I don't think it's a far stretch to say that I'm a bit of an obsessive person. My life for the past 10 or so years can be largely charted by following my long-term obsessions, each lasting anywhere between 1 and 4 years and marked by a need to absorb all the knowledge about the given field. A quick recap, mainly to remind myself:
- Battlefield 1942: 3½ years
- E-sports: 1½ years
- Unreal Tournament 2004: 1 year
- World of Warcraft: 1½ years
- Rock climbing: 1½ years till present

It's a recurring pattern that has been largely unchanged - an initial interest, then a few reinforcing experiences leading to the sort of rabid devotion that only true obsessives can know. And while some interests have faded naturally into the background - Battlefield 1942 and UT2004 both had their scenes fade away into oblivion, leading to my own eventual dismissal of them, others have taken a rather stranger course.

While I still retain a casual interest in e-sports, the current state of things is certainly one reason why I no longer strive to follow every event. Things were different when the number of events was limited, each with their own aura of glory surrounding them - the ESWC, CPL and WCG all retained their places in the calendars of all as the big events to follow.

These days, things are scattered across a large number of different games and no event is untainted by mitigating factors to rabid fandom. The WCG has its virtual pool, the CGS its retarded ruleset, the CPL a complete fiasco, and so on. But at the same time, it's still largely down to a waning interest on my own part.

World of Warcraft ended up being too much to deal with in a new university environment, with its time-sapping commitment far too big a piece to swallow amongst all the other small things that dot a university student's agenda.

But the most recent obsession, rock climbing, has me partly following from beside as a bemused spectator - aware of the absurd degree to which I've taken an interest in the sport, but also unable or unwilling to relent.

Perhaps the most bizarre aspect, though, is the amount of reading that I do into this and all the other interests I've had. Through these interests I've waded through thousands of pages of written accounts by both experts and amateurs, trawling through Thottbot and ESR comments alike - in the hope of, what? Gleaning some golden nugget of pure information that will elevate my understanding to another level? It seems unlikely.

However, in a perhaps uncharacteristic move, I find myself pondering over the implications on a personal, psychological level. Maybe, as I've read elsewhere, this is just the geek inside coming out, flitting from project to project with full dedication to each and every one of them until there is none left. A worrying thought, especially after investing quite a lot of money into rock climbing equipment...

Wow. Just wow.

I'd read a lot of stuff about it, but never enough to really buy into the hype of how great a movie Hard Candy is. Then, on a whim at the rental store I saw the case and remembered some random article which mentioned it, and figured why not?

What followed was one of the most intense emotional rollercoasters I've ever experienced due to a film. It was nerve-wracking throughout, an absolutely amazing movie considering it contained no clichés, no silly set pieces and a grand total of 5 actors, of which none particularily big name. I'm glad I didn't watch it at the movie theatre though, I think the mood would have been ruined by audience reactions.

A spectacular film, not one that anyone who likes movies should miss - if you thought Se7en or Trainspotting could get you into the throes of fear or disgust or rage, you've got another thing coming.

This is one of those instant cult classics that I'm shocked I haven't heard more about. I'm buying the DVD tomorrow, because films that manage to pull so much off deserve to be permanently enshrined.

It's true. He's playing ETQW beta 2. I tried to talk to him, but he was ignoring me. =(

So if you all miss his yellow-toothy presence, add THERAILMCCOY as a friend and stalk him like the creepy online weirdos you are.

Technically, it's The Unholy Alliance: Chapter II, with this reincarnation still being an elaborate name for a Slayer support act. Yet with some quality bands like Children of Bodom, Lamb of God and In Flames doing the support, who's complaining?

The night started out on an ailing Underground system, which really is going to hell in a handbasket, especially on this dark and dreary Sunday, taking us just under an hour to traverse the 7 stops from Kensington to Brixton, where the Carling Academy was drawing thousands of fans to see a night of loud, hard-hitting metal.

We got in early, in time to see Thine Eyes Bleed, a Canadian sub-par death metal group winding down, but it was clear right from the get-go that this was going to be an ear-shatteringly loud night, with the Academy's towers of speakers reaching from the stage to the roof, dwarfing anything else in the room. Unfortunately, we were relegated to the balcony, where some shockingly lacklustre enthusiasm was shown.

After a bit of setting up, Finnish thrash metal pioneers Children of Bodom came on. It was obvious that very few had heard of them, but the moshpit did come to life (briefly) for a well-played "Needled 24/7" and "Angels Don't Kill". To me, the band came off as being a one-man-show, with vocalist Alex Laiho doing nearly all of the solos and in general taking charge of the scene. The overall performance wasn't very awe-inspiring, but with a better set-up and not playing 4th fiddle to some truly great bands, I think they could pull a good show off.

