2 Amazing Games You Should Try

1. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

 

What is it? Open-World, Action-Adventure, RPG.
Why you should try it:  Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor takes place in the amazing world of “The Lord of the rings”. This book inspired game actually takes place between the timeline of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. If you are already a fan of the movies or the books then this is definitely a must play for you but even if you haven’t seen the movies yet (which we totally recommend), you should still pick this game up if you enjoy open-world adventures and action. You can explore the entire world of LoTR and fight the evil forces of Sauron. You play as a ranger whose family was killed by Sauron and his evil forces. You’ve come back from the dead to avenge your family. The character progression is amazing and you can unlock new abilities and powers with progress. You can use direct melee combat, ranged attacks, or even stealth based moves to complete the missions. If you loved Skyrim’s amazing levels and open world then you are going to love this one.
Where to buy: Steam, Xbox, PlayStation

 

 

2. Dragon Age: Inquisition

 

 

What is it? Open-World, Action, RPG.
Why you should try it: If you have tried the previous Dragon Age games from the franchise then you must know how polished these games actually are. Even if you haven’t played a Dragon Age game before, we recommend that you pick up Dragon Age: Inquisition because it’s one of the best games in the entire series. You start off as the character who has the power to seal off different breaches in the world. Your mission is to settle the civil unrest caused by these breaches. There are demons coming into the world through the breaches and you have to close all of them along with your party. Level up and enhance your character abilities. Choose from a different race of heroes with each race possessing unique abilities and powers. You can also team up with your friends in multiplayer co-op mode and destroy the demons together.
Where to buy : xbox and playstation

Works on: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows

 

Traditional Indonesian Children's Games

In this age of electronic games and hi tech toys, we often forget that it is often the simplest of inventions that can entertain a child for a long period of time. Although state-of-the-art, high tech computer games are available in Indonesia, such as the ever-popular game cubes, smart phone and iPad game apps, these modern inventions are not affordable for the majority of the population. These games would only be found in the homes of middle to upper class families.
Amongst the economically disadvantaged in society, it is often hard for parents to make enough money to feed their family, so toys are often quite simple or something that has been made by the parent. Fortunately, traditional toys are not expensive ... and are fun! The toys and the games that are described below are commonly seen and played by Indonesian children today.

Congklak or Dakon

One of the oldest known games in the world, congklak  can be traced as far back as ancient Egypt. Brought to Indonesia, probably centuries ago by Arab or Indian traders, it is just as popular in Indonesia today as it has been for through the ages. Congklak is played on a board with circular indentations along both sides and a home indentation on each end of the board.
The game is played with 98 small markers such as shells or beads, which are divided evenly between all the indentations. Although at first glance this many appear to be some type of calculator, it is quite a challenging strategic game and takes a lot of practice before a player becomes skilled.

Musical Instruments

A large majority of Indonesian traditional instruments tend to be made of bamboo, as it is readily available throughout Indonesia. School children are often taught basic music on instruments such as Suling, Gambang or Angklung. A suling is a small flute-like instrument, which resembles a recorder, however it is made of bamboo. It has holes down the length of the instrument that when covered or uncovered by the player's fingers result in the various notes.
Angklung are another traditional Indonesian instrument that is made from bamboo, originating from West Java. Angklung are actually a group of various sized hand-held instruments made from bamboo. When the angklung is shaken is produces a chord of music. The size of the angklung determines the chord that it produces. Songs are played with one person standing up behind a group of hanging angklung or by a group of people holding one angklung and playing their chord at the appropriate time within the song - much like a group of people would play bells in the west.
A gambang is a xylophone-type instrument with keys made from different lengths of bamboo. The different lengths of the bamboo result in different notes. The bamboo produces a very pleasant soft sound when struck with the mallets.
A very different type of instrument is the gamelan orchestra. Gamelan is actually a group of percussion and accompanying instruments which are housed on short legs which allow the musician to play the instrument sitting down on the floor cross-legged. Gamelan are used in traditional music, primarily in Java and Bali.

What is a Game?

 In the German language a game is any activity which is executed only for pleasure and without conscious purpose. In this definition every activity that brings pleasure is a game. For example, people dance, play musical instruments, act in plays, and play with dolls and model trains.
This definition people use today comes from the works of Johan Huizinga (Homo Ludens, 1938) and Friedrich Georg Jünger (Die Spiele, 1959). But there are more ways to define games. Manfred Eigen's and Ruthild Winkler's definition for game goes beyond the definition used by Huizinga. They see a game as a natural phenomenon: half necessity and half coincidence (Das Spiel, 1975). Their definition of games comes closer to Adornos' definition, who set himself apart from Huizinga by identifying games as an art form.
But in our sense these definitions are too wide, we define game more succinctly. Thus, I am writing about games which belong to the class that includes Chess, 9 Man's Morris, Checkers, Halma, Go, Parchisi, Monopoly, Scrabble, Skat, Rummy, Bridge, Memory, Jack Straws, Dominoes, and so on. Unfortunately, our language does not have a good term to call these games. Terms like table games, society games, tournament games are too narrow. In my opinion, the best term would be "rulegames" = "games with rules".
I will now try to find the criteria for defining "game with rules". Kevin Maroney defined game in his Games Journal article, My entire waking life. Scott Kim defined puzzle in his Games Cafe article "What Is a Puzzle?" as separate from a game. Kate Jones writes about less aggressive games in her Games Journal articlenon predatory games. My definition is a further attempt to explore the nature of games.

