subtlety is key.

The obnoxious blaring of the alarm clock that raises my consciousness out of the joyous oblivion that dream in, bringing me into reality to resume regimented activities that i've come to accept.  The digital clock displaying the time in blood red , an ever present reminder of the warning that my life ticks away.
Getting out of bed, knowing the responsibilities you are required to uphold, must be fulfilled. I begin rudimentary training and meditation in order to prepare for what is to come.
I enjoy where i live. The sounds of the multitude of wildlife, the leaves dancing in the wind the hawk flying near our house in the morning, the woodpecker tapping on the avocado tree,my whining pitbull who wishes to play. I'm lucky .A Wasteful minimalist , but lucky.
The stimuli provided by the ambiance and  riding keeps me sane.I leave the house in haste , pedaling as if  my legs were designed for that sole purpose.Paying attention un-ending need for the awareness of my environment,heart rate control, muscle tension on the bar as i only have one hand to hold onto it with. The demand for my personal input and total control of going wherever ,whenever and however i want to go.  the sound of the wind caressing my ears fills me with delight, indicating my  speed, raising my adrenaline and dopamine levels  the faster i go. I have an infinitely greater appreciation for life every-time i ride. I've been doing this for three years, and i have no intention of stopping now.
This euphoric sensation  lasts from my house, until i enter the city from the Savannah. I usually stop in the savanna and pick up as much trash to dump to and from home and school and dump it in the nearest bin.A futile effort as for every 3 pounds of trash i pick up, 5 more pounds take it's place when people come out to train in the afternoon. You do it anyway for your sake and theirs.
As i enter the city, its ambient sounds come into focus. Thousands of cars, commuting to converge in the city uncaring about his fellow commuters for their selfish desire to get to the destination they are late for,the low pitch "humming" of the city from air conditioners, generators, motors. All in low frequency. This crescendo of negativity that people gravitate towards has always perplexed me. Labeling this place as an area of opportunity and profitability, without realizing they behave like moths gravitating around  and towards a bonfire, or wolves in a pit following each other in a circle, hoping that one of them weakens enough for them to devour before they all starve to death .
Our ancestors, made communities and civilizations to get away from predators. Now, as we've become the apex of our world, man has created his own jungle, where he hunts himself for a prize nobody really wins., except the future. If they would share this sentiment, is and always will be in question.

New game in development

Starting a new video game with  a new team consisting of my good friends Kezlon Sutherland, Shane Michael Layne, Himraj Bir, Brian Perry, Joel Salazar and Aggrey Marsh.
It will be our first time developing anything close to this scale and beyond the boarders of our lecturers assistance, however, we believe we have the capacity, resourcefulness and ingenuity to overcome the constraints of our inexperience.
We've begun using three SDK's unity,facebook and libGDX to implement onto two platforms: mobile and web browser (via facebook), while trying to ensure this project has a prototype variant by the end of december. Our public beta should be completed by August if all goes well.

Changed website link from ponderousb to manuelpbrowne.blogspot.com

It was about that time to do it and a configuration to the site. A minor update, but will resume posting again. 

30 things you can’t do with a broken hand

Recently broke my hand from a hit and run. Though the rest of my body and mind are ok (save for my pride) this blog articulates the frustration of a clean break.
A Compendium of Mallin Miscellany: 30 things you can’t do with a broken hand.: Though his break is significantly different from my own, all the things i love to do i can

Startup weekend and the development of the game "doubles tycoon"

It's been a long time, but i suppose this event that had the pleasure of experiencing would make up for my grossing levels of inactivity. So i'll start with what happened 4 weeks ago.

On May 22^nd, 2013, the Faculty of Engineering at The University of the West Indies hosted Start-Up Weekend Trinidad and Tobago (SWTT). start up weekend is an organization created for the purpose of networking possible leaders, developers,designers and entrepreneurs of every field,  with the desire to empower, inspire, create and flourish an idea, individuals, teams and a community via the formation of teams and starting up ideas.   It was the first time that the 3-day event was held in Trinidad and Tobago.  As the organizers joked, it was scheduled with the “Trinidadian ” in mind- being held from Wednesday to Friday, rather than Friday to Sunday as is customary.

