Ramblings of a Crowe

So, how do you rate?

Ah, that old, rude and insensitive phrase, "But they all look the same!" It's said around the world. By white people about Asians and blacks. By asians about white and blacks. By blacks about white and asians. Just insert whatever race you want and do the old change-a-roo. We've all said it.

Some people claim to be pros at telling different nationalities apart. Others really don't feel it's that important. Personally, I think I fall into this category. I don't think all black people look the same, though I couldn't tell you if they came from the US, Jamaica, or Africa. *shrug* I always figured it wasn't much different than the fact I can't really tell other white people apart, in the respect if they are from Russia, Sweden, UK, etc.

I ran across this site, "All Look Same", which offers a test to see how you fare in distinguishing apart different Asian nationalities. Ironically, many asians who take this test don't fare much better than white, black, etc.

Me? I scored a pretty good. But the test isn't easy. I think it's safe to assume that most people who claim they can tell a certain nationalities apart are going on more than just physiological clues. One really good example is the way a person dresses. Another is hearing them speak, though you'd have to understand at least a little bit of what you were hearing to pick out a language. I can recognize Japanese immediately. Not so sure about the other languages though. Still, without the other clues, I scored a bit above average.

How did you do?

More Meeve Icons

I can't sleep. So I made these:

Steal if you want.

More over here

Crime In Japan

My sister brought up something about Japanese crime over on her blog, and of course, it caught my attention. However, I was unable to post there for some reason or another, so I thought I'd write my own blog over here--since the topic is interesting and all.

Japan is a pretty safe place. Tokyo, for a city of 12 million, has less crime than the big cities here in the US. Usually, you can drop a cell phone or lose a wallet and get it back with everything intact. Pretty cool to us Americans. We usually kiss our stuff goodbye when we lose it. That whole "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers" thing, I guess. You can send you little ones to school with little fear of them being snatched off the street. No worries of being shot in the street. You know, all the things us Americans have come to accept as a fact of life. *ha*

However, is Japan really that safe? There's been a big increase in kids killing each other these days. Violent crime in general seems to be on the rise. The Japanese may not have guns to shoot each other like us Americans, but they don't seem to mind stabbing, strangling, --insert creative way to kill another person here--.

So what's the deal?

If you poll the Japanese, many of them will blame foreign influence and foreigners before they'll blame problems with their own society. You see, Japan is a horribly xenophobic and racist country. In a poll, only 30% of the Japanese believed treating foreigners differently because of their nationality counted as discrimination. 46% believed that the rights of foreigners living in Japan shouldn't be protected at the same level as a native (we won't get into children born 'half'--they don't count as Japanese either). 21% believed that foreigners living in Japan should just accept that they don't deserve the same rights as a Japanese.

Don't get me wrong, my Japanese friends are great, but the country as a whole has a long way to go when it comes to tolerance and acceptance of people who are 'different'. Go read debito.org to find out more about this.

Japan has a conviction rate of 99%. 92% of those arrested or brought in before the prosecutor confess--wouldn't you? There is no right for bail, no right for an attorney until formally charged--and the accused can be held for 23 days without any charges. Plea bargaining and immunity do not exist. There is no jury. Defense attorneys tell their clients to cooperate with the prosecutor. The interrogation, that can go on for hours each day (23 of them remember), is the trial. There is no real judicial process in Japan. You get arrested, you're guilty. Pretty damn scary--and leads to some pretty skewed numbers in the statistics, I'd think.

Then again, perhaps if the US had a judicial system that just slammed the doors in people's faces at the rate McDonalds puts out hamburgers, our crime rate might not be so high. Arrested? Guilty! From what I hear, being a lawyer in Japan is a cushy job that doesn't require much work.

Back to those statistics. I know, I know...that whole saying about 'statistics and lies'--but bear with me a bit.

Pornography, prostitution, sex crimes, etc. Porn is everywhere in Japan. Movies, comics, cartoons, books--there's been many papers written on the desensitation of Japanese men because of exposure to porn (and many opposed to the theory too). I'm too lazy to look it up, but Google it if you wish. But perhaps this is the reason for the Chikan that crawl out of the woodwork during rush hour? Chikan are the perverts who use the seriously crowded trains and buses to grope and molest women. It got so bad that there are trains designated for women only. Thousands of men are arrested for fondling women each year. However, many go uncaught, as many Japanese women prefer to keep silent and endure the humility. It's the Japanese way not to make a scene--and to mind your own business.

