This will largely depend on your personality, but the experience is fairly universal among most people. How is it that some people are able to thrive under pressure whereas others have a tendency to choke? Is it a simple matter of perspective or is it something more than that?

For example, let’s say that you are a particularly good basketball player and you have no problem sinking shots from the free throw line. Standing alone at your local court, you’ll drain one shot after another without breaking a sweat. Now, let’s put you in the middle of Madison Square Gardens, surrounded by thousands of roaring fans. If you sink this shot, you walk away with a million dollars and everyone in the crowd gets a free t-shirt. Miss and you get nothing but ear-shattering boos from an angry mob of disappointed fans. I think you’d agree that this presents quite a different scenario.

Pressure can change everything, but only if you let it do so. It is really easy to let the possibility of a grand reward hamper your skills and abilities. It’s far too easy to let that pot of gold blind you, getting you to make mistakes that you otherwise would not make. Again, this only happens if you let it happen.

Always strive to do your absolute best, because you never know when you may be faced with a high-pressure environment. Treat every situation with an equal level of importance and never put in a half-hearted effort. If you’re going to do something, do it well. For a freelance writer, for instance, writing for a major publication like the New York Times warrants the same level of professionalism, tact, and attention to detail as the small upstart website.

With this kind of mindset, it won’t matter whether you’re shooting hoops in the backyard or in the NBA Finals, because you’ll be equally confident in your skills as a basketball superstar. Nothing but net. Swish!

When I go traveling to places like Tokyo and Taipei, it never ceases to amaze me how many things are either misconstrued or lost in translation. The same thing can be said about many Chinese restaurants in and around the Vancouver area. You would think that these companies and establishments would take a little effort to hire a native English speaker so that they can be sure their marketing copy, menus, promotional material, and so on sound “right” to an English audience.

When you get into the business of freelance writing, blogging, or really anything to do with cross-cultural communication, you really need to be mindful of how the translations and transliterations can be interpreted in the target language. Being fluent in multiple languages can help, but having a solid understanding of their respective cultural norms can go a long way too.

What’s the Difference Between Translation and Transliteration?

Translation is when you take the meaning from one language and re-express it in another language. For example, the Cantonese term for computer literally means electronic brain. That’s pretty close in terms of providing an actual definition.

Transliteration is when you take a term from one language and you attempt to replicate the sounds made in another language. A good example of transliteration would be Japanese foods like sushi, sashimi, and udon. These were nonsense words in English, but they best replicate how those words sound in Japanese.

Combine the Two for Ultimate Confusion

If you are familiar with the world of fighting games, the you’ve probably heard about the Street Fighter II hoax surrounding the character of Sheng Long. If you’re not familar, you can find out more on Hadouken Online.

The root of this misunderstanding came from Ryu’s victory phrase “You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance.” First, the Japanese term “shoryu”, meaning rising dragon (as in shoryuken or dragon punch), was translated into Chinese. The Chinese term for rising dragon was then transliterated into English, resulting in the reference to Sheng Long. People assumed this was some secret character and that’s how the rumours began. Realistically, the victory phrase should have been translated as this: “You must defeat my dragon punch to stand a chance.” Not nearly as rumor-worthy, huh?

English is Not Universal

If you find yourself doing any inter-language work during your freelance writing, blogging, or international career, just be mindful of how things sound in the target language. I’m tired of hearing about Wang Steak and assorted beef guts on Chinese menus.

For the vast majority of my video game life, I’ve been a self-professed Nintendo fanboy. It started with the classic grey box known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and quickly progressed to the puke green display of the original Game Boy, the 3D environment of the Nintendo 64, the dual screen adventure of the Nntendo DS Lite, and the waggle controls of the Nintendo Wii. I think the only major Nintendo console that I missed was the Virtual Boy (thank goodness).

By and large, I’ve remained Nintendo loyal, eschewing the first two PlayStations, the 3DO, the Jaguar, the first Xbox, the Genesis, and all sorts of other competing consoles. Now that I’m a little older and I have a little more disposable income, however, I’ve started to venture outside of the realm of Nintendo, supplementing it with the PSP and PlayStation 3. More recently, I couldn’t help myself from snatching the Microsoft Xbox 360. Believe me, I have my reasons.

