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msbowser · 5 years ago

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My Top Games of the Last Decade

The year 2020 is here, ushering in a new decade to live in. Instead of looking at the bad events that occurred over the years, I instead want to look at my favorite games over the last 10 years. It’s crazy that back in 2010, I was only in my second half of the fifth grade. Oh how young and naïve I was and an even worse gamer. Now in 2020, I am in the second semester of my second year of university, studying in the psychology field. I feel how I was raised over the last years shaped of how I am as a person and I am still learning, no one is perfect. Those developments shaped even the gamer I am now. Back when I was younger, I just liked games that were fun to play. But now I am a person who puts Character Development and Story before Gameplay. You will see this shift as the years go by.

Well let’s start with 2010. And I will try to limit how much I write each game to about a paragraph each. Don’t want to make this post too long. I can give a more detailed explanation at a future date if someone is interested.

PS. All the games are Nintendo Games. I’m only a Nintendo gamer so sorry if you don’t see like Persona 5 or Last of Us.

2010: Kirby’s Epic Yarn

Gosh this game is too freaking cute for words. I remember the stories about how much I wanted this game when I was younger, even the embarrassing ones. While this game is easy even for Kirby standards, this game is so fun to play. The levels are enjoyable to play, you can get lost hours doing minigames and playing music (Frosty Wheel is still the best), and is just cute. This game is cute incarnate. And if you don't want to play the original version, you can play a port of it on the 3DS with even more goodies on it.

2011: Pokémon Black and White

My favorite Pokémon games and generation even if I started with Pearl. Gen 5 of Pokémon is super special to me as I know it is for many others, being the first game I bought the day of release. I was also pretty blind in my playthrough, finding new discoveries as they came along and finding new Pokémon that I might have not liked at first but became my favorites. Pokémon like the Krookodile line, Emolga, the Leavanny line and so much more. The game also first brought to my attention to how characters can be written well and still is my favorite story in a mainline Pokémon game.

2012: Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure

So I’m kinda cheating with this one since I didn’t play it until 2013 but damn it, I don’t care! This game is awesome. I am super terrible with rhythm games but this game is one that is very enjoyable with an excellent story and characters. Phantom R is such a cool guy that you just want to hang out with and go dancing with and not the fact he’s a gentleman. The rhythm minigames are mostly enjoyable and have a wide variety to play so you can't bored very easily (the gyroscope one can go die in a fire though). All I want to know is where is the damn sequel already Sega?! It’s been 8 freaking years with that teaser you showed at the ending of the game and no I don't count that bad IOS game you made a year later. We fans need our fix and answers now.

2013: Mario and Luigi Dream Team

Bowser’s Inside Story will always be my favorite Mario and Luigi game but this game comes to a close second. As part of Year of Luigi, this game did not disappoint. Luigi is front and center and he is the best of the part of game, with his dream abilities and overall character. The story is also very good with the adventures the bro’s have on Pi’illo Island and the soundtrack of the game is my video game soundtrack of all time. There is also the fact that giant battles return and if anyone knows me, knows I love me those giants <3

I also have two honorable mentions for 2013 that I will give a brief note while I like them

Fire Emblem Awakening

First Fire Emblem game, got me in the series. Characters are great and story left me generally shocked at points. Make a yearly tradition to one playthrough each year

Super Mario 3D World

Favorite Mario platformer, Peach being playable and being a cat. Yes please

2014: Kirby Triple Deluxe

I freaking love Kirby games :D Triple Deluxe was the first Kirby game on the 3DS, using an engine that looks beautiful on the 3DS that was used for the next game they did. The game is super colorful with its vibrate worlds and use of pastel colors. The new abilities is super fun to play with as well, Archer being my favorite. Supernova is also a neat gimmick for the game and glad it was present in many of the levels and used in new ways to solve puzzles.

2015: Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle

Surprise! I said favorite games of the decade and mobile games count. This game means so much to me, being the one of the mobile games I keep track of everyday, even looking at what the JP version gets. I am proud of my account and how far it has come over these past years. Though I was not there right when it released, it has felt like that long as I have had my account for over 4 years now and don’t plan to quit now. One day I will have my full husband team, just you watch <3

2016: Dragon Ball Fusions

This game was my answer to a playable Dragon Ball RPG to play on Nintendo consoles (before Xenoverse 2 got ported over on the Switch). The chibi artstyle gave this game its own identify from other games like it. The gameplay was fun as you can make your own character and fly all across the world fighting characters from the Dragon Ball timeline. The game is all about the fusion mechanic, but with an expanded roster of characters to fuse and the ability to fuse your favorites is a blast.

Brief Honorable Mention to Pokémon Sun and Moon for a fun region to explore, new pokemon to love and pretty good story.

(Lillie is so precious for this world I swear. And Snowy as well :D))

2017: Miitopia

A lot of people would write off this game as a simple Mii game, but it is so much more than that. This game has much more personality than one might think, with its class system, characters even when you chose who is what role and the story as well. The story and characters allows many possibilities of ideas for stories and art for creators to make and enjoy, as this game and Tomodachi Life was used as a template for a rp that me and my bf do. And this game can get hard, like wanting to rage quit hard, so be prepared for grinding. The OST is also a charm of the game, being one of my favorite OSTs ever.

Like with 2013, I have two honorable mentions that I will give a short comment on.

Splatoon 2

Love it more than the original, Aerospray is still the master race and Off The Hook is better than Squid Sisters, don’ t @ me XD

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Amazing story, characters and unique experience from other games I have played. Berkut x Rinea OTP

2018: Dragon Ball FighterZ

As much as I like the Super Smash Bros games, I was more excited for this game to come out. I was glad it did come to Switch so I can play it. FighterZ was my first proper fighting game with button inputs and it threw me for a loop, but eventually I got the hang of it and is still learning. The story is a fun experience if you don’t think too much about it, me loving Android 21. And of course I main my husband that is in the gif above <3

2019: Pokémon Sword/Shield and Super Dragon Ball Heroes World Mission (That’s right, a tie)

I was excited for SwSh since day 1 and was not disappointed even with the dex cuts. The Wild Area has been a blast exploring, finding all the new raid Pokémon to catch and train. The new Pokémon are super fun to use, some of my favorites being Ponyta, Scorebunny and Dreepy. My baby Eevee also got a GMax form and she is super freaking fluffy, big and I want to hug her <3 I’m excited for the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra DLC when they come out.

