3 Games, No Exams and A Yearbook For Good Measure

My exams finished a bit under a week ago, but I've been a bit occupied, so I haven't been able to blog(until now).

In order of importance, here are the sins that occupied my time:
1)Jade Empire
2)Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2
3)Mass Effect - leading to PC problems somehow T_T
4)Sisyphean tasks

I might as well start explaining the items on this list, so lets go.

First and foremost, the Jade Empire I refer to is an RPG by Bioware. It's an epic RPG with an Asian mythological framework. In other words, it's Knights of the Old Republic + Buddha + Bruce Lee. I love the gameplay, it's pretty good. For those of you who are wondering, it's like maybe 3 or 4 years old (I'm not 100% sure). The story is a bit cliche though...but that doesn't make it any less fun to beat up some ghosts or Imperial soldiers. I recently beat the game following the Way of the Open Palm(simply put: what would be called the Light side in KOTOR).

I now want to replay it as a follower of the Closed Fist style(you guessed it, the Dark Side). The game dresses it up saying that Open Palm isn't necessarily good, while Closed Fist isn't necessarily evil, but I never really bothered myself with the technicalities.

Bioware, despite having this little problem with avoiding RPG cliches, are really masterful storytellers. I was impressed by KOTOR, and I'm impressed by Jade Empire. I'd give it a 9 out of 10.

You guys should totally check it out. Here's a gameplay video:



I know I'm a bit late in getting around to playing Modern Warfare 2, alright? Geez...pushy bastards. In my opinion, the game deserves the amount of hype it has been getting. However, while the multiplayer is quite fun, the single player story is pretty neat. If Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy got together to make a game, this would totally be it. It has quite a few adrenaline-filled, fast paced moments just like what you'd expect to see in the hottest military action movies; from escaping Russians in a snowmobile to chasing down arms dealers in Brazilian slums to sex scenes, there's something in it for everyone. Well, everything apart from the last thing on that list. :P



Now, we move on to Mass Effect, the third item on our list. Before I start, I'm going to say, I never finished it. In fact, I don't think I did 10% of the game. Why?

F**king HAX!!

Well no, not really. But it was buggy and my PC is a bit crappy; it crashed quite a few times while I was trying to play the game...so I'll probably put off playing it to sometime in the not-so-distant future. Still, from what I saw so far, I liked it. The film grain effect was slightly annoying (don't worry, you can turn it off, and you'll probably get used to it anyway). However, I kept it on, and was richly rewarded during cutscenes (such as conversations with NPCs and the like). It REALLY adds an element of realism to the looks of the characters. Well, the human characters anyway. Turians look a bit unnerving to me, film grain or not.

Somehow my PC got screwed up when I was playing Mass Effect. It blue screened and reset a couple times. Long story short, System Restore FTW!! Thankfully, I'd done a restore point on like the 4th of June (not to my knowledge...the system restore fairy was really looking out for me on that one), so I didn't really lose much (apart from my dignity...this is the first time I've EVER had to use system restore since it came as a feature -_-).

Now, I've saved the painful part for last. I am now finished with Community College. It will be official when I actually finish the graduation ceremony, which will be held on the 27th of June. Oh, no...wait, that wasn't the painful part...that should have been at the top heheheh.



We're not getting a yearbook. Why? I dunno. I don't know of any other years that got one though. I have decided to change that. I've started to round up a bunch of friends to make a yearbook. I can't believe that a school would just let us go like that (despite the fact we're only too glad to leave) without a yearbook. It's just so...gauche. Anyway, I've decided to step in and fix their gaffe. I'm not as insouciant about these things as I may look.

With luck, it should be done by the week after the graduation ceremony. To keep costs down, we intend to distribute it digitally. I'll let you guys know how that pans out. So far, I have some awesome people willing to help. Here's to hoping.

Risen from the Dead,
Lord Robinson

P.S. For those of you who don't know what a Sisyphean task is
go wild.

Staying Alive

That song, apart from being awesome, serves two other purposes. First and foremost, it represents what people in the eastern part of the island are probably trying to do right now, in the midst of all the unrest being caused by the attempted arrest of Dudus. (For those of you who don't know, google Christopher Dudus Coke and Jamaica). Secondly, it represents what I need to do next week, when the bulk of my exams descend upon me. From Tuesday to Friday, I have exams. All long papers. That's Biology, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, all on sequential days. No time to swat during the week. I'm not too worried though.

Thankfully I haven't (entirely) wasted the two weeks I got before these exams. I really feel like I have a lot more Biology in my head at this point in my life than I ever will, including after graduation from medical school. T_T

Bring on the summer!! Now I've gotta go on MSN and have a quick study session with some friends (seriously, studying on instant messenger actually works).

