very delighted.

4.15pm

When I enter the large meeting room on 18th floor, our team and the vendor’s team are locked into a focused discussion.  It is so focused that out of twenty people, only one notices my arrival.  I am specialized in being invisibility.  This ability has its merit in helping me to survive in a corporate world.  For instance, the bosses may one day gather around the table, or at the pub, and they may ask among themselves: Who shall we fire next?  Invisible man does not usually get fired.  Because no one sees him.

5pm

During the break, I am finally spotted.  Some are shocked, “When did you come in?”  I reply, “I materialized into this meeting room, that’s why!”

I think I shall stop playing video games.

This meeting is utterly strategic, talking about upcoming new features, areas we could potentially benefit from the overlooked features, and the road map ahead.

6pm

The meeting does not end on schedule!  The host announces that 6.30pm is the new target.  Somehow, I know that she is not going to keep her words.

6.30pm

This meeting sees no end, as I have predicted.  You should know by now that the reason why I am so good in anticipation is because I can see the future.  I am Twilight’s Alice and Invisible Man combined.

6.40pm

Zzzz.  I am getting hungry.  My Spanish class is starting in 20 minutes’ time!  Hurry please!

7.02pm

Finally, this meeting has ended.  I have no idea how the American on the call can stay awake till 4am in the morning.  I would have fallen asleep.  Time to take a train back to Spanish school, which is two stations away.

7.30pm

There is no point in rushing to class.  I am super late, anyway.  So I take my time and have a bowl of fish soup served with rice at a hawker center nearby.  The food is not memorable, like most of the food in Singapore.  It fills my stomach.  That is its sole purpose.

7.55pm

Knowing that the era of my Spanish learning journey may come to an end, I put in extra effort during today’s class.  Learning Spanish is getting harder and harder.  I feel as though I need the time to digest and to experience the language.  Not in a classroom setting, but rather through reading and listening.  Today, we have so much fun practicing to articulate what we are afraid of.  To be honest, the only thing in life that freaks me out most as of now is Spanish oral examination.  The class laughs when I say this out loud.

9.02pm

The class gets stretched a little bit.  My mind is somewhere else when we get down to the last set of exercise.

We have an assignment.  In this assignment, we are the the scriptwriters.  We have to make a video in order to present a set of images that are completed with Spanish narration.  Cynthia and I share the same assignment – a movie titled Singing Under the Sun.  This is going to be fun, I think.

By the time I reach home, I have clocked 150km of driving distance today.

10pm

After a nice shower, time to start writing a blog entry titled A Typical Day.  I target to complete this entry by 11pm so that I have one hour to play Mass Effect 3.  Commander Shepard awaits.

11.30pm

Cynthia has retired to the bedroom and I am still stuck in front of the computer writing this entry.  I am a sad panda.  I am wondering: Am I a slow writer?

12.22am

Time to push that publish button.  I have read and edit this entry a couple of times.  I will spend more time tomorrow morning to do more editing.

My beloved bed here I come!

Categories
For the Geeks

Mass Effect 3: First 40 Hours, What A Blast

Books and movies tell us stories of heroes whom we may or may not be able to relate.  Video gamers are at the frontier of active entertainment.  When you play an epic game like Mass Effect, you write your story.  You make your decisions and live with the consequences.  No longer are you sitting back at your sofa or bed reading or watching a story unfolds.  You are the story.  It is your world that is in jeopardy and it is your galaxy that you are going to save.  You lay waste to the enemies at the battlefield.  You engage in a romantic relationship in the mist of this galactic warfare, making friends and enemies along the way, and making difficult decisions whereby morality is not as black and white as you would hope.  You are Commander Shepard.  You can be male or female, straight or not.  You can make your Shepard looks completely different from the Shepard your neighbor is playing.  It is a franchise not to be missed.  So, game on!

Single Player Mode

“Make no mistake.  This is girl power!” – A screenshot taken from within the game.

