Dawning Character

It's been a long while since I've pulled an all-nighter. The last time I did was probably over a year ago, when I wasn't so old and crazy.

In the past, I've noted that whenever I was awake for more than 20 hours in a row, my mental processes seemed to be more honed in on tasks I'm willingly performing at the time (more often than not writing). Summarily, that brainpower peaks off at around 30 to 36 hours before capitulating to mental fatigue. Once I hit 42 hours*, I begin to lose all sense of reality and dive into the deep end of delirium as my body begins to shut down.

I've only gone past 42 once in my life (52 hours is my current record, achieved during Spring Break 2006 in my junior year of high school), and the only thing I could recall from that experience was that I slept like a log for a good 10-14 hours afterwards.

As of this moment (read: 0545), I'm logged in at about 19 hours, so if I'm able to coherently type a portion of this spiel up before my brain supposedly gains its second wind, it makes me wonder what I'll accomplish this morning...





CURRENT MUSIC:
BoA - "Eat You Up"
BoA

Boa Kwon... the Queen of Korean Pop. You have to be some kind of musical royalty when you're the second person to have six consecutive Number One albums listed in Oricon (Japan's equivalent of America's Billboard) and to be the only non-Japanese Asian to have three said albums be top hits in Japan.

Statistic digression aside, she's pretty damn good. I remember watching the music video for "Eat You Up" over a year ago at Pacific Media Expo, thinking, "I should learn how to dance. It'd be fun to pull off some dance moves when songs I like blare out loud somewhere."

Yeah, you read that right. I can't help it; the song's catchy like that. *shrugs*


Harry Gregson-Williams - "Virtuous Mission"
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Original Soundtrack

When I first saw the golden sun rays trickle through my window blinds, I instantly thought of this track.
In particular, I envisioned this Snake Eater cutscene in my head... and not just because it has a sunrise in it.
No, there's no spoilers - it's the opening cinematic.

With WinAmp set to play all my music at random (at least at the time this popped up), it makes me wonder if my computer's speaking to me. "Spread your wings and fly! God be with you!"


Keiki Kobayashi - "15 Years Ago"
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War Original Soundtrack

What a fitting track to see the sunrise with...

Surprisingly, that's all I have to say for this piece. If you ever catch the sun rising from the east, play this track and you'll see why I only said that...


TeddyLoid - "Theme for Scanty & Kneesocks"
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt: The Original Soundtrack

Odds are that with this music listing, I've raised a few eyebrows. Scratch that; I probably raised almost every eyebrow.
To the vast majority who're still attempting to comprehend the name of that soundtrack: Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt is an anime released in August 2010 about a sisterly pair of fallen angels named Panty and Stocking (yes, that's their names) fighting otherworldly forces on Earth while under the supervision of a minister named Garterbelt (challenge: try picturing a black guy with an afro... without showing any sign of amusement or disbelief). Now, by "fallen," I mean "fallen so far from Heaven because they're the ultimate form of lust and gluttony incarnate" - which alone makes this series the most outlandishly indecent anime I've yet to see.
Introduced to me by a friend quite recently, I can't help but watch now - it's just ridiculous (that's honestly the best description I can summarize the show with), and the animation style hits me with a wave of nostalgia (paying homage to the style of North American cartoons).

I'm digressing. *clears throat*
The series' electronic/dance soundtrack meshes perfectly well with the show, and I have to say that some of the stuff seems club-worthy in my book (meaning I could dance along with it).
And during a recent test: worthy of becoming street racing nightlife driving background music.





Good morning, everyone!* Welcome to the first morning post of The white Knight Chronicles by yours truly!
As explained in the introduction, this is the first time in a long while that I've pulled off an all-nighter.
More often than not, I end up forcing myself to fall asleep after I pull off whatever I was staying up for, but every once in a blue moon, I force myself to stay awake until I deem otherwise... often for no real reason.

In my bout of staying up and being unable to sleep, I figured that I could just type a little something up and entertain the more... morning-oriented people... who read this. Hey, I have to expand my horizons and potential reader base to people who prefer a live blog in the "AM" time department.

Oh, and speaking of time: the timestamp below lies. While "Dawning Character" was posted at the time it states, I actually began working on this entry at around 0501 - over six hours ago. Hey, I get distracted easily...

* = "Good morning" are words that - for the past two years - have never come out of my mouth. Feels foreign and completely out of place - like that gap in your gums when one of your teeth have been recently pulled... or the concept of a main character in a Star Wars film getting fatally hit with blaster fire... or New Jersey.





First things first: me answering the one question that's probably on your minds. Granted, it'll vary with language and wording, but it'll sound somewhat close to "Why the [insert expletive string of your choice here] am I up this early?"
I want to throw a likely hypothesis of insomnia, but my caffeine and sugar levels would probably summarize otherwise. (I still think insomnia played a part, though... >>)

A bit of explanation: when it comes to my body and stimulants such as sugar and caffeine, I respond quite well with the placebo effect.
For example, take your average 12oz. can of regular Mountain Dew, one of the most common and readily available sources for large doses of caffeine and sugar.
I can look at that can at around 2000 hrs. and down it while thinking, "This thing will keep me going all night." The night passes by as I'm doing whatever it is I'm doing, and by 0500, I'm finally starting to doze off.
Conversely, I can look at that same can at the same time and down it while thinking, "This ain't gonna work." Sure enough, around 2100, I'm drooling unconsciously on my laptop* and will probably be like that for the next ten hours.

Last night was one of those nights where I told myself the raw energy ingested earlier that day would keep me up for a "late night" (read: sometime around 0400).
I had some writing to take care of as well as music I needed sorted, but most importantly, I needed to clear a huge portion of my hard drive since all the used-up memory's been clogging much-needed space.
So I downed a few sodas and one bottled iced tea, and before I knew it, the clock was ticking near 0500.
I thought, holy crap. I could actually pull off an all-nighter.
That pretty much explains why I've been up, but for what end purpose? Those projects could only entertain me for so long before boredom or burnout flamed up, and as of this moment, I'm still working on this.

*shrugs*

* = I've done this once. It was on my old lappy about three years back... back when I had an XP-powered Fujitsu with about 45 columns of dead pixels. Good thing it was on that laptop... the thing was going to die anyway...





Second topic for today's entry: what's with the sudden fascination with the sunrise?
Well, truth be told: I've always wanted t-

...uh, you didn't read anything there. No self-censorship on my part here. None whatsoever.

A-Anyway, there's something quite interesting about watching the sun rise.
Similarly, the same can be said about watching the sun set.
I know - it sounds like clichés straight out of overtly clichéd movies and what not - but yet it's there for a reason.
I've sat down to watch the sun set once - years ago - and I found it to be one of the most breathtaking and captivating moments I've witnessed. The fact that I did this at an oceanic beach just makes it filled with more wonder and awe than a regular sunset would.

I'd like to do the same with a sunrise - except I'm here in the west coast of the United States.
Perhaps a road trip to the Atlantic seaboard is in order...





(Author's Note: Intermission! Food time! *goes off to buy breakfast*)





So, with that author's note, here comes the third topic of the morning (wow, still feels weird to write): breakfast... at breakfast time.
With my sleep patterns, the concept seems almost alien to me. That, and I haven't had a great breakfast lately (which also seems alien to me).
So at around a quarter to eight, I drove out to get myself a hearty plate of biscuits and gravy (me likey Southern-style breakfasts) and came back to work on some more music sorting, and in the process I totally forgot about today's entry. I shut off my laptop and restarted so the freed memory could register with the system.
Fortunately for me, Blogger has an auto-save feature for draft entries, so my work on this entry was saved.

I normally don't do slip-ups like that, so I'm going to go ahead and pin the blame on breakfast. Damn you, biscuits and gravy! Your deliciousness that got me to go into a food coma made me almost lose some serious data.





Well, that's my morning rant for you all. I'll bid you adieu for the day... and I'll probably end up continuing to stay up (mostly because I have nothing better to do). I'll catch you all later... at work or at food or something. Or tomorrow when I post.

Mañana!

