Backward Memory

Everything I know I learned from RPGs

Maryse — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:15:22 +0000

It’s nice to know there’s a place in the world where I can seek refuge away from reality, a place where I have some control, where I can make a difference and where uncertainty can be cured with an in-depth walkthrough found on the Internet. A place with magic too.

I must have been around 6 or 7 the first time I played a role-playing video game – Dragon Warrior, on my cousin’s Nintendo. It was epic – the music of that game still haunts me. My next encounter was many years later only – it took me a looong time to convince my parents to buy a console – when Alex and I stumbled on Final Fantasy VII and were flabbergasted by the depth of its world and characters – and again, the music.

Of course, spending so much time in a made-up universe developing skills for made-up characters might seem silly. But if I think about it, these games taught me many valuable lessons. Not that I need to justify my time with the PS3 or anything.

Live with purpose

Life is much better when you have clear goals.

Keep a quests journal

Back in the day, one had to take notes (on paper!) of the clues gathered during the numerous quests of the game. These days, there’s always some sort of quest diary in which every new task unlocked is recorded. Be it a to-do list or a full progress report for all your projects, it helps to have things on paper (or on file) – for better planning AND posterity.

Take the time to level up – but don’t over do it

At the beginning of a game, it always pays to do random battles in order to level up your characters. But after a certain level, it take so much experience points to get to the next level that it isn’t worth it anymore. The difference between one level and another isn’t significant enough to justify the amount of time spent getting there. Plus, there’s probably missions and special marks you could do to earn more experience points.

While it’s important to take the time to hone a skill, it’s important to know where to focus your efforts and when to stop. Perfect is pointless, most of the time.

It’s in the little things…

Sure, saving the world is fun… but let’s admit it, there’s just as much fun to be had in the non-epic stuff like browsing the shops, playing the mini-games, collecting stupid items, interacting with other characters, doing silly side quests, amassing tons of money, etc.

Same goes for real life. Sure, it’s great to have a big project to work on, but it’s important to indulge in the small things too.

Ditch the extensive walkthrough

Sometime when I play I get obsessed with the idea of a perfect game: finding every single treasures, unlocking the best items, getting all the trophies. To do so, you almost have no choice but to follow a walkthrough, and boy do that suck the fun out of the game! Instead of playing my way through the game and the story, I end up following a bunch of instructions. Dull.

There’s at least 2 lessons there: first, never forget the true reason you’re doing something (my reason to play is to escape and have fun); second: knowledge is great, but too much of it can be detrimental to progress.

(I still do check out strategy guides – it’s always nice to have an edge – but I don’t follow them step-by-step…)

Gather a good team around you

What’s a hero without his company of fellow adventurers? A great team of characters with diverse skills and specialties is your best assets if you’re trying to save the world. It’s just as important if you’re trying to make it better.

Take a break at the inn

In RPG world, a night at the inn usually means full health recovery. In real life, that can be applied many ways: either literally – book yourself some vacations! – or figuratively – just have a good night sleep! You’ll be all the better for it…

If you’re stuck in your quest, go to the pub/tavern

You never know what people you’ll meet with important information and clues… Or, you know, it might just be fun.

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Enter the Dragon: Chinese New Year Celebration in San Francisco!

Maryse — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:41:32 +0000

Last Saturday was the famous Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco, and we joined hundreds of thousands of San Franciscan to celebrate the coming of what promises to be an exciting year…

In Chinese astrology, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon – considered the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac! The theme of a Dragon year is fast change and exciting challenges – how fitting considering the big changes we’re about to face?

The Chinese New Year parade is a big deal in San Francisco and I couldn’t wait to experience it first hand. The celebrations begin the first day of the Chinese New Year and spread for two weeks to culminate in the biggest Chinese New Year parade in North America.

