~/~ELIA~\~’s Neighborhood

Well, it has been a few months since I started this blog. During these past few weeks, I have been enjoying writing about exercise and games. After thinking a lot about it, I've decided to create a new website where I could focus more on writing about things I enjoy. Without further ado, I present to you my new website. http://matt639.com

I just noticed that I've been writing a lot more about games these past few weeks. What can I say, gaming is really one of those things that stuck to me since I was little (aside from traveling). Anyway, there are certain good things that could come from playing and it depends on what you play. Here are some games that could train your reflexes.

Bubblephobia - The premise is simple, you control a "bubble" and you try to avoid the other bubble that would move around the area. The longer you stay in the game, the higher your score will be.

Rainmaker - Similar to the first one - you have to avoid birds as they fly from one side to another. While doing that, you have to make rain fall on the birds to make them white (they can still hurt you at that point). Hitting 2 or more birds in a single rainfall would give bonus points. Also, the longer you stay in the game, the more birds that would appear. A power-up is also available in the form a red ball that when you hit it by rain, you will be temporarily invincible.

Reflex Test - Not really a game but are you curious about how well your reflexes compare with others? Well take this test with 4 minigames. Mine was 50 seconds on the second try (had to repeat it because of the last test - my keyboard won't allow 3 simultaneous presses), how about yours?

Ragnarok Beggar

Admit it, you've had your fair share of these people. They run to you, often add you as a friend, then suddenly ask you: "can i hav som gold and items plz?". What's worse, even if you tell them no, they'll pull you in to a lengthy debate on how you are more well off than he is since he's new and you've been playing far longer than him. His conclusion, you should give him some stuff. I used to tolerate them before, giving them money or some old items but they just keep coming back. Annoying. So these days, I've devised some methods on how to shoo them without engaging into a shouting competition.

1. Have them go to an area where they'll most likely die - Here's how it goes: when somebody asks you for money, say "Sure, lemme just kill some mobs in <insert high level area here>. I'll give you the loot." More often than not they'll agree to this. Bring him along cast some movement speed buffs then try to leave them in the middle of the area. They'll have no choice but to die and respawn. Add him to your block list.

2. Trade with them but cancel it - Try to trade him some nice rare items then cancel it. Ask if he got it, he'll say no of course. Then do it again. After the nth time, say "WTF?! Why isn't it working?!" Then claim it may be a bug. Tell him you'll try again next time and leave him there speechless.

3. Agree but give him some hard work to do - Well, not really. Here's something I did back in iRO (International Ragnarok Online). A beggar comes up to me and asks "can i have some zeni?". I said "Sure, I'll give you 10k, but of course there's some sort of a catch". He asks what it is so I continue with, "Well, just to make it a bit harder for you, I'll give it to you 5z at a time." I was pleasantly surprised he accepted the deal so he went on trading with me. After a few rounds he got tired of it and went on to find his next target.

Well, me and my buds bought a few beers in celebration of one of my friends' birthday. Okay, when I meant few, I meant enough to get everybody real drunk. Anyway, as much as I want to write about the funny stuff that happened that night I guess these troubleshooting steps I found from this website will do. Note: these stuff work better when you're in a bar.

Beer Spill

SYMPTOM: Your feet are cold and wet.
FAULT: You're holding the glass at a wrong angle or it's inverted. Beer just spilled on your feet (or pants).
ACTION: Rotate the glass so that the open end points toward the ceiling.

SYMPTOM: Your feet are warm and wet.
FAULT: Uhh, dude, I think you just peed.
ACTION: Stand next to the nearest dog you can find and complain about house training. (That should save you the embarrassment).

SYMPTOM: Beer is unusually pale and tasteless.
FAULT: Check your glass - chances are it's already empty.
ACTION: Get someone to buy you another beer.

Fallen Backward

SYMPTOM:The opposite wall is covered with fluorescent lights.
FAULT: You have fallen over backwards. That's the ceiling you are looking at.
ACTION: Have yourself leashed to the bar.

SYMPTOM: Mouth contains cigarette butts.
FAULT: You have fallen forward.
ACTION: Have yourself leashed to the bar.

SYMPTOM: Beer is tasteless. The front of your shirt is wet.
FAULT: Two things: One, you may have forgotten to open your mouth to drink. Two, you may have been trying to drink with another part of your face (like the nose).
ACTION: Retire to the restroom and practice in front of the mirror.

Fallen Forward

SYMPTOM: The floor is blurred.
FAULT: You are looking through the bottom of an empty glass.
ACTION: Get someone to buy you another beer.

SYMPTOM: The floor is moving.
FAULT: You are being carried out.
ACTION: Try to find out if you are being taken to another bar.

SYMPTOM: The room seems to be unusually dark.
FAULT: The bar has closed.
ACTION: Confirm your home address with the bartender.

SYMPTOM: The taxi suddenly takes on colorful aspect and textures.
FAULT: Beer consumption has exceeded personal limitations.
ACTION: Cover your mouth. Man, that's sick.

SYMPTOM: Everyone is looking up to you and smiling.
FAULT: You are dancing on the table.
ACTION: Fall on somebody cushy-looking.