Digesting

With a solid breakfast now in my system, I think I'm gonna have a good day at work.
Nothing quite like a sub sammich (yes, I said "sammich") and some chips washed down with some lemonade.
Sounds plain, but when you look at it, it beats going in to work with either an empty stomach or while you're still digesting.

In other news, I think I should save some money up and revive my old video blogging project by getting a nice camcorder or something.
It's been a while since I've toyed with video editing software, and I think I should really get back to that.
Now that means I have to go browsing around looking for decent deals on good stuff...

Well, work beckons, so I'll catch y'all later.

Straight to the Point

Relaxation has many forms - and attending a birthday party can be one of them.
So can cleaning up your room (weird, I know).

And that sums up my day. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hit the bed. Sleep's such a nice thing to experience after a day like that...

Floorboarded

Today I noticed something quite freaky that I didn't know about before...
...I have a floor.

Yeah, my room can be messy... but that's just me.
Since part of this whole self-struggle involves getting my life together, I figured, "Why not get my room together first? That oughta be a good start."

Lo and behold, it was.
I'm not done yet, but I've done enough to leave me satisfied for today.

Off to work I go...!

Burning A Solid State of Mind

Today felt like one of those days of self-discovery. I don't know what compelled me to go around trying to figure things out, but I'm glad I did. It helped me discover a bit more about myself, and it's been rewarding (even though no physical reward has revealed itself).

And as for the title? Check what I was listening to. Two-thirds of the title is based off of that.





CURRENT MUSIC:
Harry Gregson-Williams - "Metal Gear Saga"
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Original Soundtrack


Before I list why this is on my music list for today, I have to say that out of all the video game series out there, none have captured my imagination and mind quite as well as the Metal Gear Solid series.
I've been a loyal fan since the original PlayStation game, praising its complex and rich story and the amazing soundtracks the games have offered.
They say sometimes that video games are like interactive movies, and so far this series has presented the gaming world with that kind of experience.

Probably one of the greatest pieces composed for any of the Metal Gear Solid games.
"Metal Gear Saga" is one of the the game's tracks that captures the whole essence of Guns of the Patriots (as well as the other Metal Gear Solid games) in its entirety.
After the action part fades off, a lone guitar strums its way in at around 2:43, kicking off what most Metal Gear Solid fans would highlight as their "Top 5" segments in the game (or at least in the music department). The guitar gives way to a trumpet lead continuing MGS4's leitmotif, building up to an aurally amazing ending.

As a die-hard Metal Gear Solid fan, I'm not ashamed to say that this piece (particularly: the lone guitar leadoff mentioned above coupled with the cutscene it prominently plays in*) will occasionally summon manly tears of awesomeness from me. I'm serious.
When a game or movie has you emotionally invested that well, you know someone made that moment right.

Now, the only thing that would make me happier than watching that scene after a fun Metal Gear Solid marathon would be hearing "Metal Gear Saga" live in orchestra format.
I... I'd think I'd cry manly tears of manliness there, too. I just love the series that much.


Shouji Meguro - "I'll Face Myself (Battle)"
Persona 4 Original Soundtrack

A rock piece played during the boss fights of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, "I'll Face Myself (Battle)" carries an overall theme of denial and acceptance - something that (in my view) the RPG game was speaking to us about.

Each of the primary characters that you end up recruiting in your party are Persona users (where they create physical manifestations of various facets of their psyche). However, in order to use this ability, they have to be able to accept who they are - and unfortunately, each person has some sort of inner demon within themselves that they can't accept as real.

While these characters would lie to everyone and themselves about how they truly felt (e.g.: feigning a happy-go-lucky outlook to hide a brooding boredom with their life, or resentment over having your destiny chosen for you), the reality of their terrorizing truths slowly ate at them, and when they finally come face-to-face with their inner demon in question (quite literally, might I add), they deny it as being an actual part of them.

Of course, that just makes the demon go nuts with power, and the result is a boss fight with some of the craziest-looking bosses I've seen to date.

Anyway, I digress. This is a great piece, and with my dissertation of it (via the explanation above), "I'll Face Myself (Battle)" definitely lives up to its name.
As today's entry has a bit of focus on facing off against myself, I thought it fitting for this track to play.
Heck, a good three quarters of the time I spent writing today's entry was spent blasting this through my headphones.**


* = The video should start at around 6'45". For those of you wondering the synopsis of this cutscene...***
(Author's Note: SPOILERS have been blacked out so they're visible only when highlighted. You've been warned...)
**SPOILER**
...after intense fighting, Solid Snake and Liquid Ocelot face off in one final and epic showdown to the death. Their brutal fist fight wears on to the point where both men are exhausted. Noticing nanomachine-suppressing syringes falling off their persons, the two grab a syringe each and - in a show of respect (despite their rivalry) - inject each other with them,  evening the odds and culminating in one of the most badass boss fights ever.
**END SPOILER**

** = After reading that summary, did you get a case of déjà vu? Some of you might have - any old-school readers who've read my Facebook entries will notice that line-by-line, it's a similar description to when I talked about it back with "The Persona of Astigmatic Reflection."

*** = Are you interested in finding out more about Guns of the Patriots but afraid of encountering MGS-related spoilers along the way? Well, I happen to know of a video that sums up the game in roughly ten seconds! No spoilers guaranteed! Plus, it provides us southern Californians with valuable insight as to what we'll be needing in the summertime!





It's way too warm outside. It might be the alcohol talking, but I think it needs to cool down some. Anyone have any beverages of any kind lying around?
None? No liquid whatsoever?

...oh. The footnotes from the music's done. Whoops. Uhm, lemme retry that.

*clears throat*

H-Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to today's edition of The White Knight Chronicles.
Once again, it seems that I've held up until the last minute on posting something here (gee, this is becoming a trademark thing, isn't it?), but at least I've yet to miss the deadline.





(Author's Note: Today's entry will definitely seem more... melancholic. After a long day of meditation - followed by a walk to the local Mexican restaurant for some tasty brain fuel - I had an epiphany. Mind you, I've had epiphanies before - but those realizations were insignificant next to the power of the Force the clear message this one broadcasted to me. Please bear with me on this - you have before, and seeing as how lots of people like the more-positive and somehow-upbeat me (don't question it; you know it's there if you've been with me since the new year), I'll do what I can not to drag you or myself into that cesspool of coagulated crap we call "depression.")










(Author's Note: On a lighter note, I had to warn you. I figured that every blogger out there has to vent like this once in a while, so this is my moment for that. Besides...

taken from the Avatar: The Last Airbender online forum "Distant Horizon"
(I'm not the original creator. Just putting that there for copyright reasons.)
(for more A:TLA-related demotivationals, see this thread)

Plus, look - my very first picture on this blog! If that's not a lighter note, I don't know what is!)





So today I've come to the realization that I'm severely burned out.



Mind you, I'm not burned out on posting here - but virtually everything else I've done for enjoyment has rattled to a standstill in terms of how often I engage in the activity in question.
I've probably stated signal sentences on previous entries beforehand (Hell, I have - does the phrase "I'm lazy" qualify?) and have yet to realize the case until now.

It scares me that I'm at a state like this. Sure, a bit of hyperactivity is responsible for overfilling my plate, but the fact that I've yet to finish anything on it... it's sickening.

I'm destined for greatness. I know I am. I'm not trying to sound all self-centered or anything here, but I knew from the moment I began doing all the things I do - all the work and dreaming I did during grade school - it all meant that I was going to make it out there.
I was going to see my names up in lights somewhere, famous for some crazy works or just for being awesome in some level. (No, people: we're not doing the "infamous criminal" route of fame. That's "infamy," and I don't want that on me... unless it involves the vuvuzela drive-bys...)



But... but I'm burned out. I... I see it now. Anyone around me lately can easily attribute most (if not all) of these symptoms and current personality quirks.

This explains a lot - why I've been getting random doses of inspiration and motivation to work on something only to get hit with a bigger dose of lethargy... why nothing has been entertaining as of late...why I hesitated on even posting this entry on here in the first place.



Why...?



Now, that's a question I want answered. Why did I get burned out? What caused me to become the underachieving slacker I didn't want to transform into? Was anyone partly to blame (aside from myself)?

