Got into an interesting discussion with the new-found friends.

"Oh, tiers aren't true. They are just a crutch for the new guys, and something not believed in and disproved by the old veteran guys."

I think, that just like many other truths, things lie in the middle.

It's true that tiers aren't the end-all and be-all of games. But I feel I've played enough games (indeed, enough polarized ones) to know that they can't completely be ignored.

I do not like tier-whoring as much as the next guy. Like I told my new friend, this country is deep rooted in it. People have always always picked Devil in Tekken Tag and War Machines/Strider/Wolverine in the first Marvel vs Capcom.

But on the other hand, I think picking low tier for the sake of picking low tier is almost as bad. I guess it's okay if one wants a challenge. But it also does reek of fishing for attention. It also runs the risk of excuse-making in case the experiment doesn't turn out as planned. "Oh, he/she was low tier anyway." It will only work when there's a significant skill and knowledge gap. Otherwise, when competitors are of equal skill, chances are those with more inherent advantages as dictated by the engine and moveset will win more often. And those are the basis of tiers.

Whatever happened to "The Church of Select and Play Whomever You Like"? I myself usually don't gravitate to the very tops. My favorites usually reside in the uppers and mids. That being said, here's a video of MvC2 mids rocking house against the big dogs:

Word of mouth travels freakishly fast in small towns.

***

Cellphones have spoiled people. So I walked into the restroom one day, and this guy was multitasking while occupying a urinal slot. 

Yes. One hand answering the call, and another hand on the ding-a-ling-a-ling. Surely, answering the phone call could have waited.

***

I would post more, but I think I've writer's blog as far as non-Twitter-sized blog entries go. :( In the meantime, watch the TVC US trailer. It's awesome.

New shift starts later. It's only a few hours earlier than my previous one, so it should still be comfortable. Board exam-wise... I do hope I get motivated enough to hit the advanced Chem books soon.

Work's been challenging as always. I'm thinking of way to be slightly more efficient. That's what I like about my current job I guess. My boss and coworkers tell my that I (and collectively, the team) have been doing good, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.

I hope I can squeeze in some Street Fighter time after hours, though. I'm rusty. News of an SFIV cab in Makati certainly put me in good spirits. (Now, I hope they can fix one side of the cab asap.)

***

Speaking of SF, to the fans reading... I never knew that Flowchart Kens existed offline and in arcades too. I guess they started from there and pre-SFIV before they made their way to Live and PSN, huh?

***

Like this week for this instance, I got to tick off this and this off my list.

***

Last week, I went into a pizza parlor and ate alone as if it were a fast food joint. Bad idea. No, it wasn't the food (it was good), it was the ambience and experience. It was the first time I went to such a place alone and not eating with my family/friends, I wasn't ordering "to go" either. The feeling was certainly different. I guess certain places and events are meant for group affairs, or even dates.

On that note, finally got a Palm Card. It's going to be handy for parties and gettogethers.

***

This is the most amusing story I've read these past two weeks, especially since I follow both. It led to a silly Monday Night Raw, and I knew I chose correctly when I opted to watch basketball this week instead.

It does get confusing sometimes though. For a while, I thought Carlito was with the Cavs and the Mike "the Miz" Mizanin was with the Nuggets.