This game was huge to us USA fans of the series as this was the first time we ever got anything DB Heroes related here. The cards were fun to make teams with and make even custom cards. It was a full experience without to play the irl game, which would still be fun. Though the game is slow to add updates, I will be waiting for what will be coming. I am glad the game came out so we can finally enjoy all of what the game has to offer. (Though I played the previous game in the series being Ultimate Mission X through Citra, so I got a headstart XD)

This is it for this post. Even though I am late at posting it, better late than never. If anyone is interested, I’m glad to give more detailed descriptions. I realize I have to do better at explain my opinions in a more detailed matter.

Thank you so much for reading :D

#kirby epic yarn #pokemon black and white #rhythm thief #mario and luigi dream team #fire embem awakening #super mario 3d world #kirby triple deluxe #dragon ball z dokkan battle #dragon ball fighterz #dragon ball fusions #pokemon sun and moon #miitopia #splatoon 2 #fire emblem echoes #pokemon sword and shield #super dragon ball heroes #video gaming in the last decade #thanks for reading

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verziehenone · 8 years ago

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Video games ... what a past time. So much time is spent on them, I can’t even imagine how many hours I have enjoyed building and breaking worlds, meeting and killing people, and just having the time of my life (lives) in virtual worlds.

Probably the first game I ever played was Tetris on the Gameboy. The original Gameboy. That bulky off-white thing that took 4 AA’s that seemed like nothing could keep it down. Could probably have built a house outta those things. And the battery life was pretty solid too!

But soon I graduated to Mario, which was not awful on Gameboy. Then came the big one: Pokemon. Around then I upgraded to a Gameboy Pocket The foldy one. It went from a monochrome brown and green thing to a nice gray with black and white shades. Terrific clarity!

Then the Gameboy Color happened. But before we get there ...

My first console was an Atari. Good times on that thing. Pitfall, some space game, and a few others that were equally blocky and terrifically entertaining in a way that many games just don’t capture now.

Then was my Nintendo. I think it was because I traded/sold my Atari at a garage sale or something, and boom, I was the proud owner of a Nintendo. Eventually got me one of those sweet Duck Hunt guns (let’s be honest, that was basically the only game anyone used it on), and a few great games. Zelda, a few Marios (Mario 3 will forever be amazing, but Mario 2 had it’s charm.)

I did some swaparoos (involving a mountain bike and another Atari) but came back to the Nintendo. That said, this was all around the time that friends of mine had the Sega Genesis or the Super Nintendo, and I was stuck with the lame-o OG Nintendo. I even remember one time convincing my parents to spring for renting a Sega Genesis from Family Video (or whatever it was called) and using that Sega Channel (or whatever) to stream Mortal Kombat and another fighting game or two. Don’t tell my parents, lots-o-blood.

Back to the portables. Gameboy Color was a revolution. Sure, Pokemon in color was amazing. Any game (Final Fantasy Tactics, Super Mario, etc) but really, it was Pokemon. And the reason they were amazing-er on the Gameboy Color? It was backlit. And that made ALL the difference at night. No more huddling around a little nightlight or gripping a flashlight in my mouth to try to catch one more ‘mon, or just one more fight, one more ...

I had a Gamegear for a bit, which was the Sega competitor to the Gameboy. Glorious color gaming, 8 AA batteries, big ole screen, but the games (other than Sonic I think) just weren’t there. So I got rid of it, and eventually the glory of the Gameboy Advance happened. The one with the big ole screen, that Super Mario was friggin’ amazing on. And naturally, Pokemon again was amazing. I eventually got me the next Gameboy (SP) the next foldy one, which was the last one before the 3DS (I think), which I never got (though I’d love one).

Console-wise, for the remainder of my pre-college life I was always a generation behind. Everyone had the GameCube when I finally got an N64 (but don’t cry too hard, GoldenEye was worth the wait). I finally got a PS1 in time for everyone to tell me how amazing the PS2 was. This isn’t a sob story, just the result of growing up in a family where if I wanted a console, I had to buy it with my money. So I did, and I was just more patient. Though I was friends with people who had the latest and greatest. At one point I had the 3 main consoles, (a generation late): the PS2, the GameCube, and the Dreamcast. I felt like the toast of the land. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Crazy Taxi, Super Mario Sunshine, I had it all. Good times.

Until! The summer before college. I had a few bucks put aside and wanted me a real gaming PC. The one I had prior to that was a hand-me-down from my Youth Pastor that played StarCraft on it ... barely. So this one, a big $600 beast, and I found myself loving the major boost in power that my Athlon something something gave me over the Pentium 2 I had prior. Unreal Tournament was brilliant and I enjoyed so many great gaming experiences on that machine. And Civilization 3 stole far far too many nights and days ... I spent hours and hours playing that.

Then college came! And a credit card! And I built a new computer! And it was fast and had a pair of 17″ CRT monitors (I upgraded to 17″ widescreen LCDs) and it was glorious. (GeForce 8800 GTS baby). I did so much more gaming. Eventually even got around to World of Warcraft, though I did enjoy plenty of non-PC gaming with pals on a variety of systems.

I played World of Warcraft heavily throughout college, spending 4-5 hours a night usually (still had a solid GPA and 2 part time jobs and a girlfriend, so I wasn’t a total loser) and it was wonderful. I remember at one point I even played another MMO in my off time, and it was stupid and glorious and ridiculous. I spent my non-PC gaming time playing a lot of the PS2 games I hadn’t beaten or just enjoyed like Final Fantasy 10 and Star Ocean and so on. Big into RPGs. I even got a PSP during that time for the Star Ocean 1 and 2 remakes and I still wish I had kept it, to be honest.