After that, some black veils were pulled off to reveal an absolutely massive set of 22 amps for 3 guitars. This, then, was Lamb of God, a hard, fast and very loud act. I hadn't heard much from the band that proclaimed themselves to be Pure American Metal, and technically, I didn't hear much during the performance either due to the astronomical decibel levels in the arena. The balcony barely flinched during any of their songs, but there was a mumbled sing-along to "Walk With Me In Hell". After a 40-minute set, the band departed, leaving me feeling thankful for any respite that my poor ears could get.

When the massive In Flames banner was unveiled, a cheer erupted from the crowd, with hilarity ensuing when the Knight Rider theme song started blaring as the lights went down. The Swedish band exploded onto the stage with a fast and loud "Pinball Map", following quickly with "Leeches" - a song met with all-around approval. When the frontman of the band stepped up to the mic, it was clear that the show had only just begun. He took the audience by the balls, even persuading the vast majority of the balcony to "stand the fuck up".

The set continued with some massive hits in "Cloud Connected", "Come Clarity", "The Quiet Place" and "Only For The Weak" interspersed with some old mosh hits, most notably "Egonomicon". The stage set-up wasn't ideal for a group of this calibre, but the band showed the perfection of a well-oiled machine. The photographers received some great group pictures of the guitarists shredding together with lead singer and vocalist Anders Fridén using up most of the stage. He also made by far the most use of his intermission speaks during the whole night, making genuinely funny remarks and even taking into account the poor sods stuck to the balconies.

My only complaint would be the notable lack of some songs - "Free Fall" and "Reroute To Remain" were conspicuous in their absence, and I have a creeping suspicion that this was a highly shortened version of their usual tour set. Any doubt in my mind about the musical ability of the group was quickly settled with a mind-blowingly brilliant performance of "My Sweet Shadow" to bring the set to a finish. All-in-all, it was a great set and a band I can highly recommend to anyone, preferably as the main act of a concert.

With the audience having done its fair share of moshing, shouting and crowd-surfing already, I had my doubts if Slayer could get the same degree of response that In Flames had. These doubts were swiftly disposed of as Pantera's "Message In Blood" started playing over the speakers and 5,000 voices joined in to sing the chorus. As the roadies dragged some massive setpieces onto the stage, it truly dawned on me that this was completely Slayer's tour. As 10 minutes dragged onto 30, people started getting bored and the chants of "Slayer! Slayer!" became more and more frequent.

Eventually, the stage went dark and the big screen showed an enormous Slayer crest, and the band emerged in a flash of strobe lights to an overwhelmingly fast and hard "War". The killer riffs came hard and fast, and although the band members looked their age, the guitars were masterfully played and the drums pounded out a frantic beat. The performance was nothing short of frantic, with Slayer pouring out hit after breathless hit, with "Cult", "Jihad", "Die By The Sword" and "South of Heaven" all coming in rapid succession. The performance was punctuated by the slow (by Slayer standards, that is) "Seasons In The Abyss" which was both eerie and powerful.

The most grabbing aspect of the stage setup was without a doubt the big screen, portraying a constant stream of disturbing imagery; from an amputated and blinded Jesus to footage of the 9/11 attacks to WWII era footage of Hitler and thousands of marching soldiers. Slayer certainly wasn't straying away from the sensitive subject matter, and it showed in a spectacular way. Not to be outdone by their warmup act, Slayer had brought on 22 amps of their own - this time arranged in two upside down crosses on both sides of the stage, and the effect was massive. The volume was brutal, but this was truly how heavy metal was meant to be.

For nearly an hour, the whole stadium stood, moshed and headbanged to the aging group, but never more so than during the final 2 songs. As the lights shone blood red, covering everyone in an eerie glow, "Reign In Blood" blasted through the towers of amps and speakers, followed by a pounding "Angel Of Death". As the band said their final goodbyes, my ears were ringing from the sheer chaos of it all.

Slayer may be going to Hell (with a capital H) for their music, but my bit of heaven will certainly contain a whole lot of Slayer. A brilliant gig, and a worthy close to a spectacular tour.

I thought this test up a week or so ago, and I thought that the answers produced from my very limited sample space were rather interesting. Thus, like any good internet 'journalist', I had to put pen onto paper and document the whole thing online. Perhaps, in the process, I'll get some feedback, allowing me to pull the whole thing together into some sort of coherent profiling system to use in pubs and the like.

Anyway, the main question is this:

What do you do in social situations? What is your approach to meeting new people and getting to know them better?

