Chronicles of Koji

I never liked peanut butter as a child.
I don't know why, as I never did try it on a sandwich.

However, I can now say,
With utmost certainty and untold clarity,
Having tried it for four weeks,
That I am a fan of peanut butter sandwiches
(Thanks to Sarah).

The next step is obvious.

Oh yes.

* Hugs Sarah *
* Hugs the reader *

- J.

P.S.: It took me a while, but I'm done.

I love this site ^_^

* Hugs Sarah *
* Hugs the reader *

- J.

Ow, all right... ^_^

Comment here, and...
1. I'll respond with something random about you!
2. I'll challenge you to try something new.
3. I'll pick a color that I associate with you.
4. I'll tell you something I like about you.
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something I've always wanted to ask you.

Also, as an added bonus
(For not posting in over eight months)...
8. I'll tell you what I'd cook for you.

Thanks to Sarah, Nora and Calijn for the list ;)

* Hugs the three of you *
* Hugs the reader*

Gr33tz,

- J.

Raise your hand if you honestly thought that I had abandoned my LJ ;)

~ ~ ~

I had a plan.
Not to toot my own horn,
But I daresay that it was a good plan.
Let's call it plan A.

This plan,
Basically,
Consisted of me finishing the MER at the Hogeschool Zeeland
And moving on to Nijmegen
After the summer holidays.

Sounds good, non?

Well,
That plan is now no longer valid.

I'll explain...

In order for me to finish the MER this year,
I had to retry several courses.
One of these courses was RM7
(Please don't ask me what it stands for,
Because I honestly don't know.
I'm pretty sure even the teachers don't know).

However,
I had unfortunately missed the opportunity to pass (what would turn out to be) the (first) retry for this course
Due to a mistake in my planning.
I'll admit, my bad.

This was the only course that I couldn't finish
Within the normal timelines.
As far as the normal timelines were concerned,
There wasn't going to be a second retry.

(Then again,
As it would later turn out,
There are also exceptional timlines.)

I spoke to the teacher about failing the retry,
When she suggested that I write a letter to the exam committee of the HZ.
If I wanted to finish the MER this year,
I could petition the committee to grant me a second retry.

However!
There was also a chance that there would be a second retry anyway.
Note the emphasis.

I decided to bide my time
And to continue finishing the other courses that were still unfinished,
So I could write my letter to the committee.

When the friday preceding my third set of exam weeks came,
I went online on the (not-so-aptly named) InfoNet of the HZ,
In order to check some things,
When something on the schedule caught my eye.
This something was a second retry for RM7,
To be taken the tuesday of the exam week.

So,
Technically speaking,
I found out about the second retry approximately five days prior to the actual retry date.

How did that happen?
Honestly, your guess is as good as mine.
I'll get back to this question in a couple of lines.

I decided,
After considerable consideration,
That I would attempt to take this second retry,
But I didn't have much hope for it
(I reserved that for the exam committee),
Especially since it was to be taken on the same day as a retry for MO6A
(Tax Law),
Which happened to be my Nemesis course.

However,
I spoke to a fellow student on Monday,
The day prior to the second resit,
Who told me that he had known about the second retry several weeks in advance.

Now,
Let's return to the question
'How did that happen?'

This time,
I do have an answer:
As it turned out,
The teacher who taught RM7 had sent all the 3rd and 4th year students an e-mail,
Informing them of the second retry several weeks in advance.

Of course,
I didn't receive this e-mail.
I'm a 5th year student.
I'm not on that mailing list,
Even though this particular teacher knew the importance that this second resit held for me.

Basically,
A teacher at the HZ messed up.

(Guess who's going to bleed for this later in this little rant?)

I confronted the teacher with this information,
But her response was awkward and evasive.
Let me clarify that:
I wasn't trying to blame her for learning about the second retry too late,
I just wanted to have it confirmed that she had made a mistake
(Which she still hasn't done).

With little else that could be done,
I set about to finish the other courses,
So that I could write my letter to the committee.

Which I have done
(The letter bit).

I wrote that letter to the exam committee of the HZ,
Requesting a retry for my final course,
Based on the fact that there was a miscommunication caused by one of the teachers,
Which had put me in a very disadvantaged position.

They responded to this letter by telling me that they had spoken to the teacher,
Who had found that there had been enough opportunities for me to pass the retry.
The funny thing (we-elll...) is,
That this was never my case.
I never disputed the fact that there had been two retries.
I merely stated that I had been negatively affected by the miscommunication.

In short,
They rejected my request,
Based on what I consider the wrong grounds.

Of course,
You can see where this is all going.
I know you can.
Y'all is smart folks, after all.

The Hogeschool Zeeland has decided that I should return next year
In order to finish this ONE FRIGGIN' COURSE!!

So much for plan A.

That was roughly two weeks ago.

~ ~ ~

Let's go to plan B.

