Raf's Realm

Listening to the radio

2012-01-17T22:58:00.000-05:00

This guest post from Hong Alexander

I logged onto www.Direct.Tv and paid my bill as I was rushing out the door this morning. I have a terrible memory and sometimes forget things until the very last minute. Anyway, I also have a bad habit of judging how much time that I have in the mornings. The thing is, I know what time I need to be somewhere, but I think that actually have more time than I do. I will get back in bed after my husband leaves for work, drink coffee, and watch the “Today Show” ( my favorite morning show ever!). I always try to start getting ready an hour before when I have to be somewhere. Then I look at the clock, when I see something that I am enjoying watching and push the time back. Then, I realize that it is only a half an hour before I have to be where I am headed. Frantically, I jump up, rush around, and try to get everything done that I need to do around the house including getting ready. I have got to get better about this! Maybe I should just be listening to the radio in the mornings?

Skyrim - You can do anything?

2011-11-23T20:08:00.004-05:00

I like open RPGs. They're fun. You can do lots and lots of stuff. You can even be bane of the potato farmers! Which is the path I took. Sneaky assassin thief guy going all over the world. From farm to farm, town to town... hunting my prey in the dead of night. But my prey isn't really elusive. Its... pretty easy to get. So what do I do with all my potatoes?

I stash them. All of them! and then... I play with them. I make potato storms!

Yep... just one more thing you can do in an open world rpg. Good thing the devs took the time to code in this possibility :p

Become.com

2011-11-22T11:48:00.009-05:00

I like to shop online. In fact I prefer it to going out to stores. I don't get hassled or sold to. Its also super easy to shop around. Check a few sites vs driving all over town. Its just way easier. However shipping costs can be pretty harsh depending on what you buy. Its like a second tax. But still not that big of a deal to me.

I am always on the look out for the "next big thing". There are tons of underground shopping sites out there. I found a pretty nice one today. Become is the name of the site. The names simple and small, easy to recall. The site lay outs pretty light weight. Its simple and effective. I don't have a smart phone but I bet this would work on one. Which is a plus to some people.

Something I do like about this site is the fact it pulls up data from other sites. I can search anything and find out its price on Amazon, Ebay, this site and a few others. The wares also come from local stores too like radio shack. So its like going out with out the annoying sales people. Also they seem to offer quite a bit of free shipping. At least for what I was looking for. Its an all around nice site.

For a few examples of this sites system: I'll use this as a good example: purple table lamps All purple lamps. Lots of options. Straight forward lay out. All the prices are right there and even the merchant who is selling them. Nothings hidden. It also tells you if its in stock and if there's a sale on it too. It even links you to external sites for the same product. Whats not to love?

Next example: Lets say you don't want brand new. What about a reconditioned item? Yeah, they got that too. Keeping in theme with the home and garden area: reconditioned table saw Table saws are usually really expensive when brand new. So a reconditioned one doesn't seem like a bad idea. Search reconditioned and table saw and ta-da. Every thing they have is displayed nice and clean.

New or not, they have quite the selections. Also their electronic parts aren't too shabby either. I like this site. Check it out.

My first experiences in Skyrim

2011-11-18T17:00:00.003-05:00

So I got to playing Skyrim recently. I've been excited about it. Then again... who hasn't? I've been reading about everyones epic tales of adventures and ballads of emotional turmoil. I have a few tales of my own to weave, however they are not as epic as a horse taking on a dragon taking on a bear.