We decided to walk through Chinatown to get a taste of the fair before heading for the parade. As you can see on the picture above, we weren’t the only one! We made our way on Grant street, which was packed with street vendors, kiosks, tourists and locals. I didn’t know where to point my camera, I was so totally overwhelmed by everything happening around! Firecrackers left on the sidewalk would fire up under our steps – and I could only grin thinking how all of this was so completely different from what I usually seek and love… and yet I would move to China in a heartbeat! (It was considered a possibility at some point, since the company Alex works for also has offices in China…)

This building features these lanterns year-long, it has nothing to do with the festivities… but isn’t it beautiful?

After our little incursion in the heart of the fair, we headed toward Kearny and Post, where we were planning to watch the parade. We were 45 minutes early, but most of the good spots on the sidewalk were already taken! We posted ourselves in the middle of the street and proceeded to wait for the parade to begin.

It was a beautiful day, perfectly reasonable temperature-wise, but one gets cold standing for hours without moving much – even surrounded by tons of people! Alex had warned me it would get cold, but he entirely forgot to follow his own advice…

The parade began a couple of blocks away from where we were, but we could hear the firecrackers and the music closing on us, making the anticipation rise a few notches.

I didn’t bring my flash on purpose, thinking it would bother the performers, but everyone had their flashes on… Sorry for the blurry pictures!

It was a fantastic parade, full of colors, firecrackers and great performances!

Here are my tips if you plan to attend San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade in the future:

Arrive early (an hour should be good). Lots of people were there with blankets and folding chairs.
Dress warm! It might be mild and comfortable at first, but I guaranty you it will get cold! Bring gloves! And a hat! And a scarf! And maybe double-socks…
From what I heard, the performers get tired toward the end of the circuit and show much less enthusiasm. One thing to think about when choosing where you want to watch…
Many street blocks get closed, making it difficult to leave early. We had to go down the BART station to get out of the block where we were.
Restaurants around will be packed crazy!
If you want to take pictures, I think the best location would be around the bleachers in front of the Macy’s. That’s where they film the parade, so huge spots light the place. This is also where the judges are located, so the best performances happen there!
The parade is nearly 3 hours long – that’s without the hour you waited to get a good spot, and the hour it can take to get out when it’s over – so you may want to bring snacks. It took us a good hour and a half before we could find a restaurant with a reasonable waiting time… By then we were almost shaking from hunger! (I was fantasizing about a milk shake with a cake slice blended in! Does it exist?)

We left early, too cold and tired to make it to the end… but our quest for a restaurant magically brought us back to the parade right in time to see the spectacular 250 feet Golden Dragon – brought to life by 100 martial artists! I will take it as a good omen for the coming year :)

Here’s to a terrific Year of the Dragon! I wish you all YOUR BEST YEAR EVER!

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The strange life of a resident alien

Maryse — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:08:04 +0000

Resident alien… that’s what they call a person who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to her. It’s an interesting life, the life of a resident alien… full of wonders and novelty – but also full of uncertainty.

Alcatraz, San Francisco. Do we need to say our goodbyes?

I talked last week about the month of January having ended on a sour note for Alex and I. I didn’t want to write about it before telling my family but now that it’s done: the company Alex works for decided to recall its technical team to Paris. What this means for us is that unless Alex can find a new job here, there’ll be a change of location for us in 2012.

Our lives are currently under the sign of the question mark. We have no idea what will happen. Will we go back to Quebec? Will we move to Paris? Will we manage to stay here in San Francisco? Will we give the finger to all this and go on a trip around the world?

We honestly don’t know.

For now, we stay open to any scenario and we explore our options.

We also try not to forget the reason we’re here: to experience the area and have fun. That means going out for the Super Bowl even if you’re still shattered by the sudden change of alignment in the stars. That means going to the Chinese New Year Parade this week-end. That means planning (barely) a group trip to Las Vegas for the end of February.

If there’s something you have to learn quickly when you move to another country, it’s to deal with the unexpected.