Given the above,
I'm going to return to the HZ next year
In order to finish the MER.
I haven't come this far to quit now
(Besides,
I have a score to settle and a point to prove).

I won't be needing an entire year to do this,
I should only need half a year,
Which means that I should be done in Februari.

During this half year,
I'm going to try and find some work,
To strengthen my financial base for when I do go to Nijmegen,
A part which has been copied from plan A
(I personally liked that part
And I have a promise to keep ;) )

However,
For the time being,
I'm going to enjoy the summer holidays.

I'm going to Nijmegen today,
To visit Sarah
And to attend a reunion of the Batavierenrace 2006
(Yes, I participated again).

I'll be staying in Nijmegen on Saturday as well,
After which I'll attend a training with the N.E. on Sunday.

And then,
On Monday,
I'm leaving for Norway :)

I'm going to visit my father,
Who lives there,
And take some time to get my thoughts in line.

Unfortunately,
Sarah can't come with me,
Due to her own school-related complications
(Which means that I'm just going to have to bring a lot of souvenirs with me
When I return ;) )

And when I return from Norway...

... Let's just say that what follows will have to wait for my next update ;)
(Don't worry, I don't plan on waiting very long with it this time)

One more thing:
I do still have some courses to finish,
Because of recent events.
I plan on finishing all of them before the end of the month.

~ ~ ~

So,
That concludes this little update.

A lot has happened
(You may not derive it from this bit,
But most of it good)
And a lot is still going to happen,
But at least for now...

... I have my plan :)

* Hugs the reader of this bit *
* Hugs Sarah in particular * I'll see you in a couple of hours :)

Ciao!

Gr33tz,

- J.

We have a new record ^_^

Last tuesday,
I returned 246 empty Liptonice and Coca Cola (sorry Luus, sorry Inno ;) bottles,
Thereby breaking my previous record of 187

~ ~ ~

Also,
I'd like to thank everyone for their kind words :)

* Hugs you all *
* Hugs Sarah twice * Happy birthday! I'll see you in a couple of hours ;)
* Hugs the reader *

Gr33tz,

- J.

Ah, the annual SpellenSpektakel in Eindhoven!
This year, for the first time, I attended all three days of the convention
And I must say I’m glad I did

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the SpSp;
It is (kind of like) a convention
For playing, trading and buying
Card games, board games, strategy games, role playing games
And close to everything in between

It was held on 28-30 October in the Beursgebouw in Eindhoven
And, as said, I attended all three days
It was like a vacation for me

Here are some of the high- and lowlights:

Friday 28/11/2005

• Trying to find the entrance to the Holiday Inn
  (Sjon turned out to be right all along)
  
• Getting inside the Beursgebouw is a lot easier if you already have a ticket
  
• Spending close to 100 euro on (Magic: the Gathering) cards in the first hour there
  (Point to note:
  By doing this, I ensured that I wouldn't have to buy any new cards
  For at least the next six months)
  
• Meeting some of Sjon and Chris' fellow outriders
  
• Seeing some nice (Warhammer) Plague Marine conversions
  (But seriously, Plague Marine bikers?! WTF?!)
  
• Shopping for some Warhammer, but not buying anything myself
  (No, not because I didn't have any more money
  I merely decided to wait untill I would have more time to spend on the hobby)
  
• Participating in the Dark Dungeon RPG,
  Which was really cool
  
• The noble knight and his faithful squire saved the day!
  (We-ell... Sort of)
  
• You can get a pretty good Doner Kebab at Eindhoven Station
  
• Sjon went back to Zeeland, I went to stay at the Holiday Inn

Saturday 29/11/2005

• Full English breakfast!
  
• Entering the Gameforce 1000 euro tournament
  (Along with Noel, Rat, Ingmar and Fish),
  Which was Ravnica Sealed Deck
  
• Sjon the Outrider
  
• Seeing some familiar faces amongst the other players
  
• Going 5-2 in the tournament and finishing 10th of 116 contestants
  (And thereby winning 9 boosters)
  
• Trading cards with a total value in excess of 150 euro,
  Which means that the total value of my new cards exceeds 250 euro
  (Insane, isn't it?)
  
• Marc getting robbed of 22 dual lands he just bought was a definite lowlight
  (What is it with people and stealing other people's stuff?)
  
• Discovering the existance of the Big Big Mac
  (This is not a typo)
  ((Just a clever McDonalds marketing ploy))
  
• Seeing the other guys off and returning to the Holiday Inn

The night of saturday on sunday

• Joining in a couple of rounds of Werewolves of Miller's Hollow
  (I was, in order: Villager, Cupid and Seer)
  
• Meeting new and likeminded people is always fun
  
• Learning the game of Mao
  (Which is a game that is composed of equal parts brilliance and insanity)
  And having a total blast playing it
  
• The president of 999 games buying everyone drink
  (We're talking 30+ people here and beer at the Holiday Inn isn't cheap)
  
• Having an extra hour of gaming time!
  