So, how many of these crimes go unreported? Not only that, as a fellow on one of the forums I frequent mentioned, his wife was accosted and nearly raped, but managed to get away. When she ran to a police box, the officer there told her, "You're okay, aren't you? Just go home." When he pushed her to go back to the police, she declined, telling him it wouldn't do any good anyway. Eh? I'd write this off as a one time deal, but if you go back through various forums on different sites, you'll find this isn't an uncommon occurrence. (I believe there is a similar story about a break-in at someone's house)

And lets not forget the prostitution and women being held pretty much as sex slaves in Japan (yes, even now). Granted, most of the prostitution and human trafficking is done by Yakuza (Japanese mob). We can't forget about them either.

So exactly how accurate are Japanese crime statistics? Do we really know? How can we trust the numbers if the society doesn't seem interested in dealing with 'real' criminals or reporting crime? How many were told, "Just go home. Forget about it,"? How many didn't want to make a fuss and just kept their head down? How many innocent people were put away by the Japanese judicial system of 'guilty and never even given a chance at being innocent'?

You could ask this about the US judicial system too, I suppose. However, I think there is one major, glaring difference that effects the comparison. Culture. Yes, in the US we have bad cops. We have people who don't report crimes. We have innocent people thrown in jail. But here, in the US, if you raise a big enough stink, someone is going to take note. And that's really the heart of the matter, isn't it? You don't raise a stink in Japan. More people would prefer to just keep quiet and do nothing--even if it means some strange man is groping your ass on a crowded train.

The crimes I've mentioned here are common all over the world. No one has a monopoly on crime. It's everywhere. I have issues with the American judicial system too--the inconsistencies, the loopholes, the speed of the process, etc. However, I'm pretty confident that if I report a crime against me here in the US, the police will at least TRY to help me. And in the unlikely case I'm ever arrested for something, I know I have the right to at least try and prove my innocence. Our system isn't fail-safe, but I'd rather take my chances with the American court system than the Japanese one any day.

Happy Birthday J!

Happy B-day J! Just think, you've almost made it to the mid-twenties! *wipes emo-tear* How my best friend has grown up!

iPod Nano Arrives

Today I got the iPod Nano! What a shock, to both mom and I, since we didn't expect it for a couple more weeks. I haven't put my new toy down. So much fun! I've only got a measly 61 songs on it so far, but I was being picky. 61 out of 300 on my meager iTunes...I'll have to find more music!

The DS is a ton of fun too. I have a total of four games now. Alas, I could not find Animal Crossing, J. So we'll have to wait until I can get my hands on it and some extra cash. I imagine after the Christmas rush and return calms down, it'll be easy to find. The lawyer game was gone too, which made me sad. That's another one I want to play. But I settled for the doctor game J talked about, which is harder than I thought. Thank god I'm not a doctor.

Also, I picked up that game where they're lost on an island (I really suck at names). That one is tough too...I've died numerous times already and keep getting trapped in a cove until the tide goes down. And that stupid girl. Why do I have to take care of her!? At least she can cook.

The third game is about some girl who lost her parents, apparently. Sounded interesting, so I bought it. *laughs*

I didn't think I'd like the DS, but I'm a big fan now. Nintendogs is such a cute game too!

Gawd, I'm such a kid...

:P

Magna Carta: Tears of Blood

Okay, I'll be honest, I haven't finished this game yet. I'm getting close to the end, but I got mad and stopped playing. Forever? No, I don't think so. But just until I develop a strategy that won't make me start over from the beginning...

First of all, I love this game. The artwork, designs, game play, and story are excellent. The voice acting is pretty good too, though I really do get irritated watching the lesser players (NPCs) open and close their mouths like goldfish when you talk to them.

