Soleil

Iiiiit's that time of the night again ^^

We just went through Molten Core (I know, WoW stuff. Again. But meh...), and we didn't even finish! Pathetic, really. Ah well, bit of a waste of five-odd hours, but at least my attendance is high. The more raids I attend the more chance of getting the epics I want when they drop, once I've been raiding for a while. One of the regulars eh XD


I like posting pictures. It really gives these Blog entries a little more life, especially when all I can think to write about is the game I spend most of my free time playing. I was going to vacuum today but settled for totally cleaning the bathroom and deciding that it will be ok to vacuum tomorrow afternoon, before I launch into my Sunday avo PvP. That pic above was found by typing in Soleil. Really fits with the whole talk of Molten Core though, hmmm ^^

Oh nuts, left my washing in the machine. I'd forget my head if it wasn't screwed on. Oh wait, it _isn't_ screwed on properly. Gimme a min while I go find that socket wrench ^L^

Ya, so I spend most of my day playing WoW when I have nothing better to do. I've decided to start watching another animé aside from Naruto, since I'm pretty much up-to-date with it - that, and the fact that it has been filler episodes for the last 30 or 40 weeks. Pretty pathetic, actually. I'm thinking I'll start watching Bleach. It's up to about episode 88, I think. Won't take too many months to get up-to-date with that ^^

Sunday morning. I'd better get to bed. One more stop to hand in some... hands and then I'll be a-loggin' out and writing my usualy diary entries. So much for an interesting Blog :/

-Timotheos
Fly high

Taming The Beast

Razorgore the Untamed. The first Blackwing Lair boss - whom you engage in the room up the corridor immediately upon entering the instance - has proved rather difficult over the three weeks that we have been attempting him as a guild. With many wipes, many stupid mistakes and hundreds of gold in repair bills across the 35-40 people who have been attending, he really is not the easiest fight ingame. But then, at this level, bosses are supposed to be a real challenge, even for the most MC-savvy guild.

After about six attempts we were really into the swing of things and managed to not only get him to Phase Two, but got his health down to 7%. But that's not all. Three attempts later and we were dancing around the corpse of this oversized Drakkisath.

Well done Unknown! We've beaten our first BWL boss.


Now, onto Vaelastrasz the Corrupt o_O

We gave this mother of a dragon two attempts before people had to leave. Our first one saw the entire raid wiped in a mere 5 secs. Our second attempt, however, was quite good. As he starts at 30% and there are a few elements involved in the fight, it makes for an interesting battle indeed. We took him down to 20% before Vael got the better of us. We will get this fight in due time, too ^^

-Timotheos
Taming Razor

Snakehead

We didn't do too well on Hakkar tonight but we did manage to clear a number of the other Zul'Gurub bosses, one of which dropped Flowing Ritual Robes for me - my mage's fourth epic ^^

I may not have ranked up this week but I can take it easy honour-wise and be confident that I will rank up to Knight-Captain next week. From here on in it gets pretty hard to get enough honour to make a difference, as you are competing against people who play frequently and get a decent amount of honour every week.

One lecture tomorrow (today) - it's from 1.10pm, hence why I am on so very late ^^

-Timotheos
Freedom

Alterations

Yeah, the Photek mod looks really nice and all, but it just wasn't working for me. It takes a lot of effort to play around with mods and get them right, especially when a new patch is released - like this morning. What sparked such a huge change was finding this cool-looking modification of the user interface - but after having a go with it, I realised that I've always appreciated the original UI - with a few tweaks, of course.

And so I've gone back to my old setup - with a few differences ^^ Customised play is always better than mundane default setups.

-Timotheos
Customised

Recordings

Recording lectures is a brilliant way to go back and hear again what was said, especially when the lecture is somewhat fresh in your memory. No one can take full notes on the fly, disembling the most important points and correlating everything into a legible structure. However, listening to a recording of the original lecture is also time consuming, as is revising notes. All a part of study, but I really don't feel like going over things sometimes. When the time comes I will do my part in clarifying the most important things - hence why the USB voice recorder is my pick*, since transferring recorded messages directly to the computer is the best method of archiving lectures in order to play back at a later date.