• Bacardi Cola!

Sunday 30/11/2005

• Full English breakfast! Again!
  
• Anne having trouble with the NS :(
  
• Meeting Bas and Madelief
  And Joppe and his girlfriend
  (Sorry! I forgot your name!)
  At Eindhoven Station
  
• Meeting Sarah at Eindhoven Station as planned :)
  
• Getting inside the Beursgebouw is still a lot easier if you already have a ticket
  
• Gawking at all the dice
  
• Playing 3D checkers against Sarah
  
• Anne calling us and asking us where we are,
  While she's standing just a few feet away from us ;)
  
• Meeting some of the people of the previous evening
  
• Participating in a Vampire RPG,
  With Sarah as a gang girl, Anne as a loner and me as a semi-warlock
  (Point to note:
  These are not the kind of characters we'd normally play,
  But Sarah seemed to have a lot of fun with hers ;)
  
• "I have a cunning plan!"
  
• Chris dropping by after just returning from the Oblivion Wars LARP
  
• Meeting some friends from Bergen op Zoom
  
• Playing Iguaza with Sarah, Anne and two elderly persons
  (Sarah won)
  
• Playing Toru with Sarah and Anne
  (Sarah won)
  
• Playing Chizo Rising with Sarah and Anne
  (I won)
  ((Go Roosters! FTW!))
  
• Doing some last hour shopping
  
• Anne buying Perudo
  
• Getting masterfully owned at Pinguin by the guy who demonstrated it
  (Honestly, it was a brilliant move)
  
• Playing one last game of Pinguin
  (I won)
  
• Drawing even with Sarah in number of games won ;p
  
• Having dinner at an Italian restaurant and having a good conversation :)
  
• Going back to Zeeland

In all, I can look back on three magnificent days
Many thanks to those who made them such!

* Hugs Sarah and Anne *
* Hugs Sjon *
* Hugs Noel, Rat, Ingmar and Fish *
* Hugs Chris and Joppe *
* Bows to his opponents of the Gameforce 1000 euro tournament *
* Bows to the judges of said tournament *
* High-fives Johfra, Peter and the other Joppe *
* Thumbs up to the people of Dark Dungeon *
* Thumbs up to the people of Gameforce *
* Hugs Renor *
* Hugs Eef, An and Veer * I missed you guys...
* Hugs Luus and Inno * Soon. Wait and see ;)
* Hugs the reader *

Gr33tz,

- J.

[Current bottle count: still recounting]
[Aiming for: 200]
[Bike status: hunting]

If you are reading this
And you happened to have stolen a bicycle this evening
(Specifically between 19:15 and 21:30, a Batavus standing in Middelburg-Zuid)
Then I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the possibility
That it was my bike you took

As such,
If you are indeed this person,
The one that has stolen my wheels,
I would also like to give you this advice:

Run
And hide
On a distant and never before heard of planet

If you don't, if you stay in Zeeland (or on this world),
Then I will find you
I will find you and do things to you
Things for which the vocabulary of our modern day society has not yet the words
To express the amount of pain they induce upon the human body
Things that will make the Devil look up and say:
"Hey, now that's a pretty nifty idea! Why didn't I think of that?"
Things that hurt. A lot.
And then, if your lucky, I'll drag your sorry ass over to the police
(And tell them that you got hit by a flaming truck while trying to run away
To explain what happened to you)

By now,
If you are that person
And you're reading this,
You'll probably be laughing
You'll be thinking:
"OMG, d00d U sux0rz! U won't find m3! lololol!!!1! I R Ninj4!"
Or something along those lines
You'll think that I'll never find you

By all means,
Think just that
I'd hate to be deprived of the look on your face when I do find you

You could also try and turn the tables on me
And claim that my bike wasn't locked
(Which is true, I tend to forget to do this once or twice a year)
So I was in fact asking for it
Go right ahead
That would make you an even bigger retard then me,
If you think that'll make any difference
For the amount of smackdown you will be brought to experience

Now, all you other people who are reading this,
The ones who haven't stolen my bike,
I will try to explain why I'm this vexed

It has three reasons:
1) That bike was given to me by my father, to whom it belonged first
As such, it has an emotional value
2) And this may sound weird, or strange,
But that bike is/was a part of me
I know how it handles, I know its every little quirck and knack
It is my primary means of transportation and I used it to get around
Every day
3) In all honesty, I should have locked it
I really shouldn't have forgotten, even though I know why I did

And yes,
There is a chance that I'm overreacting right now
(And if you think it so,
You should see me when I actually find the one who took my bike)
But on a more global scale,
This was just one more drop than ye Olde Bucket could handle

[/rant]

* Takes a deep breath *

Gheh,
I actually feel a sense of relief right now ^_^

Still,
I would have liked my return to my LJ to have been a little happier
Sorry

* Hugs the reader (except for you, obv.) *

Gr33tz,

- J.