*Sigh*…

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TILT – Things I Love Today

Maryse — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:00:34 +0000

January was a great month, but it ended on a sour note for Alex and I. To counterbalance with a pretty crappy week, I decided I needed to focus on the good things in life. Here’s a small list of the things that currently make me happy and keep me sane.

Playing Dragon Age II (even if the game is disappointing in many ways).
Reconnecting with the characters of my novel.
Reading bits of my novel and thinking “I wrote that?”
Ordering shoes through Zappos’ VIP shop and receiving them THE NEXT DAY!!!
Coconut butter (recipe to come soon).
The prospect of buying Skyrim at the end of the month if I’m a good girl (I usually never buy recent games, always wait ’til they’re down to 20$… but I’m really excited about playing this one).
The release of the new Final Fantasy XIII-2 last Tuesday (even though I’ll wait a while before playing… see note above).
Also had a great time watching the first Vaginal Fantasy Book Club Hangout hosted by Felicia Day on Google Air (even if I have a hard time with that kind of book… I freakin’ hate the first person POV that’s so popular in that genre). Still, it was nice listening to other nerdy girls (2 of which are from SF! Represent!) and there was some pretty funny moments. I don’t exactly feel more connected, but at least less alone.
Ripping off the month of January from my humongous Stendig calendar. Deeply satisfying, feels like moving on.

These are a few of my favorite things. And I already feel better just thinking about it.

More news next week, promise!

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Ding-dong! The beans are gone! (A paleo chili recipe)

Maryse — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:16:13 +0000

When I first learned about chili, I thought I had found the gateway meal that would lead me to the world of legumes.

From as far back as I can remember, I always had a problem with beans of most kind. I have tales from kindergarten about the chick pea situation in one of the soup they served weekly and how I had to negotiate a tolerable ratio for my bowl with the cook – the agreement was a single chick pea per bowl, but I had to actually eat it in front of an educator… it was an event every week -_-

Turned out I find legumes as undesirable in chili than in soup. Yet I like chili – how comforting it is in winter, how the spiciness helps with congestion, how it is full of flavor and how deep and complex this flavor can be. And just the process of making chili… it’s a bit like brewing a potion. I was therefore really glad when I heard Dr Sheldon Cooper say that real chili does not contain beans. AH!

In its bean-less form, chili happens to be a fantastic paleo meal that can be prepared in advanced and stored for these lazy days when you feel just like ordering pizza.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1 lb beef (chuck, tenderloin) in small cubes (I don’t know much about meat cut… I just bought cubed beef for braising, and re-cubed them smaller)
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp chili peppers flakes
1 tbsp cumin seed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 lb ground beef
2 cups onions, chopped
1/2 cup beef stock
2 cans (28 ounces) of crushed tomatoes (or 1 can crushed, 1 can whole or diced tomatoes… I just prefer the texture of all crushed tomatoes)
4 tbsp tomato paste
3 bell peppers, chopped

Note - The original recipe suggested the use of dried ancho and chili peppers. I couldn’t find any, so I substituted for the powder and flakes. If you can put your hand on some, the recipe called for 2 dried ancho chili and 2 dried red chili pepper, that you need to soak in hot water for 30 minutes. Just sayin’.

Instructions

In a large pot over high heat, add half of the oil (1/4 cup). When the oil is hot, add cubed meat and brown on all sides. Remove browned cubes from the pot and set aside.

Combine remaining olive oil (1/4 cup), ancho chili powder, chili peppers flakes, cumin seeds, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and chipotle peppers in blender or food processor and blend about 30 seconds, until it looks like a paste.

Return your large pot to medium heat and cook ground meat until it’s nicely browned.

Add onions and seasoning paste to the beef and cook until the onions are slightly translucent.

Add the beef stock, bring to a simmer and cook until stock is slightly reduced.

Add in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped pepper and browned cubed meat.

Stir all ingredients and simmer for about 2 hours.

Eat what you can and store the rest!

