A r[ant]eview of Kingdom proportions!

Tears of the Kingdom. Zelda game on Switch.

    I finally decided to pull the trigger and buy myself a Nintendo Switch. I have been drooling at this console for years. I pulled the trigger now come what may.

    What other special occasion do I justify than going for the release of one of the most popular titles available on this console, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

    My dilemma was not about spending money on a game console. But on balancing the financial needs of my family vs my entertainment. The PC I built back in 2011 is showing it's age, so playing games has been a nightmare on my PC. Specifically due to AMD drivers and it's unstoppable instability. 

    As a techie and a family man, I wanted to go for a console that is both kid friendly and has exciting game titles. Switch is the console that satisfies both these requirements. And so I pulled the trigger. In a little idiotic way. Hindsight is always 20/20 indeed.

 

 

    So what is the big deal that I am talking about hindsight and stuff? The fact is that I live in India. Nintendo does not have an official presence in India unlike Sony. So buying anything related to Nintendo has only one option - the grey market. What is so bad about the grey market? On one hand these 'sellers' do not take adequate precautions when they ship the items through courier services. On the other hand, these 'sellers' unbox the goods and repack themselves. Sealed boxes are not imported by these grey market folks and they still price it above EU or US region even though they are importing it at wholesaler rates into India. So Indian Nintendo gamers have to pay more while getting a dented product.

 

    The following are the video clips I shot as I unboxed the CE for the first time. All the scuffs, finger-prints and scratches spoilt my unboxing experience.

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    Complaining aside, what is the big deal about the Japanese version of this CE compared to EU or US version? The art book is paperback and very flexible. From the unboxing videos that I have seen from reviewers, I noticed that the EU edition has a hardback art book.

    If you are planning to buy this CE, do not buy from any grey market seller is my humble suggestion. I hope Nintendo decides to enter India on an official capacity soon.

PS: By the time I could finish writing this blog, which has taken me 7 days as of posting this, my first amiibo has arrived, obviously scuffed and damaged. The Totk Link!

How to be an effective remote worker?

 Working remotely has become the normal for most of the departments within a company since the start of covid pandemic. People have realised that they are far more effective in their daily work when they work at their own pace from the comforts of their home. So how can you make yourself more effective? Read on for some ideas and perspectives that will help your effectiveness.

Cut out the noise

 The biggest distraction inside an office is the constant background chatter that goes on around with people around you when you are trying to focus on your work. You learn to ignore the background noise as you force yourself to concentrate on your work - cuz deadline! 

Working remotely solves this problem entirely because you are no longer distracted by the background noise from others. You get to choose where you work in your house too. Just eliminating the background noise from your everyday work increases the amount of concentration that you have which in turn enables you to get more done easily. Ofcouse you can argue that family members will be present in the house to distract you, which is where the next aspect will solve that for you.

Have a dedicated Work Room

Have a spare bedroom in your house? An unused store room? Convert that into your work room. All you need is a table and a comfortable chair. You can inform your family members not to disturb you during your working hours. You can also lock yourself in the room during important meetings and discussions without being disturbed. 

Extending your work for that monthly release is not going to be a problem or a cause for concern for your family because you have totally eliminated time consuming travel entirely. Cutting out the needless travel from your everyday life obviously gives you the much needed time that you can spend with your family members. Commuting is as short as walking to your Work Room.

Indulge yourself a bit

Been working remotely for long? Spice up your Work Room with some interesting stuff. A mechanical keyboard is a good place to start as you are constantly typing to get your work done. Add some decorations on to your table. Just like what you used to do when actually walking into office. Better yet, ask your significant other to sit along side you and chat with you while you write that boring code that you have already written 'n' number of times.

Enjoy working remotely!