Weekend Non Gym Session 31/01/2010

Weekend Non Gym Session 31/01/2010

Today, I woke up quite late around 9:00 am. I went to bed around 3 am that morning after coming back from an overrated movie, Legions. I brought Little Foot for a walk at around 10:00 am. The weather was a bit warmer than usual around 10:00 am.

The stats of the walk is as follows:

Saturday, 31/01/2010, light cardio session
40 mins walking Little Foot around the part for 5 times
* Resulted in 120 calories burned and about 3.0km walked(estimated)

After walking Little Foot, I decided to do some cycling on my exercise bike yet again for around 41 mins this time. The stats of that short-exercise was as follows:

45 mins on the exercise bike @ effort level = 5
* Resulted in 14km cycled, around 320 calories burned.

Also, I have recently completed Bioshock 1 which I purchased from Steam during its Christmas sale . Here is a short review of the game. The game length was at really short around 9 hours or so. Fortunately, this game was really well done. Good voice acting, great visuals and gave quite a lot of freedom to the player how to tackle a situation.

Here are some screenshots of the game:

1. Main menu of Bioshock 1


2. Taking the sphere into Rapture


3. Almost there


4. In game map

*The in-game map is as confusing as ever.

5. Having my first plasmid, lighting


6. Big daddy nailing a splicer


7. In game plasmid movie


8. Great Direct X10 water effects


9. An insane surgeon who can't stop looking for perfection


10. In game vendor shop

*This is where you would get your ammo, medical pack and eve for a price.

11. Weapons and ammo selection screen


12. Burning the enemy with the fire plasmid (snap of a finger)


13. Another vendor machine where you can use raw materials found in Rapture to create ammo


14. Moving into the next area


15. Another insane professional, this time an artist


16. A more powerful splicer freezing you into an ice cube


17. The most famous phrase in the game, "Would you kindly?"


18. Andrew Ryan, the person who built Rapture


19. Your memories, are they real?


20. The final boss, guess who?

*Please note that I use the usual keyboard and mouse combo for this first person shooter game as intended.

Pros:
1. Very engaging story, well written from the beginning to the end and unexpected plot twist
2. Great graphics, great sound effects and excellent voice over.
3. Interchanging plasmids and weapons for fights is a very refreshing experience

Cons:
1. Sometimes, I won't know what to do next
2. Quite a few puzzles
3. Need to check map constantly to find out where am I supposed to go next
4. The game length was far too short around 8-9 hours only.

My verdict for this game is 9.0 out of 10. I definitely would recommend anybody who is a fan of First Person Shooter with an excellent story. This is one of the rare FPS games that has an original story and setting.

Weekend Non Gym Session 30/01/2010

Weekend Non Gym Session 30/01/2010

Today, I woke up around 7:00 am. as I could not sleep more than 7 hours these days. As I woke up, I switch on my PC to check what's on Steam's weekend sales this time, the sales were good but I already owned XCom and Freedom Forces from Steam. As such, I bought Tropico 3 which was 66% off and due to the fact that it scored around 79 for metascore which implies that it is a decent game in my books. After that, I decided to bring Little Foot for a walk. The weather was a lot cooler than usual around 8:00 am.

The stats of the walk is as follows:

Saturday, 30/01/2010, light cardio session
40 mins walking Little Foot around the part for 5 times
* Resulted in 120 calories burned and about 3.0km walked(estimated)

After walking Little Foot, I felt that I didn't have a good enough workout. Therefore, I decided to do some cycling on my exercise bike for around 25 mins. The stats of that short-exercise was as follows:

25 mins on the exercise bike @ effort level = 5
* Resulted in 10km cycled, around 180 calories burned.

I am definitely looking forward to my next workout session (probably tomorrow) as I firmly believed that I didn't not exercise enough yet for this week.

Meanwhile, I have recently updated (Last Saturday dated 23/01/2010) my Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 ("HRAP3")stick with Ryu's custom skin and a white ball top. Here are some photos of it:

1. Front view of the HRAP3

* I had to color the edges with black as the skin was not big enough.