The battle system is fun too, based on a ring system similar to Shadow Hearts. The big difference is you can move your characters all over the battle field and choose which attacks and styles you want to use; there is no turn based fighting so to speak. You pick who you want to move and move them, after this little bar (called the leadership bar) fills up. I'd call it a semi-active battle system. *laughs* I would prefer the other characters handle their own affairs, as this game moves extremely fast when it comes to battling, and it's really hard to keep an eye on three characters and however many monsters they're throwing at you all at the same time. Needless to say, some of the battles can be really tough (and VERY, VERY long), but once you figure out a strategy that works well, you can come out ahead...most of the time.

Characters can learn different fighting techniques. Sometimes you find a scroll that teaches them, other times you train at dojos--for a hefty price. Three skills can be equipped at once. Skill require 'chi'. There are a handful of various chi available. Some of it is natural, other times you'll need to use talismans to boost the chi for whatever skill your using. Chi are Fire, Earth, Mountain, Air, Water, Lightening, Ice, Celestial...I think that's it...Anyway, the more powerful the chi of whatever sort, the more powerful those attacks based on the chi will be and visa versa.

Game play is fairly linear. There's not a lot of side questing and the game pretty much guides you to where you need to go. Maps are locked down until you complete missions, so you can't stray away into another place and forget your objective (or level up, but more on this later). Only later in the game do you get more freedom to wander about. If you're like me, I enjoy a lot of side quests. They're fun. Which makes me sad for this game. However, the really fun characters make up for it, as does the story line.

So, if there's no side questing, how is it I've logged 60 some hours on this game already (other than being unemployed and having nothing else to do)? And how is it I haven't finished it yet? Let me tell you. Walking. You WALK everywhere! If you run, the monsters surprise you (which sucks) and you miss the treasure chests, which are pretty important in this game since buying armor/weapons/accessories is a pain in the ass. You have two modes of travel: Dash mode, which lets you run at the usual RPG character's pace; and Search Mode, where you plod along, seeing all the monsters and treasures. So yes, walking is the bane of my existence right now...

But you want to fight all the monsters you can anywhere. I mean it. Kill them all. Every last one of them, except those blue guys in the mountains. They'll kill your ass. The rest, destroy them. Why? Because you need to level up--and that is FRIGGEN HARD TO DO in this game. There is no rhyme or reason to the distribution of EXP given after you defeat a monster. Some of the weakest monsters give the most EXP. Many of the hardest give you almost nothing. Monsters DO NOT return after you leave a screen. They're gone. For lord only knows how long. Nothing pisses me off more than fighting three big ass hairy bastards with swords, nearly dying...just to get one measly point added to my EXP bar.

I have spent hours chasing down monsters, clearing entire dungeons; and at this late point in the game, wandering all over the map killing everything in sight. My characters are between level 50 and 65 right now. My goal is 75 for Calintz. I cry tears when I think about how hard that will be.

Why level 75? Because I don't want to have to use that horrible "Counter Mode" to fight the final boss. Back to the styles you can learn--you see, each style has a different mode: Counter, Standard, or Combo. All styles come with Standard. That's nothing fancy. That circle you use to attack spins at a regular rate and you punch in the buttons for a hit or miss. HOWEVER--the counter and combo modes spin at such a blinding rate your eyes about pop out of your head. I thought maybe I was just getting old, so I asked my 11 year old and he said, "No, that's nuts." Not only that, in those modes you cannot guard--at all. So if you get hit--bye bye HP. This only happens when you miss a button though (sarcasm). BTW, if you even miss ONE button in the sequence, YOU LOSE YOUR TURN! Better hope your buddies fighting with you like you a lot so that leadership bar fills up fast.

See...this is why I'm angry. I'm one of those people who levels up and just cuts through the game. I can't do that here. Now I'm forced to use some insane 'technique' to finish, and I'm pissed about it. If I spend 30 minutes killing a monster, I want some big EXP. I don't want to wander all over the place for three hours killing whatever I can find to gain a few levels, regardless of my obsession.

The game IS fun. Some of these little bothers make it challenging. However, the leveling up system really does suck, and there could be some better tweaking with the battle system's ring (or Trinity Circle, as they call it). The game has so many avenues to branch out--side quests and such, which would really add to the fun factor. The best I can explain it is that if you like character and story driven games, play this one. It won't let you down in that area. Just be prepared to get really annoyed at the loose ends that are flapping in the breeze (with the battle system and leveling system designs).