SYMPTOM: The beer is crystal-clear.
FAULT: It's water. Somebody is trying to sober you up.
ACTION: Punch him.

SYMPTOM: Your hands and nose hurts. Your mind unusually clear.
FAULT: You have been in a fight.
ACTION: Apologize to everyone you see, just in case it was them.

SYMPTOM: You don't recognize anyone or you don't recognize the room you are in.
FAULT: You've wandered into the wrong party.
ACTION: Check to see if they have free beer.

SYMPTOM: Your singing sounds distorted.
FAULT: The beer is too weak.
ACTION: Have more beer until your voice improves.

I've been posting a lot of physical fitness tips and exercises lately so I thought of taking a break from all that and train one of the more important parts of our body - the brain. Here are some puzzles that could actually make you scream out of frustration in trying to solve them. Just a few tips: relax, focus, use all available resources (except looking for solutions over the Internet), and get some snacks and drinks when you feel like it.

Not Pron

Not Pron - A browser-based game that requires you to look for clues from every single page (including images, URLs, and page source - some levels even require you to use specific programs to solve). It has been years since I last tried to solve this and forgot what level I got stuck at. The solutions seemed to have changed since I last tried, although the methods of getting them are the same. It is very, very difficult and I highly doubt anybody can solve it in one sitting. Try it.

Source: http://www.deathball.net/notpron/

Family River Crossing

Family River Crossing - I'm sure most of you have encountered river crossing games that require the player to move a certain number of people, animals, or object to the other side. Although it sounds easy, there are certain rules to follow that make a simple task very difficult. Click on the blue circle after loading the game. The rules for this one are as follows:

1. The raft can carry only 2 people.
2. The father can not be left with any of the daughters unless the mother is present
3. The mother can not be left with any of the sons unless the father is present.
4. The criminal can not stay with any family member unless the guard is present.
5. Only the father, mother, and guard know how to use the raft.

Click on the characters to move them on/off raft. Click the red control ball to send the raft across the river.

Source: http://www.smart-kit.com/s888/river-crossing-puzzle-hard/

Bridge Crossing

Bridge Crossing - Another classic puzzle. For this one, you'll have to guide a family in crossing a bridge. The bridge can only hold 2 people and the lamp would last only 20 minutes (the one I played before was 30 minutes but with one more person). After crossing the bridge with the lamp, someone will have to go back with it to fetch the others. Each person has a number, which is actually the number of minutes that he/she can cross the bridge. Of course, the faster person has to follow the pace of the slower one so the number of minutes to cross would depend on the latter.

Source: http://www.novelgames.com/flashgames/game.php?id=55

People have been trying to figure out ways on how to save endangered species. Groups have performed demonstrations to tell people to stop killing the poor things. Laws have been made to protect them, but what exactly is the best method of doing so?

According to Gary Paul Nabhan, a conservation scientist, the best way to save them is to create a market demand for them. Makes sense, if there's enough demand for the creatures, then companies may decide to invest in breeding them. What kind of demand does the scientist mean? As food. Read the article here.

If things go well, food that were restricted will be out in the market again or the Chinese will be able to create medicine from turtles and tortoises like before. Here are three examples of endangered species that can be used for food and other stuff.

Newborn Golden Coin turtle

Turtles and Tortoises - I mentioned these above. The Chinese people use them for food and medicine. Before we continue though, what's the difference between a turtle and a tortoise? Basically, a turtle spends most of its time and is more compatible to water, while tortoises spend more time on land. There are a variety of medicine produced from different parts of the turtle. One example is a skin medicine produced from Cuora trifasciata or the golden coin turtle.

Mussell

Soy - It's not only animals that are endangered but also a variety of plants. One of the latest are soybeans. Soybeans are crops that provide oil and protein. They have become part of the staple food in Asia, particularly in China and Japan. Although relatively common in Asia than in America, only 45% of the production comes from the former while the other 55% is in America. 

What makes wine expensive is not just the taste or how much it was aged. Sometimes, it's not even the wine itself that gives it its value - it's the bottle. People have the tendency to collect old stuff and would pay a high price to have a certain item. Here are three of the most expensive bottles of wine in the world.

Chateau Lafite 1787

• Christie's London sold a Chateau Lafite 1787 in 1985 for $160,000. The bottle bore the initials Th J - Thomas Jefferson, the third US president's initials.
• The most expensive white wine ever sold also bore Thomas Jefferson's initials. It was a bottle of 1784 Chateau d'Yquem sold at Christie's London in 1986 for $56, 588.
• A bottle of Chateau Margaux that also bore Thomas Jefferson's initials was being sold for $500,000 by William Sokolin in 1989. However, before anyone could offer to buy it, the bottle was broken by accident - a waiter bumped the bottle with a coffee tray. Fortunately for the wine merchant, the bottle was insured and he got $225,000 for it, a price he could not have received had the bottle been safe and still being sold with the hefty price tag.

The wine in the bottles are no longer drinkable at this point in time (even if the Margaux managed to survive today). Like any item for collection, the rarity affects its value. And as time passes, the number of such items dwindle. Imagine how much those things would cost in the next century?