Why I Bought an Xbox 360

A short while ago, Microsoft announced that it would be discontinuing the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro in favour of introducing the 60GB Xbox 360 Pro at the same price. As a result, retailers started scrambling to get rid of the old 20GB units. I missed out on a better deal earlier in the month, but I managed to find the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro for just $199.99 at Future Shop. This is $100 cheaper than it should be and it’s the same price as the Xbox 360 Arcade (the latter of which lacks a hard drive altogether). My local Future Shop was sold out by the time I heard about the deal, but I got a price match at Best Buy. Tacking on a discount equivalent to 10% of the difference and a coupon for $10 off, I picked up the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro for $182.99 plus tax. Not too shabby.

The huge discount on this gaming console was certainly a motivating factor, but there are three other main reasons why I decided to finally take the Xbox 360 plunge. First, a good number of my Dot Com Pho friends are on the Xbox 360, so that’s the only way that I’d play online with them. They’re not nearly as inclined to enjoy the Wii online. Second, I wanted to enjoy Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour online with those kooks. Third, I’m looking forward to playing Street Fighter IV and the Wii won’t get that. The Wii doesn’t do much in terms of fighting games.

What I’ve Got

I’m a total newbie to the world of the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, so it’ll take a little while for me to get my bearings and get accustomed to the surroundings. As it stands, I only own two games: Rock Band 2 and Gears of War. I don’t even have the proper instruments for Rock Band 2 yet, relying totally on the bundled Xbox 360 headset for the vocals. I really need to get a guitar. On a side note, I almost bought an Xbox 360 solely for Gears of War when it first came out, thanks to that terrific commercial. Mad World was awesome.

What I Want

Although I will try to exercise some restraint, there are certainly several items on my shopping and/or wish list. They currently include Bully: Scholarship Edition, Grand Theft Auto IV, and an Xbox Live Gold membership. This is in addition to the need for a proper Rock Band microphone and wireless guitar. Do you have any game recommendations? I’m not huge on first-person shooters, so don’t tell me to get Call of Duty 4. I don’t care how good it is.

What I Will Get

Looking to the future, I will most definitely pick up Guitar Hero World Tour and Street Fighter IV. Aside from that, I’m not too sure what I should get. More fighting games would be fun and there’s a distinct possibility that I’ll grab NHL 09 so that I can play against a guy who wants to be a real boy.

In any case, I’m a part of the Xbox 360 community now. Feel free to add me to your friend list. My GamerTag is HadoukenOnline…. I’m pretty sure you can figure out the origin of that nickname.

There are several sources of inspiration that you can use in your everyday freelance writing life, whether they be sources that help you with blog post ideas or ones that help you better run your freelancing business. Although they sound like seemingly unrelated topics, the way that you drive your car can have a profound impact on how you approach the business of freelancing as well.

Yes, when you were getting those first driving lessons from your instructor, he wasn’t only teaching you about how to parallel park and reminding you that the brake is on the left. He was training you for a world of freelance bliss (even if he didn’t know he was doing it). Let’s take a look at a few driving lessons that actually apply to freelance writing, as well as online entrepreneurship in general.

Weaving In and Out of Traffic Gets You Nowhere Fast

There’s nothing wrong with changing lanes when you need to do so, but constantly shifting gears and changing lanes in order to get ahead will just frustrate you even more. Many of us have had to deal with rush hour traffic. We may have felt inclined to take the other lane, because it looked like it was going faster. Inevitably, after making your way into this other lane, your original lane starts to pick up pace again. And let’s not forget that weaving around like that will increase the likelihood of an unfortunate fender-bender. You don’t want that.

Now, I’m not saying that you should be stubborn and stick to your guns when something clearly is not working, but there is something to be said about patience and persistence. For your freelancing business, you may not want to hop on every latest trend as they become available. That can be a huge waste of time and effort. Weave a little and explore new opportunities, but don’t overdo it.

Always Be Aware of Your Surroundings

Much more important than your ability to parallel park is your ability to be fully aware of your surroundings. While driving down the road, you should know exactly what is going on. Check those mirrors. Look ahead and anticipate any potential hazards. Get ready for the traffic light about to change rather than accelerating into it and slamming on the brakes.

As with driving, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision as you embark on a freelance writing career. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, because you never know what you may see or hear. Maybe there’s a great gig waiting to be found or a fantastic piece of advice waiting to be read.