If my memory serves me right, the first installment was released five years ago.  Then we have the second installment released in year 2010.  For many fans, this space-role-playing-game-slash-first-person-shooter franchise has been a long affair.  Decisions made in Mass Effect are carried forward to Mass Effect 2.  And now, Mass Effect 3.

Are you new to this franchise?  Here is what you are going to do.  Start with Mass Effect 3.  Preferable get the Digital Collector’s Edition (From Ashes DLC is a must).  You get to experience the climatic ending of a trilogy.  Since you have not played the previous games, the background story has been defaulted for you.  There is enough in-game codex for you to catch up on the lore and technology.  Once you are done with the first play through, go back to the original Mass Effect.  Finish it and import the saved game into Mass Effect 2.  Make sure you buy the Arrival DLC (downloadable content).  I regret missing that important story link.  Then play Mass Effect 3.  The experience will be more holistic.  But that will certainly take a longer time.

Besides the benefit of carrying through your stories across the installments, when you import your first game into the second, you get a little boost to your character’s level and resources.  And when you import your second into the third, you get a massive level jump of 30.  That is pretty neat and rewarding.

“OK, I see a Reaper.  I ain’t gonna down that thing, am I?”

The original Mass Effect has its charm.  I in particularly like how immerse the game is.  In order to explore a foreign planet, you land onto one with a vehicle.  Some terrains are so irregular that navigating would be a pain if you fail to observe the best possible path.  You get out of a vehicle to interact with the environment.  You could talk to your teammates during any mission.  Back then, the technology was so advanced that no ammunition was required.  You could shoot as long as your weapon did not overheat.  There was inventory management.  You got to modify your weapons, assign weapons to your teammates.  It was a role playing game in space, with a bit of shooting.  The ending moves me to tears, every time I experience it.

“Check out the field of depth in Mass Effect 3.  This game is an art.”

Mass Effect 2 has turned into a first person shooter first, role playing second.  I like the original Mass Effect a lot, and felt somewhat betrayed.  Ammunition (or rather thermal clips) – the hallmark of a shooter game – was and still is a must.  God knows why enemies left behind ammunition all over the floor for you to pick up and shoot them with.  At the end of each mission, there is a scoreboard to tell you how well you performed.  Loading screens replaced elevator rides that were used to be an opportunity for news announcement.  You could not talk to your teammates during missions.  Planet exploration has turned into scanning through the terrain thousands feet above ground.  All these shooter friendly mechanics killed the immersion, just a little bit.  The ending did not move me.  I played once, and stopped.  Mass Effect 2 is still good.  The story in between is compelling.  The computer graph is beautiful.

“Space traveling is like previous installments.  Scanning planets though has an overhaul.”

Mass Effect 3 so far seems to be a happy medium of the two previous installments.  From the role playing view point, there are enough side missions to keep me happy.  The dialog is lively.  I cannot help but chuckle at some private jokes (like Conrad on thermal clips).  Each dialog has at least two types of responses: paragon or renegade.  You can be a ruthless Shepard.  Or a nicer Shepard.  There are big decisions to be made.  What I like about this installment is that prior to that decision, you get to see things in different perspectives.  At times, that turns the decision making process even harder than it already is.  Characters who survive the last two episodes according to your actions and decisions make a return to Mass Effect 3.  Romance can be rekindled.  All those people you have saved in the past?  They are going to lend a helping hand either directly or indirectly.  One noteworthy improvement on this third installment is that characters move around quite a fair bit in and out of the ship.  Most of them are no longer stationary at the same location waiting for you to have a conversation.  Some may even have a conversation between themselves.

“Centered to the galactic survival is the War Assets.  Commander Shepard must travel all over the Milky Way to rally support.”

In Mass Effect 3, everything you do – be it as main or side missions – contribute to the chance of success ‘when the time comes’.  The story begins with Earth being under attack by the Reaper – a mechanical race that purges organic life forms in cycles.  In fact, the entire galaxy is under siege.  As Commander Shepard, you must leave Earth and rally the support from all alien races, friends and foes, to save Earth.  Given the political complexity of the different races, it can be a tedious and dedicate matter.  Those numbers add up.  Every trooper you add into the War Assets matters.  Even the most insignificant mission seems significant when looking at the overall picture.