2. Sideview of the HRAP3


3. Closeview of the HRAP3


Although I seldom practise my Street Fighter 4 skills, as I was usually pre-occupied with other games. I decided I had to mod my HRAP3 as it has been quite a long time since I bought the necessary parts. I am quite satisfied with the end results. However, I felt that it could be further improved.

Work Day Gym Session 26/01/2010

Work Day Gym Session 26/01/2010

I got off work around 6:00 pm earlier than usual today. I was feeling tired today but I decided I will be hitting the gym no matter what.

I got into the gym around 6:30 pm and got off gym around 8:00 pm, total time spent in the gym = 1 hour 30 mins.

My workout routine as follows:

10 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 8.5 kmph and gradient = 0%
50 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 8.0 kmph and gradient = 0%
5 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 6.0 to 7.2 kmph and gradient = 0% for cool-down
* Resulted in 8.50km brisked walked and jogged, around 750 calories burned.

I hope to pull another gym session on Thursday this week. I will probably focus on cardiovascular training again for my next gym session.

Weekend Non Gym Session 23/01/2010 and 24/01/2010

Weekend Non Gym Session 23/01/2010

On Saturday dated 23/01/2010, I woke up slightly later than usual. As such, I brought my dog for a walk in the evening around 5:30 pm instead.

Here are the stats of the walk:

Saturday, 23/01/2010, light cardio session
30 mins walking Little Foot around the part for 4 times
* Resulted in 100 calories burned and about 2.4km walked(estimated)

After walking Little Foot, I took a shower and head out for dinner with my friends. Subsequently, we watched Avatar in 3D. Avatar has been out for quite awhile and I have finally managed to allocate some time to watch it. It was one of the best movies I have watched ever. I got home around 12 midnight after the movie.

Weekend Non Gym Session 24/01/2010

On Sunday dated 24/10/2010, I had more than an 8 hour sleep and managed to wake up around 8:30 am for breakfast. I brought my dog again for a walk in the park around 9:00 am.

Sunday, 24/01/2010, light cardio session
30 mins walking Little Foot around the part for 4 times
* Resulted in 100 calories burned and about 2.4km walked(estimated)

I went to my workplace around 1:00 pm and work till 5:00pm. I am glad that I managed to complete some of my work and I hope that I won't need to work so much overtime during regular weekdays.

Work Day Gym Session 22/01/2010

Work Day Gym Session 22/01/2010

I got off work pretty late today around 7:30 pm. I was feeling very unhappy due to several underlying reasons and was in a really bad mood. I decided to hit the gym to disperse my anger and to clear my mind.

I got into the gym around 7:40 pm and got off gym around 8:40 pm, total time spent in the gym = 1 hour.

My workout routine as follows:

5 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 9.0 kmph and gradient = 0 to 1.6%
40 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 8.0 kmph and gradient = 0 to 1.6%
5 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 5.6 to 7.2 kmph and gradient = 0% for cool-down
* Resulted in 6.10km brisked walked and jogged, around 500 calories burned.

It seems to be that I am able to recover much faster from cardiovascular sessions than weight training session. However, I'll need to get back into some weight training sessions as I have yet to lift any weights since awhile ago.

Since I will likely be in office on Sunday, I thought I might as well pull another gym session which will result in 4 gym sessions this week.

Work Day Gym Session 20/01/2010

Work Day Gym Session 20/01/2010

I was pretty sick today at work as I sneezed throughout the morning. I went to see a panel doctor and did not get a medical certificate. As such, I was pretty pissed off and was going to take it out on the treadmill today. I can't do weights training today as my back currently hurts quite a bit.

I got off work around 6:30pm and got into the gym around 6:45pm. I finished my run around 8:05pm. Total time spent in gym = 1 hour 20 mins.

My workout routine as follows:

55 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 8.0 kmph and gradient = 0%
5 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 6.5 kmph and gradient = 0%
5 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 6.0 kmph and gradient = 0% for cool-down
* Resulted in 8.30km brisked walked and jogged, around 705 calories burned.

