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Monday, January 29, 2007

Current Moosic: 1000 Words FFX-2
(Ask me later and I'll deny it!)

Ahhhh. So much ground to cover. Where to start. So much to tell. My Mum and sister left just before Christmas. Leaving me with an awesome FLYING MONKEY DOLL (It flies, and makes screaming noises and...flies!) and tickets to go to Games Design Expo. As well as some money that went towards my new laptop. I went over to Shana's house for Christmas on her parents insistence and spent Christmas day with their family. I spent New years over there too, Matt and Adam came and we sat and played Raving Rabbits until midnight.

Spent the few weeks after that coming under increasing pressure from just about everyone to find some way of not leaving whilst simulantaniously trying to make preparations for just that. My room is (for the most part) back to it's blank white state it started as. I bought a laptop just after christmas with family gift money and my bonus cheque from work. It pretty much lives at Shana's house because I don't have a bag for it yet.

On the 19th of Janurary, everything changed. The previous weekend, I had been at Games Design Expo. Of the two days, one had been dedicated to sampling some of what Vancouver Film Schools games design program had to offer. From what I saw, a hell of a lot more than anything I had looked at in england. Unlike most of the other places, VFS acctauly seemed to be part of the games design community. Additionaly, the course was one year, saving me two years of getting behind on industry standard tec without finding a job. So I spoke to an admissions person about enrolling. Less than a week later I put together a portfolio of my pixel art and some old game demo's dragged up from the Abyss of my old computer and I was in...or nearly.

There was the small question of the $40,000 fee. Between a parental loan, selling all my stuff, living off oxygen and prayers for the next year. I think I might make it. If I don't come out of this with a decent job. I'm hooped. Which brings me to the REALLY bad news.

The seriousness of what I'm about to take on pretty much stopped this being an adventure. At least, not the kind I want to sit down at the end of the day and write about. This blog was created specifically for my adventures in Canada. So whilst I'm still going to be infecting Vancouver with my eccentric British antics for another year. I'm not going to carry on writing about in in Duncan Goes to Canada.

The good news (asside from me not having to return to a contry run by a grinning maniac that worships the ground George Bush walks on) is that I am going to be starting not one, but two new blogs. The JJNinja Chronicles will continue to cover my antics in the city of starving artists, some kickass expresso (of DOOM!) may be involved at some point. A second, yet unnamed blog will look more at games design, because I'm a games design nerd, and I love it.

From now on, I'll be taking a quick Q&A session. I'll try to answer any questions anyone still has about anything I didn't acctauly explain fully(ie, most things). Get em in before February 20th. As of February 26th, the start date of my course, D.g.t.C is officially over. It was fun folks. Peace out.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Apologise for the long dark silence. Christmas was interesting (and busy), New Years was fun (and busy), the few weeks following that where just well...busy. I went to Games Design Expo a week or so after, and well, I'm not going to be back in england any time soon. Long story. I'll explain soon, I hope.