Note - A chili recipe is always a work in progress. Next time, I will experiment with adding a bit of salt to it, as well as using whole canned tomatoes that I crush myself in the blender – I find that crushed tomatoes can be very sweet.

Adapted from the book Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie & Charles Mayfield.

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Nuts for cookies: paleo cookie recipe

Maryse — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:04:49 +0000

As one of the first 30 days challenges I intend to take in 2012, I decided to eat paleo for the entire month of January. My biggest difficulty was to find a little sweet something to replace my usual very sugary desserts and cravings. These entirely fruit-sweetened cookies are my saviours!

I know that to achieve weigh loss, it is best to limit the consumption of fruits and cookies – even if they’re very clean and paleo. However, I find it best to go slowly when attempting to make permanent beneficial lifestyle changes. Cutting all refined sugar was a big step for me, so for now I’m not restraining myself too much with these cookies. After 2 weeks though, I can already say that my urge for sugar – natural or refined – as dropped considerably. Usually, when I attempt that kind of experiment, I tend to dream about cake and ice cream, but this time I feel surprisingly clear-headed and sane and I have no fantasy about giant dancing anthropomorphic chocolate truffles. Yay!

These paleo cookies are made with coconut or almond flour, which pack them with nutrients, but also make them really, really filling. I’m pretty sure the elves used nut flours for their lembas bread…

Ingredients

2 bananas
3/4 cup almond butter
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup raw walnuts
1 apple, peeled
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup coconut flour

Can’t find coconut flour? This recipe can be made with almond flour (or almond meal), which I think is a bit easier to find in grocery stores. Keep the same measurement, but skip the coconut milk. Coconut flour soak liquids like crazy, this is why it is often necessary to add coconut milk to it to adjust the texture. Cookies made with almond flour will have a different taste, texture and nutrients, but they will be just as good! I tried it!

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, mash the banana with a fork to purée consistency.

Add the almond butter, the cinnamon, and the baking soda and mix well.

Put the apple, the walnut and the milk in a blender, and chop to oatmeal consistency.

Add the mixture to the mixing bowl.

Incorporate the coconut flour and mix well.

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper – these tend to stick a bit more than cookies made with huge amount of butter.

With your hand or a spoon, place cookie dough on the baking sheet. Give them roughly the shape you want them to be, because they won’t budge in the oven. What you see there is what you’ll get.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Makes about 16 cookies. Or more. Or less. Depending on the size, you know.

These should be stored in the fridge and make an awesome breakfast, collation or dessert!

Use whatever food processor you have to get to a similar consistency. I only have a blender, so the coconut milk really help. Adapt accordingly to your tools…

You do not want a complete purée. Small bits give texture to the cookie. In a good way.

If you used almond flour, your mix will be more liquid. That’s why it’s not necessary to add the coconut milk.

I have found that both the coconut flour and almond flour version do not spread much in the oven, contrary to other cookies mix. Keep in mind when shaping your dough!

Adapted from Everyday Paleo, an awesome resources for… you guessed it… paleo recipes.

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About L.A. & reflexions on urban traveling

Maryse — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:55:13 +0000

With the exception of my 2 trips to San Francisco – first to find an apartment, then to… live – my travel experience can be resumed in 1 word: camping. This trip to Los Angeles was my first “true” experience in urban travel, and I will certainly remember it forever as I learned something very important there: I hate sightseeing.

Running around the city to look at stuff I’ve seen countless times on TV – from better angles, closer and with better lighting – seems like a vacuous waste of time to me. There’s very few good pictures opportunity in it: these places are flooded with tourists. There’s very little to enjoy: like I said, these places are flooded with tourists. I find it strenuous and boring. And it leaves me with an empty feeling… or worst, the unsettling feeling that I am broken: Why can’t I marvel before these landmarks like everyone else? Why am I not having a blast? Am I the only one who’s rather die than to eat at Mel’s Drive In? Why can’t I be more grateful to be here? Why are these freaking tourists walking sssooo slowly?!