More importantly, how do I combat it? How do I emerge from this self-dug hellhole alive?
What do I need to fight, and how long would it take before I can claim myself as victorious?



I... I don't know the answers to any of these questions...





...but I do know one thing.

*cue "I'll Face Myself (Battle)" as the area goes black and a spotlight shines down on me*

I now know that this is the inner demon that disguised itself as me in "Cryptic Metaphor" - the one I've been subconsciously grappling against for eons without me realizing it. And also subconsciously, I've been denying its existence - and maybe that is what has been fueling this... this... lethargy. It's a sickness (not that sickness, Disturbed fans) and I need to be cured of it muy pronto... or else I'll be consumed by it. Forever.

So, now that I know this demon's identity...

*deep breath*

To the unholy parasite of a demon that spawned within me: this is your vengeful host, Josh Blanco the White Knight! You have corrupted my soul and slaughtered my dreams for far too long! It is time to meet your end and vanquish you once and for all!

(Author's Note: The previous fully italicized sentence is best read when "I'll Face Myself (Battle)" is at this part. Read along and imagine some pseudo-sequence where energy is flowing around me Dragon Ball Z-style, the camera pans in a 360 degree angle around me, and I'm decked in some special-ops olive drab uniform as I dramatically pull out a pistol and a knife and get into a combat stance. Oh, and as the guitar stops wailing, the camera stops panning so that it's facing right at me and a stock "shing!" sound effect goes off. Gotta love my overactive imagination, huh?)





So, apart from wanting to wage war on this burnout... I don't think I have much else to report.
Oh, wait; never mind... I do.

Fish tacos and beer... WOW. What a combination.

Until the 'morrow, everyone!

Yet Another Monday Flies

It seems that my strong post days happen to be on days where work hasn't hampered my schedule.
As most of you can quite guess by now... today's not one of those days.



On the bright side: it's a Monday night, which means a (somewhat) easy time at work, my "Friday" for myself, and (in today's case:) the first day of post-Easter clearance stuffs.

And Monday nights usually herald... the "Tuesday Morning Release," when game stores and any place that sells multimedia products throw the new releases!
For me and some of my friends, that means new cards. Whoo.



I digress. I promise you there's going to be a better entry tomorrow. For now, though, I'm just going to call it a day and keep solving puzzles. *grabs the 3DS and loads up Super Scribblenauts*

An Easter Sunday Off

I know that I'm something of a procrastinator and that I keep posting all these short entries.
It sucks, but... well, it's like a drug. I can't stop because it feel sooooooo good.

So apart from spending my Easter Sunday off (thank goodness; work was killer last night), I haven't done much. Hung out with some friends, got food, watched some rather interesting things on YouTube, and... well...

*eyes the cold ones in the fridge* ...I think I need to relax a bit. So g'night, all; until the 'morrow, and... all that jazz.

The Horn of the Apocalypse

No, ladies and gentlemen. I'm not talking about the angelic horns that could tote should the biblical apocalypse happen.
I'm talking about... the vuvuzela.
Virtually unknown until last year's FIFA World Cup, this rather annoying instrument has been the bane of healthy eardrums and fun-bashers alike.



For those of you who lack a Facebook (or don't have me as a friend), I'm only going to say this once:
I ordered a vuvuzela.






More importantly, since nobody wanted to get me a vuvuzela, I'm going to initiate my "vuvuzela drive-by" policy now on anyone and everyone.

What's the policy, you ask?
Simple: I get a sadistic driver to drive my equally-sadistic self around the area (in particular: friends' houses) and wait to see someone I know.
I then blare the vuvuzela to the point where the person in question wants to physically tackle the car I'm in in a vain attempt to stop my blaring.
At that point, we drive off only to cause more havoc at someone else's place of residence.



Doom will now be heralded in the city streets once the box arrives... so to my friends who are still in the vicinity: when you hear maniacal laughter akin to a crazed psychopath with a book listing a bunch of dead people, RUN. (Unless you're some kind of crazy person who wants to join in my antics.)





(Author's Note: This message is brought to you in part by people who wish not to harm you with a vuvuzela. YET.)

Penned by Pensiveness

Lately, I've been working on a paper. No, it's not for a class; and no, it's not someone else's work that I just so happen to be... "improving."

Conclusion: it's for me. I wanted to write it. Cue the numerous "...what!?"'s and "are you [expletive] serious?" responses.





CURRENT MUSIC:
Shinedown - "45"
Leave a Whisper

One of Shinedown's most well-known songs, and - in my opinion - one of the world's most emotionally-gripping. (If not the world's, then at least Shinedown's.)

Contrary to what the song sounds like, it's not a message of suicide contemplation. Rather than thinking that the singer's staring down the barrel of an actual .45 pistol... think: what if the world that's been pressuring you is the .45, metaphorically speaking?

If anything, this song is more about hope despite what the lyrics might say...



"Artistic growth is, more than anything else, a refining of the sense of truthfulness. The stupid believe that to be truthful is easy; only the artist - the great artist - knows how difficult it is."
- Willa Cather

Interesting quote, I think. As a writer, I've found it difficult to stay true to truth whenever I write (hell, I find it difficult staying true when I'm not writing).
No, it's not that I'm lying* or anything to anyone. I just... find it a bit difficult to be truthful in my work when it exposes oh-so much.

Tell you what: when my "paper" is published on my blog here, read it carefully and try to figure out how difficult it was for me to be so open like that. I'm not expecting much openness here, but that's kind of the point I'm getting across.

* = I resent the concept of it, but under times of stress or secrecy, it doesn't mean I won't resort to it.





So as one can guess, most of today's entry focuses on my artistic work. Oh, fun.



Wednesday night at work, a few events occurred that got me questioning a certain aspect of life.
No, nothing bad happened to me or anyone - despite the somber tone today's entry carries, it was actually a good night (despite the usual idiocy people present us* in the wonderful world of retail).
What happened was that a few somewhat-touchy conversations and a few ill-timed songs blaring from my iPod triggered a state of pensive thought that I wasn't ready to meditate on for the entire night.
Granted, I was able to suppress it well enough - between more work, a speedy drive down the highway (made even speedier due to heavy techno blaring from my speakers) and a late night dinner with a few friends, I made myself focus on the other things, promising myself that I'd get back to thinking it once I was at home.

Those who can read me well enough (or those who simply worked with me two days ago) will probably know what topic it is. *shakes head* I'm just a sucker for it, really. Aren't I? *laughs incredulously*
Should the knowledge of this topic become evident to you: I beseech you to stay your words.
(Translation: "If you end up finding out: please don't tell.")

I spent a good portion of last night writing things down and taking notes on my topic, but for some strange reason, it never seems to be enough to base a paper on. I mean, it technically is in terms of quantity, but... all the notes seem hollowed out and... somehow, fake.
I don't know how to explain it, and last night, I didn't, either. So I logged onto WoW, got Gefallen to 83 (smacking things around does help soothe frustration), and went back to working with a clear mind.
It didn't help much - the notes still didn't make any sense, and neither did my rough draft.
I probably have a good two pages composed on MS Word right now... and while at first glance it would look like a decent paper, all I see is garbled trash wasting two sheets of paper. (This isn't my perfectionist streak talking, mind you.)



Now, here's the tricky thing... in any normal artist's block**, this would be the time where one would seek some advice and/or inspiration from another (fellow artist) in order to continue on with their project.
However, when it comes to me and a personal project like this, I end up treating it like a top-secret project being stored inside Fort Knox - and only those with proper security clearance can get in***.

I know I need some help on this, but at the same time, I don't want to expose myself. The paper just clashes heavily with my stance on life, and well... things that clash tend to not work out well in the end.
Sometimes they do, but an undesirable aftershock occurs.

Who knows? I might just come up to some of you for some help. I might not. *shrugs* It's just how I am.



So what's the point of me talking about a paper I won't talk about and the fact that I've hit obstacles in the forms of my perfectionist streak and a butt-ugly artist's block?
Oh, I don't know - I just felt like sharing something for today. That, and the last two entries seemed lacking, no?