Source: http://www.forbes.com/2003/11/19/cx_np_1119feat.html

Finally, here's the last part of the dumbbell exercises. For reference, here are the first two parts (Part 1, Part2).

CALF

Single Leg Raise
- Position yourself near a wall and lean against it with one hand for balance. Hold the dumbbell with the other hand which is far from the wall. Raise the foot near the wall.
- Raise the heel of the other foot (the one you're standing with) by using your toes (tiptoe).
- Lower yourself slowly.
- Repeat 15 times and another 15 for the next set.

Seated Calf Raise.
- Sit on the bench with your feet apart.Rest the dumbbells on your thighs but keep a hold of them.
- Raise the heels by using your toes (tiptoe) while remaining seated.
- Lower your heels to the floor.
- Repeat 15 times and another 15 for the next set.

LEGS

Dumbbell Squats

- Stand with feet apart.and hold dumbbells to the side.
- Bend your knees until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Make sure to keep your head up and your back straight.
-  Slowly return to original position.
- Repeat 15 times and another 15 for the next set.

Well, that's everything. You can do other additional exercises for other body parts like sit-ups for the abdomen. Good luck on your training!

In line with my previous post, here are some more exercises you can perform with dumbbells at home.

One Arm Row

BACK

Dumbbell Dead Lifts:
- Bend forward with your arms straight towards the ground; hands and dumbbells positioned as if you were carrying a barbell. Bend your knees slightly, and make sure your back is flat with the lower back at a natural arch.
- Extend upwards while maintaining a flat back and slightly bent knees.
- Repeat steps 15 times then another 15 for the next set (or 10 with slightly heavier weights)

One Arm Row:
- Position yourself on the bench so that one arm is on the bench to maintain balance, your upper body is parallel to the floor and your arms extended towards the floor.
- While maintaining the position of the back, raise the dumbbell to your midsection using the strength of your back, not the biceps.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell to its original position.
- Same number repetitions as previous exercise(s). Do the same for the other arm.

Alternate Hammer Curls

BICEPS

Alternate Hammer Curls:
- Stand upright while holding the dumbbells at your sides, palms facing each other. Elbows should be as close to the body as possible.
- Curl dumbbell slowly for one arm then move it back to its original position. Continue with the other arm then repeat.
- Same number of repetitions as previous exercise.

Concentration Curls:
- Sit on the bench.
- While holding the dumbbell, position your elbow beside the inner thigh.
- Curl dumbbell towards your face then slowly return to its original position.
- Same number of repetitions as previous exercise.

TRICEPS

Overhead Triceps Extensions:
- Stand upright with your feet apart (as wide as your shoulders).
- Hold the dumbbell above your head with your arm fully extended and your free hand holding the elbow for support.
- Slowly fold your elbows to move the dumbbells behind your head then return to the original position.
- Same number repetitions as previous exercise(s). Do the same for the other arm.

Triceps Kickback

Triceps Kickbacks
- Position yourself on the bench so that one arm is on the bench to maintain balance, your upper body is parallel to the floor and hold the dumbbells near your midsection.
- Extend your elbow until your arm is parallel to the ground.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell to its original position.
- Same number repetitions as previous exercise(s). Do the same for the other arm.

I'll give some more exercises on my next post (Lower Body).

So you want to perform some exercises to train some of you muscles but couldn't find the time to travel to the gym? Well, I have a solution for you: just grab a set of dumbells then let me teach you some basic exercises to perform for training specific areas of the body.

For the next few posts, I'll be giving steps on how to perform certain dumbbell exercises. I'll also update the posts with pictures to better guide you on how to perform the said steps. Also, before we begin, I suggest you read some of my previous posts to prepare for your workout. Done? Alright. Let's begin.

CHEST:

Flat Press:
- Find a flat bench you can lie on. Lie flat on the bench and hold the weights directly above your chest as if you were holding a barbell. Make sure your arms are straight and not bent.
- Lower the weights, bring them slowly to your chest then extend your arms again back to its original position.
- Do this 15 times for the first set then 10 times for the second using a bit heavier weights (if not just do 15 more). Do note that you can adjust the number of sets and repetitions to your liking.This also goes for the next exercises.

Flat Flies:
-  Lie flat on the bench and hold the weights directly above your chest with the dumbbells parallel to each other (palms facing each other). Instead of straight, bend your elbows slightly.
- Move your arms to the sides while maintaining the "bent" position of your elbows then move the dumbbells back to their original position.
- Repeat 15 times then another 15 for the second set (or 10 for heavier weights).

SHOULDERS:

Shoulder Press:
- Sit upright on a bench.or a chair.
- Position the dumbbells above your head as if you were holding a barbell.
- Lower the dumbbells to your shoulders slowly, then bring it back to its original position.
- See previous exercises for number of sets and repetitions (just so I don't sound like a broken record).

Lateral Raise:
- Stand upright. Bend your knees slightly and hold the dumbells to your sides.
- Raise the dumbbells to your sides until your arms are parallel to the ground (like a cross).
- Lower dumbells back to their original positions slowly.
- See previous exercises for number of sets and repetitions.

That'll be all for now. I'll post some more tomorrow.