I think what I like best about camping is that it’s always an “experience”: sleeping in a tent, hiking, kayaking, cooking my food over an open fire, etc. It’s about doing stuff I can’t really experience anywhere else. Traveling as we did in L.A. felt weirdly like going to the zoo: we watched supposedly exotic things from behind bars. It wasn’t engaging.

I left with the sinking feeling to have seen nothing more of L.A. than what I had already seen in the movies. And I’m sad to report that everything in the movies looked better and more impressive. Deeply unsatisfying.

For my future trips, I want to concentrate on experiences:

Eating in good restaurants intended for the enjoyment of locals – not only for the convenience of tourists (which we mostly did on this trip: one of the things we learned from SF).
Splurge on a meal I usually couldn’t afford.
Watch people while having a drink.
Try an activity I wouldn’t do in my everyday life (skydiving, for example).
Take my time because I’m on vacation.
Enjoy the perks of living in a hotel.
Rent an apartment instead of a hotel (hotels are nice, but after 2 days, the novelty kind of wears off…).
Walk around to get a feel of the city (which is not easy in L.A. since everything is so far apart… It’s one of the few place I would say you can get a better feel of the city by driving).
Not care about crossing “must see” landmarks off my list unless I feel a strong personal connection with the place.

The key to a trip (in my opinion) is to find contrasts, something different from what you know. What differentiate Los Angeles from San Francisco is not the Hollywood sign or the Chinese Theater. The real differences are in the little everyday things, things that change and shape the people who live there.

Well. Life is a lesson, right? I’m sure we’ll get better at traveling with practice – fortunately, it’s something I don’t mind practicing often! ;)

So, as an ending note, here are some impressions and highlights on our trip to Los Angeles:

The serendipitous discovery of the Mexican restaurant with the most amazing decor ever – even the soundtrack was epic: Spanish covers of 50′ oldies. It was like stepping on a set for a Tim Burton/Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino collaborative movie. I’d totally watch that movie.
The never-ending bus ride from Getty to Venice beach. It wasn’t nice, but it was… different.
The long and tall Mexican Fan Palm trees. They are tall! And everywhere! It gives the city a weird, unique look. Well, unique for this girl who never went to Florida and other similar locations ;)
How little they care about pedestrians. The sidewalks were so messed up and poorly repaired and patched.
How the Universal Studios Park is in much need of a rejuvenating cure: I don’t mind going back in time and relive the thrill of Jurassic Park and the Mummy, but really, there’s been 2 new Terminator movies since T2, and 3D isn’t very exciting anymore since it spread to every theaters. What they need is magic…
The “Front of the Line” passes at Universal Studios, one of the most “Hollywood” experience we’ve had: passing in front of everyone and never waiting in line. AH!
Laughing glances exchanged with Alex during the very tacky and degrading “Hollywood Star Home Tour” – during which you see very few homes but lots and lots of bushes.
The delicious and humongous cocktails of the Saddle Ranch Chop House.
The complimentary cotton candy tower of the Saddle Ranch Chop House!

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Eleven Questions Tag

Maryse — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:30:18 +0000

I’ve been tagged by Leah from Velokova to share 11 things about myself, answer 11 questions and ask 11 questions to 11 bloggers. Here we go!

RULES

You must post these rules.

Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.

Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.

You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.

Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.

No tag backs.