[Current bottle count: recounting]
[Aiming for: 200]

Disclaimer: If you don't know or play the game of Magic: the Gathering,
This post may be just a little bit difficult to understand

Ah,
The PreRelease tournament of the new Magic: the Gathering expansion!

First,
Let me just state that Ravnica, City of Guilds
(Said new expansion)
Fscking rox0rz t3h big one111!

Yep

And I don't just say that because I'm addicted to the game
(Although I will admit that it helps),
But because from a design standpoint
I consider Ravnica to be a very good expansion
Especially when considering the inherent problems with its design

Second,
I keep experiencing 'situations' involving a certain railway company
(This means you NS)
That inspire me to put aside any notions of non-violence
And aim the shotgun at the kneecaps
This makes me very grateful for my ability to handle my emotions,
Allowing me to resolve my frustration and disappointment,
And for the fact that Bas, Noel and Fish were there to hold me back

Just kidding ;)
Although we did almost miss the tournament because of the NS

Almost!

Here's what happened at the tournament:

Round 1
Opponent: Stefan Gerads
Score: 2-0 win
Thoughts: My deck actually worked!
This is always a nice discovery when playing the first Sealed of a new expansion
Although I do believe he was mana screwed at least once

Round 2
Opponent: Arjan Camp
Score: 1-2 loss
Thoughts: Seriously, WTF?!
This guy was good!
He actually went all the way afterwards and played the finals for first place,
Although I'm not sure as to the outcome of that match

This is about the time a mix-up occurred
Apparently,
One of the judges mistakenly noted that I had won
(Well... That would have been nice :)
This meant that, come round three, I initially faced the wrong opponent
Luckily, they found out in time

This meant that I was now going to play someone else
Guess who?

Round 3
Opponent: Jan '(Clown)Fish' Miller
Yep
That's right; Fish
One of our own crew
Knowing Jan, this was going to be a good match
Score: 0-2 loss
Thoughts: And a good match it was!
Jan played as he usually does
(Good)
But I personally made a few mistakes
Of game-swinging magnitude

I considered dropping at this point
And entering into a side event
But my honor just wouldn't permit that
(Which is another way of saying:
All seats for the side event were taken ;)

Round 4
Opponent: Gino Hofman
Score: 2-0 win
Thoughts: Good kid
He had some pretty good creatures,
But these were generally too few in number
So I managed to overwhelm him with beats

Round 5
Opponent: Rudi Koster
Score: 2-1 win
Thoughts: Another close match that was very well played
In the end,
I won with only two cards left in my library

Round 6
Opponent: Rim Steijvers
Score: 2-1 win
Thoughts: I won!
Or did I...?
Tricksy tricksy...
This was a very nice match,
Against a cool opponent

So overall,
I played 4-2 win-loss
Which is not a bad warm-up for next saturday's tournament in Goes
(The close-to-home turf :)

I learned some valuable lessons
('Sleep is your friend', 'Caffeine is your best friend')
And walked away with some pretty darn cool cards
(Two of the new duals! Yay!)

Thank you Noel, Fish and Rat
And congrats on your victories!

Now then...
Next on the tournament agenda: Goes!

* Hugs Noel, Fish and Rat *
* Hugs Luus and Inno *
* Hugs his new dual lands * Preciousss...
* Hugs the reader *

Gr33tz,

- J.

[Current bottle count: 96]
[Aiming for: 200]

Ghosts
Ghosts of memory
Planting the seeds of madness
In my mind's garden

© to me

Gr33tz,

- J.

[Current bottle count: 92]
[Aiming for: 200]

Here's a thought...

Anne mentioned that I always appear to be very busy,
So I thought I'd give you a little overview,
Of all the things I have planned for this week,
And let you decide whether she's right

These are all the items I want to finish this week,
Although I'm sure that there are a lot more
Those items will have to wait until next week ;)

Monday 12/09/2005

• Work (Morning)


• Work (Afternoon)


• Update my LJ (Evening)
  (If you're reading this, then I've at least succeeded in doing this much)


• Write on Project Paper (Evening)


• Revise my character for the City of the Spider Queen RPG (Evening)


• Finish my character for the Raganorck RPG (Evening)


• Finish the post for the Penny RPG (Evening)


• Finish the post for the Uitdaging RPG (Evening)

Tuesday 13/09/2005

• Work (M)


• Work (A)


• Write on Project Paper (E)


• Finish the posts for zhe Implementation of zhe Plan (E)


• Try to finish the post for the Juweel RPG (E)


• Make sure that all papers for school are in order

Wednesday 14/09/2005

• Work (M)


• Visit the MiOn's at the HZ for Project YBT (A)


• Complete formalities at the HZ (A)


• Attend a meeting in Utrecht for Project YBT (E)

Thursday 15/09/2005

• Work (M)


• Attend the opening of the new year at the HZ (A)


• Write on Project Paper (E)


• Try to finish the post for the Juweel RPG again (E)


• Write a post for the Veste RPG (E)


• Write a post for the Lotus RPG (E)

Friday 16/09/2005

• Work (M)


• Work (A)


• Play Magic (E)


• Create a character for the Kurin RPG (E)


• Create armies for WHF; Border Patrol and 2K Standard (E)


• Brainstorm on Project O.W.