*Loan stocking three different voice recorders: a USB one, a standard digital one and an analogue one with a zoom mic.

Whew.

It seems that a lot of people in my guild did a heap of PvP today. I should rank up this week but knowing how much honour some people get, there is a point I'll reach where my honour decay will equal the amount of honour I can get each week - either that, or there will always be people who can get more than me, and therefore my standing will reach a standstill.

I hope that this is at the point of Commander rank and no earlier ^^

For now I have to get myself sorted and focus on my classes.

-Timotheos
Winging

Day One

I wrote this today:

Day One - Victoria University, Wellington
Here I am on my first day of university. Turns out that I have a three-hour gap between lectures. My first one was this morning: ENGL114. I have a 3-hour one this afternoon: FILM101. No idea what can possibly take 3 hours to cover [except, maybe a film, which is actually what this slot is for - watching a film a week!].

Burdened with a list of required books - works that we will be studying this semester - I managed to occupy myself for at least a portion of this big break. The walk downtown from this campus is rather arduous, but at least it's something to do. No success in acquiring for myself a copy of any of the books I should get before next week. E-books? [Or maybe ordering online from a NZ bookshop ^^].

So I came back amidst hundreds of strangers pursuing knowledge in a myriad of ways, ate my sandwiches, and still have some time before this Film lecture starts [and the same will no doubt be true every week. Time for... study, perhaps].

This couch is purple. Actually, there are four of them, all occupied by people who are no doubt serious about pursuing their intellectual destinies. The amount of people in this place is somewhat overwhelming [and the whole atmosphere is impersonal]. LFG Lecture Theatre. Full on n00bs ^^

Thinking too much about what lies ahead is likely to only increase my stress levels. Right now I can do without worry. I want to go home. [I really didn't enjoy today. Like everything else in life it's just so lonely, despite how many people may be around].

-Timotheos
One down

Epic L00tz

No PvP.

MC FTW ^^

Arcanist Mantle for my Mage XD

Pretty tired. Uni tomorow. Wonder how that'll go...

-Timotheos
Trepidation

Whoah - Upgrades

My computer needs a serious format. I also want to get a new graphics card, as I think it would improve performance quite a bit. However, now is not the time to be spending money. It doesn't matter that I've managed to save a decent amount of money from working - now that I am a student, I have to conserve what I can for those trying times that may spring up over the next three years. Pretty confident that I can live off a student allowance, though ^^

I had to look after my niece today. I spent the whole day at my sister's house while she was at work. Fancy working on a Saturday. Oh wait, I'll be working Saturdays, starting in a couple of weeks' time :(

I spent most of today sleeping. Had a bit of a headache, too. Don't know why I was so tired. It's not like I'm staying up really late raiding with my guild - though I hope to do that a lot over the next few months XD

We attempted Blackwing Lair - it's my guild's second proper run and my first with my mage. We didn't even have a full raid (32-35/40 people), but it was good practice. We got close to bringing Razorgore to phase 2, the second part of this intense, first boss fight. Mage kiting FTW...?

I intend to PvP tomorrow since I missed out on playing today. I've got enough honour this week already to possibly rank up on Tuesday but I want to make sure I get as much honour as possible ^^

-Timotheos
Lagging

Don't Take This The Wrong Way

For the guy that's never had a girlfriend I'd consider myself to have at least a little discernment when it comes to women. This current generation has grown up in a world where they are told that everyone is equal and that women have as much right to anything that a man does. Not that it's such a big deal, really, but women are still - no matter what society has tried to manipulate for the sake of "equality" - they are still the weaker gender. Women get all uptight when you say this, but it's not meant in an undermining sense. They truly have been created to be of slighter build, leading by emotion more often than by the mind, and to inertly look to men for approval and strength.

Don't get me wrong, women are no more or less likely to be able to think a situation through than a man - everyone has their own way of doing things, regardless of whether they are male or female. However, in saying that, I think a lot of people misunderstand when we say women are "weaker". It doesn't mean they are all prone to breaking down and crying or that they can't out-armwrestle their boyfriend / husband. What this means is that they do rely a lot more on affirmation and touch than men overall, and that it is inherent in every woman to seek a man to be the strong arm of support - and often the thick-headed, macho voice of reason.