I started my journey in Whiterun. I accidentally did the dungeon before I went there. I like to wander around. I did it in oblivion way too much. So I hand the court mage his brand "new" dragon stone and get told to follow the dark elf. Dur okay. She gives some speech thing and off we go to kill a dragon. Yay, first dragon fight. I'm excited! I follow them like a good mindless drone would. Slowly but surely we make it to the tower which looks pretty ravaged. Man dragons are bad ass huh? I need to be quick on my feet to handle this. Seeing as how I'm like lv 4 I assume a dragon would mop the floor with me. But I got a battalion of guards behind me. Ill be fine I tell myself as I approach the tower. The dragon it is back! and the npcs do the scatter thing. I think I bet I could do well if I run to the top of the tower and shoot arrows or magic or something at it. So I sprint up the stairs. I get to the top. The dragons just doing its flying circle things and I can't hit it worth a damn. Apparently a marksman I am not. So I pull out some magic and try to hit it. Not close enough... Its starting to land! I run to the edge of the tower and proceed to cast my magic. Apparently I ran a little TOO close to the edge. So close that I fell off. The dragon looks at me as I am falling and decides now is a good time to torch my ass. So here I am... falling Being torched. I hit the ground. Guess who's dead? Its not the dragon. -sadface- The Dragonborn is no match for gravity and fire. As I am feeling pretty retarded I decided I might as well try again. So reload from the castle...

Round 2: FIGHT! This time I sprinted ahead and took a much better path than the npcs. I had a while to wait so I decided to hunt some elk n shits. I get out my ol' bow and arrow. Target practice! I suck at it. Might as well try and not suck. I hit a few elk. Not enough damage to one shot them but I am feeling pretty good about it. I got a few hits in. I wait... no NPCs. I shoot some more. Still no npcs. Where the hell are they? "Eh? ... Oh! I see them." They came running over the hills with bows drawn running after the elk that I let live. Sigh. I let them live. The npcs were not content with letting them live. Or at least didn't want to let them live. None of the guards hit a single arrow. I feel a bit better about my own marksmanship at least. That dark elf had a sword in hand and I am like "...they're faster than you. -facepalm-" as I watch the chase scene ahead of me. Dark elfs all like NOPE! Your not running! and starts blasting off lightning bolts or some shit from her hand. Elk gets hit and is sent flying. Ah Bethesda physics, how I missed ye. Also ... wow overkill much? Anyways I run over and loot the poor elks. I feel a bit better about myself. I'm not the only incompetent archer around this forsaken snowy tundra! But I fear I am the worst archer on a tower still. I got an image to uphold I guess.

I wonder how the radiant story system will play this off down the road... Guardsmen: "Hey, I know you. I hear theirs a special on flaming mud at the tavern... I hear its to your liking..."

Tim Gunn

2011-11-11T14:42:00.006-05:00

I went to http://www.cabletvadvisor.com/ to check out different tv options. I need more Tim Gunn in my life. Project Runway is one of my favorite shows. I love seeing the creativity that the designers have! Some of them can do some really amazing things. Tim, though, makes the show as far as I'm concerned. He has so much heart, and can be so funny. I loved that show he had started and I think it's been canceled! I"m so sad. I forget what it was called. I think it was "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" or something like that. It was entertaining and informative too! He always had such helpful tidbits on there.

Sleep Studys/Clinical Trials

2011-11-07T15:48:00.002-05:00

Recently I have come to the decision of: I need more money. Its been really hard for me to find a job. I am sure its that way for a lot of people. I was always told to work smarter rather than harder. But I never really took it to heart. Well that is until recently. One of my old friends visited me for a day and we talked. He quit his job the week before and came out to the new england area for a wedding. But the question of now what came up. His plan was to make cash on the side with plasma donations. Said it was okay, not a whole lot but didn't take a whole lot out of his daily life. It got me thinking... What else is out there?

So I look to the google! I decided to do a little research in between my job hunting. I found out about clinical trials. Very interesting topic. I had no idea I could get payed one grand, ya 1000 bucks, for 4 days in a study dorm doing anything I want. Some studies even went up to 175000, but that was by nasa. They're pretty selective for it. Theres some nice potential for some quick cash. I signed up for quite a few.

My journey into this world starts wendsday actually, 11/9/2011. Well technically it began last thursday when I did my first check up and screening. I passed, yay. But on Wednesday is the day I know for sure if I get in. Im a back up, long story short if someone fails the last check up and I pass. I get in. If no one fails and I still pass, I get a free 100 bucks for nothing. If I get in, well I'm in the study for the whole 1000. Not bad either way. 100 bucks isn't a ton but hey its essentially free money. I can not complain.