Saturday 17/09/2005

• Sleep (M & A)


• Maybe do some painting (A)


• See 'Seven Swords' at Film by the Sea (E)


• Go for a walk by the sea, reflect on what's actually been done
  Out of all of the above (E)

So the next time you ask me how I'm doing,
Chances are the answer will be something along the lines of 'busy' ;)

* Hugs Margriet, Martijn, Sabine, Jeroen, Bas, Dorien and Mike *
* Hugs Anne * Thanks for the inspi for this post ;)
* Hugs Niels *
* Hugs Maria *
* Hugs Sarah * Next time you will stay for dinner ;)
* Hugs Peter * Don't let the bad things in life get you down sir
* Hugs Calijn and Djoke as well *
* Hugs Wyona and Danielle * I'm looking forward to wednesday :)
* Hugs Luus and Inno * Sorry about last time Inno ;)
* Hugs Suus * Hope your knee gets well soon!
* Hugs the reader *

Gr33tz,

- J.

[Current bottle count: 88]
[Aiming for: 200]

So,
What does your birthmonth say about you?

Here's what it says about me:

Stubborn and hard-hearted
Stubborn? Oh yes
Hard-hearted? Oh no

Ambitious and serious
Hmmm…
That’s true,
On both accounts
(Yes, I know. I just don't always act in a serious manner ;)

Loves to teach and be taught
Absolutely,
Although the former more then the latter

Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses
Hmmmno…
I see in people what one would consider weak points
(And strong points, for that matter),
But I don’t actively look at or for weaknesses
And I don’t actually consider a person to have ‘flaws’

Likes to criticize
I to like to advise

Hardworking and productive
* ROFLMAO’s *
Hahaha! Oh my… Haha! Eheh… No
Perhaps I was at one point,
But I’ve grown lazy
Perhaps it’s time I looked into what went wrong back there

Smart, neat and organized
Two out of three ain’t bad

Sensitive and has deep thoughts
True
I never go a-thinking without bringing my spelunker’s kit
And enough food for several days

knows how to make others happy
Know? No
But I truly hope my attempts are successful

Quiet unless excited or tensed
Hmmm…
I’d say I’m quiet but talkative
I tend to be less quiet when excited
(Especially when playing zhe Game),
While I grow calmer when tensed
(Much like the calm before the storm)

Rather reserved
That depends
Has anyone made reservations?

Highly attentive
I try to be

Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds
That would, actually…
~ Hatsjaah! Sniffle… ~
… Explain a lot…

Romantic but has difficulties expressing love
* Mumbles something *

Loves children
Hey, wasn’t Steven King’s ‘It’ on TV not that long ago?

Loyal
Fiercely so

Has great social abilities yet easily jealous
We-ell…
Let’s just say I have a gift for getting along with people,
For which I’m very grateful
But jealousy…
In a way, yes
There are certain things others have,
That I miss in my life
But I don’t have any ‘negative’ feelings as a result of that,
So maybe jealousy isn’t the right word for it

Very Stubborn and money cautious
Very stubborn? Oh very yes
Money cautious? Hm…
Money conscious would be a better choice of words

Mwah...
It's not entirely wrong :)

Gr33tz,

- J.

[Current bottle count: 43]
[Aiming for: 200]

Disclaimer: If you don't know or play the game of Magic: the Gathering,
This post may be just a little bit difficult to understand

It's a funny thing really...

This weekend, the Pro Tour Qualifier was held,
In Zwolle on saturday
And in Eindhoven on sunday
Finishing top two in either tournament meant a ticket to LA
In order to participate in the Pro Tour

The format played was Kamigawa Block Constructed

Since I liked this format
And because the Group had been toying with the idea for a long, long time
We went to the PTQ's in Eindhoven on sunday

Noel was packing Gifts
Ingmar was packing Gifts
Fish was packing White Weenie (after all)
I was packing mono-black disruption (thanks to Fish)

Here's what happened:

Round 1
Opponent: Johan Verhulst
He was packing: Mono-blue control
What went right: Putting a Pithing Needle through his Jushi Apprentice
And subsequently shredding his hand
What went wrong: Him topping Meloku. Twice
Score: 0-2 loss
Thoughts: Good opponent, strong deck. I believe he made top 8
And Meloku is a bitch to play against

Round 2
Opponent: Ronald Groenstege
He was packing: Blue/white ninja
What went right: Miss Kiku doing her thing
And mister Night Eyes doing his thing
What went wrong: Higure, the Still Wind is pretty hard to kill for my deck
Also, putting a Needle through his Jitte after he Grasped mine
And me subsequently drawing all but one of my other Jittes didn't help much either
Score: 1-2 loss
Thoughts: Cool deck. I can't help but feel like I could have beaten him though, no offense

Round 3
Opponent: Sebasti de la Fosse. It's been a while since last I played against him
He was packing: Mono-red aggro
What went right: He didn't play that many creatures and I had good removal
What went wrong: Being both mana-screwed and mana-flooded
Score: 1-2 loss
Thoughts: Why did I win the 3 friendly rounds we played afterwards?