TTFN,
Gavin.

Dubstep and T-2 Weeks To Exams

As of late, I've started listening to a lot of Dubstep. It's really awesome stuff.






I really love the warbled basslines most of them have.



Dr. Philth has really earned a place in my heart. Well two really. One for awesome music, the other for the most awesome name EVER!! Now I finally have real motivation to mess around with that copy of Fruity Loops Studio I have lying around on my computer. With a bit of effort (and the grace of God) I can probably make something that sounds as filthy as these slime monsters (yeah, that was a lame one...bear with me, I'm new at this).

I finally got my exam timetable. I have my Caribbean Studies exam in two weeks (plus my SAT subject tests next week Saturday). Should be manageable. I don't intend to touch a Caribbean Studies book, much less look in its general direction. I also intend to get a distinction doing that too. Don't follow me. I'm what you call an idler, or to be more politically correct, a wasteman.

So while I'm here, making beats on the eve of probably the most important exams of my life, remember what your good friend Gavin Robinson told you. Don't be like him.

Later folks,
Gavin.

A Compendium of Whats New Since I Last Updated

Yes, its another one of your favourite types of post to read, my beloved Happy Desolation readers. It is my greatest pleasure to present to you, the billionth "Here's Whats New Since I Last Updated This Blog" post.

To celebrate this special event, I have decided to do something new. This something new, is actually a compendium of everything interesting that has happened since I last blogged. Without further ado, I present it:



Yes, nothing has happened. Oh wait, apart from the following:

1) The pace of school has sped up. I have end of term exams starting next week Tuesday.

2) I'm hot. I'm losing weight. Still a bit puffy and fluffy though, but the chicks like it that way, don'tcha? (Screams of "NOOOO!!!" lol)

3) Directly related to number 2, I've started Pai Lum Tao Kung Fu classes. Yes, Yours Truly is a Kung Fu ckhead.

4) I've learned a lot of Japanese since I last updated, but my rate of learning has slowed down, thanks to this millstone around my neck called school.

Christmas is coming soon. That means Christmas PARTIES!!! Heheheheheh...(would any one of my DEAREST FRIENDS reading this, be so kind as to hook me up with some free passes...thanks...you guys are the best!!! lololol)

I really forgot about Happy Desolation for a little (not forgot as in forgot that I had it, but forgot more as in NEGLECTED it). I really, really do want to be more regular with my blogging in the future. If things work out as they should, I should be actually.

Well yeah kids, that's about it really. Have fun till next time.

Peace,
Lord Robinson.

Life and Breadboards

Well, its Friday night as I type this. This is my second week back at school. It feels different somehow. I'm in my second and final year. I guess I'm supposed to feel older and wiser. I'm feeling none of the above. I've completed a week's worth of labs more or less. I suppose I'm getting more experienced with them, since I hardly had any issues really. Well, apart from with my Physics labs, where I'm having hell with the breadboards.

Then again, it's REALLY fun watching my group members getting shocked by raw wires and burned by overheated resistors while I just sit there smirking...but I digress, I'm a prick like that.

On a more personal front, I haven't quite lost much weight, yet I'm convinced that my attractiveness has skyrocketed. Seriously. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a second year dude now, and that does wonders for my reputation. Maybe its that nice, shiny "Honour Roll" pin that I got on my first day back. Or maybe it's because I managed to drill into my head over the summer that I'm God's gift to women.

I'm going with the last one. I've been trying to internalize that mindset for quite some time now, but I think I just woke up one morning and I had that attitude. It's awesome really. I suppose it's what everyone calls "swagger". I call it "me".

Yeah, moving on. I'm here, doing what I'm famous for. Obsessively reading...this time, about breadboards, so when we proceed with the experiment next week, I'll be an expert (as always). I'm pretty excited to be working with electronics this year. Honestly.

By the way, the whole neurosurgeon dream, while I'm not going to say it has been thrown out of the window, it has been derailed. I'm going to be going for a PhD in Computer Science. All of my friends who I've told this have been like "DUHH!!! Did you FINALLY hit your head and knock some sense into yourself? That was how it should have been in the beginning!!!"

Thank God I have middle fingers on both hands.

Anyway, yeah, this is just to let the people who follow my blog know that I'm still alive. I guess I'll be back next week with some wacky, witty and original.

Till Then,
Gavin.

The Coolest Thing Evar!!

Well, CAPE exams have started. Communication Studies went pretty well.Thanks for asking :).

I have Chemistry tomorrow and Physics the day after that. Am I ready?

