Paintball..

I went for a game of paintball on Monday. It was considered a company outing since its all paid for. I was pretty excited cause i have always wanted to try out this activity and just never got the chance since it was more of a group event. Considering we are in a generation of CounterStrike playing kids, I am sure i speak for most of us that this is one game that we would all like to experience at least once :)

The game of paintball is much like CS round, only instead of shooting bullets, u shoot paintballs pellets. And yes,its all real and not cyberspace shooting. The paintball gun shoots pellets by using air from a gas canister which is attached to the base of the gun. The gun will have pellets holder for ammunition and the main frame is made to look like a real gun. It has its own safety button much like a safety release of a real gun. When not in "combat", the gun's nozzle would also be covered by a "sock".
Safety is pretty important too. We were given a goggle which is more like an helmet with a visor. We were expected to wear long sleeved t-shirt, long pants and sports shoes for the game. There is also the option for a vest and overalls that u can rent but most of us just opted not too.
The game is pretty simple. Shoot the opposing team and get rid of all of them. One shot is all it takes for a person to be eliminated but the shot has to burst and leave a mark. If it were to bounce off, you are still very much in the game. The other way to win the game is by touching the goal line of the opposing team without being shot once. The field itself is filled with bunkers in which you can use as a cover.
I managed to play a couple of rounds as there were quite a number of us and we had to take turns going in. The game was fun and even though it was scorching hot under the afternoon sun, we were all having the time of our lives. While i did manage to inflict a few headshots and eliminate people, i was shot at my arm during the last round. It felt like someone were to slap my arm but otherwise,i wasn't bothered about it. However later on, i noticed that it left a red mark, kinda like a bruise. The shot wasn't close range so it was not that bad but it did cause a blood clot. Even so, its one helluva of a game and i am looking forward to playing it again :)


-Bruised arm :)

Starcraft 2 Zerg

Zerg for Starcraft 2 has finally been unveiled.. Being a big fan of the Zerg race, I was wondering what took them so long when the Terrans and Protoss have unveiled most of the units including buildings and heroes..

Zerg really looks even stronger than the Starcraft 1 days. The Infestors can burrow and move underground.It reminded me of the Flaming Tongue Tank from Tiberian Sun.
The Queen looks totally different and has attributes that mirrors the Hatchery since it actually comes with 2 levels of mutation. The Queen is the Zerg's answer to the Terran's Thor and the Protoss' Mothership. While races seem balanced, the zerg definitely hold an advantage in attack by sheer numbers. Watching zerglings and banelings decimate enemy defense line which have single units which are far more superior in strength, is satisfying. The in game video of the zerg gives us a insight of what to expect but it would have been better with a commentary track. The Zerg unveiling video clip was ok but Blizzard have changed the voice for Kerrigan and the unit animation of the video clip looks more like an in game sequence graphic. This was a bit disappointing since Blizzard are well known for their cinematics sequence which have exceptional quality. I am not that pleased with they way Infested Kerrigan looks now. The interesting thing about Kerrigan in the first Starcraft was the human element that seemed to be there beneath all those evil and zerg infestation. Hopefully, it will be reverted back to the look she sported on the "tychus findlay" trailer or the one featured on the artwork trailer..
All in all, i am realy looking forward to this game and planning to upgrade my pc just for this purpose :)

My Kommuter woes

well.. its been way too long since i update this thing.. a lot has happened since then, elections,memorable valentine's day, champions league has reached the quarterfinal stage, starcraft 2 has finally unveiled zerg and im at halfway thru march...
i really havent been able to catch up with most movies these days. Not really in the mood to go out and all. My elder brother says im fast becoming an old man who just works and stays at home afterwards. maybe thats true but i just dont see a valid point to travel all the way from bangi to KL just to watch a movie. I have enough travelling as it is and with a service like KTM Komuter, it is just a process that i'd rather avoid..
KTM Komuter is by far the worst transit service that I have used in my life. Since i use it on a daily basis, I can tell u how bad it is. Don't get me wrong, I love public transportation. We would beat the hassle of a traffic jam and it seems more relaxing and economical. However the KTM Komuter service especially the one from Rawang to Seremban line is by the far the worst that I have had to use in my life. I have used Rapid KL system (formerly knowns as PUTRA LRT and STAR LRT) as well monorails and ERL. KTM Komuter ranks the lowest in terms of efficiency and punctuality. I have lost count on the number of times i have waited at a station for an hour. I have been in packed trains that doesn't have a working air conditioning system. People always seem to complain that Rapid KL is bad but they have the decency to make for their mistakes. If a station within the Rapid KL system was packed, an empty train would be released specifically to reduce the crowd. I have seen two extra trains in one scheduled time to accommodate the crowd size. In KTM Komuter, if a train was late, a simple PA system announcer would inform of the delay and how long it would take. This delay would probably get longer as time goes. By the end of the hour, the train would arrive and it would be super packed. KTM seems to be under impression that an additional train 5 minutes is enough to clear the crowd that as accumulated over the hour. When the train eventually does come,it is hot and stuffy. This is not because of the crowd but more towards the quality of the air con and poor air circulation within the train compartment.
KTM Komuter also seems to have a policy that on a public holiday, the first two train schedule would be canceled. Somehow, this has been condoned by most since they don't require the service. The KTM service is almost never punctual. I would understand the delays have something to do with the intercity railway that shares the same line as the Seremban-Rawang line but careful planning of schedule and allocation of usage by the intercity railway during off peak hours would do wonders to the system. For god's sake, the Komuter is almost surely to be late if it should be raining that day due to "technical difficulties".
Im not sure if KTM Komuter has a tag line or a motto that they strive on but if there were any, it should like one of the following;

-KTM Komuter:Screwing your timing,daily
-KTM Komuter:Your punctuality is our least concern
-KTM Komuter:Moving you forward,slower
-KTM Komuter:Hot,sweaty and stuffy

KTM Komuter had better buck up their service. its disgraceful for the price of the tickets that they charge. I'd be sending a copy of this letter to the STAR soon in hopes that this problem can be rectified and solved.. Im just crossing my fingers till then.. peace out people :)


The source of my delays