After college I was living with a roomie (from college) who I played World of Warcraft with, but also enjoyed the Nintendo Wii and PS3 he had. We did a lot of great gaming on those systems, though I did a lot more PS3 than Wii stuff. Rock Band became a past time for us (and I got quite good at Expert guitar, could play huge chunks of some songs with my eyes closed) and he was great a bass. Stoke 3 live on! And did I mention Fallout 3? Ohhh man. It never changes.

So I decided to buy an Xbox 360. I never had an Xbox (though I did a little Halo in my time) I just decided that I wanted a console and should get one he didn’t have. I also very much missed Fight Night (a boxing game) and wanted to play that again. But the eventually I moved out and was on my lonesome and didn’t have a Blu-Ray player. And have always been a Playstation guy. So I sold the Xbox 360 and bought a Playstation 3.

Until I got my bigscreen TV I didn’t do a ton of Playstation gaming, instead mostly doing PC (mostly World of Warcraft) gaming. I did do a game here and there of other things but nothing memorable.

But, one day I powered down my computer, went to work, and came home only to find ... no power. No response at all. The reason this matters is I had just decided to come back to playing World of Warcraft (after a break that my then-girlfriend convinced me would save our relationship, because video games were our only problem -- nope), and was bummed I couldn’t. I didn’t have the money to fix it so I returned to console gaming and enjoyed a lot of then-newer hits like Dragon Age: Origins, Darksiders 1, Dante’s Inferno, the Assassin’s Creed games, and a host of others that escape me. I tend to not do a lot of shooters on console, preferring them on PC. GameFly helped me fly through games pretty quickly so I was able to save quite a bit of money by not buying all of them.

A few months later I was living with a new friend and decided to research how to fix my computer, and found it was much cheaper than expected. So I got a new motherboard and some new ram and was up and running in time to enjoy Star Wars: The Old Republic, a new MMO. It was amazing and super super fun leveling and the story was great ... until you hit max level like you ran into a wall. So then I got into Skyrim and a few other games, working my way through the different PC games I had missed out on (like Mass Effect 1-3, Dragon Age 2, and some others).

Living with some new friends I was introduced to other games I’d never heard of or played, like Guild Wars 2, Dark Souls, and

Time moves on again and I decided to swap out some newer parts and make my machine more future-proof, since I had a baby on the way and would never have money again until a bit later. I also used some of my birthday money and Christmas money on a PS4. So I was set. Like a rockstar. A rockstar who enjoyed Madden and Grand Theft Auto V and so on. And Far Cry and Crysis and Wolfenstein and not World of Warcraft. I had been done for a long time. Partly due to time and partly due to money and partly due to a lack of interest.

Skipping around a bit to the present, I’m still and always will be a gamer. I still don’t have a 3DS, as much as I’d love to have one for Pokemon, but I have a PS4 and my wife has a Switch, and my PC is still gettin’ love when it gets a bit outta date. Never going to have a bleeding edge waste-of-money PC but I will always strive to be caught up to play the latest games.

I am back into World of Warcraft again, playing with a prior roommate and some other really great guys, and it’s being managed much more carefully than before. Outside of that, I’ve been playing Uncharted 4, Overwatch, Diablo 3, Civilization 6 (Oh my gosh I love Civ) and a smattering of others. I still have my Gameboy SP with Pokemon Red and Yellow and Gold (I think). I also had a Playstation Vita briefly but decided it just wasn’t for me.

I have a long list of games I want to play so I won’t list them all. (Yes I will, because this is my blog). In no particular order:

Stardew Valley (In progress)

Mad Max (In progress)

Bloodborne (In progress)

Dark Souls 3

Torment: Tides of Numenara

Wasteland 2

Pillars of Eternity

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Dying Light

Doom

Watch Dogs 2

Dishonored 2

Final Fantasy 15

Nioh

Persona 5

Horizon Zero Dawn

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Red Dead Redemption 2

Injustice 2

I’m a gamer at my core and a good gaming experience is something so hard to communicate to those who haven’t found a game that tickles their fancy. But when a person finds that game that challenges them in the right way, entertains them or entrances them, and they just can’t put it down ... that’s just the best. (And in this post I’m not talking board games or mobile phone games, those are entirely different posts).

This really just scratches the surface of my gaming time, thoughts, and philosophy about games. I have so many thoughts and ideas, so many memories and experiences, and so many terrific games that I loved and can’t wait to try ... it’s just a matter of the same thing it always was: Making sure that it is always secondary to real life, real people, and the stuff that really matters. Otherwise... game on.

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kwanfairy · 5 years ago

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Quarantine Asks: Questions You Usually Wouldn’t Think of Asking But You’re Bored AF

Here is the link to the original post in case you wanna do it too ! also: @stitchzmile i want you to do it too :D <3

Animated character that was your gay awakening? jesus.. i actually dont know. as a kid i thought jessie from pokemon and kim possible were super hot LOL but i dont think they were my gay awakening..

Grilled cheese or PB&J? grilled cheese

What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on? i actually dont do that but i love to put on some “relaxing celtic music” in the BG whenever i write!

Your go-to bar order, if you drink? that depends as i dont really like alcohol. if its about enjoying it, probably baileys, if its about getting hammered, jägermeister or other shots.

What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own? i dont own enough shoes plus i dont really care about them lol but the new ones i bought are really comfy so i guess it’s them?

Top three cuisines? i like heavy/greasy food so german/austrian, asian, italian

What was your first word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “Mom” or “Dad”)? no fucking clue but im super curious now and will ask my mom later!

What’s a job that you’ve had that people might be surprised to find out you’ve had? working as a language assistant w/ american students as im super anti-social and introverted

Look up. What’s directly across from you? my black wall (that ive painted myself!!) lol

Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general? eventho i cant think of any i should have some, right? doesnt everyone have something thats signed??

Preferred way to spend a rainy day? on my ps4 or writing with my balcony door open so i can hear the rain

What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get if you had access to anything you wanted? we dont do bagels here or sandwiches and ive only been to subway once, was totally lost, amde a fool out of myself and never went to one ever again lol

Brunch or midnight snacks? brunch! eventho i love eating midnight snacks, my tummy doesnt react well to them....

