The first step
December 8, 2017 at 5:02 pm | Posted in Article, Personal | Leave a commentTwo years ago, I started training in Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Anyone who has trained can tell you that it’s not easy. When you start, you’ll be exhausted, bruised and sore, and the vast majority of the time you’ll get your butt handed to you repeatedly. This doesn’t really change, as there are always more experienced people you will encounter, and there are always new things to learn. As one of my coaches says, every technique is like a drop of water in an ocean.
But I’ve learned that’s what keeps me going back to jiu jitsu, after a long day at work or in the winter evenings when it’s pitch black outside and I’d much rather stay home where it’s warm and where I can’t be choked with my own clothing. The road of BJJ is paved with mini-epiphanies: small breakthroughs that reward one’s hard work, sweat and sore muscles.
I earned my blue belt this week. I didn’t see it coming, and I was very much caught off guard. To be honest, right now I don’t think I’m ready for it. But I have faith in my coaches that I am ready for this belt: a representation of the next step in my jiu jitsu journey.
My jiu jitsu club is like a second family to me, and it’s a little overwhelming to have so many supportive people helping me learn and grow – even when they smash me in rolling. As it turns out, tough love is the best love.
Inktober 2017
October 2, 2017 at 11:39 am | Posted in Art post, Personal | Leave a commentI decided to join #Inktober2017 this year to force myself to carve out some time for keeping up with my drawing practice. I’ll be using a couple black Sharpies and some Shinhan Touch grey markers, allotting about 20-30 minutes for each daily sketch. I hope to do something special for the final day. If everything goes well, I’ll plan a little bit more for next year’s event.
My #Inktober 2017 Gallery is below. Enjoy!
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- Day 1: “Swift”
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- Day 2: “Divided”
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- Day 3: “Poison”
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- Day 4: “Underwater”
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- Day 5: “Long”
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- Day 6: “Sword”
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- Day 7: “Shy”
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- Day 8: “Crooked”
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- Day 9: “Screech”
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- Day 10: “Gigantic”
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- Day 11: “Run”
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- Day 12: “Shattered”
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- Day 13: “Teeming”
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- Day 14: “Fierce”
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- Day 15: “Mysterious”
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- Day 16: “Fat”
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- Day 17: “Graceful”
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- Day 18: “Filthy”
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- Day 19: “Cloud”
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- Day 20: “Deep”
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- Day 21: “Furious”
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- Day 22: “Trail”
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- Day 23: “Juicy”
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- Day 24: “Blind”
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- Day 25: “Ship”
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- Day 26: “Squeak”
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- Day 27: “Climb”
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- Day 28: “Fall”
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- Day 29: “United”
Derf Reviews: Grim Dawn
September 19, 2016 at 9:57 pm | Posted in Article, gaming, Personal | Leave a commentFor the past few weeks, I’ve been playing through Grim Dawn, a PC ARPG by Crate Entertainment. Set in a dark, gritty, Victorian era-inspired atmosphere, Grim Dawn is notable for being a PC game backed by fans via Kickstarter. The game launched in 2014, and has been updated with new content and upgrades ever since, with the first piece of DLC being released just this past August.
I would sum up Grim Dawn as a shallower, more visually dynamic, loot-happy version of Path of Exile. Grim Dawn’s endgame is not nearly as deep, but the physics engine makes combat feel fluid and powerful, and there are a multitude of character builds to try. Your character chooses two of the six Masteries available, accessing skills and attributes from each of the two skill trees you’ve chosen. Respeccing points doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, allowing for a generous degree of experimentation.
The loot system also offers some very cool pre-generated epic and legendary items – and while any ARPG becomes a loot grind in the end, Grim Dawn tries its best to make the effort fresh and entertaining. Various kinds of treasure chests exist throughout the game world – some which guarantee you an epic/legendary item or recipe, rewarding those who take the time to explore each map. The crafting system is deep and involving, almost to the point of Path of Exile (minus the mind-boggling item economy).
Like its granddaddy Diablo 2, there are three difficulties to play through, but other than grinding dungeons for your BiS gear, there isn’t much left to do once you’ve conquered Ultimate difficulty (not that this is easy). It resembles Path of Exile in this instance, where you’re encouraged to try building new characters for different gameplay experiences. Maybe you’re discovered the perfect combination of Masteries and skills to wreck face, or maybe you just want a character to use those Soiled Trousers you found from a previous playthrough.
If you’re an ARPG fan, I’d highly recommend Grim Dawn, especially at its current price point ($25). When it goes on sale via Steam, the game becomes a steal. Crate staff are active on forums and receptive to fan feedback, so you really should just pick up Grim Dawn to reward a good bunch of devs.
About me!
Dave Lee is a Toronto-based writer and artist. He pens the comic Durdling Around at ManaDeprived.com.
Blog at WordPress.com.
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