trahn

I'm, per definition, what you would call a nerd. Certain interests of mine are associated with being a nerd and I spend a lot of time in front of my computer. I'm not one of those stereotypical nerds with glasses and acne problems. I do have a social life besides my nerdy interests and I exercise regularly. I believe I'm well balanced regarding how I disburse my time between my nerdy life and the other parts of my life. I don't get lost completely in my interests and forget about the world around and I make sure I prioritize the right things.

You might wonder so far from this brief introduction what my nerdy interests are.

First of all I'm a videogame fanatic. I've played numerous games on all sorts of consoles and there's no way I can mention them all but here are a few.

NES classics like Super Mario, Mega Man, Zelda and Bubble Bobble. Old SNES classics like Zelda: A link to the Past, Terranigma, Breath of Fire 1 and 2, Soul Blazer, Chrono Trigger, Super Castlevania, Illusion of Gaia, Final Fantasy 4-6, Earthbound and Secret of Mana 1 and 2. Classic Sega games like Sonic, Toe-Jam and Earl, Super Hang On, Alex Kid and Phantasy Star. Playstation games like Final Fantasy 7-9, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenosaga, Resident Evil 1 and 2, Alundra and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Playstation 2 games like Katamari Damacy, Final Fantasy X and X-2, Metal Gear Solid; Snake Eater, Star Ocean, PES, GTA Vice City and San Andreas, Resident Evil 4 and God of War.

All these games are games I remember and enjoyed playing and they all have a nostalgic value to me. They might not be the best games and I've probably forgotten quite a few as well.

For the last couple of years I've been a Playstation guy. Xbox and Gamecube doesn't have the same range of games that interests me so it seemed like the most obvious choice. I'm really into my RPG's(Role Playing Games) such as the Final Fantasy games and I'm currently playing Final Fantasy 12.
Video games give me an escape from reality and gives me the opportunity to experience things not possible in real life. To save the world, fly dragons, roll big balls or freely use different sorts of magic. To feel like you're helping someone and making a difference to the world you're currently playing in. To feel with the characters and feel happy when things go well or feel sad when someone dies. All these aspects make video games really enjoyable to me and the hours easily pass by.

Another game related activity I really enjoy is the whole interactive game play that you see more and more of these days. Stepmania/DDR and similar games where you dance by pressing arrows with your feet at the right time is really addictive as well as it gives you some exercise. Guitar hero works on a similar basis but instead of dancing and pressing on arrows with your feet you use a plastic guitar and press buttons to simulate the playing of a guitar.

Nintendo Wii with its motion sensitive controller leads you into a different path of video games where you play by moving the controller to be able to control your actions. Wii Sports with its tennis, boxing and bowling can give you a reasonably realistic experience since you face the TV and swing the controller as if you're actually playing tennis or box with them as if you're boxing. To add further to the exercise it is recommended to by wrist weights and play with those, it does work and you will feel it the day after. Wii is still new and I believe we can expect to see more advanced game play as game developers take full use of this technology.

The second thing that is a part of me being a geek is that I am really fascinated with anything that's Asian, especially Japan. In this case we're mainly talking about Japanese Anime and Manga but also Asian movies in general.

I started watching anime, as in being aware of it being anime and not just another cartoon, when I was around 15 and I'm 23 now so it's been a while. First thing I saw was Neon Genesis Evangelion. I was hooked from this point. I clearly remember things like Ninja Scroll(not great) and Flame of Recca from the early days. It was then that I was introduced to Studio Ghibli and Tonari no Totoro. Studio Ghibli does something with their movies that just mesmerises me. They are often quite political but also very entertaining as a full out family movie. I could ramble on for hours on how amazing they are but instead I'll just mention some of their work and then it's up to you to experience it.
Spirited Away, Mononoke Hime, Pom Poko, Cat returns, Howls Moving Castle and the first animated movie I cried to: Grave of the Fireflies.

Anime fascinates me mostly because it has no boundaries and the story can involve exactly anything. Giant robots, high school drama, fighting or just an epic adventure in a magical kingdom.

There are so many series I've seen and the number of hours spent are ridiculous so I won't even try to estimate but I'll give you a few numbers to think about it. An average episode is around 20 minutes. A series is usually 13 or 26 episodes but there are plenty of series that goes over 100 episodes(One Piece over 220 at least and counting). I've probably seen more than a 100 series so I'll leave the rest to you.

A couple of series worth mentioning that I remember from the years of watching are: GTO, Rurouni Kenshin, Monster, Full Metal Alchemist, Samurai Champloo, Grappler Baki, Planetes, Golden Boy, Cowboy Bebop, Gash Bell, Air Gear, I my me strawberry eggs, Initial D, Welcome to the NHK, Paranoia Agent and many many more.

Most people do however react when you say you watch cartoons and comments like "That's for kids" or the ever so common "I can't watch anything that isn't in English". I must say that all those people are loosing out but it's their loss and not mine.

I've read quite a bit of manga as well but nowhere near as much as the amount of anime I've seen. Got a small collection of books but it's not really something to brag about.

Another fascination is Asian movies. After I saw Seven Samurais by Akira Kurosawa I was caught up in a way of storytelling not often seen in the western world. The difference in narrative compared to Hollywood is great and I enjoy new things. Quite a few Asian movies can be hard to comprehend but after a while you understand what is going on. American movies are often to obvious since they think that the viewer is stupid and needs every detail explained. The issue of "Everyone looks the same!" is just matter of getting used to it. I've seen a lot and now I'm quite good at telling where in Asia people are from by how they look. Japanese, Chinese, Thai or perhaps Korean?