There were over 120 participants that formed over 16 teams to pitch,conceptualize and bring their idea into reality. I worked with the programmers Kris Manohar, Keshav Bahadoor, Sterling Kevin Ramroach, and Rachel Yen Chong, the designers Rene holder from Lab 206 studios in Trinidad and Rishma Helena Hansil, and one of the business entrepreneurs Gyasi Pablo Ambrose. Working on one of the first mobile application games to be published on the google play store, which then went on to become the top ten most played and available games on the google play store, known as "doubles tycoon"

Possibly one of the most well rounded team i've ever had the benefit of working with in a long time, as we all were aware of what we had to do, what required to be produced within two days and passionate in our respective fields. A well experienced and versed in our respective fields, my old legal/financial experience, combined with my verse knowledge of the gaming industry and it's respective revenue and marketing models, Gyasi's experience  in social media marketing, Sterling, Kris, and Keshav's outstanding programming qualifications and experience in game development and Rene and Rashmi's excellent ability to quickly and effectively generating concept,user interface and 2-d animation, served as an extremely well balanced meal to bring in front of a Panel of judges that I presented to a panel of expert judges, being versed in the field of programming,art design and financial investment to be in the top 3 teams (placing 2nd) 

Though now it is nothing more than a memory, it's impact on me has been well placed on the importance of understanding how to work with capable and effective individuals that can teach you many things about your character and your capacity to put out what you are truly passionate about.

For those interested ( and with an android phone) here is the link leading to the download  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.doubles.tycoon
It's free 

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Merely a thought

The leaders of Trinidad and Tobago are not to blame for our (the people) inadvertent lack of understanding or desire for change, as Trinidadians contradict their own desire, as great change affects everything they do, thus vehemently rejecting any form of it, regardless of it being beneficial for the Country/institution in the Country on a whole.
Due to the peoples decision on such confusing principle that they hold dear,the fragility, weakness and irresponsibility of our "leaders" ( I dare not use this word as the quality of leadership is non-existent )is a testament that reflect on the overall psychological pattern of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Not truly knowing what they want, and thus systematically destroying our own country, whilst blaming it on the leaders who they themselves voted for in the first place, as if to absolve themselves of their own shortcomings. 

Constructive things you can do with money spent on a carnival costume:

Disregard this if you are getting a carnival costume for free,otherwise, take a read.

1. Invest in a small company/kickstart a company that can do some good for the world with your accreditation to it.( I mean literal "this guy helped me do this, an actual huge project in which he helped successfully pulled off" by just investing money, goes an insanely longer way than being able to jump up and whine for two days ) Hell it'll make more money for you in the long run, so you can go whine and jump and drink your liver till it grows 50 times it's normal length, and you'll be able to pay it off because, well you rich.


2. Learn a new skill by paying for classes.A practical sub-skill that could compliment your skillset and you in the work place. Hell you can learn to sing or play an instrument for all i care. Do something that does not consist of specializing in fucking liming and football. Anyone can do that. Oh yeah, this point coincides with the first point, as learning about finance and investment will be paramount to do what 1st point suggested.

3. Fix your car.Better yet, sell it and buy an actual car that isn't 2nd hand or not foreign used.

4. Buy a new high end laptop that'll last you for 3-5 years if you take good care of it.

5. Buy a ticket and travel to another Country and learn something about another culture that you will NOT learn in Turnydad.(and no not Tobago this doesn't count EVER). There are 196 countries in the world, pick one that costs the price of the ticket. Hell if an American can back pack travel the world with only $100 US, $5,000 TT should make you balling all over the goddamn world TWICE.

6. pay off a flat electricity,water,internet and cellphone bill for 3 Months

7. Buy fixed assets like tables, fridges,chairs,sofa's which you can store in the house you are currently living ( or your families) to use if/when you buy/obtain a house from HCL.