* = Let me get this straight so that both Target and the general public can be put at ease (somewhat): a person is smart (usually). People are stupid. That's my belief. Unfortunately for us retail workers, about 97.2% of the shopping crowd comprises of people. Occasionally I'll get to help a person who reciprocates my kindness and therefore will have a very pleasant shopping experience - and I'll vouch for them and them alone.

** = Every time I mention a writer's block (or any form of artist's block, really) I always picture my high school English teacher smacking me upside the head, looking me in the eyes and saying, "Whitey, repeat after me: there is no such thing as a writer's block." What makes this more hilarious is that whenever I did tell him I had a block back in high school, he did smack me upside the head, looked me in the eyes and said what he said. *laughs lightly* Oh, the good ol' days of high school.

*** = Now, there's a hierarchy chart I have on my laptop describing my personal security clearance levels and who's made it on the "top-secret" equivalent's list. It constantly gets modified with the times, but I can say this: get me emotionally distraught, and I might forget to apply the security check. Of course... if I find out it's only a ploy, prepare to get shut out of the top tier list. Forever.





I'm probably about 25% done with it right now, but I intend on finishing it all by the end of the month (read: Saturday, April 30) before I go in for work.

I'll be seeing you all later. Got some errands to run (thank you, pay day!) and some lunch to eat before I head to work. =)

Nappy-Nap

I don't know why, but for some strange reason, a nap really sounds good.
Which is odd for someone like me - I don't like taking naps.

*shrugs* Oh, well. Maybe some shut-eye will do me some good. Been lacking energy lately, so maybe this'll help.

*naps*

Just Like Usual

It's another one of those days where I just do everything last-second - including posting today's entry.
I swear, I sometimes wonder why my muses haven't slapped me silly for regressing to this pathetic life cycle yet.

...but apart from that, I got a few mini-projects finished, so yay, me. Sorta.

A Sudden Drive

What drives you... what drives me... what drives the world to go on and drive...?





CURRENT MUSIC:
Chris Cornell - "You Know My Name"
Carry On

The theme song for the 2006 version of Casino Royale, "You Know My Name" perfectly fits with the story of this James Bond movie.
I remember years ago when I first heard this song - I was thinking how weird it was for a rock song to be blared as the theme for a Bond film*.
I guess it grew on me slowly over the years, because when it popped up again when I was rolling through my music archives, it seemed to make more sense, and I wasn't as put off as I was five years ago. (Of course, back then I wasn't doing amateur lyrical analyses, either.)
Anyway, I think Cornell did a pretty superb job with this. Despite some of my friends' negative opinions about him (and by extension, Audioslave), I think they'd have to (begrudgingly) agree with me on this.

For some reason, it seemed to mesh with today's entry for some reason.
Bond had to slowly realize that the missions he undertakes on his own will take their tolls on him if he allowed his emotions to remain attached.
Similarly, I now realize that unless I feel like staying tethered to the ground for eternity, I have to prepare myself for whatever may come my way when I begin this campaign - even if it means forsaking certain things (and if need be, certain people).

Heartless, huh? Well... I wouldn't think so. I had one... once.
But more on that later. Much later.

* = Yeah, I know - Duran Duran performed "A View to a Kill," but this was at a time when the only James Bond movies I knew of back then were the ones starring Pierce Brosnan. Oh, look - all of those movies (GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Day) had pop songs as their themes.


P.H.A.T.T. & Jennie Rix - "Eternal (Technikal Remix)"
Eternal [Single]

Just discovered this hard trance track last night while I was hit with a bout of insomnia.
Story was that a friend posted something in a group in regards to this recently-recorded World of Warcraft video where a Death Knight successfully takes on two dungeon bosses by himself**.

Now, I didn't post this in an attempt to shoo away anyone - I promise you I won't go into the mechanics of this insane feat.
It's here because it's just been placed on my playlist for adrenaline-pumping music.
Excellent music for me to fight to, and very nice for street ra- er, I mean... casually cruising down a road.
...yeaaaaaaaaaah... >>

** = Some people think it was staged somehow. Some others think it's the godliest thing they've ever seen. Others claim this as a reason for Blizzard to nerf the Death Knight class (which may not happen). And then there's me, who uses it as a source of inspiration.



"If you are going through Hell, keep going."
- Winston Churchill

While this is an excellent quote and all (come on - it fits quite well with today's entry), something tells me that I'm off about it.
No, not because I'm some weird-ass chimp who doesn't think this is motivational - rather, it doesn't sound like Churchill despite everyone's assumed annotations.
While the world may never know who actually said this... I think I'll live with it being credited to the former Prime Minister.





Today, instead of wanting to become somebody, I ended up becoming somebody. No, that's not supposed to be some sort of cryptic metaphor.



I've noticed that during a person's lifetime, they will encounter a moment in their lives that ends up sparking the fire that - when looked back upon by others later on - will be highlighted as a time when a person's life changed dramatically.

It usually starts when the person in question's just trudging along on what seems to be another ordinary day in their lives. They're in the middle of some mundane routine and they just so happen to get drawn to something - a newspaper article grips their attention; they follow a YouTube video link their friends posted on Facebook; the radio starts up a song they have some sense of attachment to - and after they're done with it, they sit back and begin contemplating for a minute (but for them, it seems to be an eternity).

Rarely, instead of encountering something during a time of minutae, they're thrust forward into a tense situation where they're offered a choice to become something else, where they also end up contemplating.

In either case, their train of thought ends up becoming the final push they need to get a jump-start on a task they want completed... a dream they wish to be fulfilled... a goal they now want accomplished.



When this happens, they cease to be that doppelgänger that they were (and most likely resented) and begin their transformation into something else...
...but if they're not careful, they might go down the path of fanaticism and end up becoming the demon they fought to vanquish.





As for me? Well... I'm not sure. While "the coldness burns through my veins," I'm not sure if I know my name yet. The only thing that knows is the flow of time... so when it feels like showing the world, I'm sure it will.

Not a Fan of the Day

I'm not feeling particularly inspired today.
It could be because my Friday's today and I just want to get it over with so I can go home, sleep, and wake up to an off-day.

It could be because I haven't had a hearty breakfast in a while. (Maybe some eggs and bacon will do the trick...)

Or it could be because I'm just waaaaaay too lazy.

Either way, I'm just going to sit back and relax a bit more before I have to go in for work.



Stupid Mondays...

Not Enough Energy

(Author's Note: No, that's not a reference to StarCraft or StarCraft II at all.)



As I trudged into my room, exhausted from what could very well be the longest work day I've had in ages, I realized I've yet to place a post for today.

Had it not been for my iPod blaring track after track of adrenaline-pumping tunes from video game soundtracks and one very tasty apple fritter, I don't think I would've made it through the rest of the night to post this little spiel.

Which brings up an interesting theory on how music can be used as a psychological modifying device.



But as much as I'd loooooooove to delve in on something that might end up being some multi-page thesis whose pages are in the double-digits, I decided, "screw it" and hopped into bed.

And for the first time in my life, my laptop, which has always been on a desk, was actually on my lap.

...and now it's beginning to burn, so I'll just end this post, place the damn thing back on its spot and call it a night.

White Knight Live: Target

...yeaaaaaah, I made this entry while I was at work today.

My shift started at 3 in the afternoon... and I don't get home from work until well past midnight.

Midway through my shift, it dawned on me that I had yet to post an entry. The worst part was that I had foolishly wasted my lunch break browsing our new stock of cameras and camcorders.

Talk about total last-minute, huh?

Anyway, I made it (thank goodness - otherwise I'd have to slap myself silly and hate myself forever, which kinda negates that whole positive aura thing I've been trying to emenate (sp? - no spell-check on my phone >_<).

*gets up* Welp, back to work I go.

Rogueish

I'm one of those people who believe in taking a personal day off once in a while - to get away from anything and anyone that could potentially ruin your time or drag you to boredom.
While techniques and activities done during this personal day can and will vary from person to person, there's usually a general consensus that the time spent on the personal day was well worth any repercussions they may incur in the future for taking one.

As for me, my "personal day" can usually extend to a few days at a time. I'm currently having a "personal day" (it started yesterday) working on something, and I'm having fun.