No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

11 things about me

I was born in November (11th month of the year) at 11h11. I’ve always been very lucky in life, and that’s how I explain it.
Now that I think of it, I’m also born on the 28th in 82. 28-82-82-28… whooo!
I always thought I should have been born in a past era until we got Internet at home. Looks like I’m a 21st century girl after all…
When I was young, I wanted to become an astronaut (with one important condition: a custom-made pink suit).
At one point in my life, I thought I would become a fashion designer. Even went to fashion school (for like 2 months…).
I’m a scanner, and I’m currently working on seeing this as something else than a curse.
My new favorite ice cream flavor is Creme Brulee. It is awesome.
I started drinking wine this year only. Before that, it was all beer and fruity cocktails. I feel all grown up now.
I read way too much. Worst: I re-read way too much. Lord of the Ring? 5 times. Dune? 3 times. Harry Potter? I re-read them every time a new tome or new movie would come out. And then I say I don’t have time to write.
I LOVE superhero stories, but just can’t bring myself to love reading comic books. Very much longing for superhero novels…
I’m a reformed cat hater. I know, I’m ashamed.

Leah’s 11 questions:

List 3 words and a color that describes you the best.
Explorer. Introvert. Imaginative. Chartreuse.
If you had to pick one, which Muppet would you be? Why?
I wish I was more like Gonzo The Great: so optimist, fearless and eager :) Truth is, I’m much more like Statler and Waldorf: my inner dialogue can sometimes sound like two grumpy judgmental old men bickering together.

Share three different photos from your travels and tell us a little about them.
Three pictures taken during our trip to L.A. Will keep the details for a possible future post.

What’s your favorite video game of all time?
I would take extended vacation to play a new installment of Final Fantasy. I love to wander in a new world and that there is always strong storyline and characters at the base of the game. My favorites are FFIV, FFVII, FFVIII and FFX. Sadly, I find it difficult to go back and play them because I’m spoiled and used to better graphics :-/
What is one accomplishment you are most proud of doing in 2011 and what is one thing you’d like to accomplish in 2012?
Living alone for 4 months (I’ve been with my boyfriend since forever), reducing considerably our amount of possessions and moving to San Francisco. UPDATE: Oh! And paying all our debts… how could I forget that?! // Finish my novel, run SF’s half-marathon.
What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
Moving to SF.
What are your “go-to” pair of shoes right now?
A good old pair of Converse. I’d like one in every colors to match with my moods.
What was the last thing you bought online?
Kumbaka wrap top. Excellent purchase, perfect for traveling!
What are three websites that you visit on a regular basis (besides Google, Twitter, FB)?
NOTCOT in general, but more recently one of the newest addition: NotVentures // The 99 Percent // The Mary Sue.
Winter or Summer?
It used to be neither: in Quebec, both seasons are too extreme for my taste. In San Francisco, all seasons are pretty mild, but I will go with summer, because it’s the most peculiar: foggy grey before noon, shiny sun and blue sky in the afternoon, and at night, a fog so thick that you can see it move and spread. Love it.
What are you most passionate about?
A good storyline. I think. I’m trying to figure out what’s my thing… You caught me in my “lost” period that started back in 2010. Bwah.

My 11 questions

Where would you most like to live in the world?
What are your top 3 books of all time (or 2011, as you wish)?
Three fictional characters you would like to invite for tea?
What would be the title of your memoir?
Can you share something that you learned in 2011? (Can be random, insignificant, life changing, about yourself, etc.)
What was your life like ten years ago?
How would you like your life to be 10 years from now?
Online shopping or traditional shopping? Why?
What’s your favorite breakfast meal?
If you were a superhero, what super power would you like to have?
How long did you take to answer this tag?

The eleven persons I tag…

Hasina, Zviane, Nathalie Quéré, Janick, Stephanie, Suki, Casi, CréAriane, Kate, Mari… and since Leah cheated and tagged 12 people, I’ll equilibrate things by tagging only 10 ;). Some of you I know, some of you I don’t, but you all seem terrific ladies and I would love to read your answers, if it pleases you. Some of you haven’t posted in a while; I totally understand the reasons for web-silence, but I also know sometime all we need is someone to notice our absence to want to jump back into the craziness of blogging :)

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Happy New Year!

Maryse — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:44:37 +0000

Back from L.A., ready for something new. Happy New Year!

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Agony

Maryse — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:00:49 +0000

There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you. — Zora Neale Hurston

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