Defiance has twisted the way that men and women were made to relate to each other. Stubborn-ness has crept in where there should always have been understanding, acceptance and wholeness. Without women we cannot exist - but without men, society would not function as it (somewhat haltingly) does. There is always a balance in life. A man leading alone often doesn't feel through a situation enough, allowing for more grief than is necessary - whereas a woman leading alone often doesn't see things from as many possible angles, also allowing for more grief than is necessary.

Women are not smarter than men. Men are not more emotionally barriered than women. _That's_ wherein lies the equality - everyone has their place and everyone displays different attributes, facing everything life throws at them in their own way. I see individuals, not a collective of male vs female of any given race, culture or people group.

When we understand that - despite the fact that you just can't stereotype men or women - we can actually put aside grievances and smile at all the females of this world, recognising them as counterparts to our own masculinity. Eum-yang (yin-yang) is a good symbol; not just of good and evil, but of the human race: men and women who don't spout these postmodern societal grievances but instead accept the fact that we complement each other. Rather than trying to outdo the opposite gender in anything, we correlate and support each other, allowing anyone's true skills to shine forth, regardless of their genetic apportion.

I truly hope that feminists, politically correct sheep and immasculate sycophants take offense at this. Men, stand where you truly should and don't be intimidated by the ones we are here to valourously protect. Kia kaha.

-Timotheos
Makin' sense

Preparation

Highlight of the day: We did the perfect Arathi Basin where we 5-capped (captured and controlled all 5 nodes), and the Horde didn't get any resources at all: 0-2,000. It was amazing ^^ I got a wee bit of honour today, which was good. It all helps XD

Feeling kinda sick, but for good reason. I've had to eat improperly these last two days in preparation for an X-ray tomorrow, to see if they can determine if there is actually something wrong with my digestive system or if it's just something that I have to discomfortingly live with :/ Suffice to say, I'm pretty hungry and I can't wait for lunchtime tomorrow ^^

My intention was to go into work today to return something and get a couple of things, as well as try and get a handful of groceries on my way home. Two things dissuaded me from leaving the house, though. The first was that it has been raining pretty heavily all day - really not nice outside. The second reason is that my stomach isn't exactly the best at the moment so I wanted to stay in close proximity to the loo :o TMI!

My warrior is an Artisan Blacksmith. I'm training him up in Armoursmithing. Should be fun - and potentially make a little bit of ingame gold, at least... ^^

I'd better get some sleep. Have this appointment tomorrow morning.

-Timotheos
Personally... /shrug

The Dancing Dwarf

My mage can smelt Dark Iron, w00t!

Went into university today. It was horrendous outside. Not only was it pouring down, but it was cold. I got drenched, despite my best efforts to thwart the rain raging against me. And the wind didn't exactly help.

I've now familiarised myself with where I need to be for all of my lectures for this upcoming semester. Just gotta psych myself up for diving headfirt into next week :o

If you haven't tried Burger Fuel - you should. My brother-in-law runs the Wellington store and we have burgers there maybe three Sundays a month. All the food there is great ^^

-Timotheos
Hungry

An Entry Like No Other

Tomorrow is my first day at university. Well, for orientation, at least. Still, it's going to be interesting with all these n00bs much like myself around. It's a good chance to see if there are any nice girls, too XD

But really, I'm looking forward to studying. It'll help me get my mind off WoW, to an extent. All this time off has encouraged me to both go to bed and get up late. And, I guess, to waste time playing. I'm so not getting as much PvP done as I thought I would, either. So much of this game seems to be a complete waste of time, especially when you don't make any progress at all...

Aaaanyway... That's about all I want to say tonight. I'm writing this a lot later than it is stamped - simply because the time stamp is when you load the input page, not when you actually click Publish Post. I just kept playing...

No two entries are the same, no matter how boring and pointless they are.