And it's all because of things I've taken off the backburner. Oh, and sushi, too. Can't forget about sushi. =3





CURRENT MUSIC:
Zelda Reorchestrated - "Gerudo Valley"
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ~ The Complete Collection

Obviously I'm a big fan of video game music, but deep down inside (at least for the people in my age group), you have a bit of fondness for the stuff, too.
Deny it all you want, but when the music for a game you just loved playing when you were younger pops up somewhere, you brighten up.

Enter The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Now, if your household owned the Nintendo 64 (or if you were over a lot at a friend'd house who did), there's a very likely chance this excellent game was in their library.
"Gerudo Valley" is probably one of the most memorable and serene pieces from Ocarina of Time's soundtrack, and it's an excellent thing to play for long drives near the middle of somewhere scenic (or near the middle of nowhere) or closing credits sequences.

Now, Zelda Reorchestrated is a website dedicated to making orchestra-sounding renditions of Zelda games - Ocarina of Time included.
They do a marvelous job of it - and they offer their work to the public!
If you're a fan of the Legend of Zelda series' music, then I suggest you check them out!





Hey, everyone. It's a nice Friday off for me (a first, really), and for some reason I find myself thrown off and imbalanced despite the relative serenity surrounding me.
Could be because I'm so used to working on a Friday that it's got me worked up for work... even though I'm not scheduled.

*shrugs and walks off the set, getting sushi in the meantime for about two hours, walking back afterward*

...aaaaaaaand while I let this sushi digest... I'll go ahead and talk.

(Author's Note: There wasn't a three-hour nap here. None whatsoever.)





(Author's Note: The following entry for today will delve heavily into things related to World of Warcraft. I say this now because I know a good portion of people don't play, and I wish to warn them if the famed MMORPG isn't their cup of tea. However, I will also be touching on some more issues while I talk about this stuff, so maybe you shouldn't skim. If you do decide to read on, not only do you have my thanks, but you'll also see things get boiled down so that you'll get what I'm talking about - even if you don't play the game.)









So yesterday night I started playing someone on World of Warcraft that I thought I'd never touch again: Gefallen, my Human Rogue on US-Tichondrius. While non-WoW players would say something like "cool story, bro" or the like, actual players who know my WoW gaming history would probably look upon this entry in shock - I declared Gefallen "dead and retired" months ago, so why was I reviving him? To understand that, one would have to know a decent amount of expository backstory...

I'm going to be honest: there was a time where I acted a bit derisively when I heard someone mention World of Warcraft. Matter-of-fact: I was one of those poor, blind fools that I hate - the kind of people who think negatively about every single thing they come across and shoot down anything/anyone without giving it/them a chance. (Hell, I still am like that - but I think I toned it down somewhat. ...don't give me that look.)

Digression aside, it took me a while to go from "WoW is for chumps with no lives" to "WoW actually looks like a pretty decent game" to "I think I actually want to try WoW!"

So at the behest of one of my good friends, I gave in and joined the WoW community around the end of May 2009*. I was over at his house with my laptop as I had the installer going, looking at the classes and seeing what I would want as he advised me on the basics.

When WoW finally finished its setup, I was given a trial account via Recruit-a-Friend and I logged into Azeroth for my very first time.

Now, if anyone knows my gaming style, I'm the kind of player who isn't afraid to get down and dirty (unless the tactics call for otherwise). Fast-paced action, close-quarters encounters, and striking before the enemy got a chance to strike back - it describes it in a nutshell. At the same time, though, I picked my battles.

In first-person shooters, this usually meant I was in a "scout" sort of role - I'd pick the lighter, faster weapons (usually submachine guns) and would often blitz the enemy in a fashion that kept me (mostly) intact. In strategy games, I usually go with the mobile infantry option - or lightly armored vehicles - as my mainstay army. With role-playing games, agility/speed/haste/"whatever the game called it" was a main stat I would usually invest heavily in. If the game let me pick a class, I'd always go with the lightly-armored, quick-striking specialist.

With all that in mind, one can easily guess what my first character was. If you guessed "Rogue," then you're absolutely right - a Blood Elf Rogue named "Prymous" on US-Maelstrom.

Now, the WoW-knowledgeable are probably wondering my reasons for picking Blood Elf as my race.

It wasn't because I thought the other races were ugly-looking or too plain or anything else involving aesthetics.

It also wasn't because I was thinking strategically with the racial bonuses** or anything.

And it most certainly wasn't because I favored the Horde. (For the Alliance!)

It was simply because my friend rolled a Blood Elf Priest and wanted me to join him in the starting zone and smack stuff for him while he healed me.

While I slowly learned how the game worked, I began experimenting with other classes and races. I couldn't quite grasp the concept of mana usage (early experiments with the magically-adept classes like the Mage or Warlock ended with early death), and for some reason I felt that other melee-based classes (such as the Warrior or Paladin) were... slow. I kept coming back to the nimble Rogue, but I didn't feel like playing as a Blood Elf.

Then my friends at work heard that I started playing, and some of them told me they played on another server (US-Tichondrius) on the Alliance.

So, mirroring Prymous, I created a Human Rogue who would come to be known as Gefallen.

That was then... almost two years ago. Creepy when you think about how much time has passed, really...

Anyway, back to the present. Or something close...

Back in October 2010, when Blizzard began updating its servers for the then-upcoming Cataclysm expansion, they released Patch 4.0.1, which greatly overhauled virtually every ability and talent that existed in-game. At the time, Gef was my first and only character I had that was at the (then) level cap of 80, and I loved playing on him. However, 4.0.1's changes greatly interfered with my play style and frustrated me when I spent  hours trying to figure out how to rework his talent trees to no avail***. Finding myself defeated, I gave up and worked on another character on a different server - Chariselle, my Lv85 Blood Elf Paladin on US-Ravenholdt.

One night earlier this week (or last week... lately I've been sporadic with my WoW time), I found myself utterly bored with playing. The reasons are varied and somewhat riddled with catch-22s, but it can all be boiled down to stagnancy.
Sure, playing on Chariselle was fun - I was slowly getting back to roleplaying and getting my Blacksmithing near max, but... that was it.
I logged off my Paladin that night and looked at the list of characters I made - and I found myself looking over at US-Tichondrius' list.
I spotted Gefallen and remembered how much work I put on him. How he was my very first character to hit Lv80... how I had so much fun destroying other players on PvP battlegrounds... how I worked tirelessly to hone and perfect his customized build so that I destroyed anyone I came across**** and showed up every single cookie-cutter Rogue at the time (Mutilate/Prep players: I'm looking at you).

So, last night, after getting bored playing on Chariselle, I went off and - for the first time in months - logged onto Gefallen, hellbent on getting him to 85.



I'm at Lv81 so far. Squee.





* = Yes, I was a "Wrath" baby. No, I'm not one of those "Wrath" babies who bitched about how "hard" Cataclysm instances are. I grew up learning about the importance of crowd control, so I lived.

** = To those not knowledgeable in WoW gaming mechanics, each race has their own ability and passive traits they can take advantage of.
For instance, humans like Gefallen have "Every Man For Himself," which allows them to break out of anything that stuns, mind controls, snares or otherwise that prevent you from doing stuff. Blood Elves like Prymous get "Arcane Torrent," an ability that silences all enemies within range for a few seconds.
Like I said, I didn't really research racial traits and abilities, but when I look back, I think I made a good choice. Rogues are known for their numerous interrupts, incapacitates and stuns they have up their sleeves, so choosing Blood Elf was actually an innately good choice - had I leveled Prymous to 80, at least.

*** = Each class has their own "talent trees": a set of passive and active traits defining what your character can do. (To understand this footnote, please follow this link and read along.) These talent trees are divided into three specializations, or "specs," with two to four traits available to spread points amongst each one.  Players start at the top row of the tree, and for every five points they place in that tree, the next row would become available to place points in. (I hope that makes sense.)

Originally, Wrath of the Lich King gave you a point starting at Lv10, giving a player 71 points to throw around once they were Lv80. The talent trees were also set so that one could place points wherever they preferred (as seen with my Rogue's previous spec), allowing players to fully customize and fashion their own "hybrid build."