Yes,I think I am.

In my downtime from studying, I've been scouring blogs. I came found this cool story blog,
The Thousand Chapters of The Writer.

"But sure," you say, "blogs with stories are nothing new. Plus, there are only 2 chapters there so far."

Well yeah, thats true. But the authors are planning ONE THOUSAND chapters. Its worth following even if its just to see how they reach the 1000th chapter. Not counting that, the writing is also pretty snappy. I like it.

Anyway, I can't wait for summer to come. Freedom. And I'll finally get to snag eight hours of sleep. This post may seem rushed, but blah, I am in a hurry.

Oh yeah, did I say I beat Dead Space? The last boss fight is cool, although a bit anti-climactic. I think I'll go through it again to play with my bonuses. I also beat Devil May Cry 4. Maybe I'll go get Devil May Cry 3 now...if my PC can handle it.

Peace Out People,
Gavin

Dead Space!!!!

Dead Space is awesome. Its scary, but not too scary. The suit looks cool, the weapons are pretty creative and I love the zero gravity sections!!! Buy, borrow or steal. Preferably the first or second one.




CAPE exams finally start week after next. My first examination is Communication Studies. Since the school year is technically over(that is, you won't find me anywhere around the school campus until next September), I decided to make a list of some interesting quotes from my friends.

So here goes:

Number 1:

Me: "Hey, Clive, have you seen Smithy lately?"
Clive: "Yeah, mi did see him pon Saturday inna mi neighbourhood."
Me: "Oh ok....wait....inna yu neighbour WHAT?"

Cultural Note: "Hood" is a slang term for penis in Jamaica for all of you that don't know....ignoramuses. :)

Number 2:

Teacher: "So what's the answer to the question class?"
Vivek: "-2/(x+3)^2"
Teacher: "No Vivek, sorry."
Michael: "Dunce fuck!!!"
Teacher: "Whats the answer Michael?"
Michael: "15(x+3)^4"
Teacher: "You're almost right, but you forgot a term."
Vivek: "Yeah...dunce fuck!!!"

Number 3:

My friend Orlan walks by a bunch of girls the day after the incident at the airport with the hijacking happens (click here for more background info). As all the people who know him can tell you, Orlan is obviously partially of terrorist descent [hehehehe :) ].

Girl: "Its the hijacker. He escaped!! Run and call the police!!!"


Trust me, there are a lot more, maybe I'll edit this post later and add more. I'm updating this from the school library computer. When I reach home, I'll probably make the additions.

Peace and Love,
Gavin

Woohoo!!! Level 60!!!

No, I haven't actually wasted that many hours of my life on a certain RPG. Rather, this is my 60th post on Happy Desolation. As you can see, I decided to celebrate with a new blog layout(Shit, do I know how to party or what?). Anyway yeah, its back to school for me.

School is not treating me very well at the moment. Nor am I treating it very well. As such, I propose to hack the school's network.

Ok, fine...maybe thats a bit too extreme. Still doesn't make it any less fun though. lol. What I really want though, is for June to come. By June, this damn school should be just a distant memory in the haze of cigarette smoke, liquor, loose women and computer parts. Oh well.

CAPE Unit 1 (thats the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exams) is coming up within like 2 months, so just like during CXC time, I won't be blogging as much. There might also be a surprise coming up for all you loyal readers.

Write to you guys later!!

OMG!!! Really?

I don't believe it.

It turns out people actually DO read Happy Desolation. Wow. I feel umm, accomplished.

Anyway, I passed all my unit tests, but didn't really excel(except for Maths and Comm Studies). Oh well.

My exams started this week. So far, they have been GREAT!!! I feel great after leaving them because I know I've done well. I have Chemistry, Physics and Math next week. Guess which one I'm worrying about? Thats right, Chemistry.

I haven't sat down to program anything for a while. I'm going to do some stuff over Christmas so I don't get rusty. But, thats after I finish my Communication Studies Internal Assessment, Biology Meiosis models and some other thing I can't remember at the moment.

I'm just taking the night off since I'll have the weekend to study.

Thank you all my loyal readers. I love you all....sort of...not in a sick way..I think.

Later..
Gavin

Google Chrome is Awesome

Hmm, it seems like I'm betraying Firefox, and Google is too. Google Chrome, their new browser, is AWESOME. In fact, I used Chrome to update this blog posting. Its really ergonomic. No annoying title bar or anything else to clutter the screen, just a clean, streamlined interface.



Get it here and give it a shot.

In other news, school has started for me. Time to prepare for a year of work.