8. Buy a small pool/Jacuzzi/kick ass bathtub for your home (which is pretty kick ass)

9. Rent a boat and learn to sail .


 I can keep doing these lists, but i don't think people will actually take me on.
I assure you,however, taking a loan for carnival, or putting yourself at a financial disadvantage for a few months for two days of celebrating whatever silly freedoms you think you have, is simply not worth it. Spend your money that will last far longer and will bring in actual long lasting benefits that you can be thankful for.

Haven't posted anything in a while, thought it was time to get back to writing.

Thought it was time to get back to doing this shindig of writing my usual squiggles and random thoughts.

So to start off with a bang, here is a random piece of work i did for a lecturer of mine who was asking that i make an ad to display my best attributes to market myself effectively among others. Though to myself, i know this to basically be shameless self promotion (which i hate), but these things can't be helped in life. So to begin and end this wild banter:


Sit down my friends i'll tell you a story, a story on the path that leads to glory!
Behold! The Manuel, this impervious man;
with character so amazing you must shake his hand.
This runner, this fighter this gentleman of steel;
he is a man who is his own ideal!
Don’t wait, make haste!
There is no time to waste;
for he is a man who moves with great pace!
A linguist a philosopher a poet in all;
 you'd be surprised to understand him at all!
 Charismatic, empowering and a way and amazingly strong;
they say he even charmed a bear with a song!
 A justicar for the weak and the frail, he will help them all  regardless of  ails!
He fights evildoers and wrong doers alike;
 for his thundering words will scare them to flight!
“Who is this man, this “Manuel?” people clamour. He is the only  friend the only friend i'll sponsor!
So come and meet the only friend I hold dear,
He will be the one to turn around your despair.

Rant on christians, and religious people in general.

For the devout Christians, who are becoming a slow thorn in my side and a severe migraine when i read you're posts, excuse me while i display and weigh my pantheistic and deist beliefs on the rest of you. After this, we can seriously cut short on the religious discussions for they have gone on long enough,and in a relatively linear direction.
1. God is an omniscient, all powerful, all knowing natural phenomenon, that has the ability to create the universe, galaxies, the solar systems in which we exist in, the suns that give the planets heat and light, the planets we ("we",  being life that exists) and everything else that holds it together.
2. It ("it", being GOD) was supposed to waste his time talking to you/helping you with whatever minute/mundane problems,or whatever else you complain about to it, invalidates our purpose for existing, as our purpose was not to whine and complain to him about mortal problems, we can probably solve on our OWN.
3. As we cannot have a sensible conversation with an ant, think about an all-powerful being like God, would probably view a primitive species like ourselves? You aren't that important, get over yourself
4. Stop with Referencing God, with every other disaster/war/situation/ HUMAN problem that has occurred. The problems we experience as a human race, have collectively happened before, and will happen again, until humanity learns to control it's primitive and borderline idiotic, chaotic and insane nature.
5. If God did have us in his favor, we lost it when we got our asses kicked out of eden, and when we killed his only son. Get over yourselves, our species has alot to learn, and in essence, we are still very stupid and have not changed much since then, (if that fairy tale is true)

I am often confused, if people understand or have at least been informed of the dire situations and circumstances we are experiencing in our Country. Where power,leadership and responsible paragonic examples that leaders are to set at all times, seem to be a mirage of it's former purpose.
Now, it appears that the actions leaders execute, are self-proclaimed by our leaders themselves to be great and tactful moves done by them in favour for the people and the nation. The reality, and the disturbing feature we are presented with, is the shameless self promotion and proclamation, of apparent good deeds, which were not done with the intention of genuinely doing well for others, but with the attempt of shamelessly proclaiming your own greatness from an action that is expected of you, as the position of leadership is not to be served for your efforts, but TO serve because it is your duty to do so, as we are paying you to do.
The leaders of our Country, and the subordinates under those leaders, have blatantly shown us with a pseudo intellectual level of subtle actions, to not care how they wield the power, we the people have bestowed upon them. However, we are also responsible for their actions as we contribute to it.
By the peoples inability, to publicly display to the government (with the exception to a few isolated protests) how much they detest the current level of governance, they have become too pre-occupied or distracted with themselves, or their lives to comprehend that this affects them. People will say, this is wrong, or that is wrong or the stereotypical, "what is happening in my Country?!"
Though we should point fingers and blame our leaders, because they are easy to point and yell at, the real persons we should be pointing and blaming, would be ourselves. The reality is, that this has been happening for far too long, you only glimpse at what is taking place in our country for a split second, only to close your eyes, and look away because the glare is too bright for many of you too see. So you close your eyes, and go back to sleep in your dream world, to party,to drink, to lime, to drive your fancy car, to sleep in your comfortable home, and to impress people you do not even like. You do things, that in reality, serve no purpose even to yourself, when you are not a constant, you and I are temporary entities that have the ability to make the difference, to prevent the difference from happening and leaving things are to rot, or to do nothing at all.