Favorite mug you own as a none-coffee drinker, i dont have one

What coffee drink would you describe yourself as? probably milk-coffee? im super white and most people dont like me ^^

Pick a song lyric to describe your current mood (and drop the name and artist!) ive been anxious for the past week cause we have to do a presentation for work and my anxiety riddled brain is freaking out. but ive been trying to remind myself that, while its a struggle, its also an opportunity to show myself what im capable of! “I will never ever know, if i quit now” - Mess by Jasmine Sokko

Fruity or herbal teas? i do like both but prefer fruity ones

What’s that one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you still like nonetheless? motto ojamajo doremi - its just really cute!

That book you were forced to read for class but actually ended up enjoying? The wave

Do you match your socks? yas

Have you ever been horseback riding? yup during sports-week at school, but i was terrified all the time and had no idea what i was doing LOL

What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc) if loner counts, then that ^^

Have you ever been to jail? nope, but i kinda really wanna see one from the inside smh

What’s your opinion on Lazy Susan’s (the spinning tray in the middle of tables)? i only know them from chinese restaurants and they are quite handy if ya do food sharing but otherwise i dont really see the use

Puzzles? need to be in the mood but haven done one in yeeeears

You can only have one juice for the rest of your life, what is it? orange juice for sure

What section do you immediately head for when you walk into a bookstore? i rarely go to a bookstore rip i know but when, i usually check their manga section first (rip x2 lol) and then the thriller one

What’s one thing you’re trying to learn/relearn in your downtime right now? im on day 382 on my duolingo japanese course! also, the fic im currently writing has taught me a lot about not over editing and paraphraph-ing (whetever that is actually called)

Who’s your go-to musical artist when you’re feeling upbeat? not into musicals

Where could someone find you in a museum? that depends which museum it is. but im usually trying to follow a path that brings me past everything

What’s that one outfit in your closet you never get the chance to wear but want to? the super duper emo-like red plaid pants a friend of mine gave me years back.

Rainbows, stars, or sunset colored clouds? pink louds!

If you could own any non-traditional pet (dogs, cats, fish, rodents, etc), what would it be? while im quite wary of birds, emus look kinda cool. oh or a wombat maybe? or an axolotl!

Do you have more art on your walls or more photographs? art that either i or my mom has drawn

You have to get one meme tattooed on your body, what meme is it and where does it go? as embarrassing as it is i LOVE memes so i cant choose just one.

Pick a superhero sidekick to hang out with im not really into superhero stuff so i dont really know any sidekicks.. if ron from kim possible counts then him id say lol

Lakes, rivers, or oceans? lakes for sure, oceans are just too wide and deep and scary

Favorite mid-2000s song im totally blanking now but the only 2 that came to my mind were britney - toxic and baby bash - suga suga

How do you dress when you’re home alone? pyjamas

Where do you sit in the living room (we all have a preferred spot, and you know it)? in front of my comupter lol

Knives or swords? knives

A song you didn’t think you’d enjoy but ended up loving bewhy - gottasadae

Pick an old-school Disney Channel Original Movie is camp rock one? i dunno we didnt have disney channel

Are you a “Quote that relates to the photos” caption-er, an “explanation of where I took the photos” caption-er, or a no caption kinda person when you post pictures online? i never post pics online lol but i guess id be more of an explanation kidna gal

Name a classic Vine god there are so many good ones but the first that came to my mind was “stop! i coulda dropped my croissant!” and the “ok :D” guy in the jungle

What’s the freezer food that you stock up on when you go to the grocery store? veggies! i love veggies so my freezer usually is full of it

How do you top your ice cream? ew, i dont!!

Do you like Jello? non-native english speaker here. wtf is jello. is is this clear wobbly shit? if so, then no, gross!

What’s something that you don’t have a picture of that you wish you did? well ok i do have pics, but like, actual photographs of my dog but i wish i had more and digital ones as well :( i really fucking miss him even after all this time and it would be so nice to have more quality pics of him...

How are you at climbing trees? as someone whos scared of heights and abso-fucking-lutely grossed out by bugs... take a guess :)

#tag game

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artbyabiola · 6 years ago

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Last month I decided to take my very first solo trip and went to Cuba!!

If you google Cuba, the images that show up are paradise on earth like, go ahead google it, a series of enhanced images of the colorful buildings, colorful people and colorful cars is all you will see.

I have been infatuated with Cuba for a long time, partly because of their strong Nigerian cultural ties but mostly because for some odd reason, I was convinced that Cuba was THE place I would fit in, no questions asked. ( I was asked if I was Cuban quite a few times which made me very happy!)

Boy was I in for a big surprise! Before I start breaking down the many ways in which reality is not what I expected, let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVED my experience. 10 days, 4 cities, a lot of walked miles under my belt and I would do it all over again, but this time with a more realistic perspective. So here I present to you

10 things no one ever tells us about Cuba

1. It’s not love at first site

The moment I landed one thing was clear: 1st world problems were not going to be in sight for the rest of my stay. As I got of the plane and walked inside the airport – yup you read that right- for a second I thought I had actually landed in Lagos, Nigeria instead (can you guess which on these is NOT Cuba?)

2. Buildings do not come with a filter

While getting lost in Havana, I couldn’t help but ask myself if people purposely ignored the non colorful part of the city because they made them uncomfortable. The city – the real city not the perfectly trimmed and curated touristic part of it – was gray and decrepit, certain corners smelled from people urinating, the risk of being hit by dirty water thrown out of a window was as high as the risk of stepping in dog poop and yet I found it absolutely beautiful.

3. People aren’t happy go lucky all the time

One thing I had my mind set on doing while in Cuba, was to take pictures of people. Beautiful faces caught off guard as they went about their happy colorful lives. Once there I noticed that those faces were closer to stressed and tired than happy.