I hope to pull another gym session on Friday this week. Hopefully, I will be able to finally focus on weights training for my next gym session.

Work Day Gym Session 18/01/2010

Work Day Gym Session 18/01/2010

I got off work around 6:30 pm as usual today. I was feeling fat today. therefore I decided I will be hitting the gym no matter what.

I got into the gym around 7:00 pm and got off gym around 8:15 pm, total time spent in the gym = 1 hour 15 mins.

My workout routine as follows:

50 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 8.0 kmph and gradient = 0%
10 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 6.5 kmph and gradient = 0%
5 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 6.0 kmph and gradient = 0% for cool-down
* Resulted in 8.20km brisked walked and jogged, around 672 calories burned.

I hope to pull another gym session either tomorrow or on Wednesday this week. I will focus on weights training for my next gym session.

Weekend Non Gym Session 18/01/2010

Weekend Non Gym Session 18/01/2010
Today, I woke up around 8:00 am. as I could not sleep more than 7 hours these days. I was not looking forward to bring Little Foot for a walk. The weather was slightly hotter than usual around 9:00 am.

Sunday, 18/01/2010, light cardio session
30 mins walking Little Foot around the part for 4 times
* Resulted in 100 calories burned and about 2.4km walked(estimated)

Also, I have recently completed Dragon Age: Origins which I purchased from retail quite awhile ago . Here is a short review of the game. The game length was at decent length. Furthermore, this game was really well done. Good voice acting, great visuals and gave quite a lot of freedom to the player how to tackle a situation.

Here are some screenshots of the game:

1. Title screenshot


2. Customizing your very own in-game character screen


3. My in-game dad


4. My in-game character, Aedan


5. A senior Grey Warden, Duncan


6. Alistair, funny guy


7. Loading and in-game travelling screen

* This is how you travel in Dragon Age Origins from one area to another, it comes with random encounters every now and then.

8. My in-game pet, Malabari


9. In-game fighting / tactics screenshot

*Note that this game is really difficult even under the normal settings.

10. An ugly demon that was summoned by bloodmages


11. People praying to the Maker (ie. in-game god)


12. Lograine, somebody in the game that you'll never forget


13. Blind Templar leading my party to kill the demon


14. A downloadable content character, Shale. Very sarcastic for a golem


15. Managing your inventory and equipments


16. Killing the archdemon who has taken the form of a dragon

*Not as tough as fighting Flemeth. No wonder, she isn't worried.

17. After killing the archdemon, you'll get a parade


18. Is this The End? To be continued with expansion pack

*Please note that I use the usual keyboard and mouse combo for this game.

Pros:
1. Very engaging story, well written from the beginning to the end
2. Good graphics, great sound effects and sound track. Best of all, excellent voice over
3. Very difficult game even at normal settings
4. You can be any character in the game ranging from elves to dwarfs.
5. Many interesting party members, they all had their own story and their own personality.
6. Good length for the game and lots of fighting

Cons:
1. Sometimes, I won't know what to do next
2. Quite a few puzzles
3. Need to check map constantly to find out where am I supposed to go next

My verdict for this game is 9.5 out of 10. I definitely would recommend anybody who is a fan of Role Playing Games with an excellent story. This is one of the rare games than took a long time to develop and succeed tremendously in terms presentation.

Work Day Gym Session 14/01/2010

Work Day Gym Session 14/01/2010

I got off work later than usual today. I didn't pull a gym session yesterday because I was meeting my old friend, Chun Wei for a movie. As such, I decided no matter what I am going to gym today.

I got into the gym around 7:00 pm and got off gym around 8:15 pm, total time spent in the gym = 1 hour 15 mins.

My workout routine as follows:

50 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 8.0 kmph and gradient = 0%
10 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 6.5 kmph and gradient = 0%
5 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 6.0 kmph and gradient = 0% for cool-down
* Resulted in 8.25km brisked walked and jogged, around 696 calories burned.