J, Quick!

Tell me where I get a new toy for my dog? He hates the bubble blower! :P You're going to have to come over so our dogs can play together!

(yes, I got a DS for Christmas! Yay!)

Thanks to my sister who got me stuff for the DS! Also thanks to Jeff and Glena for the Suncoast gift card! Now I can buy the first season of House! Hope you all had a very merry Christmas!

Christmas Facts

1.) Christmas was originally the celebration of Saturnalia, a day of great feasting and gift giving between the Romans to worship the god of Agriculture, Saturn. Also, around the same time the Romans also celebrated Juvenalia and the birthday of Mithra (December 25th).

2.) In the 4th century the church decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Pope Julias I chose December 25th, hoping that the new Christian holiday would be embraced with all the other winter holidays and eventually absorb the pagan traditions.

4.) The bible never states when Jesus was really born. It's thought to be in the spring or late fall, as to the fact that shepherds wouldn't be tending their flocks in the middle of winter.

5.) Easter was originally the most important holiday among Christians.

6.) By the end of the 6th century Christmas had spread to England and other places.

7.) In the early stages of Christmas, it was seen as a day for the rich to pay back the poor by giving them the best food or drink.

8.) Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan cronies cancelled Christmas in 1645. It was reinstated when Charles II returned to the throne.

9.) Christmas was not a holiday in early America.

10.) Christmas was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681. Anyone caught celebrating was fined. (Puritans hated Christmas)

11.) Even worse for Christmas was after the American Revolution, English customs weren't widely accepted, including Christmas.

12.) Christmas wasn't an official Federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

13.) Washington Irving wrote the series of stories (1819), "The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon" which define what Christmas is today. Charles Dickens also wrote, "A Christmas Carol" around this time.

14.) A Christmas riot brought about the institution of the first police force in New York City in 1828.

15.) St. Nick (Santa Claus) was thought had been born around 280 AD. He was a monk in Turkey, known for his piety and kindness.

16.) Santa Claus appeared in the US near the end of the 1700's as Sinter Klaas (Dutch origins).

17.) It was German and Irish settlers that ended the Puritan rule of 'no celebration of Christmas', until then, anyone who celebrated or decorated was penalized.

18.) Clement Clarke Moore wrote "Twas A Night Before Christmas" in 1822. His poem is responsible for our image of Santa today.

19.) In 1939 Robert L. May wrote the story of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer to bring in customers to the Montgomery Ward stores.

20.) Long ago, people believed that evergreen trees kept away witches, ghosts, and evil spirits.

21.) Germany was the first to have the tradition of a Christmas Tree, dating back to the 1600's.

22.) The first recorded Christmas Tree in America was in the Mid 1800's by German settlers. Christmas trees were seen as symbols of paganism well into the 1840's.

23.) There are over 25,000 lights on the Rockefeller Christmas Tree.

24.) The tallest living Christmas tree is believed to be the 122-foot, 91-year-old Douglas fir in the town of Woodinville, Washington.

Links of Interest

The History of Christmas
Christmas Trees
History of Santa and Traditions
History of Santa

Merry Christmas Everyone!

A Christmas of Crazy

So, maybe you guys have heard of the lady who had a restraining order put on David Letterman. You know, the lady that says that Dave responded to her love with gestures and code words via his late night show. He even asked her to marry him on his show "Marry Me Oprah"!

Of course, she's now bankrupt thanks to her obsessive need to watch TV instead of work Dave's lies. He had accomplices, of course. The likes of Kelsey Grammer, Kathy Lee, and Regis. You can read her insane delusions sad story over at The Smoking Gun.

Uh-huh...

But you know what's even crazier than this woman's obsession with late night TV? The fact that the judicial system actually granted this fruitcake a restraining order instead of a one way ticket to the medical institution! WTF?

Thank You

To everyone who has sent me e-cards and e-mails--thank you. I wish all of you, everyone here, has a fantastic Christmas and New Years. I never thought this blog would have me making so many cool new friends.

You guys are the best!

Our President and MSC stuff

My cousin has written a great piece on Bush and how his concern for the American people gives him the right to spy on us!