If your interested in clinical trials and research stuff I highly recommend looking into your local craigslist under the ETC jobs. Sometimes you'll find some there. A lot of the studies can be found on the official government website: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ But to be totally honest that sites a little annoying to work with. I personally love this one: www.gpgp.net It made my life so much easier.

I plan to do these studies along with other sources of income. Maybe I can make my own source of cash with out needing to be employed. Maybe... Well heres to trying.

Braces - Coming off finally

2011-09-15T14:57:00.004-04:00

Well this has been a long time coming. Back when I was in middle school, around age 12 I got braces. A story that most kids go through. However nothings ever simple for me. As such why would this be any different? As time went on it was apparent my bottom jaw was going to grow past the normal point.

So I needed jaw surgery. But I needed to wait for my jaw to finish growing. I had a year or two of reprieve with out them on during this growing phase. I liked not having them on for a while. However I got them back on right around when I went back to college. Not so fun.

I got my surgery earlier this year, I was 21 then. I am 22 now. 6 months ago I had that surgery. Along with 30 some odd hooks of metal in my mouth for 4 weeks prior to it and a while after it. (Man, those hooks were not fun at all.)

Hooks:

Post-Surgery Face:

The bloated face has gone down completely now. I can eat now. Previously I had to food process everything. Even noodles. It was pretty sad for me. Even afterwards I had to use bands and elastics which made eating a pain even after the swelling went down. Any ways I just got back from the orthodontist. I am ready to loose these braces. (About time!) Age 22, braces coming off finally. 10 years later. Appointment made for October 6th, 2011.

I am happy. That is all.

The Miracle Condiment: Salsa

2011-09-13T17:30:00.005-04:00

Often I'm faced with a challenge for lunch. Its one of the hardest meals to come up with for me. Often times I just skip it all together. Sometimes I just want a sandwhich. But I get sick of just cold cuts and lettuce with cheese sometimes. But I always have a fix for that boring sandwhich.

Most times I call on the aid of an awesome condiment: Salsa. Its simple but effective. I dice up or break up whatever meat I'm working with. I stick it in a pan with a little bit of butter and cheese. Then I add salsa. I keep it on a low heat. The meats already cooked. No need to do that again. Enough to warm it up and loose some of the liquid from the salsa. Also melting the cheese. That is important too.

Usually I just let it go for a while and pop in some bread into the toaster oven. Let that toast for a bit. Add butter to it too. Can't forget the butter. Realistically I mean you could skip the butter but why?

Salsa and cheese and lunch meats go well together. It may not look the best but it sure tastes good. Also feel free to season as you see fit. Black pepper is usually a good and safe choice. Think of it like an easy Sloppy Joe. With some spice if you got a hot salsa.

Bagpipes and Metal

2011-09-12T16:29:00.007-04:00

I am a fan of a lot of music. I enjoy most types of music. However I have a big soft spot for bagpipes and a lot of that folky sounding stuff. I love variety when done right. I've been looking into the folk metal / Celtic metal area for some time. A few bands really piqued my interest.

I'll start with a Finnish folk metal band called Korpiklaani. I've been listening to their stuff for a while now. Its always enjoyable. Great guitars and lots of variety. They feature instruments that I never knew existed. They also have a really energetic fiddle player. Aka violin :p
Definitely look into them if you like that folk Irish feel with the bad ass kick of metal mixed in.

Now I found another band recently. They hit that bagpipe sweet spot really well. They go by the name of skiltron. Its a really odd name. To make things odder I read they are from Argentina. They can play a mean bagpipes with some great guitar rifts. I love their songs. If you look into them I would recommend listening to the song: Fast and Wild. I love their sounds.

A few youtube links for convenience:
Korpiklaani: Pellonpekko: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpXboQdFwXg
Shall we take a turn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpcxOM0vI-c

Skiltron: Fast and Wild: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA9fKxAVL-w
Bagpipes Of War: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky4wTMZ0AZM

Dragon's Nest Levels 1 to 5, a brief feel for the game

2011-09-12T02:33:00.009-04:00

A video of the actual game with me talking about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKQ9QiSImyI

Nexon came out with another game. Free to play, go figure. Nexon's cash shop is always there. Personally I hate their cash shops. But still I am curious on this game. I gave it a whirl.