The Popular Route Isn’t Always the Best Route

While it may be safe to take the exact same route as everyone else, you can only expect to achieve the same level of success as everyone else if you choose to do so. The entrepreneurs who are able to achieve the greatest level of success (and happiness) are those who can view the world in a slightly different way and embark on a slightly different path.

Instead of getting stuck in traffic with all the other drivers on the road, take out that map and try a different route to your destination. You can potentially avoid the rush hour gridiron and get to your destination sooner. Don’t be afraid to take a chance and expand your portfolio beyond your preferred niche. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll find yourself back in the same rush hour traffic that you were experiencing in the first place.

It’s All About the Journey

As rewarding as it may be to finally arrive at your destination, you shouldn’t forget to enjoy the ride along the way. Take in the surroundings and enjoy the journey, just as you would with a lazy Sunday drive. After all, driving can be fun. Just don’t forget to carry a good insurance policy.

I’m quite happy with how my NFL predictions for Week 3 went down, because aside from a couple of rather stunning surprises, I did quite well for myself. As we gear up for another week of intense football action, it’s time once again for me to lay my NFL picks on the line for your scrutinizing and betting pleasure.

Let’s see who’s playing who this week in the National Football League

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers
Atlanta is coming off of a solid win and Carolina is recovering from a disappointing loss, but I feel that Jake Delhomme still has the fight inside of him and he should be able to lead his team to victory on home turf.
Pick: Carolina.

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
Both of these teams have not been able to live up to their preseason hype. The Browns brought in some good personnel and the Bengals managed to maintain a solid core. Even though Cincy lost last week to the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, they were very competitive and came within a field goal of bringing it to overtime. The Bengals are hungry.
Pick: Cincinnati

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Texans are hopeless. It really doesn’t matter who they play.
Pick: Jacksonville

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Shanahan has made some pretty crazy calls (you’ve probably heard about the insane two-point conversion already), but he has a potentially winning formula with his Broncos. Cutler is doing well and the team is solid.
Pick: Denver

San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees had an absolutely insane game last week, throwing a phenomenal 421 yards. Reggie Bush could have rushed for a few more yards, but New Orleans is back to their old form. The Niners are still continuing their “rebuilding” since Steve Young retired. This is an easy pick.
Pick: New Orleans

Arizona Cardinals at New York Jets
Brett Favre suffered an embarrassing defeat on Monday Night, getting absolutely demolished by the San Diego Chargers. Thankfully, this week he’s bringing the Jets in against the Cardinals. This is a good rebound game for the aging quarterback.
Pick: New York Jets

Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is a tough one. Aaron Rodgers couldn’t stand up to the Cowboys last week, but he’s proven that he has some of the right ingredients in Green Bay to pick up a win or two. Tampa isn’t as impressive as it used to be, but Jeff Garcia is showing promise again. It’s a close one, but I’m going with the Bucs.
Pick: Tampa Bay

Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans
I like the Titans. Vince Young hasn’t been able to live up to the hype and they don’t have Eddie George anymore, but they’re winning. I don’t have such a rosy outlook for the Vikings this year.
Pick: Tennessee

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
The Chargers are charging again, even if LaDainlian Tomlinson isn’t the mind-blowing RB that we once knew. In this battle of California, Oakland doesn’t stand a chance.
Pick: San Diego

Buffalo Bills at St. Louis Rams
Much like the Texans, the Rams are pretty much hopeless against any other team in the NFL. It doesn’t help that they have to take on the surging (and undefeated) Buffalo Bills.
Pick: Buffalo

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are arguably the best team in the league right now and they are absolutely the complete package. It’s not just Terrell Owens and Tony Romo out there. The entire squad is remarkably impressive. The win won’t come easy, but I see the ‘boys taking home another W.
Pick: Dallas

Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
Donovan McNabb doesn’t take the same kinds of risks that he used to take as a younger man. He doesn’t run nearly as much, but he makes better decisions and Philly is right in there for playoff contention. The Bears are alright, but the Eagles should squeeze by them.
Pick: Philadelphia

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Two Mondays ago, we experience what could be the most exciting Monday Night Football game of quite some time. Last Monday, it was a blowout. I don’t foresee either of those things happening this Monday. The Ravens will steal one from the Steelers, but it probably won’t be all that exciting to watch.
Pick: Baltimore

This Week’s Byes
Taking a breather this week are the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots (oh boy do they need it), New York Giants, and Seattle Seahawks.