Did you know the average salary is between $12-20 a month. I found that in Havana ( the country side had a lighter feel to it) a lot of time, once it was established that you are a tourist, people would smile and speak if they had ulterior motives. On my first day I met a young lady that “casually” took me around the neighborhood, by the end of the tour I some how ended up buying her drinks, dinner and more drinks for her friend, that just so happened to show up at the same place at the same time. When time came for me to leave, she asked for money and when I couldn’t help the smiles were done for the evening. I ran into her again on my last day, the smiles were still not there nor was a “hello”.

4. Shovinism to the tenth power

Prequel: I like to live an healthy life style and work out pretty consistently, prior to my trip I posted on facebook that my current fitness goal was for me to “only respond to mami” once in Cuba…yea, so that took a very different turn and not for the best.

Men in Havana can’t even bother to call you mami or any other noun for that matter, they go straight for the teeth sucking, whistle dog calling method. It was annoying and somewhat very degrading, but manageable, until the day that one particular “man” decided to take it to the next level by cat (dog?!) calling me, to then proceeding to masturbate while still attempting to call me and some how, in his twisted mind trying to get me to join him. Yea well, that obviously was not the outcome, I went to the first police officer I could find and described the perv, who saw me go to the police, and made a very quick U- turn the opposite direction. Needless to say that completely changed my mood for the day, the next man that fixed his mouth to whistle at me was the one that caught the wrath that had been building up until that point: “Do I look like a dog? No?! Then STOP calling me as if I were one” I screamed at him, and went about my business – that actually felt pretty darn good!

5. Amazing art world

I knew Cuba and specifically Havana was known for the architecture, but I had no idea of how fantastic the visual art world in that country was. Between the street art

the many local artists

and the artists on display at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano, I could not get enough.

6. The “innenet”

If you are like me or like majority of the modern population WIFI runs a big part of your daily routine. Well, not it Cuba it will not. I was aware, or rather I had been warned that wifi was not as readily available as what I am used to, what I did not know, is how it actually worked. If I think of an area with wifi, I think of something like Starbucks or any coffee shop really, where I show up with my devices and tah-daaaa I am online for free.

ok so THAT, is not how it works in Cuba – there are WIFI areas through out the city, and you would know because that’s where you will find . bunch of people sitting on the sidewalk or standing around staring at their phones or on their laptops – think Pokemon game phase. To be able to actually get online, everyone has to buy an internet card. They were 1 CUC for 1 hr (unless you did not know any better and bought them at an hotel and got charged 8CUC – yes I am the dummy ). To buy a card your information (name, DOB, country of origin if you are a foreigner, etc) has to be written down, and your internet activity monitored by the government – let that synch in. What I actually realized in those 10 days was how much time I truly spend online on the daily basis and how much more time to just be and chase butterflies I was able to find without it.

7. Cubans ARE for Cubans

I have never been in a country where people were so strongly and genuinely for each other and their country. People lived life with their doors open to the outside, neighbors stopping by to simply talk through the window, children running around freely with not a worry in sight. Random people knowing the entire history of their country – granted I know they were trying to hustle me into a paying tour, and as far as I know they could have been making up all those facts, but they sounded pretty accurate nonetheless. Cubans have a different currency that tourists are not allowed to use, to ensure the cost of things are a lot lower and more affordable to them. There are Cuban only services but my favorite part is that there aren’t “white-cubans” “black-cubans” “asian- cuban” and so forth, but simply cubans all treated equally, all making the best of what they have.

8. Old Havana

Like most people that have visited Cuba I had to make my expected rounds in Old Havana and take the classic pictures…

The city is beautiful, decadent and everything ever described online, but that as it turned out was such a small part of the whole story. the colorful buildings aren’t as vibrant as I thought ( damn you filters – insert fist shaking) and the rest of the city is far from the average google search result. It’s like tourist conveniently forgot to capture the reality around them….or they simply decided to focus on what didn’t make them uncomfortable.

9. The cars are old..like REALLY old

The same false advertisement I felt for the city scapes, goes for the cars. These old classics are beautiful and perfect for photo ops, I mean it is like jumping back to the ’70…once you get in and sit in one, you realize that the cars actually did come and stayed in the 70s. the inside of the cars are old and definitely went through a lot of lives and butts. I thought that was actually cool and an indication that somebody out there is a master car repair guy, because those cars were OLD!

10. There is so much more than Old Habana

In the 10 days I spent roaming Cuba I was able to visit Viñales, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. I honeslty ended up liking these country towns a lot more than La Habana.

I found people to be a lot more genuine and open. Prices were also a lot lower which never hurts, but mainly the views and the nature scapes I was able to explore were absolutely breath taking.

Viñales:

Viñales

Horse ride in Viñales

Viñales

Tobacco factory in Viñales

Trinidad:

Tobacco factory in Viñales

Cienfuegos:

If you go to Cuba, go with an open mind, explore get lost and meet Cubans, you can have a beach photoshoot ready vacation just as well in Miami – Veradero is the main beach resort (that i was told about) where everyone goes. After finding out that locals are not even allowed to enter the premises and the beach that is part of the resort, I decided to skip that destination all together, but what I found was so much better. Honestly i could write about this trip forever, but I wont don’t worry!

I cannot wait to go on my next solo trip!If you have any suggestion on destinations drop them in a comment!

Ciao for now,

Aby

In case you have not heard me speak about it enough....I went to Cuba I loved it, and now I wrote about it!:) Last month I decided to take my very first solo trip and went to Cuba!! If you…

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pokemonvortex-blog · 7 years ago

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Pokemon Black and White

Pokemon vortex is a web-based sport that was beforehand generally known as Pokemon crater or battle enviornment. As a result of elevated fame of the game, many individuals have began playing it closely which has provoked the builders to incorporate some online game parts.

The sport comes in three categories: shiny, darkish, and mystic pokemon. Shiny pokemon is present in specifically assigned characters similar to the traditional pokemon which you'll be able to easily get with 25% or increased protection.

Because the title suggests, darkish pokemon is capable of doing both 25% or even more harm compared to normal pokemon.

Mystic pokemon alternatively has a greater alternative of scaring away the opponent more than any other pokemon.