The two distinct types I've seen so far are:

1. The storyteller - relates small anecdotes about loosely related topics to catch people's attention. Reveals a bit about himself in these stories to coax something out of others, or at least make them comment on the story, providing some information on their views.
Traits: Rational, calculated.

2. The complimenter - makes small, insignificant compliments about other people while they are speaking, like "you're very eloquent". Puts the other person at ease, lets them know you're listening. Usually a rather passive speaker.
Traits: Friendly, patient.


If any of you people have any more profiles to add to this, which I'm sure most of you do, could you please provide a small description of the techniques you use to strike up conversation or keep it running. A 2 or 3-word description of your personal traits would also be appreciated.

Any progress made in this questionnaire will be put almost solely towards asking profound questions from random people at bar or pub counters.

As a long-time gamer, I've always found physical exercise to be a strain, a pointless exertion with no real reward. Team sports have never been interesting since my individual contribution is a fraction of the total. Tennis, badminton and the like mean you have to either get coaching to get better or you play against someone my level, but my level's always been utterly rubbish, so finding someone with an interest in going once or more a week has been hard. Truly individual sports like swimming, running or just going to the gym to pump iron require a determined effort that has no real reward. I mean, great, I can swim 2 laps more than before - it's the same pool, the same length, over and over again.

When I came to university, I decided that I would try my damnedest to find a sport I could really enjoy. Freshers' Fair was the main club-finding event and as I circled the fields covered in stalls I was silently cursing the utterly boring sports represented. Football, rugby, hockey, dancing, curling, bleh. It was by chance then that I happened upon the "extreme sports" section of the fair, where some bright mind had rented a revolving climbing wall, and on a friendly bet from a friend, I had a go at it. 5 minutes later, utterly exhausted, I had signed up to the mountaineering club mailing list.

Now, I find my views on the whole physical exercise part of life turned upside down. Climbing has very tangible rewards - you climb, you get stronger, you get better, you can climb harder routes, climb them faster. The more you climb, the more of the sport you get to experience. From always having a top rope to clipping your own rope in - where every mistake means you fall 2-3 metres before the rope comes into play. This was my promised land, of meaningful exercise that was fun, challenging and not just doing the same motion over and over again.

It strikes me now that my major issue with conventional sports was the repetitiveness. In football, you kick the ball, in swimming, you do the same 5 strokes over and over again. It's perfecting one motion, making it efficient, better - but on the whole, it's still the same ballgame, still the same motion. This new perspective on the issue has revealed a facet of my personality that I wasn't aware I had before - a quick disillusionment with the conventional, the same.

Perhaps everyone has that aspect to their personality, but I'm not entirely convinced. If so, why is it that some people go through their whole lives doing the same routines, typing up report after menial report in their professional lives, only to take a break from it all by swimming the same pool back and forth and back again?

In summary, I'm glad I've found my calling, but now I've got the new issue that every time I go climbing I find myself thinking I should go more often. It's a pleasant feeling, yet disturbing at the same time, because it's an entirely unfamiliar feeling.

I recently signed up as a journalist for my university paper's games section, when it struck me that writing well isn't an issue of just putting black on white, not something that comes naturally with the flick of a pen, but another topic for practice, training and gradual improvement. So, in an effort to improve my written English and perhaps try to enhance the interesting diction and expand my vocabulary, I've decided to write extensively on ESReality, where any mocking, pointing and/or laughing is virtual, and thus doesn't matter.

If you have any criticism (and let's face it, this is the Internet, you don't have anything BUT criticism) feel free to post. Mocking and ridiculing is also an accepted form of criticism, but I waive any responsibility for crying or fits of rage (mine or yours) that may follow as a direct consequence.

It strikes me now that I should have thought of a topic before writing an extensive introduction to a journal entry that doesn't exist. Clearly, a point for improvement in the future. If I gain a spark of creativity, I'll update this. If not, well, at least I have a disclaimer for future work.

Carmac, looking charming as ever on the train to the airport.

DvO. Only picture of me on my camera, have fun Jamerio!

In a supermarket kids' trolley.

hypno bummed a beer off me, but then I got to know he owns 4 houses...

winz vs. Falcon, map: Irish pub. Result: Falcon wins in under 6 seconds.

Had to stop and look again when I saw the sign. Apparently, Ventrilo haven't expanded into curtains...

I think it was like the Paris stock exchange or something. Wasn't a tourist attraction, but looked pretty spectacular.

The cathedral, with a 2-hour line to get into the tower.

Decided to do some sight-seeing before the player party. I have no idea about any history for this, so don't ask me.

