Who will win the ‘Mario’s favourite game’ award?

It’s not a secret to everybody that Twilight Princess wasn’t exactly the best Zelda game ever. In fact if it hadn’t been a Zelda game it would have been just an “ok” game for me; a slight hiccup on what I once considered the best series of all times.

Enter Assassin’s Creed. Imitating its protagonists, when Zelda lowered its defenses of defending champion AC went for the kill. With Assassin’s Creed II, a great leap of improvement from the first, the series introduced a game rich in intrigue, science fiction, history, beautiful locales and much more. That combination quickly catapulted it into what I didn’t consider at the time but later realized it was my favourite series of all time, leaving Ocarina, A Link To The Past, Wind Waker and the rest in close but second place nonetheless.

But then things started taking a turn. Ubisoft, trying to milk the series as much as possible decided on yearly updates for AC, Creative Director Patrice Désilets left, and while Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood still held its own, it didn’t have the umph of the previous game.

Reviews are now clamouring that Skyward Sword might be the best Zelda ever, meanwhile, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations has a feeling of a more of the same, although it will cut off the loose ends, wrap the story of Ezio and Altair, and bring an “improved” multiplayer.

Will Link and company be able to regain what it once was an undisputed crown? Or will Desmond and the Assassin’s will hold until the next Zelda game in a few years? With both releases just 5 days from each other, it won’t be long before we decide the victor, at least until they go blade to blade again.

Let the games begin.

Grief

Grief is such an alien feeling to me. Most of the time I can’t relate to anyone when it comes to grief, as I can count with one hand the times I have cried over someone’s death. Even then, two of those times the subjects weren’t even human and two other were people I didn’t know personally; and to top it off, one of them was back when I was a child and I didn’t understand the concept of death.

I’m not exactly sure why I’m unmoved about death but when I’ve questioned it myself, I come up with the following theories:
– I believe that I have truly accepted the fact that death is a completely natural event; it will come for each and every single one of us. For that reason I find it difficult to understand the pain of something that is completely unavoidable and that we already know that it will happen. It’s as if I already knew the ending of a movie.
– I’m not afraid of death itself. I have had a couple dreams in the past where I am about to die yet I don’t despair, I accept openly that the inevitable time has come and I simply just let go. Maybe it is because at the moment I really don’t have any attachments, anything that I’m afraid to leave behind. Sure, I’d hate to drown, suffocate, be eaten alive or die of torture but it’s not how I die but the concept of death that doesn’t scare me.
- Death is not the end. We continue to exist, only in different form. Why would anyone be afraid of that?
- Death is not suffering. Many times I’ve heard people speak about a recently deceased person as if the person who passed away has entered a state of pain and suffering. I couldn’t disagree more with this; in fact I believe that it is quite the opposite.

I don’t put up altars or visit tombs as I don’t agree that remains, photos and the objects that people used during their life have any connection with their souls. I think one must remember and cherish the memories but that’s as far as it goes.

The only reason why I’ve cried over death before is because of the actual events that lead to death and as a farewell; even then I must admit there was a mix of happiness as well. In my case weeping doesn’t last very long; in most ocassions I only cry once and never again.

Two of the beings that I’ve cried for have been pet dogs. The first time, our pet bit a person due to negligence on our part. Everyone rushed to the hospital and I was the one that stayed home. When the animal shelter came to get it for examination, I was the one that had to put it into the cage so they could take it away. After a couple of days of waiting we were informed that the regulations were that it had to be put to sleep and we were allowed to see her without getting close. She was thrilled to see us, jumping all over with excitement. After a quick goodbye from afar, we left. Regret hit me pretty hard. Regret for being the one that turned her in, even though I’m aware that I did it so she wouldn’t get hurt or mishandled by the officer. Regret for not breaking a silly rule and touch her for the last time. I don’t think I’m still over it but it taught me many lessons for the future.

My other pet died of cancer, after approximately 13 years of being my companion. This time though, I had learned. No more regret, only cherished memories. When I cried it was because I’d miss her, bidding farewell, but I laughed and thanked her too, for all the memories and companionship.

My mother has always said that most of the pain from grief comes from regrets and unfinished business, and I agree with this completely. That’s why one must try to enjoy the little time we have together, both good and bad, because wasted time is never regained.

I know for a fact that I’ve been most fortunate to have the people closest to me still alive, and that is probably why I still can’t relate to grief completely. I fully know that my parents, my siblings, my grandmother that virtually raised me along with my parents, and a couple other extraordinary people that have been a big part of my life will leave an enourmous void if their time comes before mine, and that I will mourn them more than I’ve ever mourn anything before, so I will wait and see how that develops before jumping into more conclusions, but at the moment of this writing, this is how I feel. Time will only tell if I feel the same in the future.

Things that annoy me (and sometimes upset me):

I have been compiling a list of the things I dislike, that annoy me or on occasions infuriate me.

Call me grumpy all you lile but I consider this therapeutic, and don’t tell me that don’t have things that upset you too. Some could even be in this list.

Without further ado, here it is:

- People commenting on my food.
- People not using their utensils when eating.
- People invading my personal space.
- Beaurocracy.
- Self-pity.
- People trying to get attention: posting trivial things online or verbally saying them just so people comment, therefore feeling good about themselves.
- Dubbed movies.
- Being generalized or stereotyped.
- People not knowing the difference between China and Japan.
- Reggaeton.
- Mexican pop.
- Mexican soap operas, and those who watch them.
- Know-it-alls.
- Bad grammar.
- Stuck ups.
- Mexican comedy. (this does not include mexican sense of humour)
- People rebutting my opinion with absolutely no basis.
- Mediocrity.
- Slow computers.
- Traffic and bad/slow driving.
- People who are insecure.
- Jealousy
- Animal cruelty (This infuriates me)
- Child abuse. (same as above).
- People who are arrogant or abusive of their power.
- People talking loud or making noise during a movie.
- Spoilers and people who do it on a frequent basis.
- Cheesiness / corniness.
- People referring to the USA as “America”

Consider this a work in progress. This list is subject to change whenever my grumpy arse feels like it.

Europe travel – Day 17 – Paris

This was our last full day in Paris and for the whole trip in general. Just like Rome, we saved the most iconic spots for last.

Mom and I had breakfast again before leaving but this time Fatiha was feeling better and she came with us, which was really good news; the more, the merrier.

The four of us left for Eiffel Tour and we stopped at the Naval Museum first to snap some photos of the tower from there and then we walked to the actual tower.

The line was long, as we had expected, but it was going quite fast. We must have been in line for about an hour or so before going up the elevator. Mom didn’t come with us and Hedi and Fatiha only went up to the 2nd level. Obviously, I had to go all the way to the top. I spent a few minutes with Fatiha and Hedi on the second level but we were sort of pressed on time and there was another queue for the next elevator that I had to take so I left them.

One thing I can surely say, after all the waits for tickets and elevators plus other queues to go down, I’m quite glad that there are toilets at the top of the tower. I tried going to the ones in the second level but they were cleaning them, even after an hour or so when I came back from the top.

Anyway, back at the top, the view is quite nice. It is also windy and chilly but it’s not really an issue. They sell champagne and there is a small apartment / booth that Mr. Eiffel made for himself and special guests. Also, if you really pay attention, you can feel the tower moving slightly: pretty neat (and maybe a tad scary).

After the tower we went to Champs-Élysées to take the tourist stroll to the Arc de Triomphe. On the way we stopped at the McDonald’s that’s located right there in the avenue. Hey, if we are doing McD’s in Europe at least we are doing it in style.

We got to the Arc and snapped some photos, then walked back to the train station but this time on the opposite side of the avenue.

We went to Montmartre for a quick stop at the Hard Rock Cafe. I just bought the souvenir tee, walked around the cafe, snapped some photos and got out. We were short on time as we had arranged a meeting with some TosT members at a bar. What is TosT? you are probably wondering. They are a group of very good French gamers that Hedi (and I) met back in 2005, in the same game that I met Hedi.

We got home but stayed there shortly, then set out again for the bar: Hedi, Fatiha and myself; mom stayed home.

I must say I had quite a nice time with the gang. I met Krisp, whose English is almost perfect; Saliens, probably the joker of the group; Yoyo, laid back and only talks to make a joke or silly remark about someone. Gandalf joined later, who thought Mario was my internet handle…

We drank beer (yep, I had one too, my fourth beer in Europe), ate great cheese with baguette and had a nice time. It felt good being among a group that I felt compatible with. I mean, I have local friends that are gamers but mostly aren’t as serious/skilled. Also, these TosT guys are geek gamers but also very cool, just the same way I consider myself.

After a couple pf hours we left the bar, as I still had to pack for an early flight tomorrow, and also watch Real vs Barça.

We got home, watched the game, and then went to bed.

We had an early start the next day for a one hour trip to Charles de Gaulle airport. When we got to the airport, we checked in and stopped at a concession for our last French breakfast: croissant.

We had set out with plenty of time and also the flight was slightly delayed so we weren’t in a rush.

After we ate our pastries, it was time to say farewell. I hugged Hedi and shook his hand but that was too Mexican for him, so he said “oh c’mon” and as I came to understand the night before at the bar with the close TosT friends, faire la bise meant a close friendship, and this completely deserved it.

A perfect (and French) way to say farewell to France and Europe: with a great friendship and two pairs of kisses on the cheeks.

Europe travel – Day 16 – Paris / Versailles

We woke up at about the same time as the day before but this time I made breakfast. Only mom and I ate as Europeans usually don’t have big breakfasts and Hedi wasn’t hungry.

We set out for the Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Located in the highest hill of Paris, Sacre Coeur offers a nice view of Paris, similar to Piazzale Michaelangelo, only not as good. It is also filled with pesky vendors and in a not so good but well known neighbourhood: Montmartre. The interior is nice, with a decorated dome, but not better than anything we saw in Italy.

We left the Basilica and headed to Versailles. It was a 45 minutes ride in metro / RER / TER approximately. At the station we bought delicious croissant and 3 frommage panini. On the way to the Chateau we also stopped at a patisserie for merengue (forgot the name in French, which is quite similar) and for me a Tarte Aux Pomme: delicious. Whatever weight we lost in Italy we were quickly regaining it in France, but it was worth it.

We reached the Chateau and entered quickly using the Museum Pass and the audioguides were free. The first stop was the chapel which was quite pretty, then we continued through the castle (palace?). Hedi showed much more interest, which was very good, although he had to cut his visit short as Fatiha arrived to meet us but didn’t go in.

Mom and I proceeded with the visit, traversing corridor after corridor, and room after room; all of them sumptuously decorated but as usual of previous eras, with rather small royal beds.

We exited the castle/palace and met Hedi and Fatiha at the universally renowned gardens, beautiful and extense. We then proceeded to take a very nice walk through the gardens and back again as we didn’t want to pay 4 Euros for the train ride back.

Exhausted we made our long way back home, not before picking up some groceries at the supermarket for dinner. I volunteered to be the cook for a second time in the day.

Hedi offered to help me while Fatiha and mom relaxed in the living room with some yoga. I showed Hedi to prepare quesadillas while I made the guacamole and salad. He bailed when it was time to actually cook them but it was fine.

The funny thing is, I wanted to cook something “typically mexican” for them prior to coming to Europe, but I didn’t know what. Quesadillas aren’t really high cuisine but apparently for that day they kinda were. Everything worked out in the end.

We set the table, opened a bottle of wine, and had a nice meal with great company: a perfect way to end the day.

Europe travel – Day 15 – Paris

We woke up a bit early but not really in a rush. Mom prepared breakfast and Hedi, mom and I ate while Fatiha slept as she needed rest.

We then set out to Musée D’Orsay as our first stop, to get a Paris Museum Pass and avoid the horrendous lines at the Louvre. The line at D’Orsay was sort of bad but with my excellent tourist wit and Hedi’s french we devised a new method of entering quickly: buy the pass at the corner kiosk.

They didn’t accept credit card at the kiosk so we walked to the nearest ATM. After we got cash we got the pass and quickly got in, skipping all lines. At security, Hedi realized that he had brought with himself Fatiha’s keys too so he had to go back home, a bullshit plan to avoid the museum if you ask me.

A former train station, D’Orsay is a very nice museum. Not very crowded ; the main hall is set up with elegance and a nice flow unlike huge museums that they cram rows and rows of artwork close together. We perused through the artwork of greats such as Van Gogh, Degas, Monet and Manet but apparently we were still tired so we didn’t have the energy to to through the whole thing.

We took one last look at Van Gogh and went out to have some left over pizza and a crepe with delicious chocolate as we waited for Hedi as we previously had arranged.

When he arrived we crossed the Seine over to the Louvre and once again quickly got in. It’s massive. I doubt any visitor of Paris, unless they just want to visit the Louvre and ignore the rest during their stay, can go through everything. So we did what everyone does and headed straight for Mona Lisa. It was crowded but not as crazy as I thought it would be and the sad part is that you really can’t appreciate it correctly with the thick security glass covering it plus the hordes of people wanting to take a photo of it (to take a photo of an artwork is a very stupid idea imho), pushing, shoving, a million flashes, etc. So after a bit I got in front, took a good look at it for a while, and left, among the stink of sweaty people all gathered around you.

After walking through halls and halls of italian paintings, most of which are copies of what we had already seen at Uffizi and Accademia I was already sick of Renaissance artwork so we went towards Venus De Milo. On this trip I have come to appreciate sculptures so much more than before so we stopped at Cupid and Psyche and a few others.

We got to Venus and observed her for a few minutes. Personally, I didn’t see anything special but maybe it set a trend back then or it has some sort of historical significance, I really don’t know.

We continued on to the Egyptian section and then left. After the Louvre we walked to a restaurant nearby that apparently served awesome hot chocolate called Angelina. There was a queue so we had to wait a little bit. The cup of hot chocolate costs 7 Euro so we were thinking this better be some damn good hot chocolate, and let me tell you, it might as well be the gawddamn best hot chocolate cup you will ever taste; it is like just sipping liquid chocolate, very rich and thick, absolutely delicious.

After Angelina we took the metro to the Basilique du Notre Dame, with Fatiha meeting us at a station on the way.

We entered Notre Dame and out of all the gothic churches I entered this is probably the most. It is dark and the air a little bit moist; it feels very old and medieval.

After exiting the church we took a stroll around the area and then headed to a restaurant that was close by for a pre-planned dinner. Whatever the heck it was that I ate, it was delicious. All I know is that it was waffle with something.

After dinner we took another short stroll down some streets. I paired up with Fatiha so she had to speak English to me and I had to talk in French. It shouldn’t be hard to guess that she did a lot better than I; my vocabulary is very, very limited.

After we were done walking a bit we went back home for some well deserved rest.

Europe travel – Day 14 – Paris

The scenery on our train ride was beatiful. I wasn’t aware that the train goes through Switzerland so we got to see ride next to the gorgeous Swiss Alps. Everything was perfect, or so we thought…

The time to arrive to Paris Bercy quickly approached. Just half an hour before arriving, someone knocks on our door, it was one of the train staff. “Do you speak English?” He said. “Yes”, I replied.

“In 20 minutes this train will arrive in Dijon, this train final destination. From there you will board to Paris”. And he left.

What? Dijon? I’m no expert in French geography but I know Dijon is not very close to Paris and Hedi is already waiting for me at Bercy station.

We arrived to Dijon and basically unboarded our train just to board another on the other side of the platform. It was messy, people didn’t know exactly what was going on and unless you spoke Italian or French, the staff wasn’t very helpful. The ones suffering the most was a British couple in about their 70s that obviously couldn’t grasp anything from Italian or French and that they were used to the corteous and polite British treatment, something not really found in Italy in my short experience.

Once everyone was aboard and somewhat settled, we still waited a good 20 or 30 mins before departing. After that it was another 3 hours before arriving to Paris, and not even Bercy but Gare de Lyon. Thankfully I had used my wit to get in touch with Hedi so he was fully aware of the situation.

When we arrived at Gare de Lyon, he was there waiting for us. I greeted him with a hug, mexican style, and as I had anticipated, he didn’t know how to react.

We took the metro to his house, which was fairly close and on the way from the metro station to his house his wife Fatiha caught up with us. Introductions were made and we continued walking.

After we got home we went to do some much needed laundry and we bought some groceries. For many reasons, I wanted Paris to be a more relaxed experience so we basically just stayed home to do just that. We ordered pizza, watched Up In The Air and the Tottenham vs Real Madrid game, and then called it a day.

Europe travel – Day 13 – Roma

It was our last day in Roma, and in Italy altogether. One last place of real interest remained: Il Colosseo.

We packed and checked out of the hotel, we left our luggage there and walked to Il Colosseo. Once again, entrance was free. We toured around the arena, learned many a new thing, and left. Its size is quite magnificent, the mechanics that they used to bring up all the scenery and beasts was formidable, but sadly, as we all know, it is all now mostly in ruins.

After Il Colosseo we walked around to find a restaurant and we passed what is probably the damn coolest man-statue ever so obviously I got some photos taken with him.

We did some grocery shopping and found a restaurant. There were two US girls (you can tell by the accent) sitting a couple of tables from us. It was a very narrow place so I looked at them a few time just like I was looking at everything else when the one that was facing me told the other “that guy just keeps staring” and the other turned around to look at me and turned again. The first girl probably thought I didn’t speak English that’s why she said it so loud. When we were finished with our Quattro Formaggi pizza and Penne alla Arrabiata as we walked past them to get out I said “I wasn’t staring ok? Don’t be so conceited”. Both of their jaws dropped wide open and they didn’t say a thing. Lesson #1: when you are in a big city like Rome or London, never believe that no one around you can understand you.

We still had a lot of time to kill since we were taking a night train to Paris so we kept walking around. As we were walking past the Museo Nazionale Romano, mom decided she wanted to go in. It was free entrance so why not? Obviously this wasn’t Uffizi or the Vaticano Musei so it wasn’t as big, crowded or overfilled with art.

The best things in the museum for me were a beautifully sculpted coffin, halls of frescoes from a villa discovered at the banks of the Tiber and gorgeous mosaic from the same place. Also, there was a complete collections of coins of Italy since before the Romans to the Euro.

After the museum, we continued walking around, stopping for gelato or a water fountain, or just to rest. After a few hours we went back to the hotel, got our things and headed for the station.

We then boarded the train into our sleep compartment, which we had to leave to move to another one because the beds wouldn’t retrieve. It was a foreshadowing of what was to come.

But the best part is that no mattet what, I was about to meet one of my best friends.

Europe travel – Day 12 – Roma / Città del Vaticano

It was Vatican day so we got up kinda early to try to avoid the crowds (which we knew it’s basically impossible for the Vatican), had breakfast at the hotel and took the bus. I didn’t know where everything was located exactly so we got in the first big line we saw and we entered the Basilica di San Pietro.

Whoever called it a Basilica must be joking; that thing is a palace. We spent some time there and then joined the line for the Vatican Musei, but like many other people, that meant the Capella Sistina plus bonus.

The line was absolute bullshit and there was only a couple of hours left for my appointment for the tour of the excavations under the palace… err… basilica so we decided to get out of line and think of a new plan.

We went to the post office to send our postcarda because apparently the postal service of the Vatican is much better than that of Italy (and cooler stamps too). After that we walked to Castel Sant’Angelo that although was closed on Mondays, I just wanted a closer look.

Who would have known, it was open and not only that but also free: Settimana della cultura, I love you.

We went in and I quickly browsed through everything. It wasn’t very crowded because the Vatican takes most of the share.

After I was done I went to Piazza San Pietro to get to the rather exclusive tour. Holy excavation sites! (literally). It was great. I learned how it all started very humbly, as it should be, and then it got out of hand to what it is now. One of the best parts was caling suckers (albeit just mentally) to the million visitors that saw our small little group go into forbidden places, especially under some manholes inside the Basilica.

After I left the tour (mum didn’t want to join) we decided to go to eat some. I thought I should check the line for the museums to see if we had any hope amd voila! No line! We ate some, obviously not as good as Napoli, and went straight into the museums. Once again, I got to call ‘suckers’ to those who spent like 2 hours in line to get in the morning.

We got in and went straight for the Capella, walking past more and more of Catholic opulence. How long have they come since the times of St. Peter. It was very crowded but we got to enjoy it for quite a bit and then we left, as it was nearing closing times.

Also, there was a beautiful English girl in the museums. That was the cherry on top of a perfect day.

We took the bus back to the hotel and called it a day.

Europe travel – Day 11 – Roma / Napoli

We woke up early to catch an early train to Napoli. Once again, as it is our custom, we barely made it on time.

The ride to Napoli was 2 hours long, with a very foggy morning. Once in Napoli, we took the Circumvesuviana train line to Pompei Scavi. The ride there, as opposed to the one before, was very ghetto.

Once we got there we entered the Pompei excavations, which were pretty cool. Since I was little and I first read about Pompei and the Vesuvius I had wondered and imagined what it would be like, and at last there it was.

There was only one issue, it was cloudy and the Vesuvius never appeared. That’s the second time that I want to see a Volcano and it hides from me. The first time was in Guatemala.

The highlight of the tour was when we were about to exit. We saw some people in a section that was closed to the rest of the public. It was the remains of one of the baths of thr city. We asked a custodian how to get there and he said “special ticket”. After a minute when a group behind us left, he let us in. They were very well preserved and with the beautiful, sexual frescoes that characterize Pompei. I took a million photos and he gave us a quick explanation. I tipped him and I left thrilled.

On the way back we decided to make a quick stop in Napoli before heading back to Roma. We wanted to try the famous Pizza Margherita, which is the original pizza that was created in Napoli.

Whatever bad impression I had of Rome (especially after visiting Venezia and Firenze) Napoli tripled it. It was terribly dirty, infested with street vendors and it just seemed downright dangerous.

After walking a couple of blocks from the station, we decided to cancel going to the pizza place I had researched, turn back and stop at a pizzeria that we had passed. We sat and ordered. Everyone was gathered on the sidewalk watching a Calcio game: Bologna vs Napoli.

The pizza was delicious and so was the pasta. One of the waiters, Massimo, was playing pranks on the street walkers by making them believe they were blocking a good part of the game.

It was really good fun, and by the way, italian Fanta tastes nothing like US or Mexican Fanta.

After we were done we walked back to Napoli Centrale where we had to avoid rude scammers and pickpockets and caught the first train back to Roma.

When we arrived, Roma looked beautiful, almost like home. Our first impression had been that it was big, noisy, and dirty (although that impression still stands partly) but it greatly improved after horrible Napoli.

We got to the hotel and rested a bit but we still had some energy so we decided to burn it by walking to the famous Via Veneto. It was getting dark so some fountains and buildings looked gorgeous. We got to Hard Rock Cafe, I bought my shirt and we walked back to call it a day.