Rome is burning and is being sacked by the barbarians, and you sit by, watching the fires burn brightly thinking it to be pyrotechnics, and the raiders to be actors in a play. wake up from your dream, and wield the sword and shield we are all destined to carry, or rome will fall.

A draft workout for those who need one.

Some of you Trying to lose weight and do not know where to start? Need to find a ground to lose the pounds? I've been working on a few schedules for both fit and the obese, but this one seems to work just about right for everyone. It is a tad ruff, but should be do-able by all. Never forget, that a healthy body has less chances of becoming sick, than an unhealthy one. 

• A. If you cannot complete one weeks training, repeat the previous weeks training instead.
• B. A good diet is VERY IMPORTANT. This program will not work without a healthy diet.
• C. ALWAYS warm up before exercising!
• D ALWAYS cool down after exercising!
• E. ALWAYS stretch thoroughly before and after exercising!
• F. IF you feel DIZZY during this process, take rest immediately, if dizziness persists for the next few hours, consult a doctor/physician  

Week 1

Days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Morning: 3 sets

• 10 press ups
• 15 sit ups
• 10 tricep dips
• 10 squat thrusts

 Afternoon:

• Monday: 15 minute run with emphasis on powering yourself up hills.
• Tuesday: 25 min bike ride or 15 min swim or 15 min run if you do not have access to these facilities 
• Thursday: 15 min run
• Friday: 25 min bike ride or 15 min swim or  15 min run if you do not have access to these facilities 
• Saturday: 15 min run
• Complete each activity with 3 pull-ups (wide grip, overhand)

Week 2:

·  Repeat week 1.

Week 3

• Do exactly the same as you have been doing, but add 5 reps to each exercise.
• Add 5 mins to the run, bike and swim.
• Add 1 rep to the pull-ups.

Week 4

• Add another 5 reps to each exercise.
• Add 5 mins to the run, bike and swim.
• Add 1 rep to the pull-ups.

Week 5

• Again, do the same as you have been doing, but add 5 reps to each exercise.
• Add 5 mins to the run, bike and swim.
• Add 1 rep to the pull-ups.

Week 6

• Do the same, but again add 5 reps to each exercise.
• Add 5 mins to the run, bike and swim.
• Add 1 rep to the pull-ups.

What's up!

Got the A-ok to train again from my doctor. Sadly though i won't be able to run half marathons off the bat, so i have to start slowly all over again. Though hard training is never good while injured, isometrics is an excellent way to train if you aren't allowed to do anything intensive. Anywho, now that i am back in action, i'll be posting back regularly again. And what better way to start off training with one of the most powerful songs made last year, released with one of the best games made by Ubisoft last year? Assassins creed revelations trailer song! Lets go! 

Not the best week

Started this week terribly. Suffered a concussion and a minor fracture to my left hand. A little bit of downtime, but staying optimistic, as one of Incubus's songs goes, it's just a phase. I hope it will be over soon.

Currently streaming live!

For those of you interested in gaming, or MOBA games like LOL or DotA, im currently streaming a game i'm about to commentate. Take a look!

Re-design

Changed up the site a tad, hope you guys enjo, and consider it to be more presentable.

Trying to stay away from youtube posts, but this one caught my eye. 1000miles of parkour!