Even though the second season wasn’t nearly as good as the first season, Heroes is still one of my favorite television shows. I’m just drawn to shows and movies that involve people with superhuman powers and this could be because I was brought up watching Saturday morning cartoons and playing action-packed video games.

I remember my initial reaction to Heroes was that it was a virtual clone of other franchises like Fantastic Four and X-Men. The parallels with the latter are particularly pronounced and the more I watch Heroes, the more I see that it has in common with X-Men.

The Heroes season premiere took place on Monday and that episode further drove the point home. Peter Petrelli talks about a future where those with abilities are persecuted, hunted, used, abused, and slaughtered. That sounds a lot like the world depicted in the X-Men universe, don’t you think, where mutants are chased after and treated like threatening animals. Let’s go through a few Heroes characters that have obvious parallels or counterparts in X-Men.

Let’s start with an easy one. The main character of Heroes is arguably Claire Bennet. She was the focus of the entire first season — “Save the Cheerleader. Save the World” — and she happens to ahve a pretty powerful ability: she can regenerate. Burn her, cut her, and break her bones and those injuries will heal right before your eyes. Given this ability, it’s reasonable to assume that she will live forever. While it seems that her regenerative ability is more powerful, Claire Bennet is pretty much the same as Wolverine (Logan). She just happens to be prettier and to have a more cheerful personality.

Although he doesn’t realize it right away, police officer Matt Parkman from Heroes has the ability to read the minds of other people. After encountering his father, Nightmare Man, he also learns that he has the ability to plant thoughts and influence the behavior of others. This is exactly like what Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X, can do. I wonder if Parkman was hooked up to Cerebro, would he gain Molly’s ability of finding anyone in the world too?

Much like the first example, the outward appearances of this pair could not be more different, but their respective abilities are virtually identical. Peter Petrelli has the ability to gain the superhuman abilities of other people. This is what Rogue (Anna Marie) can do as well, but Peter happens to be more powerful than that. Rogue has to touch the person and the power absorption is temporary. Petrelli, by contrast, just has to be near the person and the power absorption is persistent. He can activate these powers at will (with a little practice).

Mohinder Suresh was one of the very few main characters in the Heroes cast to be without a superhuman power, but that changed with the arrival of the third season. We’re not completely sure about the extent of his powers just yet, but his superhuman strength and agility is right in line with Beast. I initially compared Mohinder to Blanka from Street Fighter, but the similarities to Beast are much more striking. They can both hang upside from ceilings, they both happen to be intellectuals and scientists, and they’re both pretty hairy.

Some other pairings between Heroes characters and characters from the X-Men universe include the following:

• Bob Bishop (bald Company head) as Alchemy: Transmutation
• Brian Davis (killed by Sylar) as Jean Grey: Telekinesis
• Candice Wilmer (false morphing) as Mastermind: Mental illusions
• Dale Smither (killed by Sylar) as Banshee: Superhuman hearing
• Daniel Linderman as Archangel: Heal others (Archangel needs to provide blood)
• Daphne Millbrook (new character) as Quicksilver: Superhuman speed
• D.L. Hawkins (Niki’s husband) as Shadowcat: Phasing/running through walls
• Elle Bishop (Kristen Bell) as Bishop: Electromagnetic blasts
• “The German” (level 5 prisoner) as Magneto: Manipulate magnetic fields
• The Haitian as Leech: Power negation
• Hiro Nakamura as Nightcrawler and Cable: Teleportation and time travel
• Isaac Mendez (painter) as Destiny: Precognition (see the future)
• Jesse Murphy (level 5 prisoner) as Banshee: Sound manipulation
• Maya Herrera as Plague: Disease spreader
• Meredith Gordon (Claire’s mom) as Pyro: Fire manipulation
• Molly Walker as Professor X with Cerebro: Find anyone by thinking about them
• Tracy Strauss (new Niki) as Iceman: Cryokinesis (freezing)

I didn’t mention Nathan Petrelli (flight) or Niki Sanders (superhuman strength), because those powers are pretty common. Niki is a little different, seeing how she has a split personality (only “Jessica” has strength). I’ve listed her season 3 personality (Tracy Strauss) above. I’m not really sure what to do with Micah Sanders and his technopathy. Forge, maybe?

Have you noticed any other parallels between the two franchises? Would it be fair to compare Noah Bennet to William Stryker? Share your thoughts through the comment form below.