-Timotheos
Going nowhere

Tip The Balance

God felt that it was time to take a break, so he went to talk to St. Peter. "Well Pete," said God, "where do you suggest I go to take a rest?"
"How about the moon, God?" suggested Peter.
"No," replied God, "the atmosphere there is too lacking."
"Then how about earth?" St. Peter suggested.
"No, I don't think that's such a good idea either," said God. "I went there two thousand years ago and met a young Jewish girl. They're still talking about it."

We must talk about it. If we don't say anything, how will they know? Ask God to use you because he made each of us differently and to be used in different ways, just as he speaks to each of us in a different way, and just as different things appeal to us on different scales.

Time off is good. Too bad I had a headache today. Must be this stuffed up nose :/

-Timotheos
Not much

In Brief

I'm feeling kinda sick.

I didn't get quite as much honour today (yesterday...) as I'd have liked.

The server got reset when I'd almost finished running my warrior through Uldaman so I didn't complete that.

This pic is pretty awesome:


Guess I should just go to bed and hope things are a little better tomorrow (today) :/

-Timotheos Grunt

Rook Takes Pawn

Arathi Basin is Domination: capture and hold as many of five possible nodes as you can - the more you hold, the more resources your side gathers. The first to reach 2,000 resources wins. All the while, each side throws its attackers against the other as both sides struggle to take a node and then maintain their hold over it.

Warsong Gulch is Capture the Flag: take your opponents' flag and capture it in your base. The flag cannot be captured unless your own flag is in its place. With a field inbetween the opposing bases it allows for some great conflict as both sides struggle to wear down their enemy, take their flag and hold it until their own flag can be returned.

That just leaves Alterac Valley, the third Battleground in the World of Warcraft and perhaps the most technical. Alterac Valley is like a living game of chess, where players have strengths against some classes and weaknesses against others. Each side tries to push through enemy lines, controlling each point until facing off against the enemies' Commander - much like an advancement in Chess where you obliterate enemy pieces until such a point as the King is held in Check.

(I've never really been one for chess. My uncle was, at one point, something like the sixth highest ranked player in New Zealand. A bit of a chess whiz, you could say. Can't say the same for myself though...).

When I was in Canada, I spent most of my time in Toronto. However, there was one point where I went up to Ottawa - about four and a half hours from Toronto. The city itself is split in two, as the border between Ontario and Quebec runs through the middle. Thus, there is a French-speaking side to the city: the Hull, where the whole atmosphere is different. As Ottawa is the capital city of Canada it stands to reason that Parliament is situated there. The Parliament buildings boast very impressive architecture. It's a pity that Toronto is such a nicer city all-in-all.

Whilst staying in a hostel in Ottawa - of which I was there for four or five days - I met a few interesting people. There were individuals of all different nationalities, most of whom were in their early twenties. As I mentioned in a previous Blog, Swedish chicks are pretty fine. The one staying there was no exception XD

Well, there was this French guy that I met - can't remember his name - and he was an interesting person to talk to. Despite the fact that strategy games don't hold much interest for me, I was willing to try my hand at a few games of chess against someone from a different continent - from a country and a background so different to my own. Suffice to say - boasting aside - of the two full games we played, I beat him both times ^^

It's a pity we don't beat the Horde in Battlegrounds as often as that :/

-Timotheos
Fully expectant

Kindof got sick of bolding and colouring so many words. I thought it would make my posts a little more interesting but it's more annoying and time consuming than anything. Oh, and I realise that I only just started to weave that little story and then cut it off short. I guess I didn't have much more to say about that. It's a pity that the young Swedish lady was so close to the French guy :s

Two Hundred Percent

What do you get if you cross a wolf with a crocodile? I'm not sure, but whatever it is I could fire blast it with my mage and then it would chase me, so I'd have to Frost Nova! it and keep on kiting it back and forth, sometimes smashing it in the face with a Cone of Cold! and sometimes blinking straight past it, only to turn and Frostbolt! the heck out of it. Wolfadile has no chance - so long as my mana pool can be kept up. Evocation! ^^

I am finally free of full-time work at DSE, w00t! Not that I'm looking forward to working on weekends, but I am looking forward to studying at University - and meeting new people. I should be able to make more time for PvP during the week to make up for my lack of time on the weekend, too.