I'd also like to wish a Happy Birthday to my sister and Kenny. Best wishes!

________________________________________________ A Thought___________

Silence, a turn of the head
Only make my hatred grow

I’ll kill you in my heart
Make it dead to you

Stand before me once more
But as a stranger I’ve never known

*edit*
Just to thwart any more confusion on the issue, "A Thought" has nothing to do with the birthdays I mentioned.

雅の新シングル

オレ様から：

4thシングル【セニョール セニョーラ
セニョリータ】2006年01月18日緊急発売決定！！
本日特設サイトUPされました！
皆様是非ご覧ください！！

新しいシングルですか？すーごいですよ！ほんとに嬉しい。買いたい！いや～絶対に買うつもりですよ。

Scored an iPod Nano

Dude! I'm getting an iPod Nano! I'm so excited! Mom had a bunch of points she'd earned but nothing she wanted to get, so she asked me about the iPod stuff and let me pick one out! I'm tickled pink!

Yay mom! I'm gonna have to do something nice for her in return. I think I'm gonna buy her one of those Fenton Glass Art books she likes.

People

Yesterday, a friend of mine made a comment that I should 'grow up and get a real job'. This conversation started when I told him I couldn't spend much money at the moment because I was laid off from work. Now, I get laid off every year for about eight weeks, sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the weather. I know my layoff will happen so I set aside money to take care of important things, but I greatly reduce my spending during this time--which I think is the responsible thing to do.

My job is very 'real'. I work for a Fortune 500 company and we take our business very seriously. I've attended meetings in different states, stayed at fancy hotels, and rubbed elbows with some very successful and affluent business people. During the spring and summer, I'm very busy. Sometimes working 10 hours a day, six days a week. On occasion, it's not uncommon to put in 50-70 hours in week. I listen to people complain, I help my co-workers and our customers. I diagnose problem areas when our techs get stumped. How is this not a 'real' job? Because it's considered 'seasonal'?

I'm paid well. I have decent benefits. I use the degrees I went to school for. All seems pretty real to me. Perhaps his comment was made because he landed a government job and makes a lot more money than I do...who knows.

But it was J who uttered a profound statement last night, after I told him about the conversation, that left me thinking. He said that people judge us by their own lives and their own standards. What's right for them, the feel must be right for everybody else.

I never really thought much about it, but it's so true. I can't even begin to count the times I've received unsolicited advice from people who never even bother to think about 'me'. They rattle off what they think is right for me, but really all they're talking about is what's right for them. Perhaps their intentions are well meant, but it's really very rude and inconsiderate.

Of course, then I began to worry how many times I've done this myself. We all do it, but at least being aware of it can make a person stop to think before they open their mouth. Then again, some people just seem to have no off button that runs from brain to mouth, so there's probably little hope for them. *sigh* Or you have people who honestly believe that their way is the right way and there is no-other-way. I really feel bad for these kind of people. They're so wrapped un in their narcissism they can't see beyond themselves. What a sad and narrow-minded existance this must be...

I know I'll think twice before I try to give some one some advice. Am I really addressing their problems, or am I just talking about myself? A question to ponder, indeed.

As for my friend, who I do adore, I gave him a little leeway. He's one of those people who doesn't choose his words carefully. I'm used to it, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't annoy me. I laughed at him and told him he needs to pick his words carefully, because he's one hair away from seriously pissing me off. He apologized and I clarified to him all the points above that my job is indeed a 'real' job and I happen to like it. To run out and spend money doing fun things with him right now wouldn't be responsible, nor is my money or what I do with it any of his business. Enough said.

New Desktop: Sooo pretty-----

I love the artwork from Magna Carta. It's so beautiful. Imagine my joy when I stumbled over a wallpaper of Calintz. You can find more wallpapers along with this one at the main site.

Still, it was tough deciding whether or not to give up Miyavi--a decision I'm still sort of iffy about. *laughs* But I made some avatars of him, so it's all good.

Not only that, I was in a creative mood and did some of Magna Carta as well. And three wallpapers, which suck super bad, but that's okay too! *smile*

You are President--President, not the King...

