5 question meme: Round 3
Got two sets this time around.
sircrowbar
1. So, you see me walking down the street. You stop me to talk about this totally awesome band I should check into. What would this band be?
Well, Ogre is pretty interesting from what I've heard of them. 70s prog rocklicious. Gods of Fire is very metaaaaaaal~, good for a giggle or a Manowar comparison. And Chainsaw is just absolutely hilarious. A bunch of crazy Dutch guys with album covers Spinal Tap would be ashamed of. Smell the Saw!
2. Other than the massive amounts of green that attacks you in every direction, what's the biggest difference you've noticed travelling from west to east coast?
Weather beats the snot out of you east coasters, I swear. You go visit in the summertime and you roast in 100 degree sun and get freak thunderstorms on top of that as well. You go visit in wintertime and you freeze your balls off and crack your skull on ice and sleet. You go any other time of the year and giant hurricanes smash half of the eastern seaboard to smithereens. All we have to worry about are earthquakes, yeesh.
3. You're magically transported into a magical Stephen Chow envisioned land. What's your role?
If it's a Stephen Chow classical China period piece, I'd be the chain smoking and half drunk surly fishmonger at the poor farmer's market who actually possesses crazy mad dual wielding Chinese cleaver fu. Send an ax gang after me and they'll be the ones missing body parts after it's all said and done.
4. Going back to music, briefly: 2005. Do you think this was a good or bad year for the metal militia?
A lot of the recent metal releases have actually been in 2004 but 2005 still gave us a few notable ones. SYL released Alien at the beginning of the year, Hansi and Schaffer put out another D&W album and Gamma Ray put one out in June as well. The big event of the year for me though was Testament getting their original lineup back together and on tour. I saw them at the Thrash Against Cancer benefit, had a lot of fun and found out that Bay Area thrash wasn't completely dead yet. 2006 ought to be interesting as well. Devy's starting off by releasing Synchestra and Blind Guardian's due to release their new single soon and their new album in the fall.
5. You are asked to form the Perfect Super Robot Wars game, using your and only your guidence. Who's in it? Any interesting new features? What would *not* be in it?
Mazinger Z
Great Mazinger
UFO Robo Grendizer
Getter Robo G
Daikuu Maryuu Gaiking
Toushou Daimos
Kenran Butousai
Metal Armor Dragonar
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray
Tetsujin 28-go
Giant Robo
Big O
Dangaioh
GEAR Fighter Dendoh
Machine Robo
Brave Legend Da Garn
Feature Banpresto Originals: Dragon Tiger King and Phoenix Turtle King
First off, I would go crazy with the team up attacks and lots of them would be cross series with units that have obvious design or plot related synergies with each other. I would retain the Alpha 2/3 squadron system but I would bring back the hit location system from SRW GC. Only this time, I would make sure that the battle damage would be lovingly rendered in 2D for every unit in the game. If you lost a head or an arm, your attack sprite would show it. You would be able to aim at a squadron leader's body parts but if any of his wingmen has the support defense skill, they would be able to block it and take only non specific damage. However, I would also add in an option where if your wingmen didn't have the support defense skill, you could still order them to defend the squadron leader but they themselves would be hit in a random body part regardless of the attacker originally aimed.
I would not bring back the favorites system from SRW MX as it's subject to a lot of abuse and brings the difficulty curve down way too low for my tastes. Other than that, all the other salient features of the recent SRW games would be incorporated back into the engine.
damienk
1. So, what all are you listening to right now?
I tend to yo-yo back and forth from western stuff to crazy Japanese robot and tokusatsu songs a lot and I've been mostly swinging on the Japanese side of the pendulum lately because I got my hands on Animetal Marathon VII a while ago and it was excellent. I also finally picked up Exodus' 2004 release Tempo of the Damned and that was excellent as well. I found myself copies of And One's Aggressor and Virgin Superstar last year so I've been listening to those quite a bit as well. Other than that, the usual mix of speed and thrash metal, industrial, the occasional jonesing for cock rock, and a tiny bit of prog rock, power, death and black metal as well. I'm looking forward to DTB's Synchestra reaching my doorsteps soon and I'm also interested in the new Blind Guardian single. They've got an evil sounding cover of In A Gadda Da Vida on it.