I enjoy the old Chinese martial arts movies not because they are so good all the time but because they are often hilarious. Modern Japanese and Korean cinema is also really great or really obscure. HK director Stephen Chow with Shaolin Soccer, God of Cookery and Kung Fu Hustle is one of my favourites. Japanese director Takashi Miike is another favourite and creates compelling films but also low budget movies that you'll never see the likes off. Happiness of the Katakuris, Ichi the Killer and Visitor Q are movies I'm not sure I wanted to see but I'm kind of glad I did since I'll probably never see anything like it from anyone else.

Korean director Chan-Wook Park, who has directed Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance, has a dark and beautiful style and is well acclaimed. Thai comedy Iron Ladies about a gay volleyball team, based on a true story, is really funny and probably the only Thai movie I've seen.

Other movies well worth mentioning are Infernal Affairs(Trilogy), 2046, Battle Royale, Blue Spring, A Bittersweet Life and Nobody Knows.

I also find Asian women the most beautiful among all different ethnicities. This probably derives from my obsession with Asian things but it could also be because it's something I didn't see very often back in the north of Sweden. However liking girls detracts from the importance of being a nerd.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to warn you about some crazy Asian related things. First up on that list is Hentai, anime porn. Violent, crazy and often very bizarre.

Number two is the Japanese Guinea Pig box set which is basically four or five films showing torture for 40 minutes. Not really much of a story and to its defence I must say it's quite well done for its time and with what I guess a limited budget. There were rumours of it actually being real back when it came out. If you enjoy watching people getting cut in their eyes or pulling out nails you'll love this.

Other interests of mine that gets comments is the fact that I do Parkour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour). "What's that running around and jumping over things?", "Up to no good are you?". I just ignore it as I ignore any comments about what I like and do. I'm proud of my interests and I really enjoy them and I intend to do so for a long time. I know I mentioned me being a nerd but to me there isn't really such a thing as being a nerd. It's just a matter of a difference in views and interests. If someone likes model trains I would probably consider that person a nerd but that's just because I don't share his interest and not many people do. Be proud of who you are and feel free to stand out, it's good to be an individual and not a part of everyone and everything else.

Time once again for my thoughts to be expressed through the medium of text. This time I'm more specific about things than I usually am and even more personal. I mean no harm with what I write.

A while back I wrote "Happy days are here again...sigh...". For those who hasn't figured it out already I can tell you that it was a result from me feeling down about a girl I'd just broken up with.
I wrote that life goes on and I still stand by that.
It was a good break up, if there are any. No one cheated on anyone as far as I know and we decided to still be friends. I was devastated and it wasn't what I wanted at the moment but I'm realistic and deal with problems as they appear.

I wasn't very happy for a while after that but I made sure to keep myself occupied and I thank all my friends that made sure we had a good time as we always do. I've dealt with being sad and I can honestly say that I don't want her back. She was and most likely still is an amazing girl and I appreciate the time we had together. It's been a while since I felt like that for someone and it's good for me to know that I can. It wasn't the longest relationship by any means but feelings came remarkably fast. I think it's important to say that I hold no grudge whatsoever and I'm looking forward to see what the future has planned for me.

After I broke up with the girl I was with before this one I was devastated and I thought I'd never find anyone like her. We broke up under similar circumstances and we decided to be friends after a four year relationship from an early age. I was ok as long as I didn't see her and I lived a normal life and I didn't think about her at all. However when we met, all emotions came back and I was more or less a wreck even thou I didn't want to. It took me about 8 months to get over her completely and now we have a fully functional friend based relationship. She has a new boyfriend and that doesn't bother me one bit. I'm over her and I've come to realise that she might not have been my perfect match, no offence of course. We had an amazing time and she was my first love and I'm glad it was her. I believe that relationships started when you're young won't last a life time but there are of course exceptions.

This experience, from my previous relationship, helped me a lot when dealing with my latest break up and things were sorted out faster. I've matured as a person and know how to deal with my emotions in a good way. In a break up there is always one person that is considerably more sad than the other one. I've taken on this role twice now but that's ok by me. I've come back every time and I always smile.
I see this girl at the university quite often and I found it hard in the beginning but now it's alright. Things are however not always as they appear. I've tried to keep it all on a friendly basis and said hi and asked her how she was doing as you would with anyone you know.

She has however been avoiding me and acted weird whenever I appear. To this there are a few options on why. Maybe there's more behind it all than I first thought and she wants no contact with me due to those reasons. She might still think I want her back and therefore feels uncomfortable when I'm around. She feels bad due to the break up, guilty conscious and all that.

To be honest I don't care what the reason is but I find it easier to tell someone what I think and feel instead of avoiding them when we're bound to bump into each other ant Uni. I did that kind of thing when I was around 13 to a girl and it's not really a nice thing to do I think.
I don't expect anything but a bit of honesty would be nice, if not for me but for her own sake. I wasn't the one that mentioned us being friends but I would like it to be that way but it seems she can't deal with that.

So be it. Such a small problem that I've probably wasted valuable time writing this. I'll keep up my smile and I will talk to her if I see her until she says something. If only to annoy her or due to me actually wondering how she's doing makes little difference at the moment. It's quite easy to tell me to fuck off, I don't mind.

I will not hide behind people and pretend to be on the phone when it's obvious I can see her. But that's me, maybe I've missed out on how to deal with a break up.

I hold no grudge towards her and I'm not angry at anyone. It's not in my nature to be angry at people no matter what they've done. Whatever she does with her life from now on I'll support her but from the looks of things I'll have no further part in her life.

I'm ok with that. It's a shame thou...