When playing, there are a variety of how through which you should purchase gadgets. One of the ways is by therapeutic items used to restore HP. You may as well use vortex balls (poke, tremendous, nice, and grasp). Here grasp is the most effective ball.

The final manner of shopping for gadgets is by utilizing evolutionally stones. Right here evolution may be ignited by a participant or by the success of evolution requirements relating to the Pokemon.

The ones that have advanced as a result of a given level could be efficient at the same stage or they are often carried to another level. The gadgets obtained from the evolution stone require a obligatory stone from the inventory of the player which will be removed immediately afterwards.

Many individuals wonder how they can get simple money with the game. Although, there are numerous methods wherein you can do this, just one means has been tested and found to be very efficient. The most effective approach is by battling any coach that you just come across.

Right here you should be certain that you defeat "training" with a really weak pokemon. Once you do this, you will get about 30,000 dollars per battle which will likely be of great assist to you.

To be on the secure facet you must ensure that you employ a weak pokemon every time. It's essential to word that a pokemon will likely be around stage 70 whenever you do this; therefore, you need to catch weaker pokemons so that you can achieve success.

In conclusion, pokemon vortex is a very exciting sport; however, you'll want to be sure that you play it in a reputable web site that will not infect your device with viruses. You additionally need to play in a good web site that repeatedly updates its video games.

Do you want playing pokemon vortex and would like to know the tips that will show you how to in being profitable within the sport? Listed below are a number of the useful tips:

Train with A Cpu Participant

In case you are caught with a weak pokemon it's best to train with a Cpu player which is a coaching account. The account has 6 pokemons that may't assault. When coaching you should be certain that you defeat all the pokemons and you will vastly increase your factors. Additionally, you will get a lot of money once you win.

Getting Legendaries

Legendary pokemons are extraordinarily powerful pokemons. While you get them you may be assured of profitable nearly your whole battles. There are a variety of ways through which you may get them. One of the ways is by catching them when enjoying.

The legendary pokemons often seem at random areas on the map while you defeat all the health club leaders, champions and elite 4's. After profitable your battles you ought to be keen and identify the legendaries. When you notice a legendary try to be fast and catch it as soon as potential.

Getting Grasp Balls

Grasp balls are much better to work with than regular poke balls. Whereas the grasp balls are much efficient, the unlucky factor is that many individuals don't know easy methods to get them. If would like to get the balls, here is how you can get them. It's best to begin by proper clicking on an Extremely ball and select "Examine Factor." You need to scroll via the menu and discover "Value=Ultra Ball." You must double click on on it and change the Ultra Ball to Grasp Ball.

Successful Extra Money

For you to continue playing the sport you need cash. There are a variety of how in which you can earn the cash. One of the methods is by winning as many battles as possible. Here you need to be sure that you win in opposition to all the pokemons that you just come throughout. Another approach is by altering the Extremely Ball to Grasp balls.

Shedding the Battle

Should you analyze the state of affairs and you discover that you're about to lose the battle, it's best to flee. This way you'll never lose a battle which shall be good for you. In case you are just beginning out and you don't want to lose a battle, you need to battle coaching accounts.

Conclusion

Pokemon vortex is a superb game whenever you play it correctly. For supreme outcomes you need to keep away from following absurd suggestions that can drive you astray.

So you've bought young boys who love Pokemon and their birthday is quick approaching? Never fear, assistance is right here. Both of my younger sons love Pokemon, they're ages 6 and 9. What is Pokemon you say? Pokemon means "Pocket Monster" in Japanese. The loopy characters evolve into totally different characters and so they use pokemon strikes to "struggle" one another causing "damage". This craze has originated in Japan, however is extremely standard here within the US. The Pokemon characters all have an HP number, how a lot the Pokemon is worth and the higher HP playing cards are highly coveted younger boys.

Anyway, back to your occasion situation. I just threw an incredible Pokemon party for my son's ninth birthday. He cherished it and his buddies had a blast. Below are some great ideas for you and they're STRAIGHTFORWARD and INEXPENSIVE to do. I sat down one night and came up with some games that I might simply make the supplies for and they might be fun to play. Beneath is a abstract list of the video games we got here up with and skim on to get the details of every one. Consider, these are STRAIGHTFORWARD, FUN and CHEAP and I'll tell you exactly how I did it and what you need:

o Go the Pokeball

o Pin the Tail on Pikachu

o Pokemon Balloon Dart Throw

o Pokemon Grasp Tracking

o Gliscor Bean Bag Score

1. Cross the Pokeball If you are remotely conversant in Pokemon, you'll find out about pokeballs. To play this sport, I went to a craft retailer and purchased a MASSIVE Styrofoam ball, they appear to range in price from $5 to $11. I additionally purchased some pink washable craft paint while I was at the craft retailer. Paint half the ball with the crimson craft paint, let it dry, then use black electrical tape to tape around the circumference of the ball right the place the white Styrofoam joins up with the purple paint. This made the EXCELLENT pokeball. Quick and simple and cheap.

Then we had a small keyboard (cheap one) that might be routinely set to play music. If you don't have a keyboard, use something that can make music, cd participant, musical instrument, drum set, guitar, anything that plays music and could be stopped and started. Have all of the boys sit in a circle and so they have at hand the pokeball to each other in a round trend. They can not throw the ball. I'd then begin the music on the keyboard and shut my eyes and stop it after 20 to 30 seconds. I closed my eyes, so I wouldn't know who was going to be holding the ball when the music stopped. Whoever is holding the ball when the music stops is out, then play again until there is just one player left. Give the participant who is left a celebration prize.

Provides recap:

i. Massive Styrofoam ball

ii. Red craft paint

iii. Electrical tape

2. Pin the Tail on Pikachu - Pikachu is without doubt one of the fundamental pokemon characters and in case your children like Pokemon they like Pikachu. For this sport, I discovered a very good image of Pikachu. I used an image out of the Pokemon Handbook that we've, but when you do not have one of those, use a pokemon card of Pikachu, or print a picture of Pikachu at pokemon.com. I bought a bundle of 10 white posterboards at a reduction store. Have a look at the image and draw a big picture of Pikachu to cover many of the posterboard (1 sheet). Don't draw his tail.