2. Please share your favourite recipe?
I've got a recipe for homemade XO sauce that I like quite a bit. You can probably find XO sauce at a well stocked Asian food specialty store and indeed, some of the ingredients you might have to go to the Asian specialty store to find anyways but the homemade stuff is good enough that I'd say you'd be able to just eat it by itself as a snack on crackers or chips. That being said, the recipe will take a few days to properly make so I'd crack open a jar of the premade store stuff and see if you like the flavor before attempting this. Suggestions for usage would be as part of a base for the ubiquitous stir-fry with meats and veggies, or as a condiment for noodles, either pan fried or soup based depending on your preference.
1 1/2 parts fresh red chiles
2 1/2 parts dried scallops (conpoy)
1 1/2 parts minced garlic clove
1 1/2 parts diced onion
1 part tiny dried shrimp (the unshelled variety)
1/2 part Jinhua ham (you can substitute Smithfield ham or prosciutto here)
1/2 part salted cured fish
1/4 part large dried shrimp (shelled)
1/2 to 1 tbsp coarse black pepper or cracked Szechuan peppercorns
Wash and remove the seeds and stems from the chilies. Heat wok on low and add oil for stir-frying. When oil is ready, add the chilies. Stir-fry until they are heated through.
Remove the chilies from the heat and drain. Dry in the sun until completely dried (about 2 - 3 days).
Reconstitute conpoy (dried scallops) by soaking in water for 2-3 hours, then steam for 3 hours until soft. Reserve the liquid accumulated as a result of steaming. When cooled, finely shred the conpoy by hand.
Soak the tiny shrimp in water for 3 hours. Drain the shrimp and mince finely.
Finely dice ham into 2mm cubes. Dice fish into 3mm cubes.
Heat wok on high heat and add 2 cups oil for frying. Add garlic, onion and tiny shrimp and fry until the mixture stops steaming. At that point, add the chilies, ham, and fish and continue to cook until chilies become translucent. Add the conpoy, shelled dried shrimp and ground black pepper and turn the heat down to low. Continue to cook until only a little steam rises from the mixture. Remove from the heat and cool.
Store it in a sealed container and refrigerate.
3. What's it like, living on the part of the continent that may fall off at any time?
Like I told Crowbar, what's it like living on the part of the continent that gets pummeled by crazy weather all times of the year? Earthquakes only come every decade or two but you guys seem to be getting reamed hard lately. That being said, the only place more expensive to live in than California is New York City. We pay out the ass for property here, it's ridiculous. Other than that and the fake titties and nose jobs in LA, we're pretty much like the East Coast, only not so easy to reach from one metropolitan area to another. I envy that much of you guys.
4. Are there any good recent HK movies ?
Well, I'm looking forward to Fearless. It's going to be Jet Li's last main starring role in an action film and it looks to be a reprise of his old Chinese period piece films. He's got the Manchu hair queue and everything. He's actually going to be playing a young version of Fok Jianhua, Chen Zhen's deceased mentor from Fist of Fury/Fist of Legend and I think the plotline will be revolving around him trying to establish the reputation of his martial arts style in the way kung fu artists tend to do it when they get together. Lots of asskicking to occur, definitely.
5. So, dude, what are you up to these days, anyway?
Well, I left my theater head projectionist job last month. Not a moment too soon either since I got word shortly thereafter that AMC home office was planning to sell my theater and its sister theater nearby soon because it bought out Loews and got its hands on the giant IMAX theater downtown. That would've explained why despite my constant requests for a replacement projector technician and for the newer projection equipment we were supposed to have inherited from another theater in the area shutting down, I didn't get squat and had to play patchwork mechanic for about 2 years on a bunch of 25 year old juryrigged disaster machines. =p
I'm going back to school at the moment but I actually am currently contemplating going for an culinary apprenticeship in the city that would last for about 3 years if I got in. It's hard backbreaking work, but I think I would probably grow to enjoy it. Here's hoping I manage to land it.
sircrowbar
1. So, you see me walking down the street. You stop me to talk about this totally awesome band I should check into. What would this band be?