“Overlay on top of the War Assets is Galactic Readiness.  If co-op mission is not your cup of tea, 50% of readiness is all you get.  But fear not, according to BioWare, you can still have a good ending if you complete enough missions in the single player game.”

By default, on the single player mode, galactic readiness is set at 50%.  You may be able to gather 10,000 strength.  But effectively, you get half of it.  To boost it, you have to play co-op missions.  Fortunately, even as someone who hates co-op first person shooter mode, I love Mass Effect 3 multiplayer mode.  Before I get there, let’s talk about the combat.

I am not a fan of first person shooter.  So I struggled a great deal with Mass Effect 2.  In Mass Effect 3, it is even harder.  I have to take cover, jump over obstacles, dodge, and sprint.  On top of that, I have to aim and shoot and use my bionic power.  Some may disagree.  But I find the control a bit clunky.  My character somehow does not do what I want all the time.  I get stuck in cover, wanting to run through door only to find myself going in cover, and etc.  But I live.  I learn to cope with the mechanic and enjoy the game.

“Weapons now come with a level.  And you can modify them as well.”

Another reason why I feel that this installment is a good middle ground between the previous two is that weapons now come with a level, and means to modify them as well.  I sense a better incremental progression without the headache of inventory management.  Because the total number of weapons you carry adds onto your weight.  That inversely affects the recharge time of the bionic power.  Hence, there is a trade off on what to bring to the battlefield.  This varies between different classes of course.

Multiplayer Mode

Not in a million years would I imagine myself liking the multiplayer aspect of the game.  I am not a competitive first person shooter.  And I don’t like shooting other people.  In Mass Effect 3, multiplayer is a co-op mission.  Four players go against the enemies in 11 waves that last around 20 minutes.  It is fast pace, action filled, and quite honestly, doable.  Even for a novice like I am.  I have so much fun that lately, I spend more time playing co-op mission than the single player mission.

“In co-op mode, you don’t get to play as Shepard (thank God, imagine the otherwise).  You are one of the foot soldiers who answer to Shepard’s call and stand against the enemies.”

Co-op missions are rewarding.  There are three ratings – gold, silver, and bronze – according to difficulty level.  If your team succeed, you receive a heap of experience points and credits.  Credits can be used to purchase rewards that may include one time use items, better weapons, and unlocked characters.  Receiving the same weapon increases the weapon’s level.  Receiving the same race, sex, and class combo gives you experience bonus.  You can take control of multiple characters of different classes.  Once one of the characters reach the level cap of 20, you may promote him or her to the single player story and add that into War Assets.  This action increases your leader board rating as well.  More importantly, each co-op mission you complete ups the galactic readiness.  From my experience, it does not take long to get that index from 50% to 100%.

“There are four types of packs that cost a certain amount of credits, or even real money.  You may gamble for an expensive pack for a better chance of getting some good rewards.  Or you could go for the cheap Recruit Pack to quickly level your weapons and mods.”

In Summary

Initially, I wanted to continue my First Eight Hours series with Mass Effect 3.  That is proven to be impossible.  I spent the first eight hours admiring the in-game artwork, talking to other in-game characters, and refreshing my knowledge of the lore with in-game codex.  Completing missions now require you to pay good attention to the dialog.  Combat mechanic has also become more complex.  Even the planet scanning mini-game requires me to run like hell when my ship is spotted by the Reapers.  All in all, Mass Effect 3 is, to me, the hardest of the three installments.  But once I get over the initial learning curve, I am cruising and enjoying the journey.  I like both the single and co-op aspects.  I do not know when I will finish this game.  When I do, I will certainly discuss the ending here.  No spoiler on the comment section please!

“The female version of my Commander Shepard looks like this.  What about yours? How does he or she look like?”