Good lord. This guy is just amazing--I mean, he just makes decisions as he sees fit. Is anyone else worried? The USA's President doesn't seem much like a President anymore. More like a monarch or dictator. Thank god for Congress or this guy would be even more out of control. I wonder how far he'll push it? Until he gets dismissed from office? Until he takes over the world?

*shakes head in disgust*

****

On another note, something has been bothering me so I just want to clarify a few things. I'm not a credit/ask permission/comment type person when it comes to stuff like icons or pictures. I ask that you don't steal my bandwith and don't put the icons in a gallery you claim as your own (as in "Look what I made!!!"). The few icons I have seen of mine being used have been credited and I thank you guys for that because I think it's so nice of you (but not necessary). Other than that, I really don't care what you do with them.

As for the scans and scanlations, I really don't mind if you put them up elsewhere, I mean technically they aren't mine either (ha ha); however, the translating, scanning, and cleaning take a long time, so it would be nice for some credit as well as a polite note telling me what's up. Of course, this is the internet and we all know manners (or common sense) don't usually apply here. So I won't get my hopes up too much. :(

Phew~ Now I feel a bit better.

(If you're using the scans to make icons, I could care less. Make icons away. This is only in reference to the translated scans as whole stories.)

(Oh, and one more thing-- Please DON'T post the scans at Deviant Art! It's against the rules there, first of all; and secondly, Deviant Art is suppose to be your artwork, not a place to host manga scans.)

Gamers Wish List

I love videogames. Lots of people say I'm too old to be playing them, but they can all go to hell. I'm a kid at heart and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

So, here's the question of the day, since I know many of my friends here are gamers as well:

What are looking forward to buying next year?

Me? I've got small list, but still will end up shelling out bucks for the games I want. Not to mention the new consoles hitting the market.

Consoles:
PS3
Revolution
PSP (not enough money to buy it right now)

Games:
FF12
Kingdom Hearts 2
Shadow Hearts: From the New World (Xseed Games)
Grandia 3 (Kick. Ass.)
Magna Carta 2 (pending)
Xenosaga 3
Dirge of Cerebus
Tales of Legendia (I'm soooo excited for this one)
Crisis Core: FFVII (for PSP)

And that's it for now. I'm sure more will pop up as next year moves on. I'm hoping for a new Star Ocean game, though it seems Square has it's hands tied with a ton of other games right now. Hopefully once they're all finished, they'll make another installment of that great series!

....well this sucks.

Magna Carta 2 is being made for the Xbox 360. Damn, I'm having so much fun with the first game, I was really hoping to play a second one. I wonder if it'll cross over to the PS3 later. I hope so. Magna Carta: Tears of Blood is a beautiful game. I bought it because the art work was so pretty. Ha! But I'll post more on it after I beat it.

I will say for those who liked the ring system of Shadow Hearts, you'd like Magna Carta, since it has a similar system.

*sigh* This game might make me buy an Xbox...then I could play Fable, I suppose. Or J can buy and Xbox and let me borrow it! That sounds like a good idea! (J/King) PSP seems to be getting a game too...and a PSP is on my list for next year.

In other news, seems Xenosaga will wrap up with Xenosaga III for the PS2. Guess I should get cracking on number 2 then. Number one was an awesome game, but I wonder what the hell happened with number 2? It's so...blah.

Thought of the Day

Everybody is a hypocrite in some way or another. The ones who think they're always right are pretty funny.

Baten Kaidos

So today I finished Baten Kaidos. The game itself is pretty fun. I really enjoyed the card based battle system. This was the first time I've ever played a game where you fight with cards. Definitly interesting, not to mention fusterating. I can't count how many times I growled, "Another shitty hand?"

The opening CG movie is awesome--and by opening I mean the one that you watch before you even enter 'new game'. That's the only CG scene in the entire game, which I thought really sucked. Don't get me wrong, the graphics and animation are really well done, but the lack of cool cut scenes sort of puts a damper on all of that. There's not even one at the end, so don't hold your breath.

I need to point out that the voice acting and script in this game is HORRIBLE. The story is really good, but the--I don't even know how to describe the voice acting, but bad doesn't sum it up at all. I don't think there's a word that does. The script is full of cheesy lines, which I assume were thrown in because the translation from Japanese to English doesn't always cross over. With the B A D acting, it just makes it all the worse.