Use a separate posterboard to attract enough Pikachu tails (formed like a lightning bolt) for every social gathering visitor to have one. After I drew the Pikachu and then drew the tails, I had my youngsters coloration the Pikachu and tails, they beloved helping. Minimize out the Pikachu tails. I had an previous cork board that I used to be able to mount this Pin the Tail on the Pikachu sport onto so it had a sturdy again and may very well be hung up outdoors. Put the identify of each get together visitor on one of the tails and right before they play, add a single strip of double sided tape.

When you find yourself able to play this, use a bandana to cowl the eyes of your party guests, spin them round in a circle twice and direct them in the direction of the Pikachu. Don't permit them to feel their way round, wherever they touch the Pikachu they need to put the tail on there, in any other case the kids who go final will have the ability to inform the place to put the tails by feeling the place the opposite youngsters tails are pinned. Give a prize to the social gathering visitor who will get Pikachu's tail closest to the best spot.

Provides recap:

i. Picture of Pikachu

ii. Giant white posterboard for drawing picture of Pikachu

iii. Giant white posterboard for drawing multiple Pikachu tails only

iv. Double sided tape

v. Bandana

3. Pokemon Balloon Dart Throw - Children like to pop balloons and throw darts, so put these two issues together in a enjoyable and simple exercise. The night before the celebration I purchased 50 balloons at a celebration store. Each Pokemon character has an HP worth, or a points value. For example, Pikachu may be 60 HP, Shadowlugia 300 HP, and many others... You could find the names of many Pokemon characters in a Pokemon handbook or you could find them online at Pokemon.com. Take some plain white paper and minimize it into strips which can be about 1 inch excessive by three inches long.

Write the title of a special Pokemon and their HP Number on the strips. We had 6 boys at the occasion and I blew up 45 balloons. For instance, you may write Ryperior 90 HP on a slip. Make every slip of paper with a distinct character and add the HP number (use multiples of 10 only for the HP values). We used every character name solely as soon as but reused the HP 50, HP60, HP70, HP80, HP90, and so forth..

Nevertheless we only had 1 character (Shadowlugia) that had the best HP of HP300, no different card had the HP300 on it. Fold the slips of paper small and poke it contained in the balloon previous to blowing up the balloon. I then used an air compressor to explode the balloons rapidly and tie them in a knot. You will notice the little slips of paper inside.

I stored the balloons in a single day in massive trash bags they usually stayed aired up tremendous. I purchased a set of 6 darts at a sports activities retailer to make use of for this sport. You probably have a large cork board, connect the balloons with push pins to the cork board. Have the party visitors stand back about eight ft and throw 2 darts a bit and try to pop the balloons (like a standard carnival game).

If they pop a balloon have them gather up and maintain the slip of paper with the Pokemon character on it and the HP number (see the next Pokemon Grasp tracking as to what to do with the slips of paper and keeping track of the HP numbers). They cherished to pop these balloons and they loved finding the slips of paper to find out which Pokemon character they'd and what was the HP number. We played a number of rounds of this recreation!

Supplies recap:

i. Bunch of balloons (have a Pokemon Vortex v3 minimum of forty or more)

ii. Plain white paper =

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let-me-have-your-smile · 8 years ago

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You know I am ashamed of what I have eaten because I haven’t written a post since the Valentine’s…

Valentine’s Day with Best Pal (Tuesday)

Best Pal and I celebrated Valentine ’s Day at her house. We went to the supermarket and bought lots and LOTS of ingredients for a special tapas/ antipasti tea. When we got to her house her brother had made a MASSIVE burrito so we took a portion for our starters :D

When we got crack-a-lacking in the kitchen we made salmon rolls wrapped in cucumber, we had olives, chorizo, feta, toasted flat bread, mozzarella, artichokes, chicken, sun dried tomatoes and a whole lot of yumminess! We skewered most of it up and it looked fabby if I do say so myself :D Best Pal had never eaten an artichoke before! At first she confused it with an anchovy and thought it was fish… She said she liked it though and that’s good :)

For pudding we had a tub of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream (the one with the peanut butter cups in) which was meant to be to share but I swear best pal had about 3 spoonful’s. I took the rest of the tub home and ate it a couple of days later. Oops :/

I gave best pal some protein bars in a ribbon which she seemed to love a lot. It’s funny because the days before she had mentioned she would much rather have protein than flowers, but I had already bought her the present weeks ago!

Pizza Party (Wednesday)

The devilishly handsome, curly haired man got off the train. She was stood waiting eagerly on the platform. Their eyes met… He ran to her and she jumped into his arms. He turned and handed her a single red rose… she cried.

The Valentine’s meal was perrrrfect! It was the absolute best!!!! My boyfriend and I went to a restaurant where you got unlimited pizza and, oh me oh my, I was not disappointed! We got four pizzas between the two of us and apart from two slices we polished them all off :O

The first pizza I ordered was called ‘Quattro Stagioni’ (I’m literally just going to copy the menu) which had a tomato and basil sauce, grated mozzarella, mixed wild mushrooms, herb roasted ham, artichokes and black olives. That was SCRUMMY!!! My boyfriend (much like best pal) discovered he liked artichokes through this pizza. Why has no one eaten artichokes before?

I thought this print of Venus eating pizza was hilarious 😂😂

At the same time we ordered ‘Hickory pig’. This had a hickory BBQ sauce base, grated mozzarella, chantico spiced cheddar, smoked pancetta and hickory smoked pulled pork. I loved this one. I am a huge fan off BBQ sauce. Mmmmmmmm J

The next round we only ordered one for the table and we went with ‘My cousin vinay’ which was a curry pizza. It came with a Goan coconut curry sauce, paneer, wilted spinach, onion bhajis and mint yoghurt. This was also yum! The onion bhajis were so tasty! I have never had an onion bhaji on a pizza before!