My exam results were great. Eight distinctions for the following subjects: Bio,Mathematics,Chemistry,Physics,English Language,English Literature,Infotech and Spanish. I got a B for GCE Add Maths. Thanks to all my well wishers.

Thats about all I have to say for this update.

See ya people,
Gavin.

Free...

The title of this post probably says it all. Thats right. I'm free. No more exams. I was free from yesterday, but i was too lazy to post on my blog.

Now you have officially been informed. My first order of business is to download Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2008 and the Windows 32 SDK, because lately DevC++ has been pissing me off, crashing every minute.

You'll probably get the skeletal animation tutorial a month or so from now, because I'm still a little brainblocked. Sorry.

I've been practicing a bit of SS as I told you, this is the summer of pimp.

Remember how a few months back, I did an April Fools joke about switching to DirectX?

Well I'm still joking. I'm actually going to keep on using openGL, but since I'm going to have to switch to Vista sooner or later, I'm going to start learning up on how to use DirectX 10.

Maybe if Mac had decent graphics libraries, I would be programming games for it. lol.

As for Irrlicht, I really don't know. I sorta developed this preference towards doing things myself lately. I'll probably stop using it. I'll leave the tutorials up though.

I'm also trying to track down Shogo. (You know, the game, very old, anime style, done by Monolith?) If you're still clueless:



Tata!

Who Wears Short Shorts? - Watch more free videos

Hehehehe.

That aside, by next week this time, I'll only have one more exam to worry about. Yup, thats right, the Add Maths Paper 2. I feel really good about the CXC. I mean, Physics and Chemistry were just amazing.I THINK Bio was good too, but I might have mentioned my track record with Bio earlier...

Oh well, I did a little bit of work on LunaGFX, only now, I've changed the name.

That's right kids, LunaGFX is now known as the X-LAX Graphics Library, the crappiest graphics library known to man or monkey.

I'm serious.

About the name change that is, not about the crappy part.

In a week kids!!


P.S. I might be getting a summer job. More about that some other time.

Do You Think About Me Now and Then?

Imagine, CXCs start next week. I know I haven't updated for a while, but I've really been studying*coff*coff*. Now my faithful readership,I know how you all miss me, so here's an appropriate song to help you feel better.



I won't be gone that long people, I promise. After exams, its blogging as usual. Just relax and wait.

In the lack of my wonderful presence, amuse yourself with www.gizoogle.com.

Enjoy. Here's some love:





Yes, my school uniform is that shitty and yes, I was evolutionarily annihilated by the ugly forest and yes, I was tired when I took that picture.

Peace and Something!

P.S. Been studying up on Ross Jeffries and NLP in general, I don't know if I told you guys, so by halfway through this summer, I'll have scored 5. Just watch.

Oh, and just so you know.

Heavyset black guy : Common
"I met this girl when I was 3 years old, and what I loved most was that she had so much soul" - From I Used To Love Her By Common

Holidays!

Well, finally mock exams are over. I'm actually on my easter holiday break. Nothing to do now apart from cheap sex and Red Alert 2 lol. A lot of crap happened during the exam period, but the exams themselves were pretty easy.

I suppose that last blog post wasn't all that short after all. Since I have 11 days free, I'm gonna probably write a "LITTLE" tutorial on Skeletal Animation. This will be different from the rest so far as:

IT WILL USE openGL alone!!

Thats right, no Irrlicht, no Newton. I've gotta admit, its going to be a lot of work, especially since no 3d model file format supports everything I need. Some of you might be thinking about X and COLLADA files, but X files are hell to read and COLLADA is more of an interchange format. I've decided to write my own file format.

Then I realized that was a practical idea, especially for LunaLib. Instead of having to write small loaders for about 5 different model file formats, I write one large loader for a file format containing everything I need, like tangents and bones. The best part is, since I made it, I know everything I need to know about it.

Two other things before I go.

I have created a Devblog for Lunatek at http://lunatekdevblog.blogspot.com . It should keep you informed about things performing to LunaLib and our games. I won't be the only one posting. Sometimes Marc, Stephen and other staff members will post.

Next, take a peek at this image. It caught my eye on wikipedia so I just decided to show it here.




That image compares the styles in which characters were drawn in older animes to how they were drawn in newer animes. Interesting.

Now, this next image is a challenge that I'm going to give Stephen. Stephen's a good artist, but he's lazy, so I don't know the FULL extent of his abilities. I'm going to see if he can draw the picture below, but in different clothes and a different pose. If he does, I'll be REALLY impressed.



And to be honest, I don't know who the person in the image is.
*Grabs helmet and runs to bunker...*

Oh well.

See ya!

Danger...