Character wise, they were all pretty flat and uninteresting. Yes, I know I said the game was fun, and it was, but mainly for the battle system and mediocre storyline. I really didn't give a rats ass about any of the characters. I did learn to hate the main bad guy, only for the annoying, horrid voice acting of the character. It made me really want to kill him/her.

I think the major pull to this game is the sidequests, which I spent hours on. They weren't that hard, but there's a lot of little things that need to be done to complete them. Running all over the map requires patience, I suppose.

This game has a lot of pitfalls, but somehow still manages to be entertaining. I'm not sure if the 'badness' of this game is just because of poor translation from Japanese to English, but to me that seems to be the case. Poor rewrite of the script, beyond awful voice acting--characters that have potential to be interesting become annoying and uninteresting. *shrug* If you can put aside that, the game is fun. Infact, I'm actually looking forward to the , which is apparently in the works by Tri-Crescendo (break off group of Tri-Ace *Star Ocean fans know who this is*).

Hopefully, if/when this is brought the to the US, they'll do a better job with the scripting and acting.

The Governator: Sticks to His Guns

Good for him. And boo on the media for turning this into a circus. That seems to be the only thing they're good for these days.

You know what I'm sick of? I'm sick and tired of bleeding hearts in this country making excuses for people who deserve to be punished.

"Awwww, poor Stanley Tookie Williams!
Lookie, he's writing children’s books and has found God! He's not such a bad guy now! We need to save him! Save him from being punished! He's already in prison, lets just keep him there! Lets just let him continue writing his books, pretending he found God, and winning Nobel Peace prizes. That silly little Asian family should get over their dead family members already. No big deal anyway, people die everyday, right?"

Of course, this is also followed by "He's innocent! He denies everything! He's wrongly convicted!" Yeah, and I bet you most of the people in jail will blame their crimes on someone else. I suppose they're all innocent too. Just as innocent as OJ! A super sports star surely couldn’t murder anyone, right?

So what if this guy wrote children's books? If Jeffery Dahmer wrote fat-free cookbooks, would that be proof of his innocence/remorse? Never mind the human heads in his freezer, he's saving lives by promoting healthy eating right?

As for Stanley Tookie Williams--good riddance. People were killed by him in cold blood, then he ran off and bragged about it, and then he got caught. Boo-fucking-hoo. Anyone who does something like this deserves to die. Period.

Quick Note

There are some dead links floating about. I deleted a bunch of pictures and stuff, trying to clean up the site and make room for newer things. Eventually, I'll clean them up, but I just wanted to let everyone know that there isn't a 'problem' or anything. I'm just doing some house cleaning.

Big thanks to my cousin who has helped me out a ton with this blog. I really really appriciate it!

Bleach 207

Been awhile since I did one of these. I'm such a slacker. Sorry. I'm justing going to do Bleach today, since Naruto has been kinda dull...well, except when Sakura clobbers Sai in the face.
That was pretty cool. Anyway, this weeks Bleach was awesome. I can't tell you how much I love Ururu!

So this week picks up with Hitsugaya facing off with one of the Allancar. Last week ended Ikkaku's fight, which was monumental. However, unlike Ikkaku, Hitsugaya isn't faring so well. Rangiku is already down, not sure if she's dead or not. Orihime is watching from the sidelines. The Allancar (I'm not even going to try to remember all their names here), tells Hitsugaya that he was destined to lose.

Switch to Renji, fighting the long haired guy. He's not doing good either. Jinta is watching. Ururu appears behind him and her face is sort of dazed. Jinta tells her to go back to bed, but she just stands there. The spirit power of the Allancar sends her into "Genocide Mode" and she takes off into the sky.

The Allancar is just about to finish Renji off when Ururu appears behind him. Shocked, he turns around but Ururu kicks him in the face...and not just any kick...she kicks him so hard she sends him flying and nearly takes off half his face. O_o

Renji is stupified.

The Allancar is *pissed*. He starts screaming at Ururu but that's cut short when she suddenly appears before him and starts crushing his throat. He looks a bit scared now. (hee)

Ururu is mumbling, talking about how they (the Allancar) are a danger to them all and how they must be eliminated. She lets him have it again, this time punching him.

