The White Knight Chronicles

Sneaky Agent Entry

2012-02-09T14:51:00.000-08:00

I need to stop having fun sometimes, because it gets in the way of posting on here. So, in lieu of a good post today, I'm just going to go off sneaking around in government facilities. With guns. And a tuxedo. And a magical watch that can freeze time. In Russia.

That's right. I'm playing GoldenEye 007. And like every person who played that game, I shot that guy's cap off every time. =D *karate chops y'all to tomorrow*

Okonomiyaki Time

2012-02-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

Hungry? I sure hope so, because I got for you today a savory and steamy blog. It's guaranteed to leave you salivating - and at the very least, curious. So, sit back, relax, and if you're inspired to follow along after you're done reading, more power to you!

And before you ask: not that kind of steamy, you perverts!

Kenichiro Fukui - "Dawn"
Einhänder Original Soundtrack

What better way to wake up than "calm" and slowly-rising techno music? Okay, I can think of at least six better methods, and one of them's not safe for work. =3

"Dawn" is a catchy tune used at the start of Stage Five in Squaresoft's side-scrolling shooter Einhänder, and it's a great way to start the morning. (Freshly-destroyed fighter craft optional.)

"Cookery is become an art, a noble science; cooks are gentlemen."
- Robert Burton
(The Anatomy of Melancholy)

Cooking is an art. My respect goes out to the friends I know who can cook, the other friends who are trying their best, and those out there with a passion for great food.

And because of this quote, I'm now determined to cook something scrumptious while dressed up in something fashionable and amazing-looking. When I complete the Seventh Resolution, someone remind me to do this. If I achieve this while completing the Ninth Resolution, it'll be even better. (I'm serious. That's a double win in more ways than one right there. *winks*)

Afternoon, everybody. Time to see what I cooked up and what stopped me from posting something decent on the day before today! Hold on to your napkins and stay your salivating tongues - the main course is here!

Okonomiyaki~!

So yesterday I was at a friend's house, and apparently he wanted to cook up some food for his family. As I was there, I got to experiment with something I've never heard of before: okonomiyaki. It's a savory Japanese pancake. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (thank you, Wikipedia).

The main ingredients for an okonomiyaki involve specialized flour, eggs, cabbage, and any assorted mix of veggies and meats.

As educational as that was, you'd rather learn how to make an okonomiyaki, right? That's good, because for the first time in ages (and I mean ~~Wednesday, September 14, 2011~~ AGES), I'll be posting a recipe on my blog! (You know... just in case that "recipe" tag wasn't a big clue-in or anything.)

(In case you were wondering: it was our first time cooking it, and when we all tried it, it was GOOD.)

Okonomiyaki
(Perfect for any time of day!)

Now, there's a few variants of okonomiyaki, named after the regions in Japan that cultivated the version of it. The most well-known versions?

Kansai-/Osaka-style: the predominant version. The ingredients are mixed into a batter and then prepped much like a traditional pancake - fried on both sides until (lightly) golden-brown.
Hiroshima-style: Rather than mixed into the batter, the ingredients are layered. More cabbage is used than Kansai-style, and a generous amount of noodles are used to top off the dish as well.

When I cooked it last night, we had a recipe for the Kansai-style variant, and as such, I'll be explaining that to you.

(Author's Note: As a heads-up, these measurements are all approximate. We were just mixing a whole bunch in, and we ended up with plenty of mix - enough for everyone to have seconds and enough for a few to have thirds. The measurements I'm using here are assuming you're cooking two servings, so adjust as necessary if there's more people or if the batter seems too dry/wet. Also, the recipe we used (and subsequently modified) called for the ingredients below. You're more than welcome to change the "optional ingredients" around to your liking.)

EQUIPMENT:
oven
frying pan
spatula
mixing bowl & utensils

MATS:
REQUIRED:

1 cup okonomiyaki flour (regular flour can be used, but it lacks the flavor)
2/3 cup water or chicken stock
2 eggs/egg substitutes
4 cups cabbage (shredded)
1/4 cup tenkatsu (tempura) bits

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS (our recipe called for these; feel free to switch 'em out):

2 stalks of green onion (thinly sliced diagonally)
6 bacon strips (cut into 3" pieces)
1/2 cup raw shrimp (cut into chunks)
1-2 Chinese sausage links (cut diagonally)

TOPPINGS (all optional):

mayonnaise
tonkatsu sauce
aonori (seaweed flakes)
katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

DIRECTIONS:
1.) Mix Flour and Water/Stock until smooth

Iiiiit's mixing time, it's mixing time...

Not like you need any directions on how to do this. Any rudimentary beginner can do this no problem.

2.) Add Cabbage, Tempura Bits, and all other desired ingredients (minus bacon); Mix

It may look unpleasant, but trust me when I say it's smells better than it looks.

Mix it as evenly as possible.

3.) Pre-heat pan; Add Mixture to pan

It's no "Kitchen Stadium," but it'll do nicely.

Again, rudimentary skills here.

4.) Flatten pancakes if necessary, add Bacon Strips

Oh, just give it a few more minutes... and maybe...

Depending on how thick you want your okonomiyaki, you're going to want to make sure it's flat. Of course, the thinner it is, the faster it'll cook, so be careful if you have it on high heat.

5.) Flip Pancakes after approximately 3 minutes

Firm, but not yet fully finished...

The other side's gotta cook, ya' know? (So does the bacon.)

6.) Wait 3-4 minutes and flip pancakes
No need for pictures or instructions here.

7.) Continually flip as necessary until firm and browned to preference.

A before-and-after comparison shot. Nice, eh?

Depending on how brown you want your okonomiyaki, let it sit as necessary. Personally, I prefer a light-golden-brown - makes for the perfect, firm texture while still keeping its fluffiness.

8.) Add garnish and toppings as desired.

Savory as is? Or savory plus more savory?

This dish is great on its own, but with a bit of mayo and tonkatsu sauce, this becomes bomb.

9.) Eat and enjoy as quickly as possible.
Because some bastard is sure to try to steal yours. No, seriously. Since the recipe told us to do so, I'd advise you to do the same - especially if you found this to be as delicious as I did.

"Allez cuisine!" Now that's good eatin'! So, until the 'morrow, everyone! =D

Food Coma Sleepy Time

2012-02-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

Foodstuffs are goooooooood. I'd talk about it, but alas... I'm full.

Maybe tomorrow. Or Thursday. I'll tell you about it later.

Aggressive Expansion

2012-02-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

There are some days that begin to get utterly chaotic. Things begin to pile up and people begin to get frazzled nerves. Then just when everyone thinks it can't get worse, some mundane event occurs during that timeframe that just seems to irk and rattle what little sanity people have left. It gets to the point where someone gets wound up so tight that one slight bump and they just go berserk. Of course, everyone reacts differently when someone hits their berserk button - but for the most part, it's explosive and usually violent in some way.

Today could've been one of those days - I had to deal with a very fun and educational trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles. By "fun," I mean "rage-driven," and by "educational," I mean "The next time I'm going to wait in the damn DMV for an hour, I better make sure my 3DS is fully charged... or bring a book." Anyway, long story short: it sucked. Yay for the government wasting our lives and hard-earned money on trivial crap that shouldn't be worth how much the DMV charges us.

So I went to a friend's house afterwards for lunch, annoyed at how stupid the system was. We made sandwiches, and as I was eating, it seemed that the bread had been laced with acid. That, or I began to realize that my food was talking to me.

Before you start asking "Why the frak would someone spike a sandwich?" I'm going to say that there were no drugs present. There were also no chemicals or medical conditions involved with either the sandwich I was eating or with my friend's house. So how, you ask, did my food talk to me?

The answer is simple. It smiled at me. It smiled at me. It also said something while it did that:

"WHY SO SERIOUS!?"

Right then and there, I realized that today was going to be a decent day after all, despite how craptastic my oh-so-fabulous trip to the DMV was. So, I smiled a bit and went on my day as normal.

Hee. Ha. Hehe. Ha-ha. "And I thought my jokes were bad."

*clears throat* In all seriousness, though, I just happened to take a bite or two and put my sandwich down to talk with my friend. When I looked down to prep myself for another bite, I noticed this on my plate, and so I just had to take a picture to share with y'all. (Hey, at least I'm not going all Annoying Facebook Girl about it on Facebook. *le sigh*)

(Oh, and for those of you who were wondering what the hell kind of sammich that was: ham and pepperoni with a custom-made spread and dijon mustard.)

So, with the twist done, let's continue on with today's entry, shall we?

CURRENT MUSIC:
Mikio Sakai - "Picaresque"
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Original Soundtrack Volume 2

Code Geass' music was one of the reasons I watched the series. (Being a dramatic mecha series helps, too.) With a varied selection of musical pieces to easily set the mood, it did its job in making the series come alive. At first glance, this may seem to be stated as "music to duel by," and while that is correct, there's much more to it.

Used in the series as the backdrop music for a daring prison breakout escape and the resulting fight inside said prison, "Picaresque" takes the sounds of Japanese vocals and acoustic guitars and heightens the drama of the situation to eleven.

To me, the music seems to be stating a message of "reawakening." In-context with the series, it makes sense - what, with the Black Knights breaking into a high-security compound, rescuing Toudou and revitalizing his fighting spirit and all. Even when not used in a Code Geass mindset, it still pertains that aural mindset, and perhaps that is one of "Picaresque's" greatest strengths as a song.

David Wise - "Jungle Groove"
DK Jamz ~ The Original Donkey Kong Country Soundtrack

Anyone who has spent a decent amount of time playing the Super Nintendo as a kid will probably recognize this track. If you didn't but still recognize it, then you've played your fair share of a Super Smash Bros. game and probably played a lot in Donkey Kong's stage(s).

Unofficially recognized as the anthem to the Donkey Kong games, "Jungle Groove" lives up to its name and aurally presents us with a jungle groove to play platform games to. It's a classic.

So, good evening, fair readers. How goes it for you all tonight? I sure hope it's going swell for the whole lot of you as it is for me. Otherwise, I'll show you that deformed sandwich again. And I'll do it, too! You don't want to see its scary Glasgow smile again! You don't!

The Slayer of Taxes Gets Rewarded
(*muscle flex*)

So two Thursdays ago I made up this fantastical tale about how I slayed my 2011 taxes. While it was a sort-of lucrative story with potential for lies, the whole "filing my taxes" part was 100% true. It seemed like myth, no?

That moment in a poor twenty-something's life when his checking account has more than three digits to the left of the decimal point.

Well, I'm here to say that that tale was completely true! Last Friday was amazing in the fact that I actually got both my state and my federal return back via direct deposit. The friends who also filed via H&R Block as per my "suggestion" are also noticing that they're getting their returns back, too. Yay, us!

*throws money around* Oh, right. I can't do that. Not yet.

*picks up the bills and pays bills off* I can dream, though... I can dream.

I can dream, though. Eventually those dreams will pave way to an absurdly large amount of cash I could swim in.

One day... one day, I will be able to tell a tale about a pool of money owned by me. Just you wait and see, world. Just you wait and see.

Yet More of Those Bloody Cards
(Because imagination is limitless... and so is my insanity.)

Yes, I'm aware that I've done this quite too much lately. Yes, I'm aware that most rules for 1000 Blank White Cards call for a deck consisting mostly of freshly-made cards as opposed to pre-mades, but I know that I'll run into a group who's willing to try the game but are not yet willing to make their own game.

I'm prepared like this. Plus, I now have a vast array of pre-mades to shuffle into the deck, so I don't have to worry at all. We'll have fun regardless of the methods and "rules" used to play this zany game.

Anywho, I made lots more cards. Here's some of them for your viewing pleasure. Again, if you're in need of ideas for your own 1000 Blank White Cards game, feel free to use these!

Super Mushroom
+1000
You are now also twice as tall.

Ah, what kind of person would I be if I didn't make a card that referenced video games in some manner? I've seen people make references to various games in past games, so I figured I'd do the same thing. The only difference is that I'll be starting this off with games that most everyone can associate with. And what better franchise than the Mario one?

Bonus points to anyone who knows why I made this card worth 1000 points.

"Duck and Cover" Training (SECRET)
Whenever a card that depicts or mentions nuclear weaponry is played, stop what you are doing and DUCK AND COVER.
Effect lasts until the end of the game.

Inspired by the actual U.S. film produced in the 1950s, I figured that I'd reference a piece of the Cold War to light. It's silly. Too silly. I still can't believe that this is what the government told kids to do to make sure they'd be safe in the event of a nuclear explosion.

I like this card not just because of the silliness of it - but because of my artwork. You have to admit, this is probably one of my better-made cards.

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series' Millennium Rod
Foolish fool! How DARE you lay your hands on MY Millennium Rod!
Oh, well. Might as well make you work for the right to wield it.
For the rest of the game, all persons named "Steve" must refer to you as "Master Marik."

For those of you who've never seen or heard of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series: wow. Just... wow. Shut off your computer, restart it, go on the Internet and go watch the damn show. This blog - while meant to be read by every one of my friends from every group of person out there - is geared towards geek and nerd culture, and the famed abridged series is part of said culture. GO EDUCATE YOURSELF.

*clears throat* Anyway, I made a few cards that changed players' names to "Steve." When people saw them, they thought it was just something silly that had no purpose other than to be silly. They thought wrong.

Aaaaaaand I just noticed that I made a typo. Thaaaaat's just great. Maybe I should re-do this card one day.

Rosebud Was The Sled
Thanks for spoiling it, asshole.
-600

I'm quite certain by now that anyone in the first world who knows a thing or two about movies knows about Citizen Kane and the attached spoiler. (In the highly unlikely event that you didn't know about it: I'm not sorry. It's practically public knowledge by now, so... *shrugs*) As such, I figured I'd make a reference to the widely-acclaimed movie while making a negative card.

Shoryuken!
[image shows the motion required to use a Shoryuken]
+100
-1000 instead if you're guilty of being a Ken scrub...

Street Fighter! Most everyone who's played a video game or two knows of this franchise, and anyone who has probably knows this move. (If not, they know about the hadouken.) Now I decided to teach any players how to perform one! Aren't I just nice?

And as for that potential -1000 points, it won't apply to me - I main Zangief. =P

Hehehehe. Just wait until the next batch of cards I make and show off. It might beat this one in sheer craziness.

Well, I'm going to bid you adieu until the 'morrow. For, now...

...I'm going to go search for one particular piece that's been evading me for quite some time now. Toodles!

Super Dud

2012-02-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

So most Americans today are plugging themselves out of reality today due to Super Bowl XLVI (for those of you who can't read Roman numerals, that's 46). Meanwhile, I'm going to be at work all night and miss the game.

To be honest, I don't mind at all. I never was one to enjoy sports (save for the occasional hockey game, the 2001 Major League Baseball season, and a good game of dodgeball), and as such, I could care less what happens tonight over at Indianapolis. I could care less for the Giants or the Patriots. I could also care less for watching the multi-million dollar commercials as well (they're just going to show up on YouTube by tomorrow, anyway).

I go in at 1500. Kickoff is apparently going to be at 1830 EST (which translates to 1530 PST), which means for the next two-point-five hours after that, the store will be empty. If anything, this means that it's going to be more than empty - it's going to be dead. Not "Wednesday night" dead or "zombie apocalypse" dead - more like "Wait, humans still exist!?" dead. The only guest interactions I'll get are from:

other people who're apathetic about Super Bowl XLVI
drunks
foreign tourists
people rushing in for last-second Super Bowl party supplies

So, I'm just going to be at work, enjoying the fact that I'm making some money instead of wasting time watching two East Coast teams most Californians could care less about duke it out on a field that also isn't in the East Coast.

Of course, I obviously don't speak for everyone here in California, so to those of you spending time to watch the Super Bowl: have fun with that.

Four Zero Zero

2012-02-04T15:19:00.000-08:00

Give me a four. Give me a zero. Give me a second zero. What do we have?

THIS ENTRY! *throws confetti*

CURRENT MUSIC:
Tony Jay - "Hellfire"
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack

A month or two ago a co-worker and I were having a discussion on Disney songs. Yeah, you read that right: Disney songs. They're great, and sometimes they become even more epic with age (both in terms of how old the song is and how old the listener is now).

Anyway, I started singing along to one of my favorite songs (in case you're wondering: The Lion King's "Be Prepared") and midway through, he told me that while that was a great song (what better way for Scar to explain his ideas of a sordid coup to the audience than song?), he knew of one that was better - The Hunchback of Notre Dame's "Hellfire." I told him that I haven't seen that movie in ages, and he told me to watch it again and pay attention to the villain song.

YouTube user "KitkatandLizzard" stated something that matched my reaction when I popped in the VHS and watched the movie again:

Watching This When I Was Five: Wow, he's really mad at her for messing up the festival...
Watching This Now: O_O WHUT

No, I'm serious. I remember that when I list Disney movies I enjoyed as a child, I don't think that I cited Hunchback more than once or twice. Now I have to reconsider. A song that encompasses the ideas of lust and damnation in its lyrics? Very clever there, Disney. Why are you so cowardly now?

"Be mine or you will burn!" Just imagine if this lyric was a ~~Valentine's~~ Singles' Awareness Day card. Oh, man... it'll either end with assault charges or a premature funeral pyre.

Sporty-O - "Let Me Hit Hit (Audiostalkers Original Mix)"
Beat Freak (A Continuous Electro House DJ Mix)

Those who frequent the Internet or have some decent knowledge of memes will know this musical piece already. Associated with the "When I'm Bored" meme, this audio track definitely makes for music to accompany a video montage.

Well, well... who would've expected me to make it to four hundred entries? Not me. Not the imaginary readers out there.

Today's entry might not have happened if Target decided to give me today off. Why is that important to know? Well, look at the date for today - Saturday, February 04. See that word that says "Saturday?" See how I said earlier that I was given today off? Yeah. That just happened. I got a Saturday off and I didn't even have to ask for it.

Needless to say, within a few hours of waking up I received a phone call from one of my co-workers asking me to come in tonight. I said "no" and cited reasons involving "plans with friends" and "why would I throw away a Saturday off?" (and laughed somewhere along the way) as I "politely" refused.

So, now that you know that today's awesome entry could've been easily averted, I'm going to leave. Mostly because I like having plans. Plans... of evil things. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Until the 'morrow, everyone. In the meantime, have some lunch on me!

Burrito al Pastor and the most interesting combination for a drink ever: mango dragonfruit tea.

Ciao!

Build The Force

2012-02-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a day off to rejuvenate the senses and spend doing nothing really cool in a manner that sounds cool nonetheless. In one hand, I have mysticism - in the other, creativity. Put them together and you create a great portion of my childhood.

In other words: Star Wars marathon and Lego hijinks. And yes; the original trilogy. Whee! I'll talk to y'all tomorrow. *goes back to the awesome*

Money, Dear Boy

2012-02-02T13:38:00.000-08:00

So it's a Thursday, and for the first time in what seems like ages, I'm working on it.

No, no - don't get that confused with "I took a shift for somebody." Don't also get that confused with "I got called in and said 'yes' on my day off." I was scheduled to work. This seems weird for any of my work friends and anyone here who has my "schedule" memorized down to a "T," as I usually have the day off.

Ah, well. I needs the monies!

Almost Forgot This Day

2012-02-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

Yeah. Between hanging out with friends and work, I almost forgot about making a post for today. That would have been a very bad way to start off February, now, wouldn't it?

Here's what I think: it would've been VERY bad, indeed.

Well, I must go off. Work's calling me yet again. Yaaaaay.

Mac'ing It!

2012-01-31T17:44:00.000-08:00

Macaroni and cheese!

I told you today's entry was going to be tasty!

As I'm kind of suffering from a lovable food coma, I'm afraid this is all I have to report on for now, so I'll see you next month! Take care until then!

Ideas From All Over

2012-01-30T22:38:00.000-08:00

There are some days where people just aren't doing so hot. Events in a person's life for that day seem to weigh them down. Stress builds up; tensions flare; in short, you have a dysfunctional person who'd probably collapse from a metaphorical aneurysm. From a first glance, there doesn't seem to be a way to get them out of their funk.

Enter... me. And a revolver. And that cold, unflinching stare you see from the outlaws of the Old West.

That's where I come in. As it's a merry night for me, I have to say that sometimes, you have to share the happiness and wealth with others in an attempt to make them feel better. That's why I post things here. I want to help eliminate the depression that some people seem to have built up inside themselves. We don't want anyone succumbing to stress or anything of the sort, and I can't let that happen on my watch.

So, as y'all read tonight's entry, put a smile on your face and just embrace the happiness you've been denying yourself. Go, on - do it. Rid yourself of your stress and worries - slay them with a gun and sword if you have to. Tonight, we...

(•_•)
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)

...are going to have a killer time. ("YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!")

CURRENT MUSIC:
Go Ichinose - "Verdanturf Town"
GBA Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire Music Super Complete

Every generation of Pokémon games has at least one town with a peaceful air to it. Said peaceful air is often accompanied by a calm and soothing audio track that befits the town in question. Now, the main games do this with each of the starter towns (Pallet, New Bark, Littleroot, Twinleaf, and Nuvema), but Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald take it one step further and add another town to their "towns with serene music" list.

Enter "Verdanturf Town," a place that apparently blends "the windswept highlands with the sweet fragrance of grass." It's a small town nestled at the base of a mountain range, protected from any volcanic winds from nearby Mt. Chimney. As a result, it's known for its refreshing, crisp air - which would do great wonders for the frail and sickly if it were to exist in real life.

Due to this calm and serene environment, the audio called for something amazingly serene. When we walked into town, we got this - and peace and joy swept the Pokémon world. May it wash your lives over with serenity and aural delight. It works wonders for me - I spent about a half-hour today with this piece on repeat, and I have to say that I'm feeling great!

Daisuke Ishiwatari - "Catus Carnival (Taokaka's Theme)"
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Original Soundtrack

There's something about this track that seems ironic. For those of you somewhat knowledgeable in video games, you probably already know that BlazBlue is a fighting game series and a spiritual successor to Arc System Works' famed Guilty Gear franchise. Keeping that in mind, you'd expect more aggressive music to sound off all throughout the soundtrack, but when you hit this track...

...I don't hear aggression at all, which piqued my interest in this particular track. Rather, I envisioned other things that seemed to make more sense than using this as background music for a fight. Examples?

Walking down a calm suburban street one sunny afternnon.
Montage music for a fun time spent with friends.
Almost anything Pokémon-related. Seriously.

I guess it would make sense, seeing as how not a lot of people get Taokaka in the first place. It's hunky-dory-sounding, and sometimes, that's great enough for a Monday. I think I'm going to add this to my "casual drive" playlist on my iPod. *smiles*

Good night, everybody! How was Monday for you guys and gals? I sure hope it was swell, because if it wasn't, then I'd have to feel sorry for you. Shucks.

Yes, I'm aware this doesn't look all that impressive. But I helped make this department look godly, and I'm not going to let anyone take that away from me.

So, after quite a bit of time spent working at work (because that's all I do nowadays, apparently), I scored a few days off this week. While I'm wondering what to do with myself on the moments when I'm not scraping up time to blog, I can say with certainty that it's certainly helping me get refreshed and recuperated.

*breathes in deeply*

This crisp, night air certainly helps a lot. Hehehe. Anywho, onto the main bulk for tonight's entries.

The Next TAB
(What subject do I owe myself next?)

I have a couple of ideas on what I'd like to write about, but sometimes it's always nice to appeal to the (few) people who read this here blog. As a writer, I know that it's my mission to write to my heart's content and act on no one else's authority but my own. Sometimes, though, there are ideas and guides that help people - and they don't come from within.

So, what to write about... what to write about? If anything, it's a win-win. I get to practice writing; you get to see me write about something that might actually interest you (for once). The ideas I had spinning in my head include the following:

Perform an in-depth examination of "Hellfire" from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
This was an initial idea I came up with shortly after putting the first TAB online. A friend of mine at work told me how he believed that "Hellfire" was the darkest villain song in Disney animated history, and I wanted to see if there was any proof to his claim.
Write a persuasive dissertation on why people should play the Metal Gear Solid series - or, at the very least: watch them be played.
It's no secret that I love the tactical espionage series. The story, while complex and at times confusing, is very insightful and offers a lot of real-world lessons and allegories. I've already performed a sort-of "experiment" on a friend who wanted to learn more about the series, and not only did they become respective and responsive to the franchise, but they've probably learned that the games are more than just sneaking around in cardboard boxes.
Explain how college students and/or broke twenty-somethings can survive on four handy kitchen appliances.
It is my honest belief that even if you're strapped for cash, if you save up and buy any one of these devices, you'll fare a lot better than if you didn't. I don't intend on revealing what these four appliances are until I post about this, but if you're insightful enough, you can probably make a few educated guesses...
An open letter to the many guests we retail workers have to deal with.
Oh, I've been wanting to do this for a while, but it would seem more like a vent than anything - and we already have enough of that going though my blog. Still, though, it's always interesting to hear a good letter from a front-line retail worker (such as myself).
Write a review on Radiant Historia.
This would be fun. I haven't really written any game reviews in a long time. I used to on Facebook back when I used the Notes feature, but nobody reads those anymore. Besides, I did tell myself that I needed to do it eventually...
Anything you suggest that piques my interest.
Who knows, right? Sometimes I do listen to you guys. =P

Well, I have so many ideas other than these, but I'm sure anything's fair game. I'm probably going to make a decision by February 3rd, so...

Still Not 1000 Blank White Cards
(Because I need to show you that I'm slowly getting to that number...)

This section is here for a few reasons.

1000 Blank White Cards is just awesome.
No arguments there, really. It's a great party game, and if you haven't hung out with me lately, you should - I can easily show you how to have a great time with this.

I felt like featuring some more cards I made.
You can get a feel on how insane and wild you can allow your imagination to get when you make your own cards. Plus, I get to slap pictures of them on here!

I needed an "official" reason to make a "1000 Blank White Cards" tag.
Yeah. It's pretty cool enough to deserve one. Perhaps I should create a page for the rules and what not as well...

Anyway, I've been making more and more cards, and now I have plenty to create my own reserve deck that can either be used as an example deck to show newcomers how to play 1000 Blank White Cards, or could be used as part of the "cards used in the last game" pool if said newcomers feel brave enough to make their own cards.

But... what are they? You'll just have to keep looking on below.

Coin
+200

I wasn't kidding when I said the cards could be simple. Now, the one question is: do you get 200 points, or do you get 200 points and a coin? *shrugs* Up to you. (I think the latter would be funny, especially if someone creates a Mario-based card involving coins.)

Bonus points to whoever realizes why this card is worth 200 points.

White Cat Drinking Milk in a Big Snowstorm
+250 if you can actually see it...

This one was an idea I found on the Internet. Pretty clever, I'd have to say.

Out of Toilet Paper
FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
-1000

Hahahahahahahahaha! When I saw this on the Internet, I just knew I had to make my own version. Turned out well, I'd say.

The One Ring (to Rule Them All)
Congratulations on NOT casting the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom.
For each turn you possess this card, you lose 1000 points. You must keep this card in front of you face down at all times.

Someone made a "One Ring" card before. I remember seeing it somewhere, and what made it even cooler than mine was the fact that they wrote half of it in actual Elvish. I can't do that, so I figured I'd write the One Ring's inscription in Black Speech instead.

The back of "The One Ring (to Rule Them All)." You know you want to steal it...

And the back of this card? The inscription (also in Black Speech) as well as a bunch of suggestions that the other players should follow. *evil laugh*

The Game
You just lost it.
-500 -OR- -1000 instead if you know what The Game is

I made this card because I'm a jackass. Hehehe.

Are You Taller Than a Charizard?
The average height of a Charizard is 5'7" (1.7m).
If you are taller, gain 20 points per inch.
If you are shorter, lose 20 points per inch. Also, you are now ON FIRE.

You can't go wrong with the original 151 Pokémon. And for all of you who picked Charmander as your starter: you have the extreme honor of getting the only starter whose final form can FLY.

Russian Roulette With a Pistol
Yes. A self-loading one. Nice going there, idiot.
Lose 1000 points. Also, you are considered "dead."

Inspired by a true story worthy of a Darwin Award. And as for the "considered 'dead'" part? I have a few cards made that take advantage of this "dead" status - for better or for worse. While real-life 1000 Blank White Cards games tend not to play with statuses, they can make for some silly situations if done right. Plus, Internet 1000 Blank White Cards games love them.

"Many Whelps! Handle It!"
"FUCK! That's a fucking fifty DKP minus! What the FUCK was that SHIT!?!?!?"
-50 DKP and 10% durability loss

Inspired by the infamous "Onyxia Raid Wipe" video. World of Warcraft fans would LOVE this card (and simultaneously hate their repair bill). See, this is what happens when you don't DPS very, very slowly.

The Break-Up Call
Find the third non-relative person of the opposite gender from the bottom of your phone book.
Call them and "break up with them.
+300 if you call
+200 for breaking up
-1000 if it's your significant other

Some people have made cards akin to a Truth or Dare game gone wrong. This was inspired by a card one of my high school friends made when he introduced this game to me. The only difference is that he wanted the person who got that card to call someone and sing "Yankee Doodle" instead of the "horrible" thing I'm asking. =P

In all seriousness, though: if you ever plan on breaking up with your significant other, do the decent thing and do it in person. Doing it over the phone is just jacked up...

Frakking Blue Shells
The player with the highest point total now has a score of zero.
They must also skip their next turn.

Yes, I'm aware the card doesn't actually say "frak." The only reason why I left the F-bomb on the card is because this was partly inspired by this particular xkcd comic. It's quite true for me, really - whenever I get hit with one, expect me to start spouting profanity like a 13-year-old who just discovered the Internet.

A single blue shell can mean the difference between a first place victory... and getting caught in the explosion right before crossing the finish line as four - no, make that five - opponents zip ahead. Rrrrrrrrrrr...

The Oregon Trail
You have died of dysentery.
Lose 40 points and a wagon wheel.

American kids like me (and everyone else who somehow got The Oregon Trail) who got to grow up in a majority of the '90s get the joke here. Although to be honest, I've always wondered how a wagon could collapse while fording a 1.3 foot deep river that was calm. Worse yet, I can't figure out how someone could drown in said river!

If you're coming up with your own reserve deck or you're actually playing and you need to make a couple of cards but lack the proper amount of brainstorming fuel, you're more than welcome to use these ideas.

This is by far the coolest-looking Charizard in existence. =P
(Picture made by "muddy1kippy" and found on DeviantArt.)

Oh, and as for that Charizard card? Thank you for the idea, deviantArt and muddy1kippy! Now, if I made online cards for this game (yeah; people play this stuff on Internet forums all the time), I think I know what image I'll be using. Hehehehe.

"The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow"
(And so will something cool on this blog. But what could it be?)

And with it... something tasty. At least I think it's tasty. You'll just have to be patient and wait your turn to see it, okay?

Well, that about sums it up for me tonight. I'll catch y'all tomorrow! Enjoy the rest of your evening - hopefully it put you in good spirits!

Sleep First, Talk Later

2012-01-29T22:58:00.001-08:00

I think I have an idea for a great entry to help close the month. I know, I know - not a whole lot of great entries this month, but if anything, me having fun kinda makes up for it, right?

No? Well... it makes up for it for me, and that's what matters the most.

So, expect something pretty cool sometime over the next two days. Until then, I'm out. *passes out from exhaustion*

Going Off Again

2012-01-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

I have to wonder some days if I'm just having too much fun, or if I'm lying to myself. Then I remember that I'm never having too much fun. Mwahahahahaha!

Not much to report over here on my end. Nothing you already know, at least. Just surviving, trying to hang out with people, working, gunspinning, relaxing, thinking, playing video games - the usual stuff.

And now... off again. Woo, work.

Fun High

2012-01-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

Lots of things to do today... lots and lots of things. Lots and lots of fun things. Yaaay!

The Legend of Josh Blanco: Vanquisher of Taxation

2012-01-26T20:47:00.000-08:00

This is a tale... a tale of death... and taxes.

No idea where I found this. I found it funny, so I saved it.

Keep reading if you feel like reading a bedtime story of heroism and silliness.

CURRENT MUSIC:
Keiki Kobayashi - "Zero"
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Original Soundtrack

Two words can effortlessly describe how amazing this track is. Those words: "DAT GUITAR"

Nerdiness aside, "Zero" is perhaps one of the greatest tracks from an Ace Combat game to date. When you combine orchestral elements and a Latin chorus with a Spanish-style guitar like Keiki Kobayashi did for this piece, you have one piece that screams a few things. *begins counting with his hand, starting with his thumb*

Flamenco dance number. (I wouldn't be surprised if someone used it as such already.)
Epic trailer music. (Funny; Namco thought the exact same thing.)
A duel that becomes much more intense and awesome.

*looks at his left hand* Yup. Those are the three. In-game, Namco takes the third scenario and turns the intensity of the situation up to eleven by adding "Zero" in it. (Oh, and sometime during the duel, you have to shoot down a V-2-esque rocket. Keep in mind that your opponent's firing multiple missiles and a high intensity chemical laser at you the whole time.)

Even though this just sounds like "last battle" music, there's also a fourth scenario I recently envisioned with this track as background music: a duel between (former) lovers. *sage nod* I'm serious. There's enough of a "tragic romance" sound to it if you look hard enough at the notes. If you're confused, just ask me and I can describe exactly how this works.

So when the time comes where you must have one fantastic showdown between you and someone else (or worse: someone close), try envisioning this piece.

Yoko Shimomura - "The Edge of Green"
Radiant Historia Original Soundtrack

While the soundtrack to Nintendo DS game Radiant Historia is a recent one (the game was released in late 2010), I'm going to go ahead and cite "The Edge of Green" as a classic example of great boss fight music. (I'd say "epic," but I'm afraid that word's been sadly overused.) Fast and tense, this piece dials up the adrenaline as it pretty much tells you to fight for your life (in case you weren't already fighting for it). The violin here in particular is pretty astounding, taking the lead in parts of the piece and letting off a wail that seems to say: "Kick some ass before someone kicks yours!"

If you're a fan of video game music, chances are that you've listened to a fair bit of music from the Kingdom Hearts series. Listen long enough and you'll catch bits of flair that seems so similar to Shimomura's work with the Square-Enix games. In a way, I find that a bit endearing - not only is she bringing us a sound reminiscent of her past work, but she incorporates that sound in a way that seems to fit the whole premise of the time-traveling, RPG-playing, story-twisting arc that is Radiant Historia.

And to think something of such amazing quality came from an itty-bitty DS game...

You mean it's that thing I'm holding in front of my laptop screen?

...see? Itty-bitty!

"Now we find out who's number one!"
- Larry "Pixy" Foulke
(Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War)

Considering how this was how I felt about filing my taxes today, I'd say it's rather fitting.

Hello. I am Josh Blanco, and I slay taxes.

This is ~~the Death Star~~ me...

Now, as killer as that would be for a political campaign slogan, it wouldn't work. For one: it's cheesy. Secondly: cutting taxes will not solve our problems overnight. Third: I'm pretty sure every politician using "lower taxes" as a selling point tried using this sentence and found it to be cheesy as well.

...and this is the helpless ~~planet of Alderaan~~ pile of electronic paperwork I vanquished earlier this afternoon.

Anyway, I'm already done with my return. 2011's taxes attempted to ambush me, but I caught them and said that there was no way. Then, after a long and bloody struggle, I slayed them. Their entrails are now decorating my walls because I casually stuffed a grenade in its corpse. *evil laugh* But why did I do that, you ask? Well, let me recant a tale so awesome, it's probably fictional.

Yeah. My tax return experiences look like Pokémon battles.
Last year, I won the first match but totally got caught off-guard by the second one. Bastards.

So last night right before I left work, I was given my W-2 form. I told myself when I got it that I'd file my taxes today. And sure enough, guess what happened? I filed them! I'd say that it took me a grand total of 30 minutes to do all of it. Yay for having the necessary paperwork handy when I did.

Now, I'm sure some of you read the last parts of the previous paragraph and are attempting to call "bullshit" on it. I'm dead serious - that's how long it takes me nowadays. Granted, all I have to look at is a W-2 and the previous year's 1040, but it's just so painstakingly simple, it's hard for me to imagine how anyone dreads this stuff.

Pay close attention to the clock.

For starters, the 2011 taxes lunged at me and I quickly parried with some quick thinking. I went on H&R Block and did my filing there. They offer free federal filing but you have to pay for state form. Not like it matters to me - I get paid tomorrow and I view the state's return as a reimbursement. Since they tell you where to get the information from, it's just a matter of reading your forms and correctly typing out the data. NOT SO DREADFUL.

Pay close attention to the clock. Again.

It had seemed like an eternity had passed before I finished my tax returns. I looked at the time and saw that I had spent roughly half an hour on it. I blinked - that couldn't be right. Was I dead? Was I dreaming? Did I just hallucinate the whole ordeal? I didn't think so. So I looked for the foe that I was fighting earlier. I looked all around, but I couldn't see where the 2011 taxes ran off to.

$1,136 overall? Not bad, not bad.
I guess you could say that... *puts shades on* ...my taxes got audited.

My answer was given to me when I looked down. There lying before me was the corpse of my now-vanquished foe, twitching as its innards of "stolen" cash from my gross income oozed out of its lifeless body. Now, normally I'd be honorable and leave the body alone, or salute the corpse in respect of the valiant fight it gave me. No, not tonight. I was pissed.

...and that's why there's tax entrails all over my room. Totally worth it. The moral of today's story, kids? If you feel like you're such a noob with filing taxes, try H&R block.

(This isn't a plug for them, bee tee dub. I actually like how simple it all is and recommend their services to anyone who finds the whole process of filing taxes to be "arduous" and "taxing." Haha, punny, right?)

Until the 'morrow, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this "heroic" tale!

Entry Time

2012-01-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

Life seems to be going in all directions today. I got good things and bad things occurring. I have fun things and boring things to take care of. More importantly, I'm working tonight, so this should be interesting.

What? Nothing good about today's entry? Well, of course not - I kind of exhausted my writing stores with yesterday's entry, so I'd recommend that you read it in the event that you haven't.

Until the 'morrow, everyone. *begins prepping for the day*

One Thousand Cylinders

2012-01-24T20:28:00.000-08:00

Here's a tip for the people who enjoy life a little too much (and frankly, this applies to just about everyone as well): KEEP ENJOYING LIFE.

If your life happens to crash, though... I don't know how to help.

Oh, and don't fail at life, either. That's also good.

CURRENT MUSIC:
Infected Mushroom - "Herbert the Pervert"
Legend of the Black Shawarma

A seven minute track of nothing but pure energy pumping through it (with an appropriate warm-up phase of forty seconds or so) - I think those are the only words necessary to describe the sound of "Herbert the Pervert."

Infected Mushroom has been mentioned before, and with each of the entries they've been in, I've usually stated how flexible their psychedelic trance music is. This particular track is no exception, as it can back up a heated duel and make it stand out much more than it already did. Of course, while "Herbert the Pervert" (and at least half of Infected Mushroom's discography, really) is suitable for combat scenes in movies, the real part is where you can use the music and apply it to dreams that can be readily achieved in your life.

This track actually has quite a lot of power when used as training music - particularly when you're running. Take it along with you to the gym the next chance you get and see if it steps your game up a bit. If it's able to get me of all people to run around, then I'm sure it'll work for you. (Also, random fact: this will boost your skills if you play as the Terrans. Just thought I'd let you StarCraft and StarCraft II players know.)

Bear McCreary - "Naga Formation"
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs Original Video Game Soundtrack

The title of this particular piece should not be confused with a shortened racial epithet. It should also not be confused with those evil serpent-like beings in Azeroth (and I don't mean those creepy eels, either). Now that that's out of the way...

By now, I'm pretty sure I've made it clear that I'm a Battlestar Galactica fan, and that's partially due to the music. Bear McCreary really knows how to compose awesome things. Anyone who's seen the show or listened to any of his work from Galactica know of this.

So when video game developer Zipper Interactive made SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs, they wanted to bring a sound that wasn't your typical militaristic western orchestra. Their first draft pick? Bear. They brought him in because of the musical styles he used in Galactica - which was made all the more better for them when Bear said he was a SOCOM fan. Mutual win.

When you listen to "Naga Formation," there's a sense of aural déjà vu present - especially if you're fresh off of a Galactica marathon. Deep taiko pulses, gamelan melodies reminiscent of the Sharons' leitmotif - I swear, someone could put this in with a scene from the show and to those who didn't know any better, they'd think it was part of the soundtrack.

While the game apparently wasn't so hot (at least from what I've read), the music more than makes up for it, I'd say. If you're a fan of Battlestar Galactica's music, you should probably give SOCOM 4's soundtrack a shot.

Evening, everybody! How goes it on this fine Tuesday? I sure hope things are grand for you all out there, because if they aren't... well, that just sucks, doesn't it?

Where the Frak You Been, You Lovable Idiot?
(Here? There? Everywhere?)

So some of you may be wondering what's been keeping me from posting anything on here lately. If anyone's been keeping track, the last time I did anything "decent" (well, "decent" by my standards, at least) was last Wednesday when I explained to my confused Facebook friends about the Internet blackout protesting SOPA and PIPA. Since then, it's been a rather bleak streak of "crap" entries where I didn't talk about much, including (in order):

The entries seemed as if I were whisked away to some far-off, magical land where my interest in this blog (and keeping you all entertained) seemed to be at a minimal. While I may present myself to look as if I'm whisked away in CloudCuckooLand, I'm not. I'm never there. Yet, with the past five entries, I've made it look like so.

Besides, it's not as if the gateway to Narnia was right at my doorstep or anything.

Short and sweet as the entries may be (heh, "B"), I had a bit of a problem with them. It wasn't the glaringly obvious fact that they were all short entries - it was the fact that I was highly distracted by some things that are so awesome, their experimentations were worth the procrastination and the "lameness."

I have to share them with you, and now is the perfect opportunity to do so. This is mostly because I've temporarily been able to break free of these activities' grasps.

Revolving Dreams
(Or: Why I love the smell of cordite. (Not really.))

Revolver Ocelot has always been and always will be one of my favorite villains of all time. It's not just because of his rampant Chronic Backstabbing Disorder. It's also not just because I love the Metal Gear Solid series to death.

It's (partially) because his gunspinning skills boost his badassery up to eleven.

"Ocelots are proud creatures. They prefer to hunt alone."
(Picture made by "40swords" and found on deviantArt.)

I've always been fascinated with the art of gunspinning since I was a young tween. When I entered the world of airsofting, I preferred compact weaponry, and that limited me to submachine guns and handguns - and of the two, I would usually arm myself with the latter at all times). In any downtime moment of the fight, I'd twirl the handgun around as if I was one of those old west gunmen trying to impress their opponent.

I was never good at it, but that didn't stop me from trying anyway.

This should be old news to my more dedicated readers - you've probably known this since before I introduced the "Metal Gear" tag on this blog, and you most definitely know about this if you've seen my New Year's resolutions for 2012 and how I want to try cosplaying as Major Ocelot.

Heck, you've probably seen this video already and were probably amazed like I was that Ocelot's in-game gunspinning skills were doable in real life. That just made me dream even more.

And then I went spelunking in my storage unit one day last week and found this little gem:

A Taurus Raging Bull replica.
Yeah: it's falling apart that badly.

Before the idiots who thought I was going to be the next Columbine kid freak out and misconstrue this picture's involvement with my blog, I have to say that it's an AIRSOFT GUN. Y'know: the ones that shoot the plastic BBs? Completely incapable of lethal force unless you're stupid?

*sigh*

It's no Single Action Army, but until I can readily afford replica revolvers (or better yet: the real deal), this baby will have to do.

Anyway, ever since then I've been practicing and practicing, and while I'm nowhere near the skills presented by both the guy in the YouTube video and Ocelot himself, I know that with enough dexterity and determination, I can get my skill level to be on par with them.

*keeps gunspinning*

1000 Blank White Cards
(What other randomness has been occupying my time lately?)

So in between spending time gunning through movies and watching movies of people spinning guns, there have been other things keeping me busily entertained. I've played with Legos, worked on Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, hung out with relatives and friends alike, discovered how one could fuse dodgeball and trampolines together, and have just been enjoying life.

~~IN SPACE!~~ HOWEVER! There was one activity that got a decent amount of attention. It stimulated my creative and devious thinking, and at the same time brought immense fun and joy to those I showed it to. It's given me something to do when I'm watching a movie and I need something as background work. It's gotten me to buy office supplies - something I haven't really touched in years.

Introducing the most insane party game ever to hit the Earth: 1000 Blank White Cards!

Just a few of my many "1000 Blank White Cards" cards! Let me show you them!

To some people, 1000 Blank White Cards sounds a lot like a game of 52 Pickup gone horribly wrong. I'm going to tell you right now that it isn't. Go breathe your sigh of relief.

Introduced to me a couple years ago by a friend from high school, 1000 Blank White Cards was created rather recently (and by that I mean the '70s-'80s). Requiring the most rudimentary tools (lots of writing utensils, lots of paper/index cards, and a LOT of imagination), this game is affordable to just about everyone. The game is highly idiosyncratic in nature, and it can be explained by the two most common rules used by most players:

Players help make a deck by creating their own cards with whatever rule(s) they can think of on them.
They can create as many or as little as they want, but generally it's agreed that the players should at least meet a quota. Once all cards have been made, the cards (along with a couple of blanks and some cards from past games, if any) are shuffled together, and game time begins.
Each player takes turns playing a card.
Some rules have the players be dealt all the cards evenly and each player selects someone to play a card on. Some have the players be dealt a small hand and make them draw a card in addition to selecting a player and dealing a card to them. Other rules just have a central deck that each player draws on for quicker gameplay. Regardless of the play format, things just get interesting. Any blank cards played at this time are treated as wildcards where the player can make up a rule on the spot.

Chaos ensues.

Now that you know how it works, you're probably questioning what exactly can go on a card. Well, that's the beauty of it - pretty much anything is fair game here. While there are various "rules" as to what can be done with the rule(s) written on a card, a substantial amount of the 1000BWK-playing community agree that the best cards usually have the following:

a title (the name of the card)
some kind of description (the "rule(s)" of the card):
1. a command to make someone do something (e.g.: "Do ten push-ups and name an element off the periodic table after each push-up is done.")
2. points (purely decorative, but some people like counting them anyway)
3. a combination of 1 and 2
some kind of accompanying picture (art effort/quality will vary)

The fun part is that since there are a decent amount of people playing (anywhere from 4+, though it's advised to stay around 5-8), everyone is going to have very different ideas, and as such, the cards created by each of the people will range from the typical to the outlandish to stuff that Insanity Wolf wouldn't even touch (...then again, I think Insanity Wolf would go there anyway...).

As to what these rules on the cards can be? Like I said: anything goes. You could be given a card that grants you the freedom to slap another player in the face. You could make a card that has no rule on it. Your friend might write one that tells the recipient that they're a loser and they lose twenty points. You could make a card that forces someone to speak like Arnold Schwarzenegger for the next six turns and also forces them to utter one of his many famous movie quotes whenever they earn any points. You could draw a picture of three pies (and just three pies) and leave it to infinite interpretation if you so wished (I'm supposed to eat a pie? I win three free pies? I have to call someone a "pie?" I get three "pie" points?). You could even make cards that modify other cards - in an example I saw on an online version of 1000BWK, the card arbitrarily affixed the words "OF DOOM" to the end of all subsequent cards' names; any card that made sense with this addition had their effects tripled. It reinforces creativity and makes almost any scenario pretty funny.

As for the points: most people adhere to a (-)1000 limit, but it's up to the players making their cards. Some people have actually made the points count for something. Some award points of fictitious value (I've seen cards like "a Brazillian points" (see the pun?), "40 points and a heart attack," and even "one free train ride to Auschwitz" (ironically favorited by a Jew). Some cards take your points away; others quadruple them... whatever you want. (Personally, I like the (-)1000 limit - makes it easier to act with, though some of my cards do other things - like halve point totals or what not.)

But since most people treat the rules as purely cosmetic parts of the game, that leaves the rest of us with a simple quandary: who wins a game of 1000 Blank White Cards? Well, if you are indeed trying to play for points, then it's obvious that whoever has the most wins (unless there's a card out that modifies how you win with points).

However, the way most people agree on "winning" is the epilogue of the game, when all the cards have been played and everyone's had their gut-busting fill. It's recommended that the group go over all the cards used in the game and then vote to see which ones they keep in "the deck" - or, the pack of cards they'll reuse over and over. The "winner" from this format is usually the person who had a majority of their cards favorited as compared to the other players.

I introduced 1000 Blank White Cards to a group of work friends last week, and although it was met with skepticism, it turned out to be a huge hit. Afterwards I began to slowly come up with ideas for cards and have been making my own deck to use for example games and the "cards previously used" part of the new game deck. As seen with the introductory picture some paragraphs up, I've fashioned quite a lot, and since I said I'd show you what's been keeping me from posting great entries, here's a sample few cards I made and their explanations.

CATS!
Yay!
+200 points (or -1000 if you prefer dogs)

This is the most common kind of card made by 1000BWK first-timers. Points are given; an "explanation" is made, a picture of the card, and that's that.

For The Motherland!
You are now Comrade of glorious Soviet Union!
Da! Now for next five turns, speak with Russian accent and insult those filthy capitalist DOGS!
+200 points for every turned Comrade

"For The Motherland" is one of my favorite cards to make. Since making people do outlandish things (like imitating Russian accents) is one of my hobbies, I figured, "Why not?" As for the points for "every turned Comrade," who knows? Maybe you need to go around with your thick "Russian" accent and try to convince people that Communism is the way to go. Maybe another player drew a card that made them become an overly-patriotic American who hates Russians. Imagine the silliness that could occur if these people were sitting next to each other...

Really a Toaster All Along (SECRET)
"A switch goes off... just like that."
For the remainder of the game, you are a humanoid Cylon agent.
Find a way to "kill off" the humans in your group without getting airlocked!
+500 points per killed human

This card is an example of a house rule I made up: the "secret" card. Upon drawing/receiving one, the player must not reveal the contents of the card in any manner - all the while following the instructions to the letter. These "secret" cards can be inside jokes, references to other things (such as screaming in pain whenever someone says "it"), or anything else you can think of.

Anyway, people like making references to pop culture, and when you play a game of 1000 Blank White Cards, you will eventually come across a card that does. Since I'm a Galactica fan, I figured I'd kill ~~two stones with one bird~~ two birds with one stone and turn a player into a skinjob toaster. Now, how they "kill" the other players is up to them. Some cards have been known to make a game-within-a-game - in that case, they might execute them when a game of Mafia suddenly springs up. Some will secretly pass messages to them announcing their "death" to a Cylon. Who knows?

Ahehehehe... you can count on me to be making more cards and introducing this game to even more people. It's fun, it's great - and when done right, can make save a terrible night and make it a great one.

Who knows? I might show you more silly cards I've made. Heck - I just might make a page for 1000 Blank White Cards!

Well, I'll be seeing ya' 'round. I'm just going to relax and enjoy the rest of my night. So, until the 'morrow, everyone! I hope you enjoyed today's entry, and I most certainly hope that it makes up for the lackluster days that preceded it!

Tomorrow for Sure, Sayeth the B

2012-01-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

Today, not so much. As been noted before, I'm prone to getting easily sidetracked, but at least today I have a valid reason. (Sort of.)

Tomorrow's entry will prove this, and it will be great. You'll see. Until then, I'll leave you with a message that comes from an old street I used to visit a lot when I was a child.

A Cousin to Save the Entry

2012-01-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

Some days, you just have to wonder: what am I going to do... today?

CURRENT MUSIC:
Satoru Kousaki - "Nagato vs Asakura"
The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi Soundtrack 02 & Radio Bangumi 03

Battle music has a way of getting me pumped up and ready to kick some tail - whether it be in a physical fight between me and something I have to get done, or a video game brawl where everything is on the line. Depending on what instruments are used and how fast the tempo is, the music can speak of any situation. It could be an encroaching defeat by one juggernaut of an army. They could be swift strikes that seem to be thrown out effortlessly.

And then there's those pieces that take the entire (fight) scene it's supposed to accompany, deconstruct it, and then aurally rebuild the music so that even if you didn't have the visuals, you could picture what was supposed to be going on. "Nagato vs Asakura" is a prime example - it takes the scene it plays in (warning: spoilers) and meshes it with the sounds quite well. It starts off with a verbal exchange between two opponents (0:00-0:41) that escalates to full-on combat (0:42-1:35). Blows are exchanged until our heroine in question takes a serious hit (1:35) and the villain goes for the coup de grâce after an "I have defeated you" speech (2:01). However, the heroine expected this and reveals that she took precautionary measures in the event of her defeat. As the villain realizes that she'd been had (2:17) she gives off a warning and says that this is not over.

This is how music should be like - if it can tell its own story with just the notes and lyrics alone, then it's done its job.

Hey, all. It's been a while since I've been meaning to post a good entry, but I guess I owe it to y'all to write something somewhat decent. Thing is, there's nothing coming to mind.

So, to mak- *looks behind shoulder* H-Hey! What're you doing with that ba-

*CLUNK!*

Soooooooo, this is Quincee, Josh's little cousin. He is having writer's block right now so I'm taking over.

Not many people know this buuuuuuut Josh is actually a pretty cool person. He is more like my brother than anything, even though we don't see each other too often. He taught me how to play video games like [Super] Mario 64, Star Fox, and Pokémon Snap. He introduced me to Star Wars and anime shows. He gave me my childhood.

It's sad that I don't have much to say about my primo favorito, but that's just life. You can't explain the important things in so few words. Love you, Josh.

...uhng... ...what... happened...? My head feels like shattered glass that's on fire... *looks at his blog* Oh, look: an entry. Uh, thanks, cousin. =D

Well, until the 'morrow, everyone.

Motivationally Speaking: Perfection

2012-01-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

(found at this Distant Horizon forum thread)

Easily Deterred

2012-01-20T21:29:00.000-08:00

I get distracted waaaaaaaaaaaaay too easily. So much for that decent entry that was supposed to be here today.

Ah, well. It'll show up by the weekend; I'm sure. For now I must continue my spree of project-working and movie-watching!

Project Project

2012-01-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be honest here and say that I don't really have much to talk about - today. By this I mean I have the skeleton for a decent entry set up, but I don't feel like working on it and publishing it until mañana. It's not really laziness so much as "I want to add more things to it than planned."

That, and I found some things I want to take care of tonight before my plans kick in. I know, I know - I could do them tomorrow, but waiting for tomorrow to work on some projects just sounds so... boring.

Anywho, until the 'morrow, readers. I'll be seeing ya' 'round.

CENSORED

2012-01-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

I think it's time I give you an informal education about some things that could very well threaten our online lives from here on out... if we don't do anything about it.

Main headlines for today, I'd say. Screw sports and stupid celebrities - this is important.
(Obviously, I didn't make this image.)

Serious mode on.

CURRENT MUSIC:
Saki Haruyama, Yoshihiko Kitamura, and Yoshito Hirano - "Follow Me!"
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

As I've been playing a serious amount of Sacred Stones lately, it would make sense for me to be listening to the game's soundtrack.

Despite being played only once in the early parts game, the track is amazing in how well it captures the tones it needs to play. As Prince Ephraim leads a seemingly foolhardy charge against a well-fortified enemy-occupied stronghold, "Follow Me!" becomes a sort-of triumphant anthem - not just for the spear-wielding prince, but for courage and valor as well. (Which is a good thing, because four against God-knows-how-many in a fortress that belongs to an enemy in a peninsula that's about to be surrounded by the enemy does seem quite foolhardy to begin with.)

Somehow, it fits today's overall mood. As I want people to rally under me as both viewers and supporters, it's an appropriate piece. To think that mere sounds from a Game Boy Advance (or in my case: a 3DS) could register on an aural scale this well...?

Ladies and gentlemen: it's time to get politically opinionated!

As a philomath, I strive to learn about new things for the sake of learning about new things. The quality and content of what I learn can (and most definitely will) vary, but in the end, I still get the pleasure of discovering something that is new to me. As such, the Internet is a very resourceful tool for people like me, who end up being fascinated with link after link that we come across.

Of course, when you put philomaths and the Internet together, a few websites come to mind. One of the big ones? Wikipedia. But as I began typing the original draft of today's entry (which, between you and me, had nothing to do with today's now-revised subject), I came across this:

Bold move, Wikipedia. Bold move.

So I decided to go read some other things. I tried going on Reddit, and I found this:

Huh. Guess I'll have to get my news somewhere else today.

Then I tried to Google the problem, and I found that they've been censored.

Not really. They're just proving a point.

To most people, this may seem inconvenient, but to me, I felt myself smile inside, because I knew what was going on. I decided that instead of rambling on about silly things, I'd inform the people who somehow find my life interesting and come here because of that the stalkers with nothing better to do than read this online journal blog-of-sorts about the reasons behind their blackouts. It's part of an online protest to stop two bills from being approved by Congress: H.R. 3261 and S. 968.

H.R. 3261 - known as the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (or SOPA) - is a bill currently on the floor of the United States House of Representatives that intends "To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes."

S. 968 - known as the "Protect Intellectual Property Act" (or PIPA) - is a sister bill to SOPA that is currently on the floor of the United States Senate. PIPA's intention can be seen in its full name: "Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011."

And we thought S. 978 was a bad piece of legislature...

Can't read the text? Google's offering a .PDF of this image here.

Initially, the proposed bills look as if they're trying to combat online piracy and circumvent other illegal online activities. This would seem like a good thing, but when you start reading all the text and its legal interpretations, you begin to realize things. You begin to realize things that millions of Internet users (myself included) have realized.

1.) SOPA and PIPA are way too open-ended with their wording.
Indeed they are. The way these bills are worded mean that while people maliciously using the Internet can be prosecuted, average people like you and be can be tried just as easily for simply talking about copyrighted content on the web. For instance, say I were to post this image snapshot from the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc. on my blog... like so.

One of my friends says that the little blue monster kid in this scene looks like me. o.O

Now, let's pretend that I made no attempt to say that the photo wasn't mine. Let's also pretend that my sloppy-yet-reasonable "obligatory copyright statement" at the very bottom of my blog wasn't there as well. Under normal circumstances, if Pixar wanted me to remove the image, all they'd have to do is send me a cease-and-desist request and I'd take it down - no harm done, because after all, I didn't give credit.

Now, if SOPA and PIPA were to become law, Pixar (if they wanted to) could very well take legal action against me instead, skipping the cease-and-desist part and going straight for the kill instead. If they were outright pissed, they could even ask the United States government (which I need to remind you consists of people who have no knowledge of how the Internet works) to put my blog on an Internet blacklist of sorts, make websites such as Google delete any and all links to my blog, and even have it deleted from the Internet. And after all that is done, I could be prosecuted and put into prison if Uncle Sam felt like the country needed one less free Filipino.

"Harsh and arbitrary sanctions without due process," indeed.

Sounds ludicrous? Oh, think again. Recently, photographer DJ Schulte found that a photo he took was used on a website without any indication of giving him credit. He stated:

"I switched my images from traditional copyright protection to be protected under the Creative Commons license a few years ago, which simply states that they can use my images as long as they attribute the image to me and do not use it for commercial purposes.

"I do not see anywhere on the screen capture that you have provided that the image was attributed to the source (me). So my conclusion would be that [the website] did improperly use my image. So according to the SOPA bill, should it pass, maybe I could petition the court to take action..."

"An explosion of innovation-killing lawsuits and litigation" - according to nine Democrats (and Ron Paul), this is what would happen if SOPA and PIPA were to go live. They also stated that "SOPA's overly broad language, in its current form, would target legitimate domestic websites, creating significant uncertainty for those in the technology and venture capital industries."

Yes, this means that all those popular videos on YouTube could be removed, leaving it barren with only unoriginal crap that we never watch (and Epic Meal Time) And while proponents of these bills state that user-content sites such as YouTube and Facebook would be relatively unaffected... we know better. I mean, if the above two scenarios were to be possible under SOPA, imagine what would happen if I made a fifteen-minute video blog that had a ten-second clip of The Matrix that I used to illustrate a point...

2.) SOPA and PIPA are violations of the American First Amendment and also damage the dreams of all the future investors the Internet could see in its existence.
Scholars who are well-versed in the First Amendment have stated that putting SOPA and PIPA into law would censor so many people and websites. The Wikimedia Foundation has stated that "If passed, this legislation will harm the free and open Internet and bring about new tools for censorship of international websites inside the United States."

Say I were to post a satirical entry that stated "[INSERT PERSON/ORGANIZATION OF YOUR CHOICE HERE] is/are (an) idiot(s)" and I spent a good half-hour typing my valid reasons why I thought that [INSERT PERSON/ORGANIZATION OF YOUR CHOICE HERE] is/are (an) idiot(s). As stated above, SOPA and PIPA are so loosely-worded that legal actions could be taken over the most trivial of issues. So, if [INSERT PERSON/ORGANIZATION OF YOUR CHOICE HERE] were to get offended over me calling them an idiot, they could have the government force me to take it down.

This sounds like the example I used with Monsters, Inc., but unlike the issue of me using copyrighted material without giving credit, SOPA and PIPA empowers people even more than it should. [INSERT PERSON/ORGANIZATION OF YOUR CHOICE HERE] can now take action and have my satirical piece censored or removed from the Internet... which, last I checked, is a violation of the First Amendment.

When U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) placed a Senate hold on PIPA back in May 2011, he said the following:

"I understand and agree with the goal of the legislation - to protect intellectual property and combat commerce in counterfeit goods - but I am not willing to muzzle speech and stifle innovation and economic growth to achieve this objective. At the expense of legitimate commerce, PIPA’s prescription takes an overreaching approach to policing the Internet when a more balanced and targeted approach would be more effective. The collateral damage of this approach is speech, innovation and the very integrity of the Internet."

Confused about how SOPA and PIPA would affect these "future investors of the Internet?" Well, say you wanted to start a business with selling custom-made flasks to people across the nation. Obviously, this would mean that for maximum effectiveness, you'd want to go online. Right now, you could do that with little worry, but if these bills were to be online, you'd have to worry about someone claiming that your products and website (your whole business, really) wasn't original. Thus, you'd need legal support, but since you're barely starting out, you can't afford the services. As such, you'd probably back out of the venture because some mook out there doesn't like you and has SOPA in their pockets.

Derek Parham, a Silicon Valley investor, made the point even simpler to understand:

"What used to be two guys in a garage coming up with an idea and starting a company is now going to be two guys in a garage with four lawyers behind them - and that's not how the Valley really got started. People shouldn't be fearful of getting sued out of oblivion when they go create a new idea."

So, censorship over minutiae and idea-hampering? Way to ruin the American Dream, fellas.

3.) Look who supports SOPA and PIPA and see if you get as disgusted as I did.
The various organizations that initially spearheaded support for these bills - such as the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America, and Viacom - don't really surprise me. After all, their first business priority is (supposedly) defending the copyrights out there (albeit in a corrupt and money-grubbing manner).

When other companies and organizations began displaying their support - such as NBC Universal, Pfizer, Nike, L'Oreal, the Ford Motor Company, Revlon, and the National Basketball Association - this started becoming more than just people trying to circumvent online piracy. Now it's become a financial bloodbath, with all the big shots ganging up on anyone who threatens or "threatens" their financial security. (Oh, look! In addition to their crappy, gas-guzzling vehicles, I have a newer reason to hate Ford!)

Interesting tidbit: wondering who's against SOPA and PIPA? Google, Yahoo!, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, AOL, eBay, the Mozilla Corporation, Reddit, Kaspersky Lab, the Wikimedia Foundation, Reporters Without Borders, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the ACLU, and Human Rights Watch. Essentially, this could be seen as "Big Corporations vs The Internet" - and since the politicians have these big corporations in their pockets, it can also be seen as heavily one-sided.

My take on all this? The people and organizations supporting these two atrocious bills are doing so for one or more of the following reasons:

They're more interested in preserving their own financial investments first. They're probably thinking, "Do whatever you want so long as I get my money."
- (This can be further boiled down to them translating "copyright protection" as "money-making opportunities." How sickening.)
They're using SOPA and PIPA as a public attention booster shot and actually know very little about the ramifications and repercussions that'll show up if such bills became law.
They're idiotic despots using their financial and/or political power for greed.
- (Now why doesn't that surprise me...?)

What they should do instead is work on the "Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act" (or OPEN Act). Developed as a reaction to SOPA and PIPA, the OPEN Act intends on countering online piracy but in a matter than doesn't screw the average person or organization over - unlike how SOPA and PIPA are worded.

Yes, I'm aware that the OPEN Act is probably still as flawed as its opponents. However, from what I've seen thus far, it handles the electronic security of the Internet a lot better than the opposition.

To prove its point, here's a comparison chart (courtesy of NetCoalition) that sums up the points of these three pieces of legislation and compares them.

Charts. Always fun, always informative. Can also be used to expose constitutional violations.

While the OPEN Act is far from perfect, it fares a lot better than SOPA and PIPA.

If SOPA and PIPA get enacted, all I can say is this: the Internet is FRAKKED.
PLEASE do your part to get these horrible pieces of legislature stopped!

Dreaming Mini-Hero

2012-01-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

You will read this entry. If you don't, we're going to go ahead and execute this random girl we found in Japan. She claims to be some "Moon Princess," so that means she's royalty, and you goody-do-good readers out there like saving royalty.

Thought I was joking, did you?

Oh, we're dead serious. Haha. Get the pun? Get it? *glares* You don't!? *pulls the trigger*

CURRENT MUSIC:
Junichi Masuda - "Burning Battlefield"
Pocket Monsters Sound Anime Collection

Everyone my age (with an approximate three-year divergence) recognizes this track. EVERYONE. If you say you don't, you're only lying to yourself, because aural epicness like this cannot be denied.

For the few people who don't know, this was one of the primary battle themes heard in the first few seasons of the anime adaptation of Pokémon. Whenever things got extremely heated in a match, this music would often accompany the visual firestorm of two Pokémon duking it out.

While its awesomeness is readily apparent in the Pokémon franchise, I'm quite certain it can be used to similar effect outside of the famed series. Just play this as backing music for any high-tension scenario and I'm sure the drama will only increase in a favorable way. Maybe the hero(ine) gets pumped up with a second wind and barrels through the current obstacles in their path. Maybe a montage ends up becoming more dramatic. Heck - maybe that ~~street race~~ nighttime drive you're participating in becomes much, much more intense than normal, giving you the adrenaline rush you need to get to fifth gear and win. Or maybe you're just like me and once in a while, you blare this track instead of the in-game music whenever you're at a boss fight.

Afternoon, everyone! How are my totally awesome ~~stalkers~~ readers on this fine day today? Well, I hope you're doing well, because it's a great day to be well.

Now, if you're reading my blog (and this entry) today because of that threat we made against poor Usagi Tsukino, please don't worry. She's fine and perfectly okay.

Either the force of the suction dart was strong enough to knock Usagi out... or she fainted from the shock of being "shot." Regardless, it's still amusing.

Unconscious, yes... but okay nonetheless. Anyway, let's move on with some stuff I wanted to talk about today!

They say that it's usually difficult to remember your dreams - especially if it's a great one where things just seem too epic for words to describe... or something that you'd swear was so realistic despite the glaring differences between the dream and reality. I had one of those dreams last night.

While it was one of the best dreams I've had the opportunity to live through, it was more of a bittersweet It was great - a lot of happiness was experienced, but then that all changed when the Soviets attacked. The last thing I seemed to remember from my dream was that I was lying in a cot in a military base, relaxing and getting ready to go home when an alarm went off...

...my phone's alarm clock alarm. Whoa. The funny part is that sometimes when people wake up, they start screaming something related to both the dream and what woke them up. I did just that - I jumped up and began getting ready for combat, only to realize that it was just... a dream.

Was it, though? I did have a great many things to do today, and I did most of 'em, so I guess I had to get myself called to action somehow. The alarm worked, but sometimes I wonder if dreams just represent another reality...

And speaking of another reality, here's an epic picture of me in plate mail armor as a knight.

Because someone has to defend the world in an imaginative manner...

Yeah, I got a bit bored and decided to rummage through some of my Lego toys yet again. Suffice to say that I have loads of fun every time I pull them out of the tubs they're in, and I have so many people and pieces I'm surprised I haven't just made a crazy diorama yet. Anyway, I took the one Lego minifig head that resembled me and just decided to stick him in armor, because chicks love armor (plating). =P

Remember these guys? You know you do.

And while I was rummaging through the pieces looking for the right weapons and armor plating to make my Lego self more of an awesome dude, I found some characters that might be familiar to my longtime readers. (Yes, I made Lego versions of them already. I kinda know what I'm doing. =P) Interesting... maybe I should work on this project some more.

Well, that's about it for now. I got work coming up in a bit, so I must be heading off. Until the 'morrow, everyone!

Lost in Funk

2012-01-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

Today has been one of the weirdest days in my life. I feel completely out of it, and I don't even know how to spin my current situation. Don't worry - I'm doing fine. Today's just feeling... funky. (I don't know how else to describe it...)

I'll post something better (and possibly more geekier than normal) tomorrow. For now, you'll just have to make do with a thought-provoking question as provided by Philosoraptor:

Hm. That is a good question...

Hazy Premonition

2012-01-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, something doesn't feel quite right. You get a distant glimpse into the future, and what you see gets you to toss and turn in your bed at night. What I picked up last night when I was tossing about was some wave of dark, hazy energy coming in to wash over us. (And by us, I mean the greater southern California area.) I don't know the magnitude of this force, nor do I know when it's going to hit, but it's on the way.

As Yoda once said, "Hard to see, the future is." Maybe I just had a nightmare and I'm overreacting. Maybe something dark is coming and I've sort of regained my "extrasensory" perception. Maybe it's not as bad as I'm expecting it to be. Maybe I won't be affected by it but some others will. Maybe it'll be the other way around.

Yeah, I know this sounds all dark and everything, but I apologize. As is this a personal journal-ish blog I felt that I had to share my thoughts with everyone and no one at the same time. But in case that got you down, here's some music that'll help you tune yourself to my current emotion: a gambling one. I'm risking myself by saying "bring it on," so...

Yeah... good ol Pokémon. Until the 'morrow, everyone. =D

Submersion

2012-01-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt like something suddenly decided to hold you under? Under pressure, underwater, under the spotlight... under something that made you wonder how things were going to go in the next few moments?

I have. Today's probably the first time this year where I've felt like this.

CURRENT MUSIC:
Namie Amuro - "Hide & Seek"
Play

The opening track to Play definitely captures the feeling that opening tracks should have. It sets the mood and pace and introduces you to what the majority of the album will be like. In this case, "Hide & Seek" opens with a triumphant fanfare and a sound akin to a marching band.

While it's a perfectly danceable song (expect to hear this if I'm in one of those dancing moods at work), it surprisingly makes good usage in a combat sequence. You may notice that there's no link to "Hide & Seek" where I'd normally put one. The World of Warcraft machinima video I've embedded below is the reason why.

See? See how well it works in combat scenarios? (See why Rogues kick ass? =P)

David Arkenstone and Derek Duke - "Depths of Vashj'ir"
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Soundtrack

I found it strange to wake up and look outside... and then without warning, feel as if some idiot just dunked me in a tank full of reality. As that happened, I felt one word could describe my mind's current state of being: underwater.

As that slowly became the primary topic for today's entry, I clashed with WinAmp to find a musical piece that would serve to aurally bring this state of mind to life. My quest of musical accompaniment came to an end once I came across the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Soundtrack.

"Depths of Vashj'ir" is a compilation of the ambient music heard throughout the underwater zone of Vashj'ir. Storywise, you're on a ship en route to a new set of islands that emerged after the Cataclysm when out of nowhere the ship and its crew are practically destroyed as you're knocked unconscious. When you come to, you find yourself underwater in the shipwrecked remains of the boat that was carrying you, where some fellow survivors give you an underwater breathing enchantment and enlist your help in a journey to rescue any other survivors and somehow get rescued.

As you struggle to fend off the many dangers of the oceanic depths, the music heard in this three-plus minute track sounds off. It captures the feeling of an underwater quest quite well - almost as if we were being dragged to various underwater bases of villains and rogue government organizations alike. Cinematographers will find the music in this quite fitting for any underwater segment they may be filming, and those wanting ambient music may find that this matches the feeling of submersion that I'm going through right now.

"For most of my life, one of the persons most baffled by my own work was myself."
- Benoît Mandelbrot

To be honest, I've confused myself more than I confuse others. Half the time I say I get myself, I'm lying. I don't get myself. I don't know why I do what I do nor why I even question why I do what I do, but I do it anyway. I guess I like having fun, and I like working on whatever I like working on (assuming it's something I like working on).

And we wonder where the insanity and the chaos comes from. If I'm confused as to its origins, then maybe we should worry some, eh?

Afternoon, everyone. Welcome to 2012's fourteenth entry of the year.

What it looks like where I'm at right now.

Right now there's a mostly-overcast sky where I'm at. Though it may be dark enough to not get visually stung by the sun, it's bright enough so that you can still look outside and gander if it's going to be a great day.

Normally, an overcast sky like this causes me great discomfort in life. Rain just rains depression down on my mood (both figuratively and literally) while sunshine bolsters my mood with a great amount of sunny optimism. As I look at this sky, however, I can't help but get absorbed in how it seems to be providing neither depression nor happiness. It's as if I woke up and looked outside my window and noticed that I was submerged in some kind of middle emotion.

Yeah, I'm aware that the previous paragraph probably didn't make sense, but to me, it does, and that's all that matters. Maybe it's just the simple fact that my mood's easily swayed by outside factors beyond my control. On sunny days, I feel mentally stronger - that whole "the world is my oyster" mentality becomes the dominant persona. On rainy days, my mental status diminishes greatly - according to my readings: "life sucks." Overcast days don't force my mind down the drain as much, but the fact that there's no beams of light shining down upon us just makes the day seem somewhat glum.

It's weather like this that oftentimes force us to choose how our days are going to be. Like the cliché goes: "Life is what you make it" - and so, too, are the days in each of our lives. So right now, I've had to make a decision as to what Saturday, January 14 will be for me. In the event that you're also asking yourself if it's going to be a great day, then listen to me when I say:

"Yes. Yes, it will be a great day."

Friday the 13th vs Baba O'Riley

2012-01-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

As today is ~~pay day~~ ~~Friday~~ Friday the 13^th, some people will probably be running around like decapitated chickens because of superstition.

Now, I myself am only slightly superstitious. It's not at the point where people can invoke fear of tempting fate in me, but it's at a level where I can feel the effects of the supposed unluckiness that a Friday the 13^th brings. There's this hovering feeling I'm getting around the area right now. It's not really good, but at the same time, it's not bad, either.

So, to help alleviate any stress and fear y'all might have, I present to you: an awesome rock song of epic proportions.

As a sign that today's a great day to be held in high spirits: I found my lost iPod! Wai~!

Rock on and make today something fun instead of something to be feared, everyone!

Writing; Don't Bother

2012-01-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

So today I've decided on updating a few things and ended up spending most of the time writing. It's nice being able to do that, so today's been a good day, I guess.

What I've come up with? You'll just have to tune in tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm gonna go back to writing.

Motivationally Speaking: Leftovers

2012-01-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

Designer Switcheroo

2012-01-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

Some of you might have walked into this blog of mine today and said to yourself, "Hey, is it just me, or does something seem... different?

BEFORE

Indeed, things have been changing. I went from some lame-looking site (not really) with only one boring column of things to look at on the side...

AFTER

...to some other lame-looking site (not really) that was bigger and cooler-looking with two columns - one on each side.

As for the poor chums out there still using something as lame as a 1024x768 resolution, they're just going to have to suck it up. There's even a disclaimer now in the header that advises people to view this site in a better resolution (I recommend any resolution that's at least 1200 pixels wide.

Just thought I'd let y'all know that you aren't hallucinating these changes.

Now if you'll excuse me, I got more site editing to do and more of The IT Crowd to watch. Later, all!

Emblematic Fulfillment

2012-01-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

Wow, did time fly past today. One minute it's 1103... the next, it's almost 1930, and one sunny evening later it was 1600. I think it's time we get cracking on today's entry... and maybe get cracking on answering the question "Does Josh need meds?" for my blatantly-inaccurate telling of time.

Don't you think today flew by fast?

CURRENT MUSIC:
Muse - "Knights of Cydonia"
Black Holes and Revelations

Now this is one awesome song to wake up to in the morning.

As the final track to Black Holes and Revelations, it's a very fitting way to end the album. Who hasn't pictured themselves riding off to some distant place on horseback to fight some kind of injustice with "Knights of Cydonia" playing in the background? Oh, come on - I know I'm not the only one who's done this.

"The time has come to make things right." In a real-life context, I'd say Muse did just that. Considering how their next album would end up being titled The Resistance, that time is now.

*gallops off in horseback*

New Order - "Confusion (Pump Panel Reconstruction Mix)"
(the rest of) New Order

Everyone who's seen Blade knows this song. Correction: everyone knows this song. (No, those sentences shouldn't be reversed.)

Played in the opening scene at the rave, this has (in my opinion) become one of the signature songs for kicking ass in a public setting. This of course, doesn't play when Blade comes in to kill all of the vampires, but it still possess a high energy for it.

Kevin Riepl - "Hyperblast Redux"
Unreal Tournament 2004 Soundtrack

Before I continue, I feel like I should mention that I've never played an Unreal game. I have watched some of my friends play in the past, though, and geez - was this a fast-paced first-person shooter or what? Music like this makes me a bit nostalgic for how things were years back... when LAN parties were still cool and public computer labs occasionally held all-night gaming sessions with friends cracking jokes and headshots alike.

*clears throat* Digressing.

This music from this piece emanates one word, and that word is action. Coincidentally, that's the only word you need to describe what "Hyperblast Redux" sounds like. Obviously, it does the job quite well with shooter games, but it doesn't stop there. Apply this track to any action-y sequence - a high-speed (street) race, a group of covert operatives rapidly sneaking into an enemy stronghold, a melee fight sequence, a tournament montage, and even dynamic and fast-paced cooking shots - and you will be amazed at how well it works.

...if I get a group of people to film me completing parts of Resolutions 9 & 10, we're throwing this piece in as background music. No questions asked.

So, what is there to talk about today, ladies and germs? Well, if yesterday's entry was any indicator, there was to be a bunch of stuff, (supposedly) including (and I quote):

pictures (because let's face it: walls of text are boring)
candy (not as creepy because I don't have a van)
fanservice photography (because all men are perverts)
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones stuff (Amelia FTW!)
other video game stuff (it's not just Sacred Stones I've been playing...)
life in general (as if y'all don't get enough of that already
sneak peeks at some random projects I'm working on (o.O?)
revelations of deep, dark secrets that spell doom (OoO)
ponies (or pwnies... I'm not sure which is better)
foodstuffs (and other related cooking things)
who I am (this may be highly inaccurate)

Of course, by now you've probably realized that not all of this list is going to be featured. Shocker.

But anyway, let's not dilly-dally on what may not be but instead dilly-dally on what is on here. Let's get a fire started!

Subject: "Fire." ~~"Dear Sir stroke Madam: I am writing to inform you of a fire which has broken out of..."~~ ...no, that's too formal. "Dear Sir stroke Madam: Fire, exclamation mark. Fire, exclamation mark. Help me, exclamation mark. 123 Carrendon Road. Looking forward to hearing from you."

No, not that kind of fire!

Taking Levels in Awesomeness: The Fire Emblem Way
(Or: What is Fire Emblem and how overpowered can you get?)

Anyway, speaking of fire, let's talk about Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones for a bit. I am a gamer, after all, and since this blog is about me, I'm allowed to segue into any topic that I want to. In this part of the Internet: I am ~~God~~ ~~Legion for we are many~~ the divine ruler of all! Onward to victory!

(And in case you were wondering: Yes, this is where the "video game" tag gets its chops for today. Sue me.)

Now, not many of you are familiar with the Fire Emblem series of games, and to be honest: I'm not surprised. It's a tactical turn-based RPG that has more popularity in Japan than it does in America, but it's slowly growing. What makes this slightly different (and hence a bit more challenging) than most other RPG games is that once a character's hit points goes down to zero, they're dead. Permanently. This facet of the series usually catches new players quite off-guard and forces them to figure out a proper way to arm and deploy their forces.

But let's not get into the crazy mechanics of this fun game series. Let's just see why I wanted to prattle on about Sacred Stones. As I've been playing this game for some time since I got it via the Ambassador Program, I've been training my characters and making sure they get to be a group of powerful, evil-slaying heroes.

This is especially true for one character in question: Amelia.

Young, naïve, and frail - aren't those bad traits for a soldier?

When you recruit her in the middle of the story, she starts off as a spear-wielding Recruit with next to abysmal stats. While most characters encountered around the same time as her begin with stats anywhere from Level 7 to Level 15, she begins her journey as a "trainee" class - and that means she's at negative Level 10. Having her wield anything but a lightweight lance made her extremely slow and clumsy, and she was so fragile that kerosene-soaked toilet paper acted stronger than she did.

However, if you give her a good amount of attention and get her leveled in a safe manner... she will tear your enemies a new one and laugh. (This is basically true of all the usable characters you encounter in the games, but trainees such as Amelia just take the trope "Took a Level in Badass" to a whole 'nother level.) In the endgame, she has the choice of becoming one of three classes:

General: soldiers with the heaviest armor and the weapon skills to tackle almost any opponent. Great offensive and defensive capabilities at the cost of slow movement and low magical resistance.
Paladin: soldiers on horseback focused on swift, strong attacks. Decent offense and defense with emphasis on movement ability and speed.
Great Knight: armored knights on horseback. Sturdier than Paladins in both offense and defense, but not as swift or as maneuverable.

Regardless of your personal preference, once she gets promoted to one of these classes, she becomes nigh unstoppable. What's even better is that since most of her stat gains seem to make up for every one of her classes' weaknesses.

Not if you have the training to make up for all of that.

The above photo is proof of this. When I first played Sacred Stones years ago I figured out how useful Amelia was (glass cannons in RPGs tend to become winners in the endgame, from what I've seen), I decided to have her promoted to a General. Obviously I've kept that mindset to this day, and last night before I fell asleep, I was able to get the young lance-wielder at the maximum level she could be at. If you feel like making some sense out of the above photo (just so you can see how insanely buff she is), here's what those stats mean:

STRENGTH: (STR) Physical strength. The raw power each character has before adding weapon damage.
SKILL: Weapon skill. How proficient they can wield whatever they use in combat. Affects accuracy and chances of landing a critical hit.
SPEED: (SPD) Combat speed. Determines how many times a character can strike in combat and also affects evasion.
LUCK: Luck. Affects a variety of things, such as evasion, the odds an enemy will land a critical hit, accuracy, and finding buried items in certain environments.
DEFENSE: (DEF) Physical defense. Higher numbers obviously mean less damage taken from physical attacks.
RESISTANCE: (RES) Magical resistance. Lowers the damage taken from magical attacks and decreases the chance to be affected by magical spells.
MOVEMENT: Unit movement. The number indicates how far a character can move under normal settings, barring any hampering terrain. (Each class is pre-set to a certain movement number. Generals by default only get 5 movement, but items do exist that can permanently raise this number...)
CONSTITUTION: (CON) Physical constitution. The higher the number, the easier it is to handle heavier weapons. Also affects the ability to rescue other characters.

The fun part is that when you look at her average stats end-game as a General, you'll notice that she did quite well in keeping with par.

Now, I have a question for you.

Q: Using what you've just learned from the basic descriptions of character stats and the brief description of the General class, can Amelia be considered a one-woman army of roving death?

You know, you probably have to have a high amount of combat proficiency if you're able to twirl a sword like that around like that IN HEAVY ARMOR LIKE THAT.

A: Oh, hell, yes.

And that concludes the video game section. I'm tired of geeking out. (Pfft. As if. =P)

The Other Aspects of Life
(Because video games aren't the only important thing that matter out here.)

I'd say that life's going okay so far in 2012.

Whatever it was that had me roving sick for almost two weeks now seems to be about ninety-three percent gone. An occasional twenty-minute stuffy nose and a random cough here and there are all that remain. As a result, it makes me happy. I can enjoy life much more now! The sun seems warmer... colors seem so brighter! Yay, me! \^o^/

This is what happens when you tell me to make a sammich. It never comes out as ordinary as you'd expect it to be. Never.

I've been experimenting lately with my food - partly for the list of resolutions I have to complete this year, and mostly because I can. I just keep thinking of the question, "How can I make this better?" One addition eventually snowballs into sixty, and I end up with something that either ends up as absolutely delicious or abysmally not-so-ordinary.

Take, for instance, this pseudo-panini I made today. Wheat bread, turkey, a mixture of condiments and spices for a spread, and some maple syrup - all grilled to make a savory sammich of sweet-and-spicy proportions. It's gotten me to wonder what the perfect sandwich spread is. (We'll leave that for another day.)

This photo was taken a few days back. Pictured is what Target calls a "Created Auto-Fill," or a "CAF." It's what the backroom computers tell the storeroom stockers to pull out to the floor because the floor locations are empty.

Work has thankfully slowed down to an almost-laughable standstill. This is great - now the only sources of high octane stress I'll be receiving will be from the normal retail stressors:

corruption with any higher-ups (if any exists)
the occasional guest who just has to be aggressive
that moment of the month where hours are just utter crap, and
the days when people suddenly call out en masse.

While the rush of Fourth Quarter may be over, the following "First Quarter drought" has just begun. Normally, I'd be highly panicked about not having enough hours, but as of right now I'm in a more mellow state. It could be the satisfaction that my sickness is practically gone. It could be because work is no longer going to be as stressing for another nine months. It could be because I'm just in a jolly good mood today, guv'nor. Take your pick. Either way, it's probably a feeling akin to a little girl getting a pony for her birthday - one of elation, glee, and satisfaction.

*reclines back in his chair as he occasionally pops a peanut M&M into his mouth* Ahh... this is a great day. Or night, depending on what time of day you're reading this entry. Now excuse me if I just suddenly run off and play Mario Kart 7.

What's New, Josh?
(What can we expect later on this month?)

Well, we can expect a lot from me, Josh Blanco, the author of this online blog, purveyor of the not-so-common things in life, and an aquaphobe who resents the idea of visiting water parks and swimming pools for recreation. I've been thinking of some things to add on to the blog here, and I've been working on some projects. I don't have them finished yet (as is obvious with the lack of a written project on here today)), but I dare say that you'll see something by the end of the month. I'm cool like that.

However, I should say that the look here may change - albeit in a subtle fashion. It counts as "new," right? Eh? EH? No? Oh, whatever. I'm happy with working on things in secret until I'm ready to reveal them to the world because ~~I'm totally afraid of getting critiqued~~ ~~I don't get enough fans~~ ~~I'm too frakking lazy to actually work on these projects for real~~ I said so.

Well, that's about all the time I can afford on you readers today. Join me tomorrow as I talk to you about... oh, geez, I don't even know what I'll be posting about. It'll be something fun, methinks, but we'll just leave that opinion up to you, eh?

Alright, ciao for now!

Oh, and before we leave today's entry, you might notice that I actually touched base on everything on that list. (I actually did - some were subtly mentioned while others were just blatantly obvious.) Of course, if you look carefully, there's only one thing left for me to cover on the list. So, just so I can say I fulfilled that "fanservice" section and actually complete that list (what), here:

Misato Katsuragi of Neon Genesis Evangelion is a prime example of Ms. Fanservice.

You're happy; admit it. *winks* (I'm not responsible for how much your mileage may vary.)

Until the 'morrow, fair readers!

Punched In Late

2012-01-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

For the first time in what could possibly be "forever," I woke up late today. By that, I mean I woke up past my maximum allotted threshold of 1030. I woke up at 1230ish.

That moment when you die and realize you left the boss with, like, 2HP left.

I totally blame my 3DS and all the entertainment it offers me. =D

Suffice to say: you won't be getting a good quality entry today - that's going to be reserved for tomorrow. I'd post more, but I have work today. So, like I said, you'll see something cool tomorrow. Or Tuesday, but I'd rather it be tomorrow. Okay, I got my mind set. It's tomorrow.

What could be possibly expected on tomorrow's entry? Well, let's take a look at the initial bullet list of ~~crazy plans~~ I have already set up and see if my "something for everyone" theory will be accurate or not. (DISCLAIMER: Everything on this list may or may not show up tomorrow.)

pictures (because let's face it: walls of text are boring)
candy (not as creepy because I don't have a van)
fanservice photography (because all men are perverts)
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones stuff (Amelia FTW!)
other video game stuff (it's not just Sacred Stones I've been playing...)
life in general (as if y'all don't get enough of that already
sneak peeks at some random projects I'm working on (o.O?)
revelations of deep, dark secrets that spell doom (OoO)
ponies (or pwnies... I'm not sure which is better)
foodstuffs (and other related cooking things)
who I am (this may be highly inaccurate)

Yeah, it'll be interesting.

You tell 'em, Retail Robin!

So until then, I'll be at work, where I'm a better parent than 90% of the people who walk in. I'll see y'all mañana!

Oh, and before I forget: there's a movie I think you should take a look at. Pay close attention to the title.

I have never actually seen this movie.

If you frequent the Internets a lot: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA - don't you just hate me?
If you don't get the joke: please read this Wikipedia article and hate me forever for getting you to see the above photo.

Until the 'morrow! *winks mischievously*

Deep-Fried Ice Cream Trip

2012-01-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

I have something to say today.

With today being how today normally is, it would get confusing if I didn't adhere to the norm of today. So, I'm going to stay with today and write you something you'd expect to see today... today. Because the only thing that matches today would be today, but for some reason I don't know where today is, so we'll just have to use a different today as a substitute for today. This will only happen today - I promise you that tomorrow's today will not be like today's.

Okay, that was confusing. I don't even know what I typed up there. That's what happens when you switch your mind to a more autonomous setting and just tell it "write a blog entry."

With yesterday's completely giant entry finally up, it's gotten me some ideas as I figure out how I'm going to trek through 2012. What those ideas are? I don't know yet. I know they exist subconsciously, and I know they're going to surface somewhere soon.

Random aside: yesterday's entry... WIF MOAR NYANCATS! *nyans along*

*clears throat* Digression.

As can probably be picked up already, I don't really have anything to talk about today. Whether that's a good or bad thing can always be interpreted by anyone at will, but we're going to assume it's a decently-normal and okay thing - largely because while the world isn't exploding, the world isn't exploding.

Now, I'm sure you're asking one question: was this entry made on drugs? NO.

Cold, fried goodness.

Rather, it was made while enjoying some tasty tempura ice cream. Yum~!

Resolution Absolution

2012-01-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

Today's a lovely Friday, and as it's the end of the start of the new year, I think it's time I deliver something so large and outrageous it'll take you a good while to read and digest.

I guarantee a great entry today and awesome things to boot - this post took almost a week to make, so consider this a late Christmas present or a belated "Happy New Year" greeting of some kind.

Much, much better than fireworks.

So without further ado, kick off the new year for us, Nyan Cat!

CURRENT MUSIC:
Hideyuki Fukasawa - "Skyscraper Under Construction Stage (North America)"
Super Street Fighter IV Game Music Recording (Fan Soundtrack)

Fast-paced action calls for fast-paced music. More often than not, fighting games can readily be pulled into the audio mix because they are usually fast-paced. "Skyscraper Under Construction" does this well enough to the point where it could also be used as street racing music. (Yes, I've field tested this. Don't ask me when or how. *shifty eyes*)

As I worked on this entry, this played a few times, and it did its job in pumping me up and keeping me alert for all the fast typing I had to pull off whilst making this entry.

Bear McCreary - "Prelude to War"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 Original Soundtrack

Before you ask: yes, this particular piece has been featured on this blog about four times already. Honestly, I don't care. That's what happens when you listen to an amazing soundtrack for the first time after hearing one particular track from the album. "Prelude to War" is that for me and Battlestar Galactica, so that's reason enough for my bias.

I don't think there's a better track from Battlestar Galactica to wake up to. Sure, "Apocalypse, Part I" has a killer sound to it, but it lacks the taiko. Oh, sweet music, the taiko. I don't think you can get a killer pulse that robust and rich anywhere else.

It goes without saying that "Prelude to War" makes for excellent background music for combat (and any of those scenes that serve to heighten the tension before a battle). It also makes for excellent working and/or thinking music - it's helped make typing this entry today much more bearable.

"Fifteen hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat. And fifteen minutes ago, you knew that people were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."
- Agent K
(Men in Black)

Very insightful, really - which says something considering how Men in Black is a sci-fi action/comedy flick. This further proves the adage "you learn something new everyday" and also bolsters the idea of "infinite knowledge." There's just so much information out there on so many differing subjects that everyone can look at... and yet hardly anyone takes the time to grasp that information. Sad, really, but hey - that's "people" for you.

Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to a great entry on The White Knight Chronicles! As always, I'm your host Josh D. Blanco, and I'm here today to talk about stuff... because I can.

As it's been 2012 for nearly six whole days now, I'm sure many of you have gotten sick of hearing other people remark about how it's already 2012. I mean, that's nice and, but I think we're all tired of hearing that. Of course, with me being ~~the same ol' jerkass~~ me, I decided to torment you just a bit more.

Real Life Comics © Greg Dean

2012 has brought to us new changes to the world - mindsets have been altered in many people. Some believe that the apocalypse is going to be occurring at the end of the year and are making amends wherever possible. Some people are wondering what changes in world leadership are going to take place. Despite that, most people are just concerned about themselves and are making plans to make changes to their lives - for better or for worse. They do this in the form of New Year's resolutions, and

So, without further ado, I present:

Josh's New Year's Resolutions - 2012 Edition
(Listed in no particular order whatsoever.)

Go Two Years in a Row on this Blog^{(AF) (EC)}

Write & Complete a New Screenplay

Learn Something on the Piano^{(EC) (LI)}

Begin & Complete the United States Quarters Collections^(LI)

Get Out of the Financial Red & Have $1,000+ in Savings^(EC)

Get/Stay in Shape

Complete a Tuxedo Mask Cosplay Outfit

Complete (50%+ of) a Second Cosplay Outfit^{(EC) (LI)}

Successfully Cook at Least Five Dishes^{(EC) (LI)}

Re-Create Anything Displayed on Epic Meal Time

Overall Objective: Attain a Grade of 90% or Better

Now, I'm very certain that some of you were confused with parts of this list - namely, the little markers at the end of each entry and that "Overall Objective" listed above this sentence. We'll start with the latter, as it's easier to explain.

If we were to take my list of New Year's resolutions and treat it as your average test that was worth 100 points, then each completed resolution would count for 10 points. In the traditional sense, a 90% is an "A" - and since I'm Asian, I can't get anything less than an "A" lest I face the wrath of the parentals. But seeing as how I don't really get along with them, this will instead be a case of (harsh) self-criticism. This means that if I want to be "successful" and happy with myself, I can only get away with missing one question - er, task.

As for the other little notes there attached to some of those entries? Here's what they mean:

AF: "Auto-Fail." Should this resolution fail to be completed, the entire list - no matter how many points are earned - is all for naught. The exercise will be considered as a failure.
EC: "Extra Credit." Resolutions listed with an "(EC)" have the potential for adding additional points to the overall score. Like most extra credit offered in schools, there's no points for partial answers or completions - it's all or nothing.
LI: "List." Any resolution with marked with an "(LI)" has an attached sub-list in the details mentioned below. They could be requirements for a resolution or choices I could make in completing the resolution. Regardless, these lists are important.

Any entry with any footnote(s) will address why they have each note at the end of the spiel I write for each one, so in case you think I'm going on a tangent, I won't be. (Not yet, at least.)

Now that you've been briefed on everything you need to know (about the basics, at least), it's time to take an in-depth look at this gargantuan group of decuplets. (I'd say "dectet," but only one of these tasks is musical in nature.)

1.) Go Two Years in a Row on this Blog^{(AF) (EC)}
(Because one whole year was just a fluke. Anybody could do that.)

As if me bragging about my blog all last year wasn't enough...

This one is self-explanatory. As my readers already know, my one and only resolution last year was to write one entry each day on here last year. As can be seen in the archives (and the personal archives I have stored at home), I achieved that goal.

I figured, "Why not do it again? =D" (And yes, there was a bright smile at the end of that sentence when I thought it up.) I mean, it wasn't that hard (barring those moments of lethargy or those times where I was devoid of Internet access and/or extremely bedridden with sickness). Besides, with something as simple as this spearheading the list, it would make the other nine tasks look easy over time. (That's the theory, at least.)

Now you know why January 1st's entry was titled "All Over Again."

Auto-Fail:
Quite obvious why I'd mark this as the auto-failing task. I mean, considering how updating this blog is quite a simple feat, I would find it impossible for me to even make a half-assed entry. (I've done so on multiple occasions last year, and don't be surprised if I end up doing the same thing a few times this year as well.) However, knowing how life and Murphy's law can be, I will say the following disclaimer that affects both this year and the future: I will actively go to my best effort to post something on this blog on a daily 24-hour period, barring extreme circumstances such as server-side problems (such as Google taking Blogger down for maintenance), legal problems that force me to not be on the Internet (such as being jailed), or medical incapacitation (such as a coma or death).

Extra Credit:
Obviously as time passes I will do everything I can to make this a fun website. I'll soup up the look of the place; I'll use fancy fonts when the time calls for it; I'll throw the occasional poll up. There are times when I'll announce a "project of the month" of sorts or perhaps something even bigger. Mind you, we're not talking about a "month full of nothing but 'Motivationally Speaking' entries" kind of project. Rather, we're talking about a "month of entries with over 1,000 words in them" and "two dissertations a month" kind of bigger. Should I actually follow through with the task in question, it will add an additional 2.5 points to the total score.

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

2.) Write & Complete a New Screenplay
(Heaven forbid I finish an old one. We'll save that for another day.)

When I complete this resolution, someone remind me to photograph it in a manner similar to this.
Angled shots for the win.

As a writer with a hyperactive imagination, one would at first glance assume it's easy for me to come up with ideas. While it is indeed quite easy, the difficult part most people don't see is how to apply said ideas to the page. This has resulted in many a writer (myself included) dumping ideas due to being unable or "unable" to translate their story ideas into a format of their choosing.

I've had this problem ever since I decided on making writing a hobby. It's been a bit of a curse, but at the same time it's been a blessing - it gives me a bit more of a read with ideas that are thrown at me by friends trying to pitch their own ideas for their own projects.

Of course, this means that I've had about several thousand ideas just swirling around in my brain somewhere - all of them possessing a combination of insanity and brilliance. I'm sure one of them would make for a good movie somewhere.

Besides, it's always fun to read a movie. It's even better if it's considered by an actual film group to be made into a movie, but that's just wishful dreaming right there. Regardless, it'll be a fun project - and also a good way to stretch my writing talents again.

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

3.) Learn Something on the Piano^{(EC) (LI)}
(Pianos are a beautiful thing to listen to. Allow me to play you the reasons why.)

If Haruhi is allowed to be a multi-talented jack-of-all-trades of sorts, then so can I.

Out of all the instruments in the world, I think the piano is my favorite. Sure, it could be said that I'm biased because it's the one instrument I have decent skill playing with. It can also be claimed that most musical pieces in the world can be played on a piano in one way or another. While those facts may be so, I also chose the eighty-eight-keyed instrument because of its ability to carry just about any emotion with whatever song or piece it played.

That being said, I think it's about time for me to learn something new on the piano - just because I can. But what could I learn? There's so many songs and pieces I could try picking up, but I decided to settle on just one instrumental piece and one song.

The two finalists in question? Here they are (listed alphabetically by title). Each entrant has both a link to the original audio version on YouTube and an accompanying video featuring someone who's already performed the piece on the piano.

"Battlestar Sonatica" by Bear McCreary
When TV's Battlestar Galactica began to show us the Cylon side of the conflict, there needed to be a theme to represent them. Rather than a big brass band and low strings, we get nothing but a piano. Strangely, it does a much better job than expected - and part of it has to do with Bear McCreary's work. Bear himself even expressed his uncertainty of using this to represent the Cylon side, but we fans found it to match quite perfectly.

There's something hauntingly calm (yeah, not a juxtaposition at all there) about the whole piece - especially when it segues into a variation of Baltar's theme midway through.

"Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi" by ON/OFF
Best known as the first opening theme to Vampire Knight. While I haven't seen the series in its entirety, I know I have to finish it. For one: it's anime, and I like anime. Two: I actually like it (and that's partly because the vampires don't frakkin' sparkle).

And most importantly, three: "Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi" has a beautiful sound to it. You can hear tragedy, sin, depression, and romantic emotions all wrapped up and packaged in a Japanese pop song that just plays harmoniously.

It also helps that this is, like, the one Japanese song I want to learn the lyrics to. From what I've tested in private, I can match the pitch quite well, and with a bit of training, I can probably belt this out while driving down the freeway or putting things away at work. Or if I become awesome: sing this while playing it on the piano.

I don't know how long it'd take for me to learn any one song. It takes a decent amount of practice and dedication to stick it through - like say, a month-and-a-half or so. However, with me getting sidetracked and bored all too easily, this actually will prove to be quite a challenge. Fortunately for me (and my supposed ADHD), I decided to make this a bit simpler for myself by saying that I'd only pick one piece. But God knows how long it would take for me to learn it...!

Extra Credit:
An additional 2.5 points will be added to the total score if both musical pieces are learned.

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

4.) Begin & Complete the United States Quarters Collections^(LI)
(Money to be saved and not used as money? What manner of sorcery is this!?)

These aren't the quarters I'm looking for.

I'm a collector. I collect a lot of things. Whether it be autographs and posters that represent my younger days and my present ones alike, (children's) trading cards, or even Pokémon, I just have this insatiable urge to have things.

This includes the state quarters. Back in 1999 when the U.S. government launched the program, I got a bit excited. Sure, they wouldn't amount to much - after all, we're talking about $12.50 in change here - but the fact that each and every state would be featured made it interesting for collectors all over.

I once had a collection, but it was devoured by the ever-hungry form of reality. One day last year I found myself with a huge pile of laundry and absolutely no cash to spend at the laundromat. I like wearing clean clothes, because wearing dirty ones just makes me feel gross. So out of desperation, I broke the container containing the state quarter collection I owned and used what I had (I had about 37 of them at the time).

Now, I have to rebuild that collection from scratch. Since the U.S. government is continuing its quarters campaign with America the Beautiful, I figured a good way to do this would be to get the quarters from the prior series:

This is probably going to be the simplest to complete in terms of difficulty. In terms of availability, however, this may prove to be a challenge, as I've rarely come across newer state quarters even though I'm at a register for a considerable amount of time.

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

5.) Get Out of the Financial Red & Have $1,000+ in Savings^(EC)
("How!? How did I spend that much money!?")

I don't want my financial security to end up like Terry Benedict's vault.

It goes without saying that these are dark financial times. Prices of gas are still high; real estate's gone downhill; the poor are selling their firstborn children to pay for gas; celebrities can no longer afford their multi-million-dollar botox treatments. Just horrible.

Of course, it also goes without saying that since I'm a twenty-something without a silver spoon in my mouth, I'm also flat broke. So broke that I'm in the red, but that's nothing new. We've all been in the red at some point in our lives, so no need to get worried there.

So, it'd be nice if I could at least turn my financial situation around. It'd make things a lot more bearable and at the same time would provide me with stable footing to carry on with life. And while I'm at it, some financial security of some kind would be nice.

To be honest, I think this is going to be the most likely task to fail, just because of how crappy the economy is. Hours get cut; I don't get paid much; I get driven to live from paycheck to paycheck despite how much I hate it. This means that I have to work extra-hard on the other nine tasks, huh? =D

Extra Credit:
An additional 2.5 points will be added for each additional $500 in savings.

Maximum of 5 extra credit points.

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

6.) Get/Stay in Shape
(This actually has more positive results than just "get to live longer.")

Iroh's not doing push-ups - he's pushing the world down.

I don't like how I look. I'm overweight, not as energetic as I once was, and probably in dire need of a medical checkup. It's just downright despicable - and it only gets worse when I'm lamenting about something and I turn to glance at the mirror. I catch my physical self and realize how pitiful I appear to be.

I want to change that. And when I do get in shape (because it will happen), I'm going to do everything in my power to maintain that healthy state, because being in shape means I have a higher chance of being awesome.

There's a lot of reasons why I want to do this. It's not just because I don't like how I look anymore. There's a lot more. The benefits will just have to be discovered on your own time, because revealing them would just seem wrong for you.

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

7.) Complete a Tuxedo Mask Cosplay Outfit
(See? Here's a reason why I want Resolution #6 to succeed!)

"Tuxedo Kamen!" (Yeah, still watching the Japanese version.)
(Picture made by "NotThePornStar" and found on DeviantArt.)

As I was first introduced to the world of anime at a time when Toonami just started, Sailor Moon became one of the first series that grabbed my attention - at least in a subconscious level. Years later we find ourselves in the present day, where I'm watching the magical girl series on my own volition as opposed to watching it out of boredom because Dragon Ball Z aired afterwards.

Digressing. Tuxedo Mask has been a pretty cool character of the series, and as the only significant male character, he kind of stands out amongst a sea of women.

Now, I want to cosplay as him. It'd be great to wear this at a convention. To non-anime people, they'd think I'm doing some kind of traditional masquerade and stand back to observe the formality. To those in the know, they'd sit there and be awe-struck (and if they're evil, they'd also receive roses in the face). To the fangirls, they'd squee and probably glomp me once they were in range. *winks*

Besides, since I work Security for Pacific Media Expo, it'd be perfect - I'd get to stop evil in its tracks!

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

8.) Complete (50%+ of) a Second Cosplay Outfit^{(EC) (LI)}
("I'm a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude!")

Metal Gear Solid cosplay! SQUEE~!
From left to right: Naked Snake, Naked Snake (w/ "Zombie" face paint), Otacon, Meryl Silverburgh, Naked Snake, Big Boss

While Tuxedo Mask is on the priority list of cosplay projects I want to get off the ground, there are a myriad of other ideas as well. Here's each of the characters, a picture to go along with each one, and my reasons why I'd want to do it. (Cosplay ideas listed alphabetically and sorted alphabetically with their associated franchise.)

Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Dai Li Agent

"Those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions."
- Joo Dee (Avatar: The Last Airbender S2E14: "City of Walls and Secrets")

The Dai Li are known throughout the Avatar community as some of the most elite Earthbenders ever. Charged with protecting the peace and order within Ba Sing Se, the secret police of sorts makes sure nobody knows anything of the hundred-year war with the Fire Nation. In combat, they're quite mobile and adept at incapacitation.

They have some of the coolest-looking outfits in the series, and to top it off they have those hats. THOSE HATS. You rarely see their eyes, and that's never a good sign to see from your opponent. It just makes 'em more awesome.

- Fire Nation Imperial Guard

"Hi. I'm Quin Lee. I work up in Communications."

The Fire Nation's Imperial Guard are the best of the best. They're the Firebenders charged with defending the Fire Lord and anyone else in the royal family.

Out of all the generic warrior uniforms in the Avatar, theirs looks the best. While the Dai Li's uniform represents awesomeness through simplicity, the Imperial Guards' polished, faceless look just takes the cake. Plus it's lightweight enough for them to walk around casually and limber enough for them to firebend with little to no error.

Plus, they're firebenders. Firebenders are awesome. Enough said.

- Foaming Mouth Guy

He may just be a bit character, but he's the greatest bit character ever.

And speaking of frosting, let's talk about frothing. If you're unfamiliar with the series, this is a picture of Foaming Mouth Guy. (He's got other fan-given nicknames, but "Foaming Mouth Guy" seems to be the most well-known. A bit character who was there to over-exaggerate his excitement over meeting the Avatar, his trademark act is to jump up and down in celebration and make equally-excited sounds... and suddenly foam up in the mouth and fall unconscious. (SPOILER: IT'S ALL JUST AN ACT.) In the brief six seconds he appears in during the fourth episode, he generated so many laughs and supporters that he showed up a second time.

Too... awesome... for words. Shame there aren't many cosplayers for him. I should change that.

Battlestar Galactica
- Colonial Fleet Crewman (Flight Crew Uniform)

Orange and yellow never looked so cool together until now.

As Galactica is pretty much an armed aircraft carrier IN SPACE, there needs to be a flight deck crew of some kind. These knuckledraggers end up being that crew, and they have the uniforms and the pockets to hold their stuff in check.

They're awesome, but not as awesome as some of the other outfits in the show.

- Colonial Marine (Combat Uniform)

Aw, frak; someone beat me to it already!

And since the Galactica is an armed aircraft carrier IN SPACE, that means it needs to possess an internal security force of some kind, either to be used as ground assault troops or to repel any enemy boarders. The Colonial Marine Corps do just that, and they have the combat uniforms to make sure they are prepared to face whatever threat - human or Cylon - that comes their way.

That being said, this means that I need a Beretta Cx4 Storm or an airsoft replica. Yay for firearms!

- Colonial Officer (Full Lieutenant)

Two of my favorite Colonial Fleet Officers, "Athena" and "Helo."

The Colonial Fleet has one standard uniform, which seems pretty reminiscent of uniforms from the American Civil War. Whatever the origins may be, you have to admit they look pretty darn spiffy.

Of course, the price of spiffiness is pretty high as can be indicated by ANOVOS' prices for their top-quality merch. (As I said: top-quality merch, so the price is justifiable.) This means I need to find something somewhere else (unless I were to win the lottery).

- Cylon Centurion (Original Model)

BY YOUR COMMAND.

The original Cylon Centurions were created by man. They rebelled. They evolved. But they still don't look like us - instead they resemble the original Centurions from the original Battlestar Galactica. It'd be interesting to see what would happen if I were to cosplay as a Cylon. Would I end up siding with the toasters? Would a real human kill me out of rage? I just don't know.

Code Geass
- Zero

"Those with power: fear us! Those without power: seek us! OBEY ME, WORLD!"

Code Geass has been quite influential in my anime-watching experience. A mecha series with elements of comedy, world domination, drama, tension, death, and just about every other thing I can think of? Man.

Lelouch's alter-ego, Zero, is the leader of the resistance organization known as the Black Knights. Using his sharp mind and his skills of manipulation (as well as his Geass ability), he seeks to free ~~Area 11~~ Japan from its Britannian occupiers.

That outfit is just so cool. The cape, the uniform, the helmet... THE HELMET...

Counter-Strike
- Leet Krew

I pressed "2."

This comes from my days of growing up with Counter-Strike on my laptop. I would play a lot in the weekends, and apparently I was a decent player online.

But which side did I play on the most? Usually, the Terrorists - mostly because they didn't have to pay as much for their equipment (I usually ran with the Galil) and only had to plant the bomb.

The Leet Krew is one of four player skins you can choose to be when you spawn as a Terrorist. Cosplaying this is actually quite simple. Khaki pants, green jacket, ammo and pistol holsters, sunglasses, and a Bluetooth headset. Maybe I should don this one.

- Phoenix Connexion (1.6 Outfit)

I pressed "1."

This was the Terrorist model I ran the most games with. Simple, efficient, and recognizable out-of-game if I were to cosplay. (I just need a MAC-10, because for some reason most MAC-10 users used this skin.)

Another player-selectable skin was the Phoenix Connexion. A little more work is required for this one due to the rarity of arctic-themed tiger stripe camouflage and a decent combat vest, but it shouldn't prove to be too difficult to obtain.

Fullmetal Alchemist
- Amestris Officer

The crazy thing about their uniforms? They might look like dress uniforms, but those are just their service uniforms.

As Fullmetal Alchemist (the original series) was the first anime I saw and completed, I think I owe it to them to cosplay as something from the alchemical series. At first, I thought I'd be Colonel Roy Mustang, but I've yet to learn how to conjure sparks in my fingertips. (Plus, I'm not sure if I'm tall enough.) But then I realized, "Hey, how about if I just be my own officer?"

Light bulb.

I don't know what rank I'd be, but just so people have to address me as "Sir," I'd probably make myself a full Lieutenant or something.

The Matrix
- Agent

"One of these lives has a future. The other does not."

Making an outfit like this would actually be pretty cool in my opinion, and it'd be even better if I made one so I could wear it while working as PMX Security. Here's my reasons why:

I look like actual security. 'Nuff said.
The Desert Eagle. Until I learned to like the SIG P228 in Counter-Strike, the Desert Eagle was my mainstay pistol. It'd be fun to actually have a reason to own a Desert Eagle, because in real life I wouldn't want one.
I can chase after any dissonant fools and redpills alike.

This cosplay is the key - my key. Heh.

Metal Gear Solid
- Genome Soldier (Arctic Variant)

Of course, since we're getting into the whole "generic bad guy" costume idea area, I figured I could cosplay as one of the many mooks from my all-time favorite game series, Metal Gear Solid.

Ah, the Genome Soldier. Many fans of the game series (and many gamers in general) recognize these guys. Now, imagine me working Security. I can see so many silly events happening. For example:

* HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO *

Josh is standing guard somewhere, dressed up as a Genome Soldier. A knock suddenly rings out around the corner.

JOSH: Huh? What was that noise? *walks over to investigate*

As Josh walks away to check, a sneaky con-goer snickers and sneaks inside.

* END HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO *

I wouldn't actually leave my post, but GOD, it would just make the day so much more entertaining.

- Gurlukovich Mercenary Unit Grunt

*Russian accent* "What was that just now?"

The Gurlukovich Mercenaries were the primary soldiers you ran into during the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and as such, they're almost as recognizable as the Genome Soldiers.

Now, my problem with this outfit is that I want it to match exactly what I see on the screen. A few cosplayers have done that (or gotten considerably close), and to not have it match seems to be a travesty. So how is this a problem? Well, when you try looking up that particular kind of camouflage they're wearing, nothing comes up at all. Something tells me that it might be fictitious, which means I'll probably be scouring the Earth and the Internet for the closest match-up possible for a long time. The rest of the equipment (minus a customized AKs-74u and those goggles) shouldn't be much of a problem.

- Johnny Sasaki (MGS4)

Johnny "Akiba" Sasaki: resident butt monkey of Guns of the Patriots.

People who've played through Guns of the Patriots are probably asking, "Why Johnny? Why?" Well, let's see (all spoilers covered):

He gets a level in badass at the end of the game.
Primary weapon of choice? An M82A2 that he wields LIKE A BOSS.
I'm drawn to comic relief characters. *shrugs*
He gets the girl. And not just any girl - MERYL.

I don't think I need any other reasons than those. Not only that, but his outfit's pretty cool. I mean, a wrist keyboard to (de)activate electronic stuff and type other things in? And a legitimate reason to buy an airsoft version of the XM8? Sweet.

Now all I need to do is get that "pretty boy" look down and bleach my hair and I'll be good as gold. Minus the bowel movements... squick.

- Major Ocelot

"That's Major Ocelot to you."

Ocelot has always been one of my favorite Metal Gear Solid characters, and when I saw him in action when he was younger, he skyrocketed up in my popularity list even more.

Why? Well, not only did he sport a snazzy GRU outfit, but he was portrayed as even more of a badass gunspinner than we already knew him for. (And yes, it is possible to emulate his skill. It just takes lots (and I mean LOTS) of practice.) If I end up dressing up as Major Ocelot, I don't think I'll go out in public until I master some gunspinning of my own.

To those people who always wondered why I wanted to get a bunch of Single Action Army (replicas): now you can see why. *hand gestures*

- Ocelot Unit Grunt

In fiction, the GRU had a special force called the Ocelot Unit. Y'know: these guys. *points up*

While Ocelot's pretty much recongized by Metal Gear fans all over, his lackeys also get some recognition, and that's probably because of the uniforms. Black and crimson... now, that's a combination right there. Despite how bad the Soviet Union's policies were, you have to admit they gave some pretty cool uniforms out to the troops.

Besides, it'd make for some seriously fun cosplay scenarios in conventions if I were to run across Naked Snake. I'm bound to run into at least one Snake cosplayer each year, so we might as well have some fun and weed him out at the convention in style.

Plus, the uniforms. I don't care if I mentioned 'em already. The color combination's that cool.

- Pieuvre Armement PMC Soldier

"Arms of the octopus, arms for your war."

Fictional French-based private military company (PMC) Pieuvre Armement found themselves on this list because their outfits can serve a dual purpose. While I can cosplay as a PMC soldier (and thus have rights to "open fire" on any Metal Gear Solid cosplayer), it also serves as an effective combat uniform for airsoft and/or paintball matches.

The uniform's color-coordinated (shades of green), but I just don't like how they don't wear helmets. That's like inviting bullets and shrapnel to say "hello" to your brain matter...

- Praying Mantis PMC Solider

"A sense of duty when the risks run high."

The reasons I listed for Pieuvre Armement pretty much apply to the fictional British-based PMC Praying Mantis. Unlike Pieuvre Armement, Praying Mantis has a higher chance of being selected for cosplay for the following reasons:

Unlike their chums at Pieuvre, they have helmets. (Well, most of them, anyway.)
They have a bit of variety with their outfit choice.

By the latter point, I mean that depending on what they do, their headgear actually differentiates. Using the picture above as an example, if I wanted to portray a frontline Praying Mantis PMC soldier, I'd equip myself with an FN SCAR-H and wear a kevlar helmet. Conversely, if I were to portray a support soldier (designated marksman, squad commander, etc.) I'd equip myself with an appropriate firearm (such as a Mk 14 EBR if I was a designated marksman) and a cap. Yay, cap.

Pokémon
- Team Rocket Grunt

"Prepare for trouble!" "And make it double!"

Hehehehe... imagine me cosplaying as your average Team Rocket grunt. Except unlike most grunts, I can actually kick your ass and steal your Pokémon in one swift stroke.

Okay, not really, but imagine a Team Rocket grunt working security detail. Yeah. Can't picture it, huh? Well, then maybe I should get a picture of me doing that in November... after I steal all the Pokémon.

Star Wars
- Commander Gree

A redeeming factor in Revenge of the Sith was that the Phase II armor the clone troopers wore were customized by each unit - either because their environment or role demanded it... or because they wanted to look cool.
Commander Gree did it for both.

For those of you who've watched Revenge of the Sith, Commander Gree should look familiar. He's the clone commander working with Yoda in Kashyyyk with that oh-so-recognizable green visor. I know - he and one of his aides gets beheaded by Yoda, but still.

Some of you might be asking yourself, "But Josh, I thought you said you hated the Star Wars prequels?" My response to you is to look again at that section - I actually cited Gree's armor as one of the only things I remembered about the third episode.

Look at him. The top may be all customized clone trooper, but the bottom for some reason screams iron-willed soldier of death. This is going to sound weird, but I liken his uniform and his cold efficiency (or at least THOSE BOOTS) to the boots worn by the Waffen-SS. Weird comparison, I know. Though the SS was probably the most atrocious organization of all time, you have to admit they carried with them a sense of fashionable style.

Two more words: 'DAT VISOR.

- Stormtrooper

When not defending the Empire from the Rebel Alliance, some troopers like to relax with a ton of anime.
Danny Choo would know.

The Stormtrooper Corps have long been considered some of the best soldiers in the Galactic Empire. Despite how inaccurate they are in the film series, they are crack shots who would've easily killed Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, and company had they not been main characters in a movie.

Anyway, Stormtroopers are just awesome. I don't know if there's a better bunch of henchmen that could be recognized worldwide than the common Stormtrooper. Of course, if I were to make the armor, it'd run a rather hefty bill if I'm going to use quality products. And let's not forget about the training they have to go through... =P

Team Fortress 2
- Soldier (any team)

"'If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight!' Sun Tzu said that, and I'd say he knows a nickel more about fighting than you do, pal, because he invented it - and then he perfected it so that no living man could best him in the ring of honor! Then he used his fight money to buy two of every animal on Earth. And then he herded them onto a boat, and then he beat the crap out of every single one. And from that day forward, any time a bunch of animals are together in one place, it's called a zoo!"

"Though he wanted desperately to fight in World War 2, the Soldier was rejected from every branch of the U.S. military. Undaunted, he bought his own ticket to Europe. After arriving and finally locating Poland, the Soldier taught himself how to load and fire a variety of weapons before embarking on a Nazi killing spree for which he was awarded several medals that he designed and made himself. His rampage ended immediately upon hearing about the end of the war in 1949."

To be honest, I don't think I could come up with a better or more hilarious description for what could be the most faithful patriot from America's heartland. Go, Valve.

- Spy (any team)

"Gentlemen."

"He is a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in riddles, lovingly sprinkled with intrigue, express mailed to Mystery, Alaska, and LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU! but it is too late. You're dead. For he is the Spy - globetrotting rogue, lady killer (metaphorically) and mankiller (for real)."

Great. Now we need a Spy check.

Since the launch of Team Fortress 2 I've seen the occasional cosplayer at Pacific Media Expo, and without fail the one class I spot each time... is a Spy. Granted, they're often in disguise, so I can't really tell which team they're on... especially if they're in disguise as another Spy...

Valkyria Chronicles
- East Europan Imperial Alliance Soldier

They're lined up and firing. Makes me wonder who's getting executed.

Part of the reasons I liked Valkyria Chronicles included the uniforms which both warring factions wore. For now, let's focus on the East Europan Imperial Alliance's - the Empire's.

As can be seen from the anime adaptation of Valkyria Chronicles, the infantry of the Empire wore armor akin to that of plate mail. It was probably lightweight and strong enough to deflect very weak calibers (but obviously thin enough for standard battle rifles to penetrate). It carried with it a look that spelled "modernized medieval soldier," and that right there is pretty cool.

Of course, this would spell doom for me if I were to encounter a Gallian...

- Gallian Soldier

Corporal Brigitte "Rosie" Stark and Sergeant Largo Potter of the Squad 7 Militia.
If you don't like them and use them in-game, you should be ashamed.

When you look up "Valkyria Chronicles cosplay" on Google's image search, the first things you'll see being portrayed are the Gallian infantry and more Gallian infantry. Sure, there might be a Selvaria cosplayer here and there, but the vast majority is going to be hailing from Gallia.

And why not? They're the protagonist country for the three Valkyria Chronicles games out there (you have to be if you entered the war as a neutral state), and they have pretty nice uniforms. Sure, they're probably not the greatest thing to wear in non-urban environments (blue against a desert... yeah, you're gonna get spotted), but it's the uniform's beauty and decoration that count.

As for me, I'm not sure if I would portray anyone in Squad 7 directly - maybe I'd be in another squad or maybe instead of being a militia soldier, I dress up as a regular Gallian army soldier. The primary difference would be the darker shade of blue as opposed to the militia's lighter shade.

Quite interesting, indeed.

Warcraft
- Stormwind Royal Guard

Great role-playing armor, both in-game and in real life!

Delving into metallic mail armor, I think there'd be only one choice for me if I were to do this: the Stormwind Royal Guard.

Yeah, I know - I'd probably get (death) glares from about 85% of people who see me in it, but for the 15% who are closet Alliance players, they'll cheer. (This would be especially true if I were to go to BlizzCon with this on.)

Of course, getting the metal for this would be insanely difficult to get and forge, but this is why it's on here - it'd make for a fun challenge.

Misc.
- Green Army Man

It's like if World War II were to meet Sarge from Toy Story.

Before I finished making this list, I thought to myself, "What would happen if I were to find something new that I've never seen before as a cosplay outfit?" Google answered my question in an image search when I found the above photograph.

WOW.

This is just too awesome for words. I mean, you can make yourself pose to be just about anything - that guy throwing the grenade, the guy in prone position lining his sights up, someone wading through the water, a dude at attention... the ideas are limitless.

Someone get me some green spray paint!

So many ideas... so little time to make the outfits. Who to be, who to be...?

Extra Credit:
An additional 5 points will be added to the total score if the second cosplay outfit is actually completed 100%. For each additional completed outfit afterwards, an additional 2.5 points will be added to the total score.
Maximum of 10 extra credit points.

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

9.) Successfully Cook at Least Five Dishes^{(EC) (LI)}
(There's many ways to get to a person's heart. For this resolution, we're going to focus on food.)

One of the best ways to tell if someone loves you (or at least likes you a whole lot)?
They cook something for you without asking.
(The more it tastes terrible, the more they tried. Give 'em some credit.)

In case you're a new person out here in these parts, I like cooking. It's fun; it gives you something to do to ease any cases of boredom you might have; it prepares breakfast, lunch, dinner, and/or your fourthmeal. Now, I'm no expert at it, but whenever I cook, I cook gooooooooood. (I'm going to improve later on - believe it.)

However, at this moment there's not much to my repertoire - as of 05 JAN 2012, there's only three recipes to be found on this blog:

I have the urge to change that, and I think learning how to cook something tasty will be advantageous in many ways. I get more things to add under my belt. I get cooking skills. I get more points with the ladies, because ladies love guys who can cook. I get even more awesome. Take your pick.

And speaking of pick, I came up with a list of dishes I'd like to learn about a few months before the new year started. Of this list, all I have to do is successfully cook five of these at least once within 2012 to consider this resolution passed.

If anyone would like to contribute their cooking skills or score a free lunch/dinner from this, let me know. It'll be a win/win for all of us.

al Pastor

Known as "shepherd's style" in Mexico, this method of marinating and slow-roasting pork leaves me salivating every time I eat it. Some people usually judge a restaurant they visit for the first time by picking a dish traditionally considered as a favorite in other locations.

For me and Mexican eateries, that's anything involving burritos al pastor. It's quite tasty, and I'm quite sure you'd like it, too (assuming you're not vegetarian or a hardcore Jew).

Bibingka

Bibingka is a Filipino dessert commonly seen during the Christmas season, though it can be enjoyed anytime throughout the year. A spongy kind of rice cake, it combines sweet flavors and makes for a nice dessert.

Now, I've never been able to bake. It's why I prefer stovetop cooking as opposed to oven cooking - I have complete control over what's going on in the stove, whereas with baking I have to let it stay its course in the oven and pray it goes alright. This might help my cooking skill by teaching me how to bake...

The variant I grew up with as a child typically involved using brown sugar and (cream) cheese, so I'll be emulating that when I attempt to cook this.

Black Forest Cake

The Americanized translation and variant of Germany's Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte ("Black Forest cherry torte"), black forest cake is a multi-layered chocolate cake with cherries and whipped cream between each cake layer. It's a very delicious dessert and is one of my personal favorite things to eat to finish off a meal.

Now, if I prepare this one, I'll be doing it the German way - that is, I'll be using Kirschwasser. German culture apparently dictates that a black forest cake cannot be referred to as such if it lacks Kirsch, so to respect them, I'm going to abide by their rules.

Cheesecake

A classic dessert right here that needs no explanation. Expect me to go off on a whim and use a regional variant or even a hybrid creation.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

A recently-forged dish where chicken is wrapped around some pork (usually ham or prosciutto) and cheese and then fried. It has quite an interesting flavor to it, and that's what I like. I'm not much of an expert to cooking poultry just yet (much less frying anything), so this may be a bit tricky for me. Still, what better way to learn, right?

Curry Ramen

This dish combines two of my favorite things from Japanese cuisine: Japanese-style curry and ramen. There's so many ways to prepare this, so expect something interesting when this gets crafted.

Cylon Shooter

Shown as a one-off special during the early days of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Grace Park introduced to us fans of the show a drink that helps takes the edge off. Sounds quite interesting. I know that if I ever have a "Battlestar Galactica marathon" night, I might want to make it interesting, so I should learn how to make this so I can take shots in the Battlestar Galactica drinking game.

Deep-Fried Twinkie

Conceived in a state fair, this undeniably-delicious variant on the popular snack cake proves to be an interesting challenge for this year's cooking requirement on my resolutions. This carnival staple is just bound to win people over if I ever learn how to cook this.

Filipino-style Barbecue Chicken

Every country that possesses both chickens and a method of barbecuing will have their own regional variant of cooking chicken via barbecue. The Philippines are one of those countries, and with their variant comes a delectably sweet, salty, and spicy variant that - when cooked right - will have everyone rushing back for seconds.

My goal - if I choose to cook this - will be to emulate my ethnic homeland's style of barbecue chicken and locking in that amazing flavor in each and every bite.

Green Bean Casserole

A classic around the American dinner table during Thanksgiving and Christmas, the green bean casserole is a relatively easy dish to create. The main ingredients are simple and include green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and French onions. It's a nice and filling comfort food that is vegetarian-friendly and (from what I've witnessed) is seldom refused at the table.

Now, when I prepare this, I'm going to challenge myself by using fresh ingredients as opposed to the canned and pre-prepped containers that most people use to create this. I have a feeling that when I do, it's going to make people who've grown to think of green bean casseroles as "eh" to reconsider their opinions when they have a variant made from scratch.

In-N-Out-style Animal Fries

In-N-Out's not-so-secret secret menu features "Animal-style fries," which are fries covered with melted cheese, spread similar to Thousand Island, and chopped grilled onions. Whenever I go to In-N-Out, I always (and I mean always) get these without question. They're that good.

And now I want to make the awesome side dish at home so I don't have to drive out and waste precious gas to get the same flavor.

Jambalaya

Some of you may be unaware that I used to live in Georgia when I was young. No kidding. I was an Asian Southerner for three years. While there I grew to love the hearty Southern and Creole cuisine that was readily available to me out there, and since I live here in California, I miss it a whole lot.

So I figured, why not bring the South with me when I cook? I thought of all the tasty Southern/creole foods I enjoyed, and the first thing that came to mind? Jambalaya. (Country-fried steak was next on that list. Mmm...)

Kimchi Quesadilla

Fusion cuisine is an amazing thing. It allows for flavors from different regions to combine and form the ultimate hybrid of deliciousness.

Over in Los Angeles is a fleet of food trucks that aims to bring fusion cuisine to the public: Kogi Korean BBQ. Their specialty? Korean and Mexican fusion food. A couple of years ago at Pacific Media Expo they catered to us, and the lines were HUGE. I went to investigate and got some food just to see how amazing it was (if I remember correctly: a short rib burrito and a kimchi quesadilla), and guess what happened?

Foodgasm. Yeah. It was that good.

As such, I want to introduce the food ideas of Kogi to my friends without having to drag them through the horror that is Los Angeles traffic, so it would only seem natural for me to learn how to cook something amazing and present it to people. (Of course, if Kogi decided to either expand their service to Ventura County or establish an off-branch here where I live, that'd be even better.)

Korean Short Ribs

If you read the above entry on the kimchi quesadilla, then this ought to make more sense now, too. I'm not going to explain any more of this one other than the obvious fact that this stuff is TASTY.

Lumpia

Lumpia is a variant of the Asian spring roll, and is a very popular item in Filipino cuisine. It seems saddening that I don't know how to make this stuff, so I figured I'd change that and learn how to do it. (Plus, this increases my popularity in pot lucks to, like, over nine thousand.)

Pictured above is lumpiang prito, which translated to "fried spring roll." This is probably the most common variant of Filipino lumpia encountered by non-Pinoys/Pinays, and is arguably the easiest variant to cook. (When it comes to preparation, however, it's arguably the most taxing.) I'll be making this kind when I cook it.

Menchi Katsu

A Japanese dish where a breaded cutlet is fried. It's very tasty and does well when paired with rice and curry. Now why can't we have a curry place here where I live!? As awesome as my attempt at cooking menchi katsu would be, I'm not sure if it'll match the quality I'd expect from a restaurant!

Pancit

Pancit is another popular Filipino dish that proves to be popular amongst any non-Pinoy/Pinay encountering Filipino cuisine for the first time. A noodle dish with so many variants in existence, you're bound to be popular in the pot luck if you cook this up...

...which is why I want to learn how to cook this, too. Pictured above is one of the many, many methods of cooking the most well-known pancit dish: pancit bihon. I'll be making my own variant in this style when I do cook it.

Pasta Dish (any)

I'm a sucker for pasta. It has to be said. Whether it be lasagna, fettuccine, macaroni, or spaghetti, it's probably going to draw my attention one way or another. Noodles are just too awesome to ignore.

So... what's the dish going to be? What's the dish going to be..?

NOTE: I'm not counting any moment I cook "Spaghetti ng Pilipinas" towards this resolution. Reason being that since I already know how to cook it, it wouldn't seem fair.

Ribs (Baby Back and/or Pork)

After watching this moment from Scrubs where music is used as a torture device, it got me wanting baby back ribs.

So... maybe I should make some. And then afterwards, I can torture people with this torture method... while taunting them with fresh ribs.

Quiche

A delicious "French" food (it's argued that the French didn't originally make this), quiche, when made right, can be downright amazing. So amazing that I won't be surprised if I eat the whole platter. (Higher chances if it's mini quiche.) Pictured above is quiche Lorraine, a common variant and the one I'll most likely cook.

Shrimp Tempura

A Japanese creation, shrimp tempura is a very popular way of cooking shrimp. It's great by itself and even greater when used in sushi creation. I know nothing about tempura frying (much less frying), so this will be fun.

Sticky (Sushi) Rice

This is so deceptively simple. Far too many people mistakenly believe that all you need for sushi rice is... well, rice. That's wrong, because if you notice, regular rice doesn't stay together all too well.

There's a reason this is on here. It's a prerequisite...

Sushi (any)

...for this. This entry needs no explaining because if I can make this, I will win over everyone (who likes sushi).

Sweet Potato Fries

It's like having dessert... except it's not dessert! Sweet potato fries are an amazing substitute to regular French fries, and they're amazing no matter what kind of dip you use.

So, if I have a barbecue with hot dogs and hamburgers, I think I'll cook these to create a style of American barbecue unlike any other.

Vegetable Tempura

To be honest, I think the people who originally created shrimp tempura created this out of boredom. Someone got tired of deep-frying shrimp so they tossed other stuff inside. In this case, it was vegetables, and when they came out, they came out GOOD.

If I learn how to make shrimp tempura, this is sure to follow. The same goes when reversed.

Extra Credit:
An additional 5 points will be added to the total score for every 5 additional dishes successfully made. For these points to count, each of the additional dishes must be confirmed either by photographic evidence or by eyewitness accounts of its creation.

Maximum of 10 extra credit points.

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

10.) Re-Create Anything Displayed on Epic Meal Time
("Next time, we eat children. ... Who laughed? Who laughed? Who's sick?")

"As for your sweet tooth? Oh, we're going to give your sweet tooth a sexual root canal."

For those of you who don't know what Epic Meal Time is, LEAVE THIS BLOG RIGHT NOW AND GO TO THEIR WEBSITE OR THEIR YOUTUBE PAGE! RIGHT NOW, MOTHER- *caw!*

For those of you too lazy to click those links, they're a group of Canadians who decided to make an online cooking show on YouTube. The only thing is... they're not your average cooking show. Responsible for making crazy concoctions - often involving copious amounts of bacon and Jack Daniel's - that could make your arteries clog just by looking at them, these guys are Internet heroes for a lot of people. They've done quite a lot of outlandish cooking things, including (but obviously not limited to):

Anyway, digressing.

My idea is to team up with a bunch of friends one day and attempt to replicate something these guys have created. Anything is fair game, but to increase our odds, we'll probably start with something feasible for a bunch of poor twenty-somethings. Hehehe...

^ Back to the Resolution List ^

Now, unlike the failed challenge that was "Operation: DREAM EATER" I'm more likely to finish these as they're New Year's resolutions - and even more so because they're all good challenges I can spend a whole year on as compared to one measly summer. I have... *checks calendar* ...360 days (not counting today) left to do all of these, so I think I have a much higher likelihood of success. (In theory, anyway.)

So, until the 'morrow, everybody! Hope you had fun reading this, and we'll see just how far I get with these resolutions!

Nestled

2012-01-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

As I am feeling particularly lazy today, I'm afraid I just don't have much for you at this moment. Not much is going on, so I figured I could get away with typing a short entry such as this.

Anyway, I'm just relaxing, playing video games and resting cozily, bundled up in blankets in an attempt to relax the last of this cold away.

We'll see how I am tomorrow, huh?

Sickness Redundancy Sickness

2012-01-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

It's weird how sickness works in my body. Colds that are supposed to last a week at the worst last for nearly three with me. Symptoms that aren't even remotely related to what I'm suffering from pop up inexplicably. I do everything in my power to make sure I get a speedy recovery but all it seems to do is just make things worse.

My body's strange like this. It kinda sucks, especially during the winter months when my immune system apparently decides to take a vacation. (Anyone remember last February?) To make matters worse, I can't really call out of work because the winter just so happens to be the time when hours are almost nonexistent. Having few hours increases the odds of financial downfall, which increases stress levels, which further weakens the already-absent immune system.

Why this happens to me? I don't know.

Well, in case you haven't noticed already. I'm sick. Still. I'm just wondering when it's going to go away. With any knowledge, it ain't going to be tonight - I'm going to be at work, and that means I'm going to have to deal with increased stress levels, which further weakens the already-absent immune system.

*cough* Until the 'morrow. Hopefully my voice doesn't crap out tonight - it feels like my throat's going to give way to sickness sometime soon.

An Unincorporated Preview

2012-01-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just get this urge to work on a project of some kind. Maybe it's a poorly-constructed contraption that also serves as a prison gun. It could be a new spacecraft to help replace the slowly-dwindling number of Vipers you have left. Heck, it could even be a litte Lego city to help create a sense of scale when you make a model railroad.

For me, I had one of those days a few days back - roughly around the time I said I'd post something good. I decided to show you a brief preview of it (mostly because I'm still far from done - I keep scrapping every version I go through) on here, so... here, some fanfiction stuff!

What? Not what you were expecting? Sorry; I tend to be like that.

Anyway, for those of you who're aware of my status as a fanfiction writer, you probably know of that Street Fighter fic I wrote over two years ago called Unincorporated. I've talked about it a few times before and even attempted to work on it when I was doing "Operation: DREAM EATER" back last summer. (We all know how that went.)

Without warning one day recently some inspiration hit me that made me actually work on a new chapter, and I began writing again. I have a plot and everything set up, so all I have to do is write what happens and weave the humor in.

For those of you too lazy to read the prologue of Unincorporated (shame): the cast of the Street Fighter series - or some of them - set up a new unincorporated town in southern California. Hilarity ensues as they go through their first challenge: appointing a mayor. As with most humor fanfiction, the characters portrayed in the story are somewhat out of character, somewhat flanderized, and fully aware that they're just fictional characters.

What follows below is a preview of what I've worked on. Obviously there's more, but I didn't feel like sharing.

Enjoy it anyway! I'll see y'all on the 'morrow!

DISCLAIMER: Capcom owns the Street Fighter franchise. Blizzard owns the MMORPG World of Warcraft. Anything else that looks like it ain't mine... probably ain't. *sigh* Oh, and I have this fic rated as "M" on FanFiction.net due to a lot of language. Just warning those of you with virgin eyes.

===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== =====

Unincorporated

CHAPTER ONE:

"The Cases of Cammy's Missing Kittens and Bison's Ninja'd Guild!"

It's been a week since the events of Chapter 00, and the unincorporated town has grown into a nice-looking full-fledged town of sorts.

In reality, since it's been over a year since the author worked on this story, the author decided to be lazy and give a short summary about the current cast and what they decided to do in this town instead of write about it.

Ryu ended up opening a martial arts dojo, calling it "Furinkazan." Currently, he has no idea as to how he'd get membership, but he's not worried about that at the moment.

Ken Masters, who had no idea as to what to do, decided to open an auto shop. Ryu's keyed rent-a-car is currently sitting inside the shop, and for some reason Ken is claiming that the transmission belt is all torn up, even though the rent-a-car was working perfectly…

Blanka, who was surprisingly voted as Mayor, decided to create a city library (that nobody frequents) and a public park (complete with kiddie playground, much to Gen's pleasure), and recently passed a bill authorizing the creation of a town militia.

Guile is in charge of said militia, and also runs the newly-made city airport. The airport only has six vehicles parked in the hangars: two F-16C Falcons, a C-5 Galaxy (which for some reason has a hole in the left wing – Ken constantly denies Shoryukenning it), Fei-Long's private jet that most everyone who didn't drive to town rode in on, Guile's "custom anti-terrorism patrol car" (in reality a Ford F250 technical with a Browning M2 machine gun mounted on the flatbed and an American flag paint scheme), and Akuma's beat-up Toyota, which for some reason is on bricks.

Sagat, recently appointed Lieutenant Mayor on the last chapter, hasn't done much aside from vetoing an "'I Hate Eyepatches' day" bill. To entertain himself, he drops by Furinkazan every now and then and spars with Ryu whenever the dojo's open.

Edmond Honda has had success with his catering business Hondatakimasu. So far he's catered Blanka's and Sagat's victory parties and Bison's first weekly World of Warcraft raid meeting.

Chun-Li decided on creating a clothing and costume store, calling it "Spring Beauty." She is also part of the militia, acting as the liason between their little town and Interpol.

Cammy is also part of the militia, getting a squad car with pictures of cats splattered all over it (pejoratively dubbed the "Catmobile"). Blanka, who liked Chun-Li's idea of making an animal shelter, passed a bill to get one made. We can all guess where the British special forces soldier spends her off-time that isn't spent on sleeping…

Zangief is a part-time volunteer at the animal shelter, who had an idea of also making it a town zoo. He runs the "exotic animals" wing, which contains a trio of intelligent polar bears and, for some strange reason, a lot of gym equipment.

Dhalsim has had limited success with his "Yoga Fire" psychotherapy clinic. Guile has been the only patient admitted thus far, and Dhalsim has had no success in convincing the American that Charlie is, in fact, dead.

Balrog currently remains unemployed. Apparently he has a lot of fight money saved up. Every once in a while he visits the exotic animals wing at the shelter and uses the gym equipment (so long as the polar bears aren't using it all already).

M. Bison, despite harboring intense hatred for Rose, joined up with her and created the town television network and its news station "Psycho-Soul News Network." When not on the set bickering about news, he's off running Shadaloo and scheming about taking over the world.

Rose is a co-anchor on Psycho-Soul and can be dubbed as the "comic foil" of the show (constantly attempting to thwart Bison's comical actions of not caring about the news or wanting to promote Shadaloo). During some of her off-time she works at Spring Beauty, hoping to find clothing and – more importantly – scarves.

Vega has crowned himself the "Town Fashion Style Specialist" and aptly refuses to shop at Spring Beauty. After hearing how his boss created a television station, he enlisted in the ranks and scored a two-hour timeslot where he hosts a talk show titled "¡Vega!" Due to his flamboyant narcissism, he barely gets any viewers (Balrog, being unemployed, is bored enough to tune in).

Fei-Long, being the actor he is, is usually on television specials, and is one of two guests Vega is able to get on his show. It could be out of pity, or it could be because he's bored, but Fei-Long refuses to give out any statements.

Sakura Kasugano is more often than not the second guest on ¡Vega!, having nothing to do aside from being a part-time worker at Spring Beauty. Chun-Li has thoughts of firing her, though – being clumsy does have its disadvantages on the job…

Dan Hibiki wanted to keep promoting his Saikyo style, and decided to open up the Saikyo Dojo. Unfortunately, his only student Sakura has frequently ditched lessons only to go next door to Furinkazan and ogle at Ryu.

Akuma, keeping his word, opened an Akumart and prides himself as the only store in town other than Spring Beauty. As such, he's taken it upon himself to monopolize the economy (minus clothing and costumes, which he allowed Chun-Li to control) and has sometimes-outlandish prices for even the most basic of objects (Ryu filed a complaint when a loaf of wheat bread rose up to $10 USD – Akuma laughed and doubled the price to the now-standard $20 per loaf). Occasionally, Dan comes in to shoplift, and Akuma has thwarted him every single time.

Gen is Akuma's only clerk in Akumart. Unfortunately his eccentricity still kicks in while on-the-job, but Akuma pays it no mind. When not working he's busy tending to the town's flora, ganking World of Warcraft newbies with his Rogue, or just doing something weird.

Now that that's out of the way…

One morning, one week later after the events of Chapter 00…

Zangief was busy tending to the polar bear trio in the animal shelter, feeding the two smaller bears and staring down the third, giant one. "Comrade Joseph," he began lecturing. "How many time I tell you: 100 kilogram barbell for Master Zangief, NOT chewtoy for Joseph!"

A growl was heard from the large animal, followed by what sounded like an annoyed gargle.

"It not my fault you hungry all day and night! Maybe you be like Leon and Lenin here and get food first instead of fighting with Red Cyclone." He pointed at the two smaller bears, who were busy chowing on food.

Another protesting growl. This one sounded a bit sadder than usual.

"Because you strongest of three! Hunger build character and drive to prove – "

An ear-piercing "AIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!" filled the air, interrupting the argument between the Russian wrestler and the angry polar bear. Instantaneously, Zangief and the bears looked over at the direction the shriek came from.

"That sound like Cammy. Vonder what scare her?" Zangief looked back at Joseph with a stern face. "Ve continue argument later, okay?"

Joseph nodded and went back to gnawing on a 100-kilogram barbell as the Red Cyclone ran off to the shelter's lobby, which was where the yelling came from.

As soon as Zangief opened the door, he wished he wasn't a volunteer. The lobby was torn apart, with papers, posters, chairs, busted computer equipment, animal cages, and fur all over the place.

Scratches were all over the walls, and for some reason there was a dented file cabinet sticking out from the ceiling. By the looks of the mess, Cammy was probably gonna have him clean it all up (due to his volunteer status), much to the fighter's displeasure.

Speaking of the British woman, Zangief looked around for signs of his boss. "Comrade Cammy? Are you here? Vat happened to ze lobby?"

A door to one of the offices opened, revealing a tear-shedding Killer Bee. She fell to her knees and sobbed as she struggled to find the words she wanted to say. "…t-th-they took them! I-I d-don't know w-who, but they took…!" Sob.

Zangief had a look of utter confusion on his face. "Took vat? Vat taken?"

More sobbing from the woman. "I-I don't know why! They didn't do anything wrong! I found them on the street and… and they were cold and-and starving! They were miserable and I gave them a decent life here! Who w-would do such a thing!?"

Zangief knelt down and put a reassuring hand on Cammy's shoulder. "I no know. But tell me… vat happen? Vat be missing?"

Cammy cried a bit more and then regained enough composure to grab her cell phone and dial a number. As she waited for the other end to pick up, she turned to the wrestler, her eyes blood red from all the tears she shed.

"The cats. All the cats are missing…"

Zangief facepalmed.

Two days later, at Bison's house…

"BISON! You're gonna want to look at this!"

"What is it, Akuma?"

"I… I don't know how to explain this! Just get out of the auction house and head over to the bank! Check the vault, man!"

"Just tell me, dammit! I'm in the middle of an auction war with some guy in Ironforge and I'm NOT willing to give up these shoulders! I get an additional 15 Intellect and 47 Stamina!"

"Screw the shoulders! This is important! Look at the guild vault!"

"CHEESE!"

"Shut up, Gen! FINE! I'll look at the vault. Just lemme head to the bank first.

"Ganking noobs in Hillsbrad is fun! Try it, Bison!"

"Gen, I swear to God, you're gonna stay at Level 67 and never going to get to raid with us if you spend your 'leveling time' killing players waaay under your level – OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK WHERE'S OUR LOOT!?"

No, that wasn't a typo.

Ten minutes later, over at Spring Beauty…

Chun-Li was getting ready to open up the shop. Most everything was done already, so she figured it'd be a great morning with no hitches at all.

Well, that thought was trumped. Two seconds later a "WAH!" sounded out, followed by a thud and the sounds of falling boxes.

Chun-Li sighed and looked over at the open doors to her store's backroom. Sure enough, Sakura was on the ground buried underneath yet another pile of boxes. Why haven't I fired her, yet? She kept wondering why she hadn't, and as soon as her thoughts gave way to finding the best way to let her go…

A knock was heard on the front door. It was Guile, wearing a darkened pair of aviator shades. "Hey, Chun-Li!"

"Guile? What're you doing here?" She walked over to the door. "If you're shopping, then you'll have to wait until 10:00 like everyone else who shops here."

"Shopping? No, this is Militia business! Open up!"

"Oh!" She hurriedly unlocked the door and let the family man in. "What Militia business?"

Guile walked up to the registers, found a TV remote, and began fiddling with it as he pointed it to the TV mounted on the wall. "Just watch the news. They should be airing something about it by now."

"Wait… they actually air decent stuff on the Psycho-Soul News Network? Half the time I tune it, it's either dead air or that crap-tastic ¡Vega! show."

"Well," the American began as he fiddled with the remote some more, "Bison said he actually considers this 'news.' …no idea what he meant by that." And with that, the TV came to life, revealing…

…the Psycho-Soul News Network set. With nobody in the news anchors' seats.

Chun-Li slumped her shoulders and was two fingers away from facepalming. "Uh… still dead air, Guile. If you're just trying to get in Spring Beauty early, I'm – "

"…it is news, dammit! And I'm going to report it on the news program if I feel like it, Rose!"

"You're just bitching about your stupid guild, Bison!"

A cloaked figure walked on camera and took a seat. It was Bison. "Hey! Something very important happened and I want to get to the bottom of it! I already have the militia watching and you're going to make sure this airs!"

A woman walked into the shot and took the seat next to Bison. It was a pretty angry Rose. "Well, of course this is going to air! EVERYTHING YOU DO ON CAMERA, YOU ALLOW! In the past week we've been on twenty-four/seven and about 80 percent of that was DEAD… AIR!!!"

Guile sweat-dropped as he looked to an unentertained Chun-Li. "W-Well… they're almost ready."

The moment Guile finished that statement, the Psycho-Soul News Network title card flashed on-screen as a news jingle began blaring. The American and Chinese militia personnel looked at the screen as the news program began.

"Good morning, Unincorporated! I'm M. Bison, and here's wh-"

"Wait, what? 'Unincorporated?' We're still calling the town that?"

"Shut up, Rose."

"Hey! I'm sure the FCC has a regulation about telling someone on live air to shut up. You remember the guy they sent over?"

A pause. Bison briefly looked at Rose with an innocent look on his face.

"What guy?"

"Ugh."

The dictator-to-be looked back at the camera as his face began to look serious.

"Anyway, we have a news announcement, everyone. There have been reports of numerous thefts going around, and multiple people in the city have been affected. There will be a town meeting at six o'clock at the Akumart parking lot tonight, so I expect the whole town to be there. No exceptions."

The camera turned to an obviously-bored Rose. "We now return you to your – "

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!" A phone on the table the two anchors shared rang. Bison lit up with excitement as he hit a button on it.

"Wow… our first caller on the air! Uh…" He looked at the camera, then back at the phone. "…hi, caller! You're on the Psycho-Soul News Network! How can we help you?"

"…Bison, it's Akuma."

"…oh. Hey, what's up?"

"Uh, the hell you think you're doing calling a town meeting in front of my store? You can't do that!"

"I just did, bub. Get over it."

"My store! My parking lot!"

"Parking lots are public property, moron!" And with that, Bison lit the phone on fire. Soon after the TV was switched off.

Guile looked at Chun-Li with a grim expression on his face as he set the remote down. "Well, that's what I needed you to watch."

Chun-Li's response was to bury her face in her right palm. "…you wanted me to watch two grown people bicker about the quality of their news reports on live television?"

"No; I wanted you to see what we're going to be investigating – these 'thefts' that have been going through town. Bison already put in a call with Mayor Blanka and he approved of hiring the militia to investigate. And that's you and me."

"Oh. So we actually have something serious, for once."

"Yeah; nothing like that case three days ago with Ryu's rent-a-car."

Chun-Li mused a smile, remembering what happened. The Japanese fighter had come up to the militia and asked them to investigate the status of his rent-a-car. So that night, the militia snuck into Ken's auto shop and found out… his car was normal, minus a torn transmission belt. After being told about his rent-a-car, Ryu went into a fit of fury, thinking Ken was pulling some contrived mechanic's maneuver on him.

"…yeah, but at least we got to sneak around and watch two idiots go at it."

"Heh. True. Well, Chun-Li, it's going to be just you and me on this case. I need you to bring your 'A game' to this one."

"Huh? What about Cammy?"

"She's off the case. In fact…" Guile dramatically took off his aviators. "…she's one of the victims."

"Oh, dear. She okay?"

"Well… I'm not so sure. The cats in the shelter are what's missing."

"…oh."

"Yeah." Guile redonned his sunglasses and walked to the door. "I'll see you at Akumart at six?"

Chun-Li nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully this case is going to be a light one. I'd hate for this meeting to start off horribly…"

Almost There...

2012-01-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

As stated before, there's going to be something great coming up on the blog here. Unfortunately, tonight's not that night, so you'll have to wait a tad longer.

"Just a few more seconds..."

There's gonna be a great entry tomorrow, so just keep flying and lock on to the strongest power source. ~~It should be the power generator!~~ You'll see this awesome entry soon enough tomorrow! Just get set to ~~start your attack run~~ read some fun things on the next entry!

(Geez; lots of Star Wars references today. *geeky smile*)

Until the 'morrow, everyone. May the Force be with you.

All Over Again

2012-01-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

Well, well, ladies and gentlemen... it appears that it is no longer 2011. It's 2012. Whoo! Now, there's not much to say right now, and that's primarily due to time constraints. However, I can say the following things with great certainty:

We're going to have so much fun this year.
(Now it's up to you to decide whether I said that in an flamboyantly ecstatic tone... or a psychotically sociopathic voice. Or nothing. But I'll let your paranoia drive the fuel here.)
I didn't forget what I said on December 30, 2011.
You WILL see something cool either tomorrow or the 3rd.
I get sidetracked way too easily.
It's like almost having ADHD - YEAH! NEW TIME TRIAL RECORD FOR MARIO KART 7!

*clears throat*

Anyway, here's hoping y'all have a great ~~New Year's Day~~ drinking binge recovery period! As for me...

You said it, Retail Robin. You said it.

...I have work. So, I'll be seeing y'all tomorrow when I write more things. Expect all the unexpected, except the expected. (Eh, tongue-tied.)

Until the 'morrow, everyone! ~~"Welcom' da Earf!"~~ Welcome to 2012!

Entry Three-Six-Five

2011-12-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

MY LAST ENTRY EVAR! (For 2011, at least.)

CURRENT MUSIC:
Arcade Fire - "The Suburbs"
The Suburbs

I'm going to assume a good portion of you know of Arcade Fire, and that's because of this year's Grammys and the near-universal "Who the frak is Arcade Fire!?" surprise the viewers had when they won the "Album of the Year" award (beating other popular artists: Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry). I don't think anyone expected an indie act to do that.

But after listening to some of The Suburbs, I can kind of see why. (Or, at least I can see why they were initially put in contention.) Anyway, "The Suburbs" is the opening and title track for the album, and it opens strongly. I'm still trying to interpret it, but from what I can decipher, it's a song with "embrace the world while it still exists" as its meaning.

Give "The Suburbs" a listen. Might help answer that question the world asked. =P

Infected Mushroom - "Project 100"
Legend of the Black Shawarma

As I was closing the Electronics department at my Target yesterday, my iPod decides to shuffle its way to this particular piece.

Now, as seen before, Infected Mushroom is only a recent discovery for me, but from the tracks I've heard, I found myself entranced with their sound (and usually commented on something regarding how utilitarian psychedelic trance could be).

I don't think I could ever be more right after hearing "Project 100" for the first time last night. After listening to it at work, I told myself I'd listen to it again in detail as I was driving home. It was nothing like I expected, and yet it was everything I'd imagine it to be. Changing sounds, tempos - your whole perspective of how music should be - maaaan, this track is just... ama...zing... *blinks* I... I think I just had an auralgasm. (Trust me: you'll have one, too. You'll have a better one if you have excellent headphones with you.) *replays "Project 100" with glee*

Seriously, take this track for an aural spin. Cinematographers out there with an ear for music might want to keep this on their notes. In the nine-plus minutes spent listening to this piece, I found myself wanting to use this for a gazillion scenes, including (but obviously not limited to):

rock show segue (it's got the guitars to do it)
special operations (infiltration) mission
(space) fighter combat
those "the plan is coming together" montages as each person finishes their task
Gradius
training montage
driving/racing sequences
video game ownage montage
credits sequence
those moments where a character hacks/breaks into something mundane
nightclub scenes (yeah, I can see people dancing to this)
those scenes where someone evades a thorough (military) sweep of the area
Anything... IN SPACE!

(You're welcome, by the way.)

Bear McCreary - "Wander My Friends"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 Original Soundtrack

Those of you familiar with my big blogs will recognize this track from "The Frakkin' PMX 2011 Special!" and its celebratory overtones. As I mentioned in that entry as well, "Wander My Friends" has a tone that matches victory celebrations and emotion-swelled farewells.

As we're under the notion to say "farewell," "auf Wiedersehen," or "frak you" to 2011 today (hey, some people didn't have a good year), I found this to be fitting on two counts:

We literally are saying "goodbye" to 2011 today.
I SUCCEEDED IN MY GOAL! VICTORY IS MINE!

From now on, all major victory celebrations I'm involved in will have this song playing somewhere. It's that good of a music piece.

Men at Work - "Overkill"
Cargo

I woke up with a jolt at around 0630 for some strange reason. What was weirder is that I was still tired and yet found myself wide awake. Took me almost a full hour to conk myself back into the land of the sleeping.

I think I know why I did that. It's been habit for many people (myself included) to reflect on the year that's about to pass when it nears New Year's Eve. I apparently kept tossing and turning - when I woke up at 0630, not one bit of my comforter was anywhere on me. Add to the fact that when I was trying to lull myself back to dreamland, I kept thinking about how this year was for me and if I improved any... and you'll find that it didn't help my case any.

So what did that have to do with "Overkill" - did it even have anything in common with the Men at Work song? "Ghosts appear and fade away." Those of us who end up being haunted by their pasts after "[thinking] about the implications" because they were "diving in too deep" just can't bring themselves to a conclusion at first.

That, and it's a great song. Scrubs knows this, too.

Hitoshi Sakimoto - "Those Who Succeeded"
Valkyria Chronicles Original Soundtrack

A beautiful track worthy of ending a day filled with peace... when the sounds of war are all but gone from the air. This is a victory track in its own right - and if you've played Valkyria Chronicles, it might give you a bit of a tear as well. (I'm not spoiling anything here, but be warned: the YouTube comments may not be as spoiler-free as I am.)

For the whole of this peace, the violin(s) (it sounds too light to be a viola, but I could be mistaken) take(s) the lead as the piano runs its own supporting melodies in the background. Amazing how only two instruments can carry so much emotion in their notes, huh?

If I ever re-learn how to play the piano in a masterful way, I'm adding "Those Who Succeeded" to my repertoire the moment I meet a violinist who can play this. I mean, the track is just worthy of live duet interpretation, I think.

"There are those who said this day would never come. What have they to say now?"
- Prophet of Truth
(Halo 2)

I remember this one trailer/commercial for Halo 2 when it came out. It ended with Truth speaking the line I used for today's quote. It holds so much meaning for me today, because... well, I completed my task!

To those of you who believed that I wouldn't get through this crazy little New Year's resolution I made back on January 1, step in front of the rest of your peers!

Those of you who've taken the step forward should be ashamed of yourselves - to think that I couldn't achieve anything on this blog is just a travesty to both yourselves and your fellow humans who stood by me every step of the way (sort of). As ~~Hikaru Sulu~~ ~~Emperor Yoshiro~~ George frakkin' Takei said: "You are made of stupid." (The best part about this is that it's from one of his actual speeches insulting the Allies - namely America.)

Now, those of you who were joking about getting me to fail this resolution by incapacitating me on New Year's Eve? Step forward.

*George Takei voice* You FAILED.

What have you to say now?

GOOOOOOOOOOOD AFTERNOOOOOOOOOOOON, EVERYONE! Welcome to my 365th and final entry for 2011!

I'd like to thank the Academy for considering this prestigious presentation and the honor to be bestowed this exemplary honor. I'd also like to thank anyone and everyone who has read this blog this year, and my sponsors... oh, wait. I don't have sponsors. Strike my last.

As stated yesterday, the big one will either be on January 2 or 3. I just thought I'd let y'all know that I succeeded in my goal and that all things are possible (minus resurrection, but ignore this if you're an ignorant Christian, a necromancer, or a Cylon skinjob).

While most of you are celebrating with joy, I'm not - I'm at work tonight from 1530 to... God-knows-when. *shrugs* Oh, well. Money's money, right? Have fun tonight anyways, and drive safe - I don't want to hear about anyone I know (or anyone that anyone I know of knows) getting in some accident where alcohol was a factor. (If stupidity is the primary factor, then I want to hear about this story so long as nobody is seriously hospitalized and/or killed.)

I look forward to seeing what 2012 will bring. I'll be there to blog as well, so don't think I'm done now that I completed my one and only resolution for 2011.

Now who could that ~~person~~ blogger be?

New secrets, new surprises, new faces, new loves, new hates... new everything, really.

2012: BRING IT ON.

Until the new year, everyone! "Good night, and good luck!"

Eve of Eves

2011-12-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve looms upon us. As this entry makes its way through the Internet and solidifies Post 364, I'd like to say a few things.

For one, I'm gonna be busy and stuck at work for the next few days. No, I don't mean I'm going to be at work until God-knows-when - I mean that most of my waking hours that aren't spent preparing for the day or playing something awesome on my 3DS will be used up at work, because I like to earn money.

Which leads to the second point I'd like to talk to you about: the highly probably chance that the next great entry will either be on January 2 or 3, 2012.

Why so late, you ask? Well, obviously work is an issue. There's also a lot of things I want to talk about (and I mean a lot), and to prep for a big entry like I'm planning requires some prior editing of the content's HTML that extends the typing session to more than just a few hours. That, or I just had so much to type that it took me more than two sit-down sessions in front of my laptop to pull it off.

"All this has happened before, and will happen again." Much like the credo heard in Battlestar Galactica, I've taken my time with some entries that I think were pretty epic in their own rights. And since I like dedicating time to craft a good entry, it's going to happen again - and not just with that upcoming entry that's going to show up next year.

Which means that y'all best be prepared for something awesome. It's probably going to be long and chock-full of content, and I'm pretty sure there's also going to be pictures as well.

Just thought I'd let you know in case you're wondering what's in store for the next few days.

In other news, I think I had a 24 Hour Flu or something. Sore body's gone; only trace of me being sick is a not-so-raw throat and a very light stuffy nose.

Stupid off-day sickness. =(

Until the 'morrow, everyone.

Sick Emblem on the End

2011-12-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

A day off is no longer a day off when you're sick. *sneezes*

CURRENT MUSIC:
Philip Glass - "Metamorphosis One"
Solo Piano

Quite an interesting piece, if I may do say so myself. Of course, some of you may recognize this even though you may not follow music in a style like I do. For those of you familiar with music composers, the name might sound familiar because of the whole "is his (earlier) music considered as minimalist?" "controversy" surrounding him. For those of you familiar with Battlestar Galactica, you probably recognize the music from a season two episode, where Karl "Helo" Agathon and Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, stranded on Caprica, decide to rest for a few hours in Starbuck's nearby apartment. Starbuck pops a tape into her radio, and "Metamorphosis" begins playing.

If you're familiar with movie scores, "Metamorphosis One" may sound familiar - particularly if you've watched The Truman Show. It bears an uncanny resemblance to some of the pieces in the movie, and for good reason - Glass also composed part of the music in it.

Bear McCreary - "Violence and Variations"
Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 Original Soundtrack

I find it weird how often music with romantic undertones ends up being played whenever I want ambient thinking or working music. Yes, this is supposed to be a romantic piece, despite the title. (When you consider what's seen in the episode, it makes sense.) "Violence and Variations" plays on the love theme (and the romantic tension) between Starbuck and Lee "Apollo" Adama, being overheard as the two are engaged in a rough and (dare I say:) rather violent boxing match, with flashbacks showing some spoilers I'm too lazy to censor.

When you listen to "Violence and Variations" you can hear the tension and the love in the music. Because nothing says "I think I have feelings for you" like music played over a brutal boxing match, right?

Evening, everyone. *coughs* Now, I know I'm supposed to have something great for y'all up here today, but with me contracting... well, whatever it is that got me sick... I've little choice but to take it easier than I normally do. Which means... today's entry will be not-so-great.

Don't judge me. *sneezes*

Down With The Sickness
(And while it's awesome, I don't mean the Disturbed song.)

When you wake up in the morning and notice that you feel like crap for no good reason, one of two things could be possible:

You woke up from a terrifying nightmare that involved (grievous) (bodily) harm and/or death. It seemed a little too real...
You've contracted something all of a sudden, and odds are the symptoms decided to show up after you fell asleep the night before.

Today, I felt under the weather for the latter reason. I remember waking up with this sudden urge to sneeze. Violently. After I recovered I realized that I had a stuffy nose and that my upper body felt sore. The back of my throat just felt raw and scratchy. Worst of all, I didn't feel like getting up to run the errands I had to do today.

So I just lied there, wondering what I'd do with myself. After allowing myself to doze off and gain another hour of sleep, I then decided that I'd just take it easy for however long I'm to be in this sickened state.

That could be a good thing - I've been in need of some relaxation time, and now that I have it, I think I'm going to take it. Granted, this would've been much more relaxing for me had I not been sick, but you have to take the good with the bad.

Tactical Picture Deployment
(Or: "How Fire Emblem is making this sick day much more bearable.")

So after pondering on what I'd be doing now that I'd be snuggling up sick and relaxed, I decided, "I'm going to work on Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones today."

How Sacred Stones looks on a Nintendo 3DS. Squee.

Nearly eight hours later and I'm already kicking ass like I used to with strategy and tactical games. I had been playing it for some time after receiving it via the Ambassador Program, but today takes the cake in terms of gaming sessions. To prove my point, here's a photo taken from my 3DS' activity log:

Yeah. I love this game.

Yerps. And seeing as how I'm only at Chapter 10, I got some serious gaming going on tonight before I go to sleep.

...yeah. This'd be the part where I'd post more, but... eh. Sick.

Until the - *sneezes* ...'morrow? *weakly smiles*

Karting Logic

2011-12-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

So when I'm not working or sleeping today, I've been playing a lot of Mario Kart 7. A LOT. Matter of fact, it's the reason why today's entry is so frakkin' short and lame. (It's not because I'm at work. Noooooo...)

Well, if anything, there's going to be a great entry tomorrow. I'm sure of it.

Until the 'morrow, everybody! *zips off as Daisy*

Wishes That Never Were

2011-12-27T23:07:00.000-08:00

I want this blog entry to be finished when I told myself it would be finished! If that was actually on my Christmas wish list, I wouldn't have received this, then. I'm going to be honest here: TV Tropes essentially stole about three hours' worth of potential typing time because it's so frakkin' addicting!

But no more! (For now, at least. I CAN QUIT WHEN I WANT TO!) I'm going back to typing this entry up so y'all can read something interesting! *cue three more hours spent on TV Tropes, playing Mario Kart 7, and/or eating din-din*

...

*adds "the opportunity to freely slap the magnificent bastard who introduced TV Tropes to me" to the Christmas 2012 wishlist*

CURRENT MUSIC:
Shigetoshi Gohara - "Nostalgic Fortress"
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Original Soundtrack
Anytime someone takes an awesome video game piece and transcribes it for use by a big band or jazz band setting, I cheer. It's like taking "awesome" and fusing it with "more awesome" - it's "awesome²" in music format.

The music team behind the Wii's Super Mario Galaxy 2 recognized that mathematical formula. Taking Koji Kondo's "Super Mario 64 Main Theme" and jazzing it up has now made it extremely awesome. Half the time I listen to this piece, I end up clapping along with the virtual clapping in the track.

I'm pretty sure this piece has inspired many gamers and video game music enthusiasts alike to want to start their own jazz bands just so they could play this song. I would, but as there's no piano bit in "Nostalgic Fortress," I dunno what I'd do. Cello, maybe? The bass line sounds easy(ish) enough.

Michael Kamen - "Austria"
Band of Brothers ~ Music from the HBO Miniseries

Band of Brothers has an amazing story behind it - namely because it's all true. I remember hearing about it years ago in 2001 when the HBO Miniseries began to play, but I never watched it (yay for being sheltered T_T). Then along rolled 2006, where my high school English teacher and my high school U.S. History teacher (who both taught in a block period program) decided to pair Stephen Ambrose's famed book with the context of American history in World War II. I loved the book and I began watching the series soon after, and I was just blown away.

Anyway, moving on from the praise. "Austria" plays during the final episode as Easy Company settles in the city of Zell am See in (guess where) Austria. The peace and calm encountered aurally serve as an accompaniment to the visuals of the city's landscape. Relatively untouched by war, Zell am See provides the soldiers with a lovely country view now that World War II was virtually over. "Austria's" calming tone just makes the air sound like peace... and that's a nice sound to have punctuating the atmosphere. (The harp helps, too.)

So some of you are here today because of what I said would be here yesterday: "my would-be Christmas wish list." As promised, I'm delivering the list, but unlike most promises that I've made and kept, this one ~~was technically not a promise (and despite this part being crossed out, it is true)~~ speaks in more of a depressing tone a bit of a depressing one.

Mind you, I'm actually feeling great - it's just the content that might sound depressing. And no, I don't mean that it made me sad. I'm saying that it might make you sad.

With Christmas Day 2011 now locked in the past, it's pretty safe to say that there's very little chance of me getting anything. That's right - I didn't get anything for Christmas. Now, while that sounds quite tragic and saddening, I'm actually not fazed. Sure, getting stuff would have been nice, but come on - what were the odds that I'd keep it forever? Not many things can last as long as the average human, and those things that do are often sold or traded before they even reach a quarter of that age.

Now I'm not saying I'd be less-than-grateful if I did get anything. I'd appreciate it and do my best to find some use for it - and sometimes that just drives me crazy. Of course, since I had nothing given to me I don't have to worry about any of that.

Me not getting anything can be traced back to a few possible reasons:

I was here where I live. Closest relatives that could've given me anything were at least five hours away via car, factoring traffic (San Diego or Las Vegas). Had I had Christmas Eve and the 26th off, I could've made a trip to and from, but I didn't have either one off. Yay, retail.
Not many people were in the financial shape to get gifts for people. I don't blame 'em - this economy's not too hot.
I never officially announced anywhere what I wanted for Christmas 2011.

All three reasons are perfectly valid points, but I think that last one is probably the most vital. If one were not to voice what they liked and desired for the holidays, they were bound to get something else that may or may not have been wanted. Such things are generic and include the following:

clothes (that might not fit)
money
gift cards

Now, there's problems with each of those three.

Clothing can at best be awesome T-shorts with jokes you absolutely love or amazing cosplay outfits custom-tailored to your specifications. At worst, they can be a horrendous color that makes it look as if every clothing designer vomited their reject brands into a cauldron and let that concoction boil and left it to simmer and dry out in the sun. Or it could be a Hawaiian short so unfashionably tacky and big-collared that not even Ted Nguyen would wear it.

Money doesn't seem to be all that... awesome. Now, your mileage may vary on this one. By money not being all that awesome, I mean that on one end of the spectrum it seems as though the recipient was cheated out of a thoughtful gift and was given money as a sort-of "oh, well; here you go" thing. Of course, some people don't care - it's money that they can spend on whatever they want. Lot better than trying to pawn off that 26-year-old rum fruitcake as a scented paperweight.

Gift cards can be seen as a step-up from the money issue. For those of us who get the wrong kind of gift card, however, it can be seen as fifteen steps down - especially if it's something extremely disliked.

Moving on.

The reason why I didn't show anyone about my wish list was that to me, it'd seem like I'm just begging for someone to pity me and get me something. I didn't want to give off that image, so I instead opted to keep it a secret. Besides, if anyone were to read my original Christmas wish list (yes, I had more than one draft), they'd probably double-take in confusion, because half the things I put on there had explanations that made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

I could've just given them calculus homework that's easier to decipher.

But enough talk - you just came here to see what would've been nice for me to see under my Christmas tree two days ago. My grandiose list of things (complete with short descriptions why) are as follows:

Anything That Shows My Support For the Alliance

FOR THE ALLIANCE!

Because all you Horde supporters can just suck it. =P

Dance Dance Revolution PC-Compatible Dance Mats

With enough skill and dexterity it is possible to dance along to the songs one found to be more difficult in StepMania. However, some songs are specifically tailored to be played with your fingers - because trying to constantly double-tap on "Sandstorm" with your feet is just suicide.

Hey, if video games can double as a sort-of work out session, then I'm all for it.

Digital Camcorder

Preferably HD, internal memory plus expandable via SD, long battery life, high zoom.

The filmographer in me wants this.

Kagami Hiiragi Figma

Kagami Hiiragi from Lucky Star
(photo taken from dannychoo.com)

Because when I have an awesome office in an awesome company (hopefully owned/run by me) or in my dream house/mansion, I need something cute to decorate my desk. Why the desk? The bookcase will be filled with all the awesome books, albums, and movies I have. The walls will have a bunch of demotivationals, posters that adorned my past rooms at some point of my growing-up years, and maybe even a bunch of geeky wall decals.

With all the awesome surrounding me, I need something close by to keep me from being too manly (hah!), so... Kagami it is.

Full-Size Piano Keyboard w/ Weighted Keys

Probably the next best thing to owning a (baby) grand.

Why practice on a 66-keyed dinky keyboard with no actual key weight when you could practice on a full-blown 88? (Hey, I'm not asking for a baby grand here. Cut me some slack...)

Microwave Oven

If your microwave looks like this after you're done cooking...
...you're nuking your food wrong.

This wasn't mine, but the last microwave I got to use in my household probably ended up like this by now.

Money

Don't you wish money was this disposable?

Who doesn't appreciate money? Idiots, that's who.

Netbook

Netbooks. Not to be confused with laptops, even though they're technically the same thing.

Only because my giant 19" desktop replacement laptop with a battery that lasts for an hour isn't really that great to lunk around when all you want to do is sit under a shady tree on a nice, sunny day and type your feelings out.

Party

Pong optional. Alcohol required.

Technically, I went to one. At the same time, though, it's not a party until I know, like, at least two-thirds of the people there.

PlayStation 3

It does (almost) everything, mang.

How else am I supposed to play the Metal Gear Solid games properly?

Toaster Oven

This image seems all too familiar because as a child, I almost did set the house on fire. (SUPPOSEDLY.) Like how my biography stipulates that I am a nice person no matter how much I deny it and how jackassed I'm behaving, I will deny this event from happening tooth and nail.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy named Joshua. One day, he decided he wanted a sandwich, so he placed two pieces of bread in the toaster oven in the kitchen near the sink. After setting it, he left to take care of another errand before going to school.

"Suddenly, there was smoke in the kitchen, so Joyce (his aunt) went see what the problem was. She called the kids, and asked them whose food was in the toaster oven because it was burning. Josh also smelled the smoke, so he rushed in. He saw that his bread was burning, so he grabbed a paper napkin to retrieve them before they burnt the house down.

"Unknowingly, he did the worst possible thing: he placed the napkins in the toaster oven. The paper napkins were soon ablaze, so he quickly withdrew them. Unfortunately, the air in the room enlarged the flames, so he threw the napkins into the sink and turned the water on.

"Thankfully, no one was hurt. That day, Josh learned a valuable lesson: never place paper napkins in the toaster oven. Now all he does is drive in his new car and comes over to eat take out and drink a lot of Mountain Dew."

- from a blurb one of said cousins wrote on my laptop one day

Any of the Following Video Games:
- Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (PS3)
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (WII)
- Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3)
- Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

It's-a Mario Kart-a Seven!

Averted. I ended up getting a used copy of Mario Kart 7 at my local GameStop today after one of the workers I know there tipped me off. I had previously paid off my reservation towards Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D, and seeing as how it's not coming out 'til March '12, I figured, "What the heck; let's just transfer some of the funds over and get me a new game." (As if I really needed a new game after getting a whole bunch...) So, in a sense, I got the game for free. Yay, me.

But those other games would've been nice to have, too.

Well, that's it for today. Mario Kart 7 is calling my name, and since I just unlocked Princess Daisy, I'm going to be playing this for a while.

*evilly laughs* Evilly laughs. Oh, fu- *facepalms*

...I really need to stop reading TV Tropes. *laughs*

Alright. Until the 'morrow, everyone.