Well, Ogre is pretty interesting from what I've heard of them. 70s prog rocklicious. Gods of Fire is very metaaaaaaal~, good for a giggle or a Manowar comparison. And Chainsaw is just absolutely hilarious. A bunch of crazy Dutch guys with album covers Spinal Tap would be ashamed of. Smell the Saw!
2. Other than the massive amounts of green that attacks you in every direction, what's the biggest difference you've noticed travelling from west to east coast?
Weather beats the snot out of you east coasters, I swear. You go visit in the summertime and you roast in 100 degree sun and get freak thunderstorms on top of that as well. You go visit in wintertime and you freeze your balls off and crack your skull on ice and sleet. You go any other time of the year and giant hurricanes smash half of the eastern seaboard to smithereens. All we have to worry about are earthquakes, yeesh.
3. You're magically transported into a magical Stephen Chow envisioned land. What's your role?
If it's a Stephen Chow classical China period piece, I'd be the chain smoking and half drunk surly fishmonger at the poor farmer's market who actually possesses crazy mad dual wielding Chinese cleaver fu. Send an ax gang after me and they'll be the ones missing body parts after it's all said and done.
4. Going back to music, briefly: 2005. Do you think this was a good or bad year for the metal militia?
A lot of the recent metal releases have actually been in 2004 but 2005 still gave us a few notable ones. SYL released Alien at the beginning of the year, Hansi and Schaffer put out another D&W album and Gamma Ray put one out in June as well. The big event of the year for me though was Testament getting their original lineup back together and on tour. I saw them at the Thrash Against Cancer benefit, had a lot of fun and found out that Bay Area thrash wasn't completely dead yet. 2006 ought to be interesting as well. Devy's starting off by releasing Synchestra and Blind Guardian's due to release their new single soon and their new album in the fall.
5. You are asked to form the Perfect Super Robot Wars game, using your and only your guidence. Who's in it? Any interesting new features? What would *not* be in it?
Mazinger Z
Great Mazinger
UFO Robo Grendizer
Getter Robo G
Daikuu Maryuu Gaiking
Toushou Daimos
Kenran Butousai
Metal Armor Dragonar
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray
Tetsujin 28-go
Giant Robo
Big O
Dangaioh
GEAR Fighter Dendoh
Machine Robo
Brave Legend Da Garn
Feature Banpresto Originals: Dragon Tiger King and Phoenix Turtle King
First off, I would go crazy with the team up attacks and lots of them would be cross series with units that have obvious design or plot related synergies with each other. I would retain the Alpha 2/3 squadron system but I would bring back the hit location system from SRW GC. Only this time, I would make sure that the battle damage would be lovingly rendered in 2D for every unit in the game. If you lost a head or an arm, your attack sprite would show it. You would be able to aim at a squadron leader's body parts but if any of his wingmen has the support defense skill, they would be able to block it and take only non specific damage. However, I would also add in an option where if your wingmen didn't have the support defense skill, you could still order them to defend the squadron leader but they themselves would be hit in a random body part regardless of the attacker originally aimed.
I would not bring back the favorites system from SRW MX as it's subject to a lot of abuse and brings the difficulty curve down way too low for my tastes. Other than that, all the other salient features of the recent SRW games would be incorporated back into the engine.
damienk
1. So, what all are you listening to right now?
I tend to yo-yo back and forth from western stuff to crazy Japanese robot and tokusatsu songs a lot and I've been mostly swinging on the Japanese side of the pendulum lately because I got my hands on Animetal Marathon VII a while ago and it was excellent. I also finally picked up Exodus' 2004 release Tempo of the Damned and that was excellent as well. I found myself copies of And One's Aggressor and Virgin Superstar last year so I've been listening to those quite a bit as well. Other than that, the usual mix of speed and thrash metal, industrial, the occasional jonesing for cock rock, and a tiny bit of prog rock, power, death and black metal as well. I'm looking forward to DTB's Synchestra reaching my doorsteps soon and I'm also interested in the new Blind Guardian single. They've got an evil sounding cover of In A Gadda Da Vida on it.