The download was surprisingly small. A little under 2 gigs. Apparently this is a game that needs A LOT of content. Its needing major updates. But the NA version is the one thats behind the ball by a lot as always. The Chinese servers are way ahead. But I don't speak Chinese and I rather be with people who speak what I do. So North American servers it is.

4 classes. Seems basic. Warrior, Archer, Sorceress, and Cleric. I started off as a Warrior. Figured might as well. Also to take note: Warrior and Archer are for beginners. Sorceress is for intermediate players. Cleric is for expert players. Atleast that's what they say on the character screen. The 4 classes are gender locked. Male: Warrior, Cleric. Female: Archer, Sorceress. Not too much customization there. To make matters worse theres about 4 hair styles, 4 hair colors, 4 skin tones that don't vary much. Basically tan or no tan? Then 4 eye colors. The colors for the eyes are very odd. I don't like them. You can also mix or match one of three styles for the equipement looks. Chest, pants, gloves and boots. One of my major irks is the color schemes. Looks like the pants and chest can match up real well. As well as the boots and gloves. However the two have very different schemes. I can have light colored pants and vest. But my gloves and boots? Dark red or brown or black only. Yeah, not doing it for me. So I get through the "customization" screen. Then im launched into a cut scene of some girls getting chased down by a band of orcs. They steal the older sister, knock some apples on the ground and kick the little sister into the mud. Then I just casually stroll out of the forest and find the little girl surrounded by goblins. "Help me... please..." and then face down in the mud. Passed out. Apparently this is the tutorial. WASD move, mouse aim, click to attack, its all said. Kill the 4 goblins in like 2 swings, then talk to the girl. Cutscene again and boom town.

I am talking to an old man. The little girl is awake and standing by his side. Apparently its up to me to save Rose, The older girl. The old man then also asks me if I want to take the tutorial. I thought I just finished it. Apparently this game has 2 tutorials that are separate from each other. Odd but okay. I do it, its real easy. Blew right through it. Then it gave me a free potion and a pat on the back with some NPC dialogue. Apparently I'm not helpless. Yay?

The next 4 levels play out exactly the same. Main quest recieved, go into a dungeon. Hop out and back to town, hand in. Side quests for that same dungeon or next part of main quest in the next dungeon. So usually you'll be doing the same dungeon a few times. Thankfully theyre so easy its not a problem at all. I haven't gotten less than S rank yet. I was lv 2 doing the hard mode dungeon. It requested 2 people, I did it alone. S rank, no problem.

So dungeons... Seems to be the only way to kill stuff and level up. All my quests involve dungeon diving. Not really big on that. Vindictus also did the same thing. Apparently going to a dungeon will drain your power. You only get so much per day. I can't seem to find out if it recharges in other ways. But it refills daily. It grants you bonus exp but you can still do dungeons even if you hit zero. They are also really easy to blow through. Also upon clearing a dungeon you get to choose a random piece of loot. All they tell you is 1, 2, 3, or 4. Feels like a game show. Whats behind chest number 3? Oh its a piece of gear for a different class. Try again next time! I always guess wrong. Oh well. Luck and I just don't mesh well. At least I can sell my reward for a little extra pocket change.

At level 4 you can learn new skills and upgrade current ones. You get only so much SP per level. Each skill has different costs. Use your SP wisely. Also you can buy a respec from the cash shop. But they're pretty pricey. Go figure. Also there are class progressions. You can pick different paths for that class and specialize in certain areas. Pretty standard. But still works well enough.

I have a problem with this cash shop. Same gripe with all nexon cash shops. I can buy power. Simply but I can buy gear that gives bonus stats that stack with my normal armors. Also they change my looks too. My problem with this? Seems like this game's pretty focused on PVP. Buying power seems under handed for a PVP focused game. Skill or cash? I prefer skill.