Hobby

The origin of the word hobby in Tristram Shandy, a characters' "hobby-horses", or particular obsessions

A hobby is a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies can include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other amusements. A list of hobbies is lengthy and always changing as interests and fashions change. By continually participating in a particular hobby, one can acquire substantial skill and knowledge in that area. Engagement in hobbies has increased since the late nineteenth century as workers have more leisure time and advancing production and technology have provided more support for leisure activities. As some hobbies have become less popular, like stamp collecting, others have been created following technological advances, like video games.
Hobbyists are a part of a wider group of people engaged in leisure pursuits where the boundaries of each group overlap to some extent. The Serious Leisure Perspective^[1] groups hobbyists with amateurs and volunteers and identifies three broad groups of leisure activity with hobbies being found mainly in the Serious leisure category.
a. Casual leisure is intrinsically rewarding, short-lived, pleasurable activity requiring little or no preparation
b. Serious leisure is the systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer that is substantial, rewarding and results in a sense of accomplishment.
c. Project-based leisure is a short-term often a one-off project that is rewarding.^[2]

Food

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Food (disambiguation).

Various foods

Foods from plant sources

Food is any substance^[1] consumed to provide nutritional support for an organism. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells to provide energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.
Historically, humans secured food through two methods: hunting and gathering and agriculture. Today, the majority of the food energy required by the ever increasing population of the world is supplied by the food industry.
Food safety and food security are monitored by agencies like the International Association for Food Protection, World Resources Institute, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Food Information Council. They address issues such as sustainability, biological diversity, climate change, nutritional economics, population growth, water supply, and access to food.
The right to food is a human right derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), recognizing the "right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food", as well as the "fundamental right to be free from hunger".

How to Find One That Fits Your Personality

Hobbies are Good for You: How to Find One That Fits Your Personality

Having a hobby is a great way to relieve stress, a creative outlet and a way to meet new people. In fact, there are lots of ways hobbies are good for you. But if you don’t have a regular leisure activity that you enjoy, it can be difficult to decide which one will be enjoyable for you. Here are some tips for finding an interest that fits your personality and interests.

What is a Hobby?

Hobbies are simply anything you do that’s for fun. You aren’t getting paid to do it, it’s something you like to do with your free time that helps you decompress and connect with other people.
For a lot of people these days it seems like their only leisure activities are watching television and catching up on Facebook. That’s a shame, because hobbies—from rock climbing to collecting silver spoons—can have real benefits.

Why Hobbies Are Important

Hobbies often provide a creative outlet that you might not get in your everyday life. They allow you to do something that’s just for you, that can help you forget your daily problems, unwind after a hard day and give you a lot of pleasure.
If you can find like-minded people in your area, an outside pursuit can also be a great way to meet new people and experience new adventures, whether that’s taking on a new trail or going to a knitting convention.

Finding a Hobby that Fits

Of course everyone is different and your personality does play a role in what sorts of hobbies you’ll like. If you don’t have a lot of patience you might feel like quilting might be too much for you, but exploring quick sewing projects might be a better choice.
 Maybe you really like hanging out with friends, so you need to take a class or have n interest that you can do with a group. If you travel a lot, something portable or that you can do anywhere is helpful; if you’re a homebody you might love to be surrounded by a cool collection.
Think about the things you already like and how they might expand. If you’re always ordering fun drinks, maybe you could learn to make some at home. If you can’t resist the colors in the paintings at your favorite restaurant, perhaps you should pick up some paint or a camera and explore color in your own way.
The truth is you may not hit the perfect activity for you right out of the gate, but you can have a lot of fun trying out new things and exploring what’s out there. Do some web searches, visit the library, don’t be afraid to try new things, and soon you’ll have a hobby that provides you with a lot of fun and stress relief, too.

watching a movie at a cinema and at home, which do you prefer?

Watching movies is an amazing activity to relax for many people nowadays. After a hard-working day, what can be more satisfying than watching films and concentrating with amusement on the plots? I like seeing films, too. Although I have many film DVDs at home, I still prefer watching films at cinemas.
One of the biggest factors that make me feel like watching films at cinemas is the bigger screen and realer sound I can enjoy there. I have a TV which can play my DVDs, but I do not have enough money to buy a modern and fashioned system of projector and loudspeakers which is sold with an extremely high price at store. Furthermore, even if I could afford it, I still would not feel as satisfied as in a cinema, because I know that cinemas always invest their capital in developing the quality of their films, so the images and sound in cinemas are usually perfect, and I do not think that anyone can easily get such quality in his home.
Besides a higher quality of the films, a second factor that makes me attached to cinemas is that I can take this as an opportunity to go out and get out of the confine of my house. After an exhausting week with a lot of stresses that have strained on me, time for resting is really invaluable for me. So I always wait for weekends to relax, at night, I want go out and breathe the cool breeze of the night, and I often go to the cinema to see a film so that I can effectively use the remaining time of freedom. This is also a chance for me to get out of my house and enjoy a new wider space, interact with people and be more positive.
Additionally, the third reason for my statement is that by going to a cinema, I can watch the film with many people. Actually, I can invite my friends to my house to watch a film with me, but I still do not think it is a great idea, because nowhere can we find as many people watching the same movie as in a cinema. Moreover, when watching film in a cinema, one can laugh, cry and even be scared about the films with people all around him, he can talk freely with others about the film and the characters, which makes the films even more interesting and more attracting than at home.
In my opinion, watching films in cinemas is preferred than watching them at home because of the above reasons. Today, cinemas are trying to improve the standard of their films, many technologies are developed to make the viewers feel as real as possible, and this makes watching films at cinemas an impossible-to-miss chance to get.