Mike

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It’s a quarter past four in the morning and I still can’t sleep. I know the cause, at least. Not simply “exam insomnia”, but a mixture of my horrible diet of take away food and RedBull.

I had my first exam today, it went relatively well despite having the exam supervisor call out of a correction every fifteen minutes. My next is on Wednesday… which is now tomorrow, followed by my final exam on Saturday. The fact that my final exam is on Saturday also means that it clashes with Shadowloo Showdown 2011, one of Australia’s largest fighting game events and definitely the largest this year considering the plethora of international guests.

While Tekken 6: BR isn’t one of the flagship games at Shadowloo, there will be a tournament run this year albeit on console. That aside, the main reason I would have liked to go was for the exposure to an event that can truly be considered as international with Team Hori, Team MadCatz and The Traveling Circus present. Something has inspired me lately to become extremely involved with the fighting game community, more so than I have been in the past few years, and I hope to work with whom ever I can next year to really attempt to take things to the next level (no pun intended). Considering that, the more exposure the better.

I had cheap flights and accommodation ready and organised (less than $100 for the entire weekend combined) which is a shame, but I’m sure next year there will be more opportunity than not to travel to play anyway – especially considering how big I anticipate Tekken Tag Tournament 2 to be.

Anyway, let’s see if I can finally catch some shut eye and focus more on my remaining exams rather than fighting games!

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Sometimes I wonder if I am wasting my time learning two languages at once – wondering if it would be wiser to take a single road to bilingual fluency rather than bottle-necking my ability every time I shift from one to the other.

To clarify, it’s not that I would completely ditch one of the two languages I am currently studying, but I would need to put one on “hold”. The issue is, which one? There are many factors weighing in on what I feel like studying at any given time, but the main influence right now would be my career. If I look at it from a professional perspective, the choice is obvious… but that could also be because I’m dreaming. I know where I want to end up, but I’m starting to seriously doubt whether or not I can get there. Perhaps I’m just rather pessimistic after getting knocked back at the final round for two companies I really wanted a graduate position at. Perhaps I’m just being realistic.

Once exams are over I need to work this out, sooner rather than later. With only one semester left, the “real world” is closer than ever – fluency in a second language is an asset I really can’t forgo.

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Wrote a post for my friend’s blog. For those who are close to me, it is pretty obvious what it is in reference to – but there is still meaning to it for those who don’t immediately understand it.

Often it is claimed that an arcade is the most social gaming-related environment. True, you sit within metres of your competition. Sure, you share the words “good game” with your opponent after a productive session. Yes, you can put a face to “that Mishima player” or “the top player in Sydney”.

Check out the rest of it here: The face behind the player. The establishment behind the community.

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