Moving on from my gripes about the cash shop. I do have to say the movement in this game feels really well. Its fluid and tight. It does what I say when I say. Little delays, no problems there. Actually I love that. Also it seems like all the NPCs are done pretty well. They have their little quirks and arguments, personality and emotions do shine through. But you will only see it if you read quest text. (Seriously, read some quest text.) The graphics are pretty dated but they're very functional. Lots of machines can handle this one. No real complaints except for customization.

The combats really smooth too. I can link normal hits with skills into a special attack kick to the face. Or skill chain up some moves and then roll to the side. It feels right. It feels nice. I like the combat. It is an action mmorpg and the the action is fluid. Good stuff there. You can also break a TON of stuff. World things like barrels and tables to stuff on enemies like shields. No shield = no block. No block = soon to be dead. I like it a lot actually. Its a bit repetitive between levels 1 and 4. After 4 and you get more skills you can then mix it up a lot more.

To be fair this game is pretty good. Its free and has some problems. Cash shop is the biggest one here. But you know the game plays well. They put some thought into the world you play in. I like it. I would recommend it to others who want a casually fun game. Depending on what Nexon does this game could go far. See what happens. But really give it a try. Its free and is only like 2 gigs to download. There is nothing to loose by trying it. Give it a shot.

Fire roasted tomatoes are very nice

2011-09-12T02:05:00.007-04:00

The other week my grandmother was in the hospital. Knee replacement and rehab. She was out of the house for a while, about a week and a half. My grandfather was all alone. My mother came up to me and gave me a real nice suggestion. Why don't I whip him up a dinner and bring it over and spend some time? I agreed with it and thought about it. What do I make? That was the biggest problem. My mom is no chef. But she knows his tastes. She told me he likes pasta and sausage.
"Cool. I can work with that.", I thought. I love those foods too.

I went to work on an idea. I've been inspired recently by Spanish food and Mexican food. I love Mexican and Spanish food a ton. Salsa is just so versatile. I was planning on carrying on that spanish flair into this meal. But how? Then it hit me, fire roasted tomatoes.

I keep my cooking real simple. Sure I could of actually roasted my own tomatoes but theres also a stop and shop right around the corner. I went there and I got some cans of "Hunts Fire Roasted Tomatoes, diced." 3 of the 14 ounce cans. I figured this was enough and they were on sale. 4.50 for all 3 cans, not bad. I also picked up a can of fire roasted green chilies. A small one. About 6 ounces. I figure tomatoes and chilies go well together. Lets go with that. I then picked up a container of linguini. I got a package of spicy Italian sausage. I buy it ground up. No sense in paying extra for the links, you get less realistically and you spend more. I'm all about the bargains. I have herbs and what not at home. Didn't need to worry about that. I then thumbed through the produce area and picked up a nice orange pepper. I also found a nice sized sweet onion. I figured I was set on ingredients. Cashed out and went home.

I got a game plan. I was going to use 2 cans of tomatoes after I drained the liquid. Then I used the 3rd can and dumped it into a small blender. I blended it up real good, came out to be like a smokey tomato paste. Perfect. Took that paste and dumped it into a big ol' sauce pot. With the other tomatoes. I put that on a low heat. Added some garlic. Maybe a teaspoon or two, garlic can go with nearly anything in the right doses. I figured it won't hurt. I also added some oregano and basil to the mix. Can't tell exactly how much but proximately a tea spoon or so of each. Enough to taste it. I go by taste mostly. I'm really guilty of that. I then opened the chilies and poured them in. I then took the pepper and cut it up. Diced it really. Little pepper cubes went right into the pot as well. Same with the onion. Used about half an onion.

While that was going on. I also had my sausage cooking next to it. I used a dash of smoked peprika with black pepper on it as well as some butter. Butter makes everything better. Also that smoked paprika helps promote a nice smokey flavor. Use a little and the smoked flavor will shine through rather than the paprika flavor. Also was cooking a pot of linguini.

After the sausage was cooked I then lifted it out of its fatty oils with a spatula and dabbed it down a bit with some paper towels. Then into the pot it goes. Like everything else. After the pasta was done i then mixed everything together. A big pot is a good pot. I really love big pots. I wish I had more of them. Then it was serving time. I put it in some contained it brought it over.