I hope to pull another gym session either tomorrow or on the weekend as I am trying to maintain and improve my fitness level.

Work Day Gym Session 11/01/2009

Work Day Gym Session 11/01/2009

I got into the gym around 6:15 pm and got off gym around 8:00 pm, total time spent in the gym = 1 hour 45 mins.

My workout routine as follows:

Inclined benchpress:
2x10 @ 20kg for warm-up and cool-down
1x10 @ 40kg
2x10 @ 50kg

Dumbbells chest fliers:
2x10 @ 9.09kg per arm, total = 18.18kg for warm-up and cool-down
2x10 @ 13.63kg per arm, total = 27.27kg
1x10 @ 14.77kg per arm, total = 29.54kg

Pullover:
2x10 @ 19.32kg for warm-up and cool-down
1x10 @ 25kg
2x10 @ 27.27kg

Lat pulldown- fixed weight:
2x10 @ 26kg for warm-up and cool-down
1x10 @ 40kg
1x10 @ 47kg
1x10 @ 57kg

Flat barbell benchpress:
2x10 @ 20kg for warm-up and cool-down
1x10 @ 50kg
1x10 @ 60kg
1x10 @ 65kg

Triceps pulldown - fixed weight:
2x10 @ 20kg for warm-up and cool-down
1x10 @ 25kg
2x10 @ 30kg

5 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 8.0kmph and gradient = 0
25 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 6.5kmph and gradient = 0
5 mins on the treadmill @ speed = 5.2 to 6.0kmph and gradient = 0 for cool-down
* Resulted in 3.80km jogged / speed walked and around 230 calories burned.

I have slightly improve on my poundage for flat bench-pressing and lat-pulldown. However, this gym was slightly longer than usual as I had to rest after each workout. I will be trying to do super-sets exercises in order to save time in the coming sessions.

Weekend Non Gym Session 10/01/2010

Weekend Non Gym Session 10/01/2010

Today, I woke up around 8:30 am. I was not looking forward to bring Little Foot for a walk. The weather was slightly hotter than usual around 10:00 am.

Sunday, 10/01/2010, light cardio session
15 mins walking Little Foot around the part for 2 times
* Resulted in 50 calories burned and about 1.2km walked(estimated)

Also, I have recently completed Batman: Arkham Aslyum which I purchased from Steam when it was 50% off. Here is a short review of the game. The game length was quite short. However, this game was really well done. Good voice acting, great visuals and gave quite a lot of freedom to the player how to tackle a situation.

Here are some screenshots of the game:

1. Batman starting screen


2. Batman cool title shot


3. Batman in game FMV


4. Batman character details


5. Hot Harley Quinn, quite a bimbo in game.


6. In game loading screen


7. Detective mode for Batman

*You will spend most of the time in this mode, looking for clues and places to go next.

8. First encounter with a Titan (juiced up bad guy)


9. Bane, first boss in game


10. The portion of the game I hate the most, Scarecrow


11. Listening to Poison Ivy interview


12. Poison Ivy ingame, hotter than Harley Quinn.


13. Joker and his goons are coming for Batman


14. Joker the ventriloquist?


15. Juiced up Joker - the final boss


16. If Batman gets beaten, this is the Game Over screen


17. Off to another job right after Arkham Asylum, the bat never sleeps nor quits.

*Please note that I use the usual keyboard and mouse combo for this game instead of a gamepad, as I didn't manage to configure the gamepad successfully.

Pros:
1. Action pack, beating up goons and big guys felt awesome
2. Great graphics, great sound effects and sound track. Best of all, excellent voice over
3. Very engaging story
4. Easy to pick up
5. Some RPG elements like upgrading weapons and powers.

Cons:
1. Very short, it lasted me 2-3 casual playings
2. Too many puzzles
3. Need to check map constantly to find out where am I supposed to go next

My verdict for this game is 8.5 out of 10. I definitely would recommend anybody who is a fan of Batman and action games. There are no other games that captures the feeling being Batman as good as this game.