Last but not least we probably ordered a mistake. I am going to blame my boyfriend and the waiter for this. First of all my boyfriend said it sounded nice, and then the waiter rushed us and I don’t think I had time to look properly. We went for the ‘El Bastardo’. Keep in mind I don’t like spice when you read what was on this pizza. It came with a Tomato and basil sauce (yum), grated mozzarella (yum), spicy nduja paste (I have no idea what this is but its called SPICY), Spicy Italian sausage (yum to the sausage but again SPICY), Jalapeños (I spotted this and asked the waiter for it without), red and green chillies (I wish I had spotted these…) and a chilli jam (I think we have entered spice hell?). So as you can tell the pizza was VERY spicy!

The prosecco was unlimited just like the pizza and I drank way more than I should have. It was so easy to drink though! It tasted so yummy and I needed SOMETHING to wash all the pizza down with! The spicy pizza must have been the cause of three of the glasses of prosecco, the other three I drank… well the blame is all on me isn’t it.

After the pizza party we went for cocktails. It was my boyfriend’s idea that we went to the same pub that we had our first date in. I thought this was sooo romantic and it made my heart melt! After making my boyfriend drink two slightly feminine drinks, a couple of girls offered us half a bottle of pink rosé prosecco they weren’t going to finish. We couldn’t say no… It is safe to say when I woke up at 6:40am for work the next morning I was feeling it.

Momma’s Birthday (again) (Thursday)

The day after the celebrations with my boyfriend I was in dire need of a bacon sandwich. This may have been less bad if I hadn’t already eaten my lunch earlier in the day :/ oopsie. So off I toddled to Sainsbury’s and I picked up a bacon and ketchup sandwich in white bread (white bread should be illegal because its addictive and bad for you. Why not just call it cocaine and have done with it?) and some vegetable crisps. I wasn’t trying to be healthy with the vegetable crisps, I was just craving the masses of salt they have on them. We can pretend they almost class as real vegetables though right?

That evening, to make matters worse, we were celebrating my mum’s birthday (again). My sister had come home from London for a few days so we went out to a pub for a family meal. I got lemonade because there was no way I could face alcohol touching my mouth. To eat I ordered a chicken, bacon and cheese burger and it was the best :) It came with fries and onion rings which I slathered in ketchup.

My diet gets better…

Friday, my diet wasn’t so bad compared with the rest of the week. My boyfriend came to stay with me for the weekend and we ate tea at my house. My mum seems to have stopped the healthy meals she was making in January as we had Macaroni cheese with bacon in it. Considering I don’t really like bacon, I seem to have eaten a lot over the past week.

Saturday gets worse though… My mum made pancakes for lunch as she thought my sister and boyfriend might not celebrate pancake day themselves. This involved a lot of syrup, cherries, lemon juice and whipped cream!

My boyfriend and I went into town in the afternoon. Our mission was to hunt for a pair of gloves for him, and lots of Pokemon for me. It turns out that NOWHERE sells gloves in February. Before we got the bus home we had a quick little hot chocolate and split a slice of coffee and walnut cake. The cake was alright but a bit disappointing. It seemed to be burnt in places.

We regretted the cake when we got home. My mum had prepared a Sunday dinner. She gave us ice cream and homemade cookies for afters. I tried to eat it all but I ended up leaving the ice cream. I had a MASSIVE tummy ache after all of that food!

Spur of the moment my boyfriend and I decided to go out drinking. Originally the plan was we would go to a bar for one or two and come back home. This ended up in going to a few bars and a night club, someone standing on my foot at 2AM and then coming home. It was triples for singles in a bar we went to and I ended up having 3 drinks there :O

Safe to say on Sunday we were hung over once again. It was very naughty of us to drink twice in one week. That never happens! Boyfriendo and I decided we wanted a Mcdonalds for lunch. By the time we got there it was probably 2pm. We were on the hunt for some gloves again but we had no success. We got back to my house at 5pm where a chicken dinner was on the table ready for tea. We had made the same mistake as the day before.

After tea we were little naughties and had some sweets and chocolate. I’m pretty sure I have no necessity to eat ever again ever!

Gym

How I wish I can say I rectified all that bad eating with cardio and weights. I didn’t. The last time I went to the gym was Monday 13th February. Best pal is now in New York for a week so I won’t be getting back to the gym for a while :/ I’m going to try and walk home a few nights a week to make up for SoMeThInG?

I need to get my motivation back from somewhere to eat better. This week I’m meeting boyfriendo on Wednesday so that will be my cheat meal. HOPEFULLY I can be motivated enough to eat better the rest of the week.

Who knows what I weigh? I’m petrified to stand on the scales!

….Until next time friends!!!!

Food Glorious Food You know I am ashamed of what I have eaten because I haven’t written a post since the Valentine’s...

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artbyabiola · 6 years ago

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Last month I decided to take my very first solo trip and went to Cuba!!

10 things no one ever tells us about Cuba

1. It’s not love at first site

2. Buildings do not come with a filter

3. People aren’t happy go lucky all the time

4. Shovinism to the tenth power

5. Amazing art world

I knew Cuba and specifically Havana was known for the architecture, but I had no idea of how fantastic the visual art world in that country was. Between the street art

the many local artists

and the artists on display at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano, I could not get enough.

6. The “innenet”

7. Cubans ARE for Cubans

8. Old Havana

Like most people that have visited Cuba I had to make my expected rounds in Old Havana and take the classic pictures…

9. The cars are old..like REALLY old

10. There is so much more than Old Habana

In the 10 days I spent roaming Cuba I was able to visit Viñales, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. I honeslty ended up liking these country towns a lot more than La Habana.

I found people to be a lot more genuine and open. Prices were also a lot lower which never hurts, but mainly the views and the nature scapes I was able to explore were absolutely breath taking.

Viñales:

Viñales

Horse ride in Viñales

Viñales

Tobacco factory in Viñales

Trinidad:

Tobacco factory in Viñales

Cienfuegos:

I cannot wait to go on my next solo trip!If you have any suggestion on destinations drop them in a comment!

Ciao for now,

Aby

10 things they don’t tell you about Cuba (they’re not all bad!) Last month I decided to take my very first solo trip and went to Cuba!! If you…

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