With Cataclysm's 4.0.1 patch, they reworked all the talent trees and the accrual rate of talent points, making it so you earned a point at every odd level past Lv10 (along with the initial point at Lv10 and five points from Lv81-85), boiling down to 41 points. They also made it so that you had to pick a talent tree to place points in, and once picked, you had to throw 31 points into that tree before you can spread them anywhere else.

This utterly destroyed hybrid builds and made each player seem less unique and more "cookie-cutter," which brought out a great deal of debate amongst the WoW community.

**** = ...well, almost everyone. Frost Mages (the bane of all melee classes) non-Retribution Paladins (the Holy and Protection trees just laugh at damage) and the rarely-seen actually-good player trounced me. I never said I was the best...

So on that note, I'm going to go back and continue working on Gefallen. I'll catch y'all tomorrow!

Some Days

Some days I just want to stand up and yell at the open air for no reason whatsoever.
Oftentimes it helps relieve stress.

And some days I just sit there, wondering why I'm not yelling at the open air.
Oftentimes it helps nurture stress.

Some days I ask myself, "Why do I sit there and think instead of yell?"
Oftentimes it helps me get nowhere.

And some days I say "Fuck it" and do something else entirely.
Oftentimes... weirdly good things happen.

Written Order: Pokémon Ramen in a Designer Bowl!

My old-school blog-readers will probably have a bit of nostalgia by now - the title emulates how I often titled my blogs in a weirdly linked manner.

In this case, I'll primarily be talking about the following today in no particular order:

• my writing
• my Pokémon: White Version team
• ramen (and possibly the spiel behind yestersay's entry)
• this blog's design and the changes I've (yet to get) done

So, let's get this entry started!

CURRENT MUSIC:

Alizée - "J'en ai marre! (Live)"

Alizée En Concert

I wasn't kidding when I said I was hooked on Alizée.

It's not just because she's pretty, and it's not just because she's part of the "exceptions" for The Hate List.

I guess I like the sound of her music - and that's that.

George Martin - "I Am the Walrus (f. Jim Carrey) (The Beatles Cover)"
In My Life


Yes, people; you're reading that correctly.

Short musical history lesson:
In 1997, music producer and "Fifth Beatle" George Martin collaborated with a bunch of people in the entertainment industry and produced a tribute album for The Beatles called In My Life.
Released in 1998, the album was a wonderful homage to one of the most famed bands in existence.

Anyway, comedian Jim Carrey was selected to sing as lead vocals for one of the most surreal songs in existence, "I Am the Walrus" - and he pulled it off waaaaaaaay too well.

Fun fact: when I play this song, people like it, regardless of if they're a fan of The Beatles or not.
And then they're in shock and amazement when they find out who is singing.

Jason Paige - "Pokémon Theme"

Pokémon 2BA MASTER

"I wanna be the very best / like no one ever was..."
Oh, maaaaaaan. This song brings back sooooo many memories of my childhood.

To anyone my age: I know most of you want to sing along when you hear it, regardless of how much of a Pokémon fan you were/are.

Just think: I could blare the infamous "PokéRap" instead...

"Pokémon! (Gotta catch 'em all~!)"

Today's entry is sponsored by... nothing. I'm not that famous, yet.

I'm going to be honest: I had to struggle with myself to actually type something out.

Sure, I allow myself to post short entries when I'm feeling particularly uninspired, strained with time* or (heaven forbid,) out of commission due to sickness.

But today... I don't know. I just wasn't feeling the urge to write anything.

I guess I'll just talk about some of the things on my mind at the moment. (Holy crap; that counts as a blog, doesn't it?)

* = Most situations that leave me wishing I had more time were caused by me in the first place. Hey, don't give me that look - I get distracted easily!

Design Fiddling

As most of you have probably noticed by now, I've been fiddling with the look of my blog here.
So far, it's interesting. At least I think it is.

Green's always been one of my favorite colors, but so has black*.

When it comes to text, I find a "black-on-white" format much easier on the eyes than "white on black."
Sure, the latter doesn't burn your monitor so much, but the former doesn't burn your eyes, does it?
I might experiment with "black-on-light" and throw in some background (either one pre-provided by Blogger or a submission of my own), but for now this simplistic look will have to do.

(Author's Note: Seeing as how some of you might be reading this a long time from now, I'm just putting this note here for posterity purposes. Simple template; black background and white insert background.)


I'm sure a select few of my friends reading this either operate a Blogger/BlogSpot website for some sort of business as promotional material or have their own blog of some kind (whether they'll admit it is another thing), so to those who do:

• What do you use? What template(s), color schemes, font(s) do you find work for your site (or just work overall)?
• How long have you had your site up?
• Has it been working out for you?
• Mind if I take a look at your site (in case I haven't heard of it before)?

I just ask because (a.) I know people read this (those statistics I'm tracking have been set so that my pageviews don't count - and there's still a positive number that's greater than zero...), and (b.) it would be nice to see others' sites.

It's a little-known fact that nothing is truly "original" - it's just something derived from some other "original" work.

Not to say that everyone is a blatant copycat - we all are in a sense, but with each (actual) original altercation we make we slowly turn something into our own work.

I just want to see if anyone has any interesting ideas I could look at. (And yes, this applies to everything and everyone.)

* = Yes, liberal arts majors, I know black is technically "the lack of all colors" (when applied to the visual light spectrum) and "the presence of all colors" (when applied to visual arts and printing), but I'm going with the colloquial definition: "black."

Pokémon: White Version - Who's That Sixth?

Despite my training and meticulously slow progress in White (just past the seventh gym last night despite it being a cakewalk), I have yet to find that mystical sixth Pokémon to round off my team.


(Author's Note: I'm delving into Pokémon theorycraft again. Brace yourselves. =P)


Before I continue, allow me to explain the "tier" factor of competitive Pokémon battling.
(I'm fully aware that some of you who, despite your (supposed) lack of geekery, are reading this anyway, so I'll summarize the rest of this part using the traditional 151 you're all familiar with.)

All 649 Pokémon can be sorted into "tiers" depending on their strength and versatility.
From highest to lowest, the tiers are: Uber, Overused/Standard (OU), Borderline (BL), Underused (UU), and Never-Used (NU).

Uber pretty much speaks for itself - most legendaries (and one non-legendary) have found their way on this list due to their sheer strength, consistently high stats, and/or extreme versatility.
Mewtwo and Mew make this list - the former due to its power (think back to the days of Red and Blue and remember your frustration when you tried catching it without a Master Ball - I know some of you did) and the latter due to its ability to use any Technical Machine.

Overused/Standard Pokémon will be the ones you're bound to see in tournament play. Assuming they're an offensive Pokémon, they possess nearly-unbridled power and speed, have an excellent move pool and will usually be those "powerhouse" Pokémon used to sweep the Elite Four.
However, a few defensive Pokémon have made it on here due to their uncanny abilities that make you scream "Why won't they die?"
Famed destroyers like Alakazam, Gengar, Aerodactyl, and Dragonite - as well as "weaker" legendaries such as Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres - round this list off.

Borderline refers to those who possess power, but due to some sort of hindrance they aren't seen as much in standard tournament play. They may not have a highly versatile move pool or the defensive stats their friends in the OU tier have, but the potential to go toe-to-to with just about anyone is still there.
More often than not at least one of these Pokémon will be in someone's Elite Four-stomping team, and more often than not they look  badass.
The starters' final forms (Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise), Nidoking, Chansey, and Scyther are a few BL contenders.

Underused Pokémon will probably possess the power to face the Elite Four if trained properly. They might even make up a third of a beginning trainer's team. However, when facing OU or even BL Pokémon, they usually pale in comparison.
Oftentimes they'll excel in a supporting role of some kind or be some kind of glass cannon with one obscenely powerful stat and crap everywhere else.
Pidgeot, Golbat, and Dugtrio are on here - the first for its decent stats, the second for its stat-resetting Haze, and the third for unbridled speed (Dugtrio are often used for blitzing out an Earthquake).

Neverused refers to just about everyone else that doesn't fit in an above tier.
Nevertheless they're trained by some for various reasons - a "cute" factor, their type, shock-and-awe, and various others.
Butterfree, Beedril, and Seaking are what I'd consider NU, but care must be taken - if trained properly, those sitting in the NU tier might even take out a BL.