Now the Allancar is really, really, really pissed off. Seems his pride is a bit hurt (ha). He starts screaming at Ururu, declaring he's going to kill her. He then initiates his sword, and stabs Ururu through the chest...doesn't look good for her.

With a renewed sense of egotism, the Allancar turns his attention back to Renji...

End of chapter 207

This was an awesome chapter! I was so startled to see what Ururu was capable of! I knew she was strong, but geeze! I honestly don't think she's done yet...

One thing that bugs me about this arc is that as much as I love Ikkaku, I'm finding it hard to believe he'd be able to beat an Allancar and Hitsugaya wouldn't. Then again, I suppose the Allancar Hitsugaya is fighting is that much stronger, so it makes sense I suppose. I'm still waiting for the Vaizards to show up. I'll be bummed if they don't. I'm curious to see what they're capable of, but perhaps Tite is keeping them as a trump card for later.

Angel Tree-topper

Santa was very cross. It was Christmas Eve and NOTHING was going right. Mrs. Claus had burned all the cookies. The elves were complaining about not getting paid for the overtime they had while making the toys. The reindeer had been drinking all afternoon and were dead drunk. To make matters worse, they had taken the sleigh out for a spin earlier in the day and had crashed it into a tree. Santa was furious. "I can't believe it! I've got to deliver millions of presents all over the world in just a few hours - all of my reindeer are drunk, the elves are on strike and I don't even have a Christmas tree! I sent that stupid Little Angel out HOURS ago to find a tree and he isn't even back yet! What am I going to do?"

Just then, the Little Angel opened the front door and stepped in from the snowy night, dragging a Christmas tree. He says "Yo, fat man! Where do you want me to stick the tree this year?"

And thus the tradition of angels atop the Christmas trees came to pass........

Pop Jam 11/05

Here are some scans from Pop Jam. It's a cool show! A competition between bands, so there's lots of live music going on. I love watching people perform. One thing I've noticed about musicians is that you can really tell by their performance who enjoys singing/playing music. I'm not talking about flashing lights and pyrotechs either. Just watch their faces, the way they move, the way they interact with the mic or instruments. Some people just get on stage and sing/play because they're good at it, not because they really enjoy it. You can tell who really loves the music and who doesn't.

Anyway, this particular show was special, since it featured M Y V (aka: M i y a v i) as the special guest. I'm a big fan of his music. Many people complain about his gravely voice and arrogance, but honestly, if rock was just about the singing will someone please explain the likes of Steven Tyler, Bon Scott, Chris Robinson, and Ozzy? None of these guys are Michael Bolton, however, they're all fantastic singers. As for M Y V's music, I enjoy it. He's creative and talented--if not a bit eccentric (ha ha). Not to mention the boy can really play a guitar and harmonica (*heart*). The caps of his performance are near the bottom.

Pop Jam

M Y V

The song performed here by M Y V is "Kekkonsiki no uta (Wedding March). It's a fantastic song (no, not lovey dovey if that's what you're thinking). Here is the full live performance capped above. You can see the PV (music video) of it here. I highly recommend checking out the PV of "Ashita Genki Ni Naare". It's awesome!

Those Crazy Music Shows

I've been watching a lot of Japanese TV. Most of them are music shows, which I find highly entertaining. Of course, there are a few variety shows I enjoy as well, but I am a sucker for music. Many of these shows are downright hysterical, such as HeyX3 and Utaban (my favorites). Others are just music, live music, which just tickles me pink. So, I thought I'd share a few screen caps of a few of the shows. I'll probably break this post up, since I'm too lazy to sit down and do them all at once.

V 6 goes Ice-skating
I really have no idea who V 6 is. I haven't listened to their stuff yet. This show seemed interesting so I gave it a try. I laughed my ass off! Slipping and sliding all over the place, crazy antics, and just plain ole good fun made for a great show. Ice-skating wasn't the entire focus (the main one), as the guys interviewed some kids from schools and took a look at some sort of animal farm as well. Great stuff!

(Some of the captions are messed up. Sorry. I'm decided to use an image hosting site to upload these and I haven't quite figured it out yet.)