Well, tomorrow I have my physics exam and my IT practical. Yawn.

This is almost laughable. I wanna write the shortest blog post ever in the history of this blog.

This should go down in history as the shortest blog post ever. I hope.

Laterz,
Gavin

Halfway Through Hell

Well, that was pretty much it for my first week of mock exams. I had no exams for like 3 days out of the whole week so I spent the time at home.

In an unexpected plot twist, our protagonist, Gavin found the Biology mock exams unusually easy, but the Chemistry very difficult. He hoped that the Chemistry was marked relatively, so he would have excelled(relatively), coming second only to Clive, who he believed had psionic powers, which enabled him to create a mental feedback loop with his Chemistry textbook(known to normal humans as studying).

As for English, it was a breeze....simple, easy English. I R DA SEX!!!!

Well, mock exams end week after next, screw it, I have a few more free days.

As you might see, I made a few updates to the blog. I changed the layout and replaced the donate button with something less antisocial, thats right, a COMMENTS box !!!! DUM-DUM-DA!!!

No videos this time...maybe when you grow up. No pictures of little girls either Javon ( A.K.A "Sparky).

Alive and Kicking

Well, I decided to post this just to remind Planet Earth that I'm still alive. I just handed in my IT SBA today, and I have some more lab reports due on Monday.

Still, I feel pretty prepared for the exams. I have English first on Monday(piece of cake), then on Thursday, I have the long papers for Chemistry and Biology. In between I have a lot of free time to swat :).

Anyway yeah, thats about it, nothing particularly new or interesting.

YAAAH TRICK YAAAH!

I love that damn video!!!! Most people say Soulja Boy sucks, and I (sorta) agree. But this song is just so positive, and its one of the funniest music videos I've seen for a long time. This time, you just can't hate on Soulja Boy. The part with throw some D's on it was pretty clever, and shows that even if he can't rap, he at least knows his puns :).

I really wouldn't have known about it, if a friend of mine hadn't started saying YAA BITCH YAA! as a response to every question. A typical conversation between us now looks like:

Me : Hey man, whats up? You ok?
Him : YAAAH BITCH YAAAH!
Me : Okay then. Have you seen Clive around?
Him : NAAH BITCH NAAH!
Me : Right. Umm, I'm going to eat lunch now, what do you want on your chicken?
Him : THROW SOME D'S ON THAT!!!
Me : Uh-huh, ketchup it is.
Him : YAAAH BITCH YAAAH!
Me : Someone, please kill me.
Him : YAAAH BITCH YAAAH!
Me : GET OUTTA MY FACE!!!

As for mock exams, the studying isn't going badly. I think I've done a lot of Biology, so now I've just got to get in some Chemistry and English Literature. As usual, Physics and Add Maths are not a problem.

I haven't started work on LunaScene though. Go cry in a dark corner somewhere.

On a more serious note, it seems like Lupe Fiasco might take over Talib's place in the rap game. Check this:



I love the way the vocals of Matthew and Lupe contrast. I want Matthew's voice. It would be so cool...but screw it, you can't always get what you want.

Gavin out. Over.

Dancing in My Own Blood

No, this post has nothing to do with the title. In fact, this post is actually a programming post.

You see, yesterday, I finished LunaLib's basic math routines. Yup, you heard that right. Matrix multiplication, matrix inversion, vector cross products, basic point in polygon tests, EVERYTHING!!!

So now, I have to work on LunaScene, which I have a gut feeling I forgot to mention. LunaScene is a scenegraph with a built in physics engine, which as you all might guess, needs more work. Advanced collision detection, collision response, etc... I have my work cut out for me. But still, it's going to actually be fun.

After I finish LunaScene and have a working demo, I'll probably work on optimization of LunaLib.

I'm going to have hell learning all the physics I need. But still, no knowledge is useless. It might come in handy if I ever drop out of school and decide to make nuclear bombs for a living. lol.


Now, in a completely unrelated side note, look at this. I almost pissed myself. You will too.



See how easy it is to go to jail now, Clive?

Still...they do say, if you dress like you want it, you're gonna get it.

The studying for mock exams is coming along great though. I feel really energized as of late. I guess Pepsi really is addictive, because I've been taking it in by the gallon to stay awake. Lets hope all this pays off in the long run.

Later peeps!

Almost Done

Mock exams are on their way. All programming work has stopped. All my energy is being focused on studying and picking up girls. Need to relieve stress. Can't keep coherent thoughts....

A long time ago, I made this video. Yes, I'm KirbzXXX. Hope you like it:


I also made Boondocks and Samurai Champloo AMVs, but youtube removed them. Oh well.

Sayonara,