So that made three losses in a row
I decided to drop and enter into one of the side events
(A six man C-B-S draft),
When I heard that Noel and Ingmar had also dropped
Leaving only Fish to play for the honor of Zeeland

After some fiddling,
We all managed to get onto the same draft list

We took our seats
And opened our first booster

That's when the fun began anew

I picked a North Tree
I picked two (yes, two) Ghost-lit Raiders
I picked beats and burn
I played green/red aggro
And I was grinning like a blood-mad little kitty on speed

What happen:

Round 1
I played against Tobias Barkert. He played a blue/black deck
With a lot of deck manipulation
Oh, and Meloku
I got out early Raiders in both matches
Combining them with my Initiate of Blood to make it go Goka
That pretty much took care of Meloku when he played it
I won 2-0

Round 2
I came up against Noel, who'd also won his first round
Much as I had expected
(Ingmar had, unfortunaly, lost his first round
Contrary to my expectations)
I had a feeling that Noel would be my most difficult opponent
He usually is
He played blue/white skies, with many good Moonfolk
Again, the Raiders made a big difference,
Allowing me to flood the board with creatures
I won 2-0
I really enjoyed playing this round

Round 3
The finals
I played against Julian Bruggermann
(I hope I got this right; I had a bit of trouble discerning your handwriting, sorry man)
Julian was wielding a black/green control-ish deck
With four Green Shinen and recursion spells
It was a close one in the end, I think I won by my draw
And the fact that I head the North Tree beating down on him
I won 2-0
He was a good opponent, fun to play against

So!
Bonus points and boosters!

Meanwhile,
At the end of the PTQ,
Fish had gone 4-3-0 with his White Weenie

So in all,
It was a very good day
I had the privelege to play some great games
Against nice opponents

I also made some pretty good deals,
Obtaining enough material for a new deck
And adding new legends to my collection

Last point to note:
Kudos to Ashad (I hope I spelled this right);
For making top 8,
Even though he actually missed the first round :p

To all: Good game, game on!

* Hugs Noel, Fish and Ingmar * Thanks you guys!
* Hugs Luus * ;)
* Hugs the reader *

Gr33tz,

- J.

[Current bottle count: 40]
[Aiming for: 200]

This one goes out to Noel, Fish and Ingmar
And all the other M:tG players playing the PTQ's this weekend





Good luck you guys!

And thank you Penny Arcade!

Gr33tz,

- J.

[Current bottle count: 39]
[Aiming for: 200]

Luus,
My Magic Godchild,
This one's especially for you ;)

* Hugs Luus *

I'll never ever forget you again
I promise
(Unless, of course, the Disrupt-A-Tron GL33 comes online)

- J.

Disclaimer: If this made no sense to you, click here

[Current bottle count: 38]
[Aiming for: 200]

Okidokie
Back to business

A lot has happened over the past few weeks
And I think it's reasonable to assume
That this has been one of the most eventful summer holidays
I've ever had :)

In recent times,
I've visited Castlefest (06/08/05 and 07/08/05)
And Summer Darkness (13/08/05)
I've attended the Skwuig EftelingMeet (19/08/05)
And the KampenMeet (20/08/05)
And I've played and won my first Friday Night Magic event,
In Zeeland no less! (11/08/05) (Yeah, on a thursday)
Kudos to Fantus! (All your base are belong to us ;)

Also,
I've become a member of the Skwuig Bestuur
(Thanks to Niels and Elleke :)
I've become a Moderator for Stories and Poems on Skwuig
(Together with Anne)
And I've become Moderator for these same boards on Vuur & Vlam
(Calijn's big project)

Last but certainly not least,
I've become a member of the Young Business Talents
Finally accepting an invitation Erik gave me some time ago
I've thought long and hard about it
And I've come to consider it both an honor and a challenge,
A true test of m4d t3ch and skillzz,
As I'll be in the organisation for Zeeland

The rest of my time has been spent on working at the Z.B.
And the usual stuff :)

So yeah,
I've been a busy little kitty :p

As for my projects,
Here's a little (sorta) overview:

Running projects

• Project Paper (writing)...
  ... remains the most important of my projects,
  Which is why I'm angry with myself for not having completed it yet
  I'm currently re-evaluating this project,
  In order to renew my perspectives


• Project Koji (writing)...
  ... Is still in temporal stasis


• Project O.W. (net)...
  ... Has been going a bit slow on my part
  It's next on the list for re-evaluation

Discontinued projects

• Wonder Project J. (painting)...
  ... Has been discontinued
  I've lost my muse...
  