2. Please share your favourite recipe?
I've got a recipe for homemade XO sauce that I like quite a bit. You can probably find XO sauce at a well stocked Asian food specialty store and indeed, some of the ingredients you might have to go to the Asian specialty store to find anyways but the homemade stuff is good enough that I'd say you'd be able to just eat it by itself as a snack on crackers or chips. That being said, the recipe will take a few days to properly make so I'd crack open a jar of the premade store stuff and see if you like the flavor before attempting this. Suggestions for usage would be as part of a base for the ubiquitous stir-fry with meats and veggies, or as a condiment for noodles, either pan fried or soup based depending on your preference.
1 1/2 parts fresh red chiles
2 1/2 parts dried scallops (conpoy)
1 1/2 parts minced garlic clove
1 1/2 parts diced onion
1 part tiny dried shrimp (the unshelled variety)
1/2 part Jinhua ham (you can substitute Smithfield ham or prosciutto here)
1/2 part salted cured fish
1/4 part large dried shrimp (shelled)
1/2 to 1 tbsp coarse black pepper or cracked Szechuan peppercorns
Wash and remove the seeds and stems from the chilies. Heat wok on low and add oil for stir-frying. When oil is ready, add the chilies. Stir-fry until they are heated through.
Remove the chilies from the heat and drain. Dry in the sun until completely dried (about 2 - 3 days).
Reconstitute conpoy (dried scallops) by soaking in water for 2-3 hours, then steam for 3 hours until soft. Reserve the liquid accumulated as a result of steaming. When cooled, finely shred the conpoy by hand.
Soak the tiny shrimp in water for 3 hours. Drain the shrimp and mince finely.
Finely dice ham into 2mm cubes. Dice fish into 3mm cubes.
Heat wok on high heat and add 2 cups oil for frying. Add garlic, onion and tiny shrimp and fry until the mixture stops steaming. At that point, add the chilies, ham, and fish and continue to cook until chilies become translucent. Add the conpoy, shelled dried shrimp and ground black pepper and turn the heat down to low. Continue to cook until only a little steam rises from the mixture. Remove from the heat and cool.
Store it in a sealed container and refrigerate.
3. What's it like, living on the part of the continent that may fall off at any time?
Like I told Crowbar, what's it like living on the part of the continent that gets pummeled by crazy weather all times of the year? Earthquakes only come every decade or two but you guys seem to be getting reamed hard lately. That being said, the only place more expensive to live in than California is New York City. We pay out the ass for property here, it's ridiculous. Other than that and the fake titties and nose jobs in LA, we're pretty much like the East Coast, only not so easy to reach from one metropolitan area to another. I envy that much of you guys.
4. Are there any good recent HK movies ?
Well, I'm looking forward to Fearless. It's going to be Jet Li's last main starring role in an action film and it looks to be a reprise of his old Chinese period piece films. He's got the Manchu hair queue and everything. He's actually going to be playing a young version of Fok Jianhua, Chen Zhen's deceased mentor from Fist of Fury/Fist of Legend and I think the plotline will be revolving around him trying to establish the reputation of his martial arts style in the way kung fu artists tend to do it when they get together. Lots of asskicking to occur, definitely.
5. So, dude, what are you up to these days, anyway?
Well, I left my theater head projectionist job last month. Not a moment too soon either since I got word shortly thereafter that AMC home office was planning to sell my theater and its sister theater nearby soon because it bought out Loews and got its hands on the giant IMAX theater downtown. That would've explained why despite my constant requests for a replacement projector technician and for the newer projection equipment we were supposed to have inherited from another theater in the area shutting down, I didn't get squat and had to play patchwork mechanic for about 2 years on a bunch of 25 year old juryrigged disaster machines. =p
I'm going back to school at the moment but I actually am currently contemplating going for an culinary apprenticeship in the city that would last for about 3 years if I got in. It's hard backbreaking work, but I think I would probably grow to enjoy it. Here's hoping I manage to land it.