Trying to stay away from youtube posts, but this one caught my eye. 100 miles of parkour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkdjR0LzgHc&feature=relmfu
Yes, this exists, has a wonderful following and the guys are great. Good to see people my age encouraging something as wonderful as this.

tired,but motivated!

Mornings are the greatest challenge to me. I have no problems with the afternoon, but ugh, Mornings feel like everything takes an hour or two to boot. No worries though, 15 minutes jump rope and and 1 hour of weights here i come!

Long distance running tips i've learned

So i was asked yesterday by someone what do you normally require when practicing for a long distance run, so i'll do it in bullet points.

1. If this is the first time you are practicing long distance running, not to be professional, but to maintain a healthy level of fitness, then you do not need to over-exert yourself on the first run. That leads to an uncomfortable night and a very uncomfortable morning. 
2. Stretch. Though studies claim this aspect is not required and you can still suffer from injuries,stretching tends to strengthen and prepare your muscles for use,reduces the chance of injury, and strengthens the tendons and nerves that connect to the muscles that tend to rip easily.
3.  While running, inhale through your nose and exhale through your Mouth. This is my preferred form of circulation.Diaphragmatic  breathing, fills the lower part of you're  lungs, which increases aerobic capacity, reduce stress and eliminates runners cramps .  Also, with practice, allow air to enter and exit through both you're nostrils and mouth which will maximize your O2 consumption 
4. Posture is key. Slouching or looking down while running, decreases your speed and endurance, as the throat will be slightly compressed, which hinders your breathing. Slouching while running, or running awkwardly with a poor form, causes injury and also reduces performance. 
5. SHOES. I cannot emphasize enough on footwear. I was around 400 pounds,inexperienced and wanted to learn on my own, and i paid a painful price of severe runners knee and shin splints in the beginning due to poor footwear, which i will let you know in advance, shock shoes are terrible for running. And yes i am talking about those shoes that have those suspension/bubbles that act as shocks. Get shoes that are comfortable, but also allow you to feel the shock of the ground, go to foot locker and use one of the foot sensors they have to recommend you a shoe if you have the convenience or the cash. If not, go to a shoe store and decide long and hard about which shoe would be comfortable.  Personal recommendations would be Acsics Vibram and saucony running shoes, they LAST.  Also, change shoes after 6 months-1year or 600 miles, they do more harm than good after that. 
6. Avoiding a stitch. This was amazingly simple when i found it out after an accidental discovery. While running, exhale on your left foot. Your diaphragm is moving up and down., constantly putting pressure on the organs in the body, but the liver is the one that usually hurts first,as it is the heaviest organ in the human body. 
7. Scheduling.  Contrary to popular belief (and montage videos) nobody can start training for a half marathon or a marathon in 1 month, after genuinely being unfit, to being marathon ready, it takes time, and it takes a proper method of steadily increasing your stamina and endurance. Like everything it needs a plan. So This is how i started off. I would dedicated 1 hour to cardiovascular so this is how my schedule looked like: (Don't forget to Stretch!)
   
   1st week: 5minutes of jogging ,5 minutes of walking rest repeatedly for 1 hour
   2nd week: 10 minutes of jogging, 5 minutes , walking rest repeatedly for 1 hour
   3rd week: 10 minutes of jogging , 4 minutes ,walking rest repeatedly for 1 hour
   4th week: 15 minutes of jogging, 4 minutes of walking rest repeatedly for 1 hour
   5th week: 20 minutes of jogging, 4 minutes of walking rest repeatedly for 1 hour
   
   Basically You increase your endurance and stamina in stages over a certain period, when you reach the capacity to run for 30 minutes straight, in the 8th week with no rest interval, you are on the wonderful road to becoming a long distance runner. 
8. Bonus point: High Intesity Interval Training (HIIT) When you reach to a point in running where your distance is good (and you are actually enjoying it and serious about it) start sprint intervals with little rest, or explosive Tabata interval training
   
   
   Now that you have finished reading these wonderful tidbits, why are you still here? GO FORTH AND LIVESTRONG! 

Navy SEAL Davids Trains for First Ironman