New projects

• Project MER 5 (study)...
  ... Is rapidly approaching
  And I still have a lot to take care of before it arrives :s


• Project Godzilla (painting)...
  ... Is the codename for my new Warhammer 40K army :)
  Yes, I have, once again, dusted off my brush
  And opened up the paint box :)


• Project Sharku (painting)...
  ... Is Project Godzilla's Warhammer Fantasy mirror


• Project Celestial Strike (deckbuilding)...
  ... Just in case :)

So there you have it
As busy as things have been of late,
It doesn't show any signs of slowing down

I'll return with a special RPG update
As soon as possible

Hug time!

* Hugs the Four * I miss you guys...
* Hugs Niels * May you find that which you seek
* Hugs Elleke * I'm sorry...
* Hugs Janneke * Thanks for the ride and two great days!
* Hugs Lielo * Summer Darkness was fun :)
* Hugs Lopke, Nora and 'Shade * For a job well done
* Hugs Anne * I think we make a pretty good team ;)
* Hugs the little tiger * Coochy-coo!
* Hugs Calijn, Djoke and Peter * Partners in crime ;)
* Hugs Erik * Ready to rumble commander
* Hugs Mijntje * Your perspective has been... Refreshing
* Hugs Noel * Before you start threatening me again ;p
* Hugs Vera * I hope you're doing better
* Hugs the reader * For making it through my ramblings :)

Gr33tz,

- J.

[Current bottle count: 33]
[Aiming for: 200]

Today, I made our local supermarket very happy :)

I returned 187 empty Coca Cola and Liptonice bottles
And thus broke my previous record of 169 empty Liptonice bottles

(And which, coincidentally, has made me realize
That I drink quite a lot :p )

* Hugs the reader *

Gr33tz,

- J.

So yeah,
Things have been a bit...
... Turbulent of late

A lot has happened
And not all of it has been good

I feel like I need some time alone,
In order to think about these things

Don't worry though;
I'll be back before long,
At which time I'll make a real update

* Hugs the reader *
* Hugs his friends in particular *

Gr33tz,

- J.

Every once in a while
I write - or rather try to write - haiku
Like this one

Lost
No blame. I feel lost
That which could have been, now won't
I wish you both well

I'd like to thank everyone for the kind words
They mean a lot to me

* Hugs his friends * Thank you

Gr33tz,

- J.

I'm having a rare, lucid moment
Brought on by an overdose of sugar and cafeïne
And the systematic shutdown of several data processing plants

Which is another way of saying:
It's 01:47 at night and I've drunk way too much of the ol' Coke

Time for an update!

First of all,
Let me state that a lot can happen in the relatively short period of two weeks

On 28/06/05 I had a meeting with both the HZ and the ZB
(The Hogeschool Zeeland and the Zeeuwse Bibliotheek)
Concerning my work placement (stage) and my paper (scriptie)
It was a very good meeting,
We evaluated the project and I gained some important new perspectives

On 30/07/05 I was set to go to Rock Werchter,
A music festival in Belgium
My train was planned to leave at 11:58
And at about 11:00 I received a call (cell) from the Zeeuwse Bibliotheek,
The institute of my work placement (stage)
They told me that they had selected me for a job, for which I had applied
(There was one other contestant)
Needless to say, this made me a very happy little kitty :)

I arrived at Werchter without any delays (no, honestly!)
And managed to find the Others
Point to explain:
Due to a miscom, I was unable to travel with the Others
As there was no room left in their cars
They did, however, transport my stuff (for which I'm still very grateful)

What followed were 5 great days
In spite of a bad telecom network, the occasional shower
And the fact that someone nicked our flag (sacrilege!)
Bands seen:
Day 1: Snoop (bling!), Chemical Brothers (rain included)
Day 2: Jimmy Eat World, Within Temptation, Garbage, Velvet Revolver,
Green Day ("You like the guitar? Keep it." - Billie Joe Armstrong) and Faithless
Day 3: Audioslave, Nine Inch Nails and Rammstein (fire is good)
Day 4: Flogging Molly, Keane/Sarah Bettens, Soulwax/Eagles of Death Metal
And Queens of the Stone Age (they rocked)
For photo's, click here

On 05/07/05 I went to a MiniMeet in Den Bosch
With Eveline, An and Niels
Which was great :)
It was the last time I got to see Eveline...
... Before her trip to Italy ;)
I learned how to play Machiavelli, great game!
The Meet also gave me the opportunity to discuss Project O.W. with Niels

06/07/05 marked the first day at my new job (besteladministratie)
It involves working 32 hours a week for a period of about three months
It's always a pleasure working for the Z.B.
(And no, I'm not just saying this because they might be reading this ;)
Oh and there was a birthday at the department!
Yay for cake! :p