Now, while my competitive teams consist of anyone (barring the internationally-accepted Uber-tier), my journey teams will always have stricter requirements.
I know for a fact that my requirements aren't a factor - mainly because they make it quite easy to filter a team:

• The Pokémon CANNOT be considered a "legendary" in the game.
• The Pokémon CANNOT be someone considered NU.

So far, I'll list the team. If you've been reading already, you've already met three of them...

Samurott (Aquos)

TYPE: Water

ABILITY: Torrent (powers up Water attacks when HP falls below 33%)

NAME ORIGIN: I wanted something that sounded aquatic that wasn't a mythical deity.

Water-types tend to be "bulky" in the sense that they have a high amount of HP and possess sufficient defensive stats.

Aquos does that for me, and despite its somewhat-shallow move pool, it's doing its job of sweeping my competition.

Zebstrika (Volgin)

TYPE: Electric

ABILITY: Lightning Rod (absorbs all Electric attacks and powers up Special Attack)

NAME ORIGIN: named after Colonel Volgin from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Zebstrika have pretty decent speed and attack, and to top it off, they're probably the first pure-Electric Pokémon that learn a Fire move.

These traits are what won me over to train one of my own, and Volgin's speed hasn't let me down yet when I needed to outrun someone.

Nellington (Lilligant)

TYPE: Grass

ABILITY: Own Tempo (cannot be confused)

NAME ORIGIN: wanted a pretty-sounding name

Lilligant having Own Tempo makes for a very interesting strategy.

While being a pure-Grass type hinders its move pool to Grass moves only, it does have the advantage of spamming Petal Dance, a Grass move that delivers extremely high damage for two to three turns before leaving the user in a state of fatigue and confusion.

Archeops (Oaxaca)

TYPE: Rock / Flying

ABILITY: Defeatist (Attack & Special Attack are cut in half when HP falls below 50%)

NAME ORIGIN: Mexican state

Oaxaca has become a surprising sweeper for my team.

Originally revived from a fossil so I could get a flyer that could fight the Elite Four, I soon came to realize how insanely powerful an Archeops can be.

Possessing a nasty attack stat and a lot of speed to back it, I forsee Archeops entering OU circles and sweeping some of the competition.

Chandelure (Fianima)

TYPE: Ghost / Fire

ABILITY: Flash Fire (immunity to Fire attacks; Fire moves boosted 50% when hit with a Fire attack)

NAME ORIGIN: from the Italian name Fianna ("fire") and Italian word anima ("ghost")

I needed a Pokémon that could learn Psychic, but Unova didn't really offer me any good Psychic-types.

I settled with having a Ghost-type instead, and I think it was a good decision when I got mine.

Fire and Ghost make for a rather interesting combination, being able to take down a myriad of types.

However, the lack of Levitate (probably for balancing reasons) does leave me a bit open to counter-attack... but Fianima will probably have destroyed them by that time.

So my dilemma is... who will be the sixth? Any ideas? I was thinking of getting a Dragon-type, but nothing I want shows up until the very end...

What My (Lack of) Writing Tells Me

If my writing muse were an actual human woman, she'd be singing to me that "[I've] lost that lovin' feeling."

And while I'd jokingly chastise her for her choice of words (hey, I have to give respect to that Righteous Brothers song despite its clichéd usage), I'd tell her she's right.

I've lost the edge. My dreams are writing checks my mind can't cash. (Okay; enough Top Gun references.) I'm sure this echoes off of what I was talking about numerous times before, but at the same time, I keep ending up in this part of the circle.

Why is that? Is there another message I'm not seeing here? Another idea that has yet to present itself?

Or am I just at a lull?





RAMEN
Well, gee; I wonder what I'll be talking about here. Yesterday, I had some amazing ramen. Curry ramen.
The kind that makes me go "WOW." And I'm serious.
Good ramen's just one of those guilty pleasures of mine when it it comes to foodstuffs.

Anyway, if you don't believe me, call me up and I'll take you down to get some. YOU WILL LOVE IT OR I WILL EAT YOUR HEART.

(What, were you expecting some crazy, detailed spiel about what happened yesterday? Pfft - you already know what happened!)





Well, that about wraps up my entry for today. I'll be seeing everyone later.

Excess Spice Does That to You

*groan* Apathy is one of those things that can plague a writer. It makes them so... uncaring when it comes to posting something.
In today's case, it's *groans again* hit me full-on.

...either that, or... *clutches stomach* ...or eating an awesome bowl of awesome Japanese ramen (not that instant crap) that I purposefully laced with a gazillion pounds of chili powder... ...uhng... ...made me go all stomach-achey...

*groaning pains*

...leeeeet's go with the RAMMMMMMmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeennnnnn...!! *runs off*





(Author's Note: Totally worth the pain. =D)

A Written Dilemma

The start of another week... or in my book, the end of one.* Let's see what's in store for today.

* = You know you've worked too long in retail when you look forward to Mondays instead of Fridays. No more weekend rushes, right?



CURRENT MUSIC:
30 Seconds to Mars - "Escape"
This Is War


This Is War's opening track sets the mood quite perfectly for the entire album.
What makes it even better is its sound - when I saw them last year, they appropriately used "Escape" as their first song. The feel of it just makes it like a "loading" sort of piece.

And the best part is that the whole album feels like a warzone, with "Escape" as the morale-raising words a commander says to his troops right before they charge into the front lines.





Afternoon, everyone. It feels weird saying that right when you wake up, but then again, my sleep pattern for last night was... well, weird to begin with.
I fell asleep at around 0215 and woke up around 1030, but I felt so lazy that I just closed my eyes and started daydreaming.
Sure enough, I slipped back into sleep - repeatedly - and woke up at 1135ish, 1240ish and 1330ish, getting up after the third reawakening.

While I still have that post-awakening fatigue (you know - the fatigue one feels within the first 20-30 minutes after waking up), once it wears off I can foresee a surprising amount of energy within me for the day.
Which is good, because I have work tonight (gee, when do I not?) and I can bet that I'm going to need it.





Well, apart from that fatigue and work, there's not much else on my plate.

...except for this sudden urge to fight my lethargy and work on a project.
However, that plate has a gazillion objects on it, so we'll just focus on the writing part of that plate.

*about 20% of the plate grays out*

...dammit. *laughs* Well, okay, that's some of it knocked out.
All the major ideas that've been on the backburner are going to be the ones I'm going to want complete focus on, so here's my choices thus far...



- Unincorporated (Street Fighter-based fan-fiction)
Every once in a while, I've found myself drawing up old MS Word documents and I find a semi-structured list of chapter summaries for this project.
I haven't posted anything on FF.net since November 2009, and I think I should change that.

- Shock Squad BETA (Halo 3 machinima)
Since its revised inception about two years ago, BETA has triumphantly held the spot of "potential magnum opus" - but without a complete script, it's not going to get there.
I think it's the whole "work eats my time" thing, but...

- some random satire paper I'll make people read (and they will love it whether they'll admit it or not)
Every once in a while I end up ranting to the point where I stop and think, "Hey, this actually sounds like something I'd like to rant about on paper!"
I end up doing that, look at it, and go, "Wow. It's like reading a humorous op-ed piece - and I like reading those. I'm sure people do, too!"
Then I remember that this is America - nobody reads.
...eh. I feel like writing something anyway. People were fans of my work in high school... but the question is: if I start up writing again, will they still be?

- a poem of some kind
I've always had a soft spot for poetry. I've composed a few decent ones and have one major one sitting on the backburner - one I've been tempted to finish for a long time...

- an original story of some kind
With all the hilarious (read: "confusing") "what if" stories I tell my friends, I'm surprised I haven't just gone on and penned some equally hilarious (read: "confusing") stand-alone story.

- Duskchaser (working title) (a screenplay I was working on over a year ago)
My friends who beta-read it for me said they liked the concept and idea, but my perfectionist streak kept saying something was wrong with the content and the dialogue...

- a brand-new screenplay
...and then my mind tells me to start a new movie. Greaaaaat. That means two ideas on backburners... but then again, another script sounds cool.