So it went amazing. Far better than I actually imagined. The chilies and tomatoes made a nice smokey sauce, not too acidic. Full of flavor. Unfortunately the pepper didn't bring much to the table. The onions did however. I could skip the pepper, they're pretty pricey around here. Wouldn't harm anything if it was skipped. The sausage kept the heat going with the spice. Basically it got a lot of praise from my family and grand father. Good stuff. Took about 45min to 60min to make. All the prep. work and cook time included.

Recap of recipe:

3 cans of 14 ounce Fire Roasted Tomatoes (drain 2, blend 1)
1 can of 6 ounces Fire Roasted Green Chilies
Teaspoon of diced garlic clove
Teaspoon or less of oregano and basil (taste and see)
Black pepper
Dash of smoked peprika
Half of a Sweet Vidalia Onion
Enough sausage for how ever many people your serving.
A box of pasta
and the optional pepper of choice (i used orange, didn't help much)

Went great, super easy to make. I would highly recommend it.

2009 to 2011, what is going on?

2011-09-12T01:54:00.004-04:00

Well its been a pretty quick 2 years. I realize I disappeared off this site for some time. But I haven't forgotten.

So I went to school, did all that jazz. Held a variety of different jobs from retail to insurance to IT to training. Ya, all over the place.

So basically I've been doing some stuff over on youtube ( http://www.youtube.com/user/Rafoie ) and I figured: "well hey, if I am going to do the whole video thing, I can do the whole writing thing too." I recently been releasing clips of game play or my own personal reviews on certain games. Like Dragon's Nest.

I figure I can write about those too. Why not do a more indepth review in text. Keep the videos to the core of whats important. So be on the look out for that. Also I will be posting recipes and stuff too. I've really gotten into cooking.

Expect more.

Characters Unite Pledges

2009-01-20T01:47:00.004-05:00

So if you, whom ever reads this, hasn't heard yet there is a pledge and a movement started by the USA Channel company. The pledge's basic outline is to make the world a better place by stopping discrimination and prejudice.

You can check it out here: http://charactersunite.com

Did I actually pledge? Yes. I did. You can find me in the faces of pledges already.

I'll say it here and there when they get their discussion forum up.
I am sick of the way the world is. I want my faith and hope back in my society. I wish for change. I wish people would just learn to think on their own, and not be a sheep lead by someone. I wish people would learn to open their eyes to the world and see how wonderful the land is and not trash it. I wish people would take time to respect their surroundings including those they share it with, Humans and animals a like. I wish people would let go of past ideas that don't make sense and only cause harm and look at the world with an open mind. I hope people will slow down, smell the roses and open their eyes. You don't have to get home by 6:30pm to catch a reality show on the TV. You dont need to rush fast in a grocery store just to catch a football game. There is more to life than how most live it. I want people to live for life and prosperity. Live for you, live for your friends, your family, and the world. Stop taking the world for granted, you only live for so long. If people want a better life it starts right here with you, me, and everyone else.

So do I believe this will make a difference? I have no idea but I can hope. I hope this has an impact. I hope this helps the world and society as a whole. I wish we did not need such a pledge but our world is far from perfect.

So should you (the reader) pledge? I would hope you do but no you do not have to.
I have a gripe about this, its limited to the United States of America only... That is my only real complaint.

The Internet, an amazing place.

2008-12-13T14:11:00.002-05:00

In my last post I mentioned my history of this realm of data and text. But I never mentioned why I love it. It has kept me here due to the nature of it.