Then, on 07/07/05, something happened
Which had a major negative impact on my mood
Let's just call it 'family business' and leave it at that

Then the weekend just seemed to fly by
I went to the graduation of my classmates on friday
I went shopping in Utrecht on Saturday
And I played MSN Werewolves on Sunday :p

Which leaves us here and now :)

~ ~ ~

I've used Werchter to consider all of the projects I'm currently involved in
And this is more or less how that turned out:

I'm still working on Project Paper
Following the meeting on 28/06/05
And the new developments in Lawland
That directly influence the outcome of this project,
I have adapted my Plan
As well as my perspectives
(i.e. the way I look at things)
I'll continue to work on this project, while also working on my new job at the ZB
Aiming to finish Project Paper before: 29/07/05

The RPG's have been given second highest priority
Seeing as how I've been kind of neglecting them
(Though not by choice)
I've already posted in Halfbreeds
I'm planning to work on Juweel next thursday with CC
And Penny starts later this day
Which leaves Uitdaging, Zirk-Thal, Veste and Semper Damnatus
I'm not sure whether Chanagon, Fleurs, PlaneScape and Stones are still active
Or whether they've been shut down for the summer holidays
There's also Niels' D&D RPG,
For which I already have some interesting character idea's ;)
Aiming to update the RPG's before: 15/07/05

Project Koji has, unfortunately, ground to a temporary halt
When I've finished with the RPG's,
I'll continue working on this project
Aiming to finish Project Koji before: Hell freezes over :p

By the way, on equal height with the RPG's is Project O.W.
Something that was started by Niels not that long ago
And of which I'm now a part, along with Maria and Sarah
It has to do with...
... Nah, let's keep that a surprise, shall we? ;)
Aiming to finish Project O.W. before: the end of the holidays
(Right Niels?)

Another, much smaller project which I decided to start last saturday,
Is Wonder Project J.
Which is not so much about writing as it is about painting ;)
Aiming to finish Wonder Project J. before: 23/07/05

~ ~ ~

Darn...
Sleep...
Catching up with me...
Must... Hug...

* Hugs Judith * I'll see you tuesday ;)
* Hugs Sjon, Steven, Roderick, Ineke and Maartje *
* Hugs Lielo and Daniel * Where were you guys? :p
* Hugs Eveline, An and Niels *
* Hugs his classmates * Good luck you guys!
* Hugs Paz en Suus * Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long
* Hugs Maria * Hope you're enjoying your vacation!
* Hugs Noel * Just in case you plan to make good on your threats ;p
* Hugs the reader *

Gr33tz,

- J.

As this is the first post of my first ever LiveJournal,
Let me begin by welcoming you, the reader of this bit
(I have no idea why you thought that this would be interesting to read,
But I appreciate it a lot, thanks!)
Be forewarned though, this may get lengthy...

I've been meaning to start this LJ for some time now,
But I always found a very good reason not to
(i.e. I'm lazy)
However, due to the pursuasive talents of a Certain Someone,
I've finally taken my pen to the challenge at hand ;)

The purpose of this LJ - for me - is to reflect upon the things I write,
Be they for fun, school or work,
As I believe that how one feels affects one's scribbling
And vice versa

I really enjoy writing
Preferably in English as I'm more comfortable writing in said language
This means my LJ posts will probably be in English as well
(Unless, off course, my brain suddenly implodes or otherwise malfunctions)
((Which would be bad))

At the moment,
There are several projects I'm writing on

Most important of these projects is my paper (scriptie)
It's a piece I'm writing for my workplace, the Zeeuwse Bibliotheek
And concerns Information Law
It's about the way the ZB is to treat the personal data of her members
Given the importance of this piece,
It's most unfortunate that I've been stuck on it for weeks
It's not that I don't have the pieces of the puzzle,
The problem is that I don't know how the pieces fit together
This is a major problem that will have to be resolved soon
As it's drastically weighing down my thoughts :(

The second most important project is Project Koji
It's a compilation of individual stories,
That together will tell the tale of a World
From the moment of its Birth to the moment of its End
With any luck,
This summer I will finally solve the riddle that's been the key to this project
For well over a year now:
How a Universe is created

Finally, there's the RPG's I write on,
On different Fora: Elf Fantasy Forum, Skwuig and Vlam
Today I signed up for 'Penny'
(Or 'Save yourself a penny for the ferryman...')
A very interesting new RPG on Elf Fantasy Forum
(Which may be a bad move,
Considering the amount of scribbling I've got as it stands,
But I just couldn't resist mate :)

Well, that's all from me for now
There's much more to tell and even more to write
But now's not the time

I hope I'll be able to return here soon

* Hugs Judith * For being that Certain (and Special) Someone
* Hugs the ZeelandMeeters * For the wonderful day
* Hugs Niels in particular * For hope that you'll find what you're looking for
* Hugs the Reader * For reading my ramblings
* Hugs Judith again * For... Well, just because :)

Gr33tz,

- J.