Peace is always by my side
I hope to feel it often
Tranquility

-Timotheos
Never afraid

Down At Spraggle Frock

Aye, it's late, and what with tomorrow being my last day as a full-timer at Dick Smith Electronics, I really should have planned to get to bed early. But you just can't beat plowing through some preliminary instance quests - and getting experience to boot - by following around your level 60 hunter, leaping on the other pc every so often to loot... Having two accounts does have its benefits; especially when your brother is away and not playing either of them ^^

However, playing one particular character (or two) means you aren't PvPing. I'll have to make up for nil Battlegrounds action tonight by playing as much as possible on Saturday. And since I "finish up" at work tomorrow, I'll celebrate by staying up as late as I possibly can tomorrow night. W00t XD

Enough WoW-talk - and, I guess, enough stupidity. Ya, it's only getting later and I'm short of ideas for writing tonight's Blog entry. Once again it is mostly drivel. I'll just find a random pic and post it here. Muahaha!

Does this bring back memories?

-Timotheos
Finally

Dancers Who Dance

Ran out of time.

Took my mage through Strat Dead with some guildies - only one AB* tonight, too.

*Arathi Basin

I have a headache, but then, what's new there.

Guess I was too busy watching the Napoleon Dynamite Dance XD

Did you know that the Blood Elf Male Dance is the same?

-Timotheos
Equated to

Sprawling Antropolis

Back when we were little noobs taking our first steps in the world of Azeroth, my brother and I both played Night Elves, and so Teldrassil was the starting point for both my hunter and for his rogue - our first Proudmoore characters. Upon reaching the main city, Darnassus, for the first time, we were overwhelmed with its sheer size - and stood, gaping in awe at the impressive Night Elf architecture.

I went into Victoria University today, to finalise my enrolment, for starting on 10th July. It took me a while to walk up the hill to reach the Kelburn campus and when I got there I realised just how freaking big the buildings are. I saw a map and it reminded me of my arrival in Darnassus for the first time. Looking at the map gave me an indication of where I wanted to go - of which I had no trouble finding - but it still didn't diminish the magnitude of the place.

It's funny to think that when you first encounter something new it may very well be quite overwhelming - quite incredible. After a time, however, we become accustomed to even the most immense megaliths. Perhaps the same principle holds true for almost anything in life. Desensitisation can come upon the least suspecting person - and apathy can creep up on even the most seasoned soldier. This is why it's important to never lose your awe of what you believe - to never see reading God's Word as simply a task among many; to never get fed up with half-hearted prayers that don't seem to yield any results; to never stop breathing in the pure goodness of life in general and marvel at everything around us - our gift.

Keep the faith.

-Timotheos
Semper fidelis

Unknown

Solenor is teh impossible :(

Shadow + Fear + juggling so many things at once, not to mention constantly moving the right way and accounting for the necessity of regained mana and health... One day I'll do it, but for now, it just seems way too hard for me to successfully complete. I must get Rhok'delar.
My mage is guilded, finally. I'm in a trial period, but at least I get to attend some raids and prove my mage prowess ^L^ Since my schedule is changing fairly shortly (and I still have a lot to sort out, regarding university), I will have to work out which raids I can attend, and plan ahead. If I got a girlfriend it would pretty much screw everything up - but what would I rather do: run with my new guild or spend time with a woman...?

Sold a few things to a customer today who is a lecturer at Vic. He teaches environmental studies. It would be interesting to see him around campus. Imagine if I'd met one of my own future lecturers? Now that would be trippy ^^

So yeah, day off tomorrow. I have my final ENT appointment. Perhaps I can sort out getting a tonsilectomy at some point. I'm sure it would improve my sleeping. I also have to go into the enrolment office of the university. It's going to be a mission trying to find this place. I'm confident that I can, however. I've got almost all day :/

Time to log my warrior - and say goodbye to STV*.

*Stranglethorn Vale

-Timotheos
Well adjusted