In real life people judge you on more than what you say and what your about. There is profiling based on just view. That image of body size, body fat percentages, hair color, eye color, skin color, the minor details of a person. The outer shell of us all. We all have a different shape, color, whatever. There are people spewing words of diversity and acceptance. I haven't heard such gibberish in a while. Its like the new thing. Accept diversity! Okay, I can see parts of this as a good moral. But think of it for a second. We are different. We all have our own opinions. We all have a different back ground growing up, a different set of morals, a different belief system, different tastes, different everything. Simple as that. Now with all these differences how can we all get along in a politically correct fashion? My own belief on this matter is, we can't. I believe arguments on beliefs are healthy for anyone. As long as it keeps to reason and does not end in violence. People may read that thinking I am crazy to assume violence would arise. We like to think more of our selves and our communities. But I would not say this with out a reason. In the past there have been great tragedies on the basis of disagreements. Lives have been ruined and destroyed. Look at world war 2, drastic example with the holocaust. Lets tone it down a bit to more common examples. Violence in school systems, violence in our streets, pointless gangs killing/harming each other over who is more "gangster" and who suffers the most based on poverty. Yet how many of these people are actually in that bad of a situation? If they got their heads out of their asses maybe they could improve their lives and those around them rather than dragging a whole city to rubbish, like L.A. There is plenty of examples of violence becoming a reality over simple things, things that never should be a problem in a perfect world. But it isn't a perfect world.

So the Internet... How is this different? People can express how they feel with out the visual judgment harming their words based on the listeners thoughts. I feel there are several points to judge someone on the internet with. 1. What they say and how they say it. 2. How they promote their self. 3. General attitude and methods. 4. What they stand for. 5. Where they come from.

I say where they come from for a reason. Reading this page how many would think I am over weight? How many think I am skinny? How many think I am average weight? What am I for an ethnicity: Black, White, Spanish, whatever? Answer that question first. then carry on reading. Now that its answered answer it again based on the knowledge that I live in America, the USA. I am from the New England area, in a suburb. Did your opinion change at all? No one would vocalize their admittance for it. However, I can bet a ton of people started to think I was fatter than previously and also white or black. Never would one imagine I am a Spanish person. I could be but how would you know? It turns out I'm not, I am white and I do have a bit of a gut but I am working on getting rid of that.

The internet is great for that whole free speech thing. Because here politics and political correctness are a load of shit. I am racist as much as anyone else is. I have groups of people I dislike on average. But that is because of the majority of them I come across. Sure, there are really cool people from the Philippines and I take that into consideration. But these are the groups of folk that make the most commotion and then try to promote their national pride or what ever bullshit pride they made up to make me do what? Accept them? Not going to happen. I'll accept you on a personal basis. When I meet people from Brazil, the BR flag goes off. Prepare for: huahuahua algemo . then more huahua. Whatever that means I dont know but your not getting anything from me. I'll also treat you like an idiot. Its a shame that so many have shown that to me. But there are cool brazilians out there. I know a few who I would of never thought twice about. Accepted them as good to be around folk and move on. I know a few. One of them even makes fun of the huahuahua algemo BR folk as well, and hes from Brazil.

The internet has spanwed so many cultures, sub cultures, underground networks, and more. Some examples: Furrys, the Chans, otherkin, and more. They never would of became a group if not for the internet. People are more connected now than ever before. The ideas can spread faster now than before. People realise they aren't alone with their interests. However maybe their idea is not a common ideal or intrest and they are afraid their local community would be negative. So with out the internet they never would get to express that idea or thought, or know they are not alone.

The internet is all about the spreading of ideas, thoughts, philosophy, data, free speech. Its a great medium for communication. Its a great medium for data spreading, and how people use that is up to them. I love it. Its great. People say this is not reality, true! Its not. Its worse than reality and most times its also A LOT better than your reality. That is all I have to say...

My closing note: lololol!! internet <3 <3 :D ^.^

Who am I? I am Rafoie! But who... is Rafoie?

2008-10-19T11:10:00.000-04:00

A very complicated question with many answers. I am sure we have all tried to explain our selves to someone else or even to our self in our own time of self-reflections. So I will try to explain my self to, you, my readers. I will explain who I am as best I can...

In the simplest parts of my existence I am a Human. An animal, as a human we are animals at the core. We have needs for survival and wants, we acquire our needs and wants in our own means and methods. I am gay. We all have our own styles, this is my approach. Many ask me "Why are you gay?" I wish to state, that's not so easy to say. It appeals to me... Can you tell me why you are straight or bi or even pan? I'm sure you could in time, or give some silly answer. But in your core you too are not so sure, right? How can we ever be sure when confronted with a question we do not dwell on? We can't. So what is my take on religion? Am I part of any religious affiliation? No. I am not. But I am not an atheist. I am in the technical sense I do not believe in a god. But I believe in a web of nature. We are all tied together. I can not pick a flower on earth with out effecting a star in the sky. Nature is a balance of powers, a give and a take. I am a pagan if you wish to label me with some religious term.

So who is "Rafoie"? Rafoie is me. I am Rafoie. It is an online alias, my pen name if you will. Where did my journey begin? Way back when, back when I was unaware of this vast space. I knew of it, but I was not fully aware of what this realm of data held. I started entering the Online gaming scene heavily with Ragnarok Online. I previously dinked around on IRC, forums, websites, submission sites, MSN chat rooms and MSN groups. I was around 10-12 when I got into all of this. I remember I frequented an irc channel known as #PSOW. I recently hunted it down, about a few months ago to see if it was still around. I was feeling very reminesent that day. It was on irc.efnet servers. I found out it is gone. The channel is debunked, empty, and not even in the servers data. I joined and was awarded an Op for creating it. So now I know they are gone. I give much of my alias creation to these early stages. I learned the multiple architypes of the net. I learned when to be serious, when to laugh, when to poke fun. My times with psow were good. The people in there were fun but serious. One could call them elitist if they did not adhere to their set of rules or some of their standards. Like text chat was looked down upon, back then AOL chat room talk... Why type u when you could type you and make more sense and look better? They didn't use lol but they did use heh. They said heh and were rebelious to the "rise of lol". I remember these days far too well in the back of my mind. I watch my past as if one would watch an old movie, flickering dimly. My times in PSOW were good, I learned a lot of the ways of the internet in there and around other chat channels. I learned the basics of IRC back then, a skill not many bother to learn today. I've worked on it over the days. I still frequent certain servers and channels.

My history of gaming is far too wide. So many games, so many betas, so many people... There are a few people in my past who stick out but have faded due to time. I sign into my old MSN account... Many old names appear to me. Denadune, Skaal, Miiru, Sifu, Theik, Muuwi/Turtle89, skogsmulle, Maison, LordWolf. ... Isildur, MrMan, Idandt... and that list goes on for a ways. People come and people go. Why they vanished, I have no idea. I know the story of a few... Skaal. Sifu, Miiru. A few I have no idea where they went: isildur, Mrman, theik, Lordwolf. I can not say... They vanished one day, never to hear from them again. Then there is the current list of people I talk to, which I feel is slowly disappearing too... But I owe a part of my self to everyone I meet. Their ideals mix with my own. My personalities can't be taken from a single one, but a merge of many. Expirimenting with their ideas, toying with my own, viewing their worlds to my own. Helping them and being helped back... or being backstabbed back. Which ever it is, how ever it is... I am this way now due to my history not my future.

If I was to bullet point events in my Online Life... I guess I could.
-The Rise of IRC, -Ragnarok and my Entering of the MMORPG world, -The Age of MSN Groups, -The Golden Age of a Beta Hopper, -Ragezone, -yahoo, -Xfire, -gmail, -The One-Sided Love Fiasco, -The Shattered Raf (current stage.)
The games I dwelled on the longest are some of my fonder internet memories...Ragnarok, Mu, Knight Online, FungWan Online, Risk Your Life, Rising Force, Lineage 2, Tabula Rasa, Conquer Online, Priston Tale, Diablo 2, Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 11... and more. But those stand out in my mind.

It is a very odd feeling to look back into ones past. To see how we developed, watching our own navigation. The people, the places, the problems, the solutions, our knowledge. The titles I once wore and thrown away. The people I once considered friends... Now distant memories. The knowledge I have aquired... It is odd. My regreats and my triumphs. Times of stability and then instability. The road has been weird. Now I am 19, my developement as a person has been aided by this world and the denizens of it. The data stored away beyond the links. A click to unlock it. My eyes to take it in... and my mind to comprehend it. My actions to excercise it.

This is Rafoie, This is me. Make of it what you will... and I welcome you to my little corner of the metaverse. Welcome travelers of this land...