- some other new writing project
But hey, anything is possible. What if there's something else?




Oh, the choices...

So, to help me decide, I put up a poll on the right side asking you, my readers (if you exist... =P) to input your suggestion. The poll's going to close once Thursday passes. Please vote so that when I get sushi with a bunch of friends on Friday, I can announce what's going on!



Until the 'morrow, everyone!

The Triple Digit Club

When it comes to personal endeavors, certain milestones in its progress just beg to be marked and recognized for all humanity to notice (hopefully).

Today happens to be an endeavor of its own - a mark to show my resilience and my dedication to getting something done despite everything going on in my life.

...the big "One-Zero-Zero."

...and yes, caffeine helps. A lot. Along with misreading your work schedule and finding you have plenty of time to type something up. Emoticon time! =D

CURRENT MUSIC:

Acid Black Cherry - "sins"

Black List

Interesting song. I never would have pictured a J-Rock artist delving into something Christian.

I mean, pleading with Jesus about the ever-queried idea of self-purpose? The existence of the seven deadly sins in daily life?

Weird... but at the same time it had a quirk to it I just couldn't ignore.

And for some reason, I can see a Fullmetal Alchemist anime music video with this song.

If I had the know-how and the time, I think I'd make it, too.

Another interesting thing: "sins" works quite well as something you'd blare during a nighttime drive or when you're street-racing.

...don't ask me how I know this. *shifty eyes*

Alizée - "À contre-courant"

Mes Courants Électriques

...I think I'm hooked on Alizée for the time being. Being an artist filed under "A" doesn't help either.

Whenever I access my iPod's playlist and feel too lazy to listen to random songs and choose instead to scroll and select something I recognize, I just hit up the top 5% of the list - and sure enough, Alizée's there.

Not that that's a bad thing. Nope. Not at all. But it makes me wish I took French back in high school...

*clears throat*

Anyway, after getting the lyrics of "À contre-courant" (English: "A Counter-Current") translated, I began to analyze it to see if there was any other underlying reason why I felt so attached to this song.

With all the double-meanings and electric-based metaphors, I figured something was up, and my suspicions about an electrical romance of some kind were correct when I searched for other people's interpretations.

While it's generally agreed that the singer and her love are together, I also drew a second meaning - the  singer is not in a relationship with her would-be lover, but has pretty much admitted to herself that she has fallen for them.

And because of this song, it's made me analyze love itself and my stance on it*. For someone like me (I consider myself cynically lovelorn), it seems to empower me with something, although I don't know what.

* = While I would love to write something on this topic, delving on the subject usually sends my emotions into a downward spiral. So, nothing for you today unless something drastic happens.

Ray Parker, Jr. - "Ghostbusters"

Ghostbusters Original Soundtrack

...yeah. I did just listen to this song. 

Yeah, it's badass. 

Yes, I'll probably blare it at work after we're closed.

Why? Simple: "Bustin' makes me feel good!" =P

Vitamin String Quartet - "Over My Head (Sum 41 Cover)"

The String Quartet Tribute to Sum 41

Quite an interesting cover that got some airplay while I was typing this entry up.

In case you don't know who the Vitamin String Quartet are, they're a bunch of classically-trained musicians from the Los Angeles area who translate and perform songs from modern artists and singers (mostly those in the rock genre) into a string quartet format (generally two violins, a viola and a cello).

I've always interpreted Sum 41's "Over My Head (Better Off Dead)" as a sort-of wake-up call one has when they notice something wrong with their lives and - more importantly - themselves.

It's a great song to listen to (especially if you're trashing your room in a fit of self-rage like I did a few years back).

Raw, fast energy combined with self-questioning lyrics? In my opinion, it gives the song a somewhat-aggressive sound.

VSQ was able to keep that emotion in their rendition of it, and I liked that. Lots.

"The true poet has no choice of material. The material plainly chooses him - not he it."

- J. D. Salinger

I've always believed that we as artists don't find our inspirations and muses as often as they find us.

You don't sit there thinking of ideas - that takes too long, and quite frankly, they're usually the most bland things one can concoct in their minds.

Rather, the best things I've seen came while one was doing something - a seemingly casual thing or idea trickled from the mountaintops and gradually roared its way into the ocean in a matter of seconds.

Hell, that "mountain" metaphor I used above came to me while I was copy editing this entry - I wasn't even intending on editing it.

Hello to everyone viewing this humble little blog! Welcome to today's entry on The White Knight Chronicles.

In case today's entry title or the summary weren't enough of an obvious hint for you, then you either aren't perceptive enough or you just don't care.

Let's hope it wasn't either of the two. Or worst-case scenario: the first.

If you were redirected here from that link I posted on Facebook:

Welcome to my current "project:" posting an entry daily on this thing for a year (and then continuing on - hey, I need a blog).

Longtime readers of my blogging are probably going, "Wow. Just like old times." Indeed - the format's kind of stuck in my mind, and I like it.

Anyway, I've been posting here for the last 100 days because I know not everyone uses Facebook - and I kind of want a global audience. That, and Facebook's note-posting feature doesn't handle as ideally as I'd like it to.

More importantly, Facebook has pretty much downgraded itself from a social network to something on the lines of an online gaming parlor (and a crappy one at that), and in order to escape the numerous people I know on there who forced me to edit my infamous "Hate List" the first time, I went here.

Yes, I'll still be on FB, using it for its original intent (social networking, in case you're too illiterate to know), but the bulk of my daily shenanigans, project announcements and just about everything else will now be here.

So, if you're one of those friends of mine who have some weird impulse to spy on me (quite likely if I enter an isolationist state my friends have dubbed "Josh Land"), I suggest you bookmark this blog.

Yes, I'm aware I sound petty, and I apologize for that. However, I'm no Jacqueline Howett, and I have no intention on becoming one.

Oh, and in case you're the type to comment on things I say or do, please note that anybody can comment on here. Like I said, I want a global audience, and the only way I can do that is if people who don't have an account on Blogger are able to read and comment on this stuff.

Tell your friends!

(Now, with that introductory welcome to newcomers set aside, let's continue on the meat of today's entry. *noms on some turkey jerky*)

100 posts in a row!? Amazing! I didn't think I'd actually get this far with my New Year's resolution, but so far, I have. Astounding, isn't it? With all the self-generated joy I'm getting from typing this up, it's making me want to just write about stuff!

But... what is there to talk about on this entry for today? I mean, I can only stretch the "awesomeness" of 100 posts so far.

Other websites have it easier - webcomics do some crazy and somewhat silly self-referential joke, TV shows (usually those in the comedy department) do some musical number or have some big plot advancement, and musicians sit there going "Wow. 100 songs. I'm awesome."

But as for blog writers whose goals (for the time being, at least) are small readership from friends and talking about things ranging from daily life to random things they notice... well, what is there to be joyous about?

I mean, I originally intended this to be just a little online journal and what not, but the writer in me is compelling me to just post about everything and nothing at the same time (oh, that sounds like an interesting analysis) and work up a fan base for something, be it my writing, any random projects in the future, or (in a weird way:) me.

Well, I suppose I can say that since this is a New Year's resolution that is still one for one (haven't missed a single day yet - check the timestamps if you don't believe me), it hallmarks something grand: underlying determination in a trying time.

Granted, the only "trying" thing I have going on would be work and class, but... I kind of want to put my own lethargy on that list as well.

After all, I wanted to conquer my ever-present boredom with life. As I mentioned ten days ago, I'm easily bored with most things and just want to finish everything despite knowing full well that it's just not possible at this time.

TL;DR: There will be changes coming. I'm not going to ruin the surprise by saying what they are or when they'll be unfurled, because that's exactly like looking at the end of a book.

Cheapskates.

However, I can say that this lethargy I have is slowly going to drop. I can't say when or where, but the process is imminent* and forthcoming. Time will tell, and so will my actions.

Instead, I'll just work on them in secret. And if you know me and my policies on secrets, then you know the odds of me revealing them any time soon.

Okay, so that took a while. Obviously I haven't really outgrown the whole "ranting" thing, but if it makes it look any better, I've gotten a