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By about 300 Starship Troopers bug-shaped fliers, courtesy of Lauke and eVeNfLoW.

These people all lost their matches. Should be a great piece in the video. =)

cl0ck takes djWHEAT and Carmac to the couch. wheat steals the mic straight away.

cl0ck, chance and forseti.

czm, THERAILMCCOY and ReDeYe.

cl0ck, TosspoT and czm casting the Q3 match between djWheat and Carmac. chance wonders how he got here.

Deadman, Grubby, ReiGn, with the biggest prizes per individual in any tournament (yes, even CS...).

Grubby took it in two maps that both ended in under 15 minutes against Deadman.

Less people than there should have been, what with the final kicking off at like 22.30...

Warden and fRoD share their views for the benefit of the media.

After winning the championship.

And asks THERAILMCCOY for his expert opinion. Poland lmao's.

Absolutely packed stage, far more audience than Q3 and UT combined.

Yes he does. And fazz isn't half-bad at UT either. They took Zeta and Falcon to a very close match on DM6.

astz and the new recruit, hypno, participating in the unofficial UT2004 2on2 tournament.

czm and cl0ck playing a 2on2 against Jibo and chance (I think). Carmac and THERAILMCCOY spectating.

The famous inverted pyramid - famous because of Dan Brown. Doesn't have 666 squares in it, and is in a different location than the upright pyramid.

With the semi-final between czm and fox being played.

And a UT winner. cl0ck, fazz, socrates, chance and winz.

FUBAR. Yes, my last day in Paris was totally fucked up in every way possible. To start with, after a fun ESWC closing party, I had a huge hangover and only 4 hours of sleep before I had to wake up to leave for the airport. Well, to be completely honest, the party itself was totally shit, with 0.25 litres of beer clocking in at 5€. Needless to say, we eventually hit the road with the whole UT gang and found an Irish pub around the corner where we got a pint for 6.50. Not cheap, but not as expensive. Eventually, the whole party moved over to the pub and people were filling the place to the brim.

Eventually, we moved into a park nearby, where everyone was feeling good (except for fox, who's blood sugar had crashed). czm was given joy-rides in a little cart that was lying around, and the conversation was flowing well. At around 4, the crowd dispersed to try to get back to their hotels, and that's when I took a cab back as well.

Anyway, hangover, 2 hours till my plane leaves, and I get on the metro. I intend to change at Chatelet, but meet up with Carmac, who hasn't bought a ticket and has to queue for one for a good 10 minutes. We get on the RER, planning to get off at the last stop, but after a while of sitting around on a stationary train at the station before ours, we get told to leave the train. With 45 minutes left until our flights depart, we're in a hurry, and since the inter-terminal shuttle isn't there, we take a cab the last 3 km. Asshole for a driver though, as he charges us and the couple in the cab 10€ each - easiest 20 he ever made.

When I say my goodbyes to Carmac, I go inside and jog over to the check-in, only to get told that it closed 5 minutes ago. After trying to persuade him to cut me some fucking slack, I have to go move my flight to the next one, leaving in 3 hours. Transfer fee? 150€. I cough in disbelief, but hand over my credit card anyway, only to get told it's not working. After checking at an ATM, I come to the conclusion that my card just isn't working, and drink a 4.30€ Coke at a cafe, pondering my options. Eventually, I call my parents and get them to give the counter their credit card number - it goes through and I'm finally booked on a flight home. This after 2 hours of waiting and 150€. Swearing follows.

I get to the check-in counter, and then get told by the guy there (same guy who refused to let me in a few hours earlier...) that I have to check my bag. The bag that I had as hand baggage on the way there. More swearing. I take out and repack my backpack before grudgingly handing him the bag. Finally get on a plane, 4 hours later than planned and severely pissed off, not to mention 150€ broker.

And all of this with a throbbing headache. \o/

During mouz vs. wNv, the stage area was completely full. Minimum of 1500 people present. Incredible amount.

astz, hypno and Lauke. Eating pizza. In France. Yes.

Lotus, eVeNfLoW, donnie and kiLLu.

vesslan and Midway, just opposite the GGL stand.

Apparently, it's a tradition to say "I love the GGL" upside down after winning €6000. Sounds iffy to me.

winz, Zeta, th0r, with Falcon on the floor.

zulg and Zeta.

eVeNfLoW, devilmc, winz, Carmac.

On the press stage, with big cheques and cup displayed.

Lauke, winz, Falcon and Sunscorcher, the aAa manager - he had a large smile on his face after having the top 2 be aAa players.

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Lauke and R0X, waiting for the final to start.

The emptiest stage match. Ligarena seemed to dislike UT, rushing the schedule to an end on Friday and setting the final at 11.00 AM.

toxic and fox, setting up in the spectator friendly booth.

Left to right: TheRogue, th0r, Lotus, djWHEAT, eVeNfLoW, Tempus, TosspoT, CombatCarl, Carmac. Not shaky, I'm shocked.

Work it out yourself...

Very artistic picture of Day 3.

Potti. Yet again, not press, just oldskool...

HeatoN. Abusing the press room to see what's been said about the new team on FragBite.

TosspoT and ReDeYe. They cast everything together, this is from a CS cast. Wheat didn't seem too fond of casting it, so it fell upon these two.

All in the employ of the GGL, who seem to have a bottomless supply of cash. djWHEAT, Carmac and zulg.

Mangiacapra and elemeNt, before the breakup of the 4K team. Not official yet, but after being upset in the first group stage, it's a pretty safe bet.

He quit gaming, but he's filming footage for the GGL video. Him and Carmac possess encyclopaedic knowledge of gaming events.

winz ended up winning, and the two players got interviewed by Carmac. Left to right: winz, Carmac, Falcon.

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Being interviewed by the host(ess). There were constantly interviews and matches being cast, but their speakers were a bit loud, made iTG casts hard to follow.

One of the bigger crowds in that area.

Director did a great job. Video of fingers, faces, both POV's, some freecam. Really nice to follow.

Also being interviewed.

Being interviewed by the hosts. They only spoke French, apart from the 1 question they did ask the players.

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The reason the crowd was gathering in the main stage - the first group match in the later groups being played.

The lights at the bottom were really cool - flags and names were displayed in lights at the bottom, really great.

If you can call it that... Cooller's personal fanclub tended to have as many spectators as shown here.

chance, Socrates, czm and cl0ck. czm and chance were trying to teach the two at the computers to play ztn, maps that cost the US team a lot.

Chatting. Two of the nicest guys at the event, talked to everyone and anyone about anything.

The manager and brains behind Team Dignitas. Was worried about his family after the London bombings, so left on Thursday to go home.

With Carmac and th0r. Carmac's always at his laptop, if not in the media area, always writing something.

kiLLu's sporting the latest and greatest in mousesports clan shirts.

Yeah, just chilling at their computers. Not checking out any sites, since player PC's didn't have internet access.

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donnie, R0X, eVeNfLoW and Tempus (x6 manager) watching Lauke play.

chance and cl0ck watching Socrates (pronounced "so crates", Americans...) playing.

Not much more to say, is there?

Playing Ironic, Falcon ended up winning 2-0.

mouz and astralis, playing scrims before their first matches of the event.

With lots of CS'ers. This is a small crowd compared to the one that swarmed around it on the later days.

Hanging out in front of the press area we've got tr1p and fRoD in the foreground and sunman and warden in the back.

Big screen with results and such which was nearly never useful, since it showed PES4 results the majority of the time. Site was faster anyway. Good computers though, but crappy upload rate...

Apparently VBCast had liked his performance so much at last year's ESWC that they paid for his trip to this event. He was supposed to be doing some shoutcasting of Quake 3, but iTG handled the brunt of it.

rmzs and mAgix (with the long hair) talking to TheRogue. Right after this picture they lunged at me to not flash the players.

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The upcoming winner, winz, followed by CombatCarl, kiLLu and donnie in the far back.

th0r deals with devilmc, CombatCarl and Lauke. Personally I don't think he could take them...

cherya, fazz and keep3r, fox watching over him.

This time with some spectators. djWHEAT and TosspoT on the microphones.

Or nearly. Left to right, keep3r, cherya, fazz, fox playing, proZaC watching.

CombatCarl and the strongest German playing their matches in the back row.

Cl0ck and Socrates practicing on day 2.

Falcon vs. kiLLu in the background, devilmc vs. CombatCarl who's barely visible.

You all clicked ahead to this one didn't you? Cooller's keyboard in lap style, obviously

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devilmc, th0r (the tournament admin), Lauke, CombatCarl and hypno.

Zeta, Lauke, Falcon, TheRogue, random no-names.

From left to right, kiLLu, hypno, donnie (not povi, long story).

The Italian devilmc warming up for the second group stage in the UT area. Medion computers and ESWC wallpapers abound.

With ReDeYe and Carmac. It's a bit blurry, but don't worry, there's a lot more of this location coming.

This is surprisingly the biggest sign advertising the event anywhere. The signs leading up to it were printed on A4 pages...

Gotta wonder what forseti's showing to him judging by the expression on the woman in the background's face.

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First thing to do when in France, meet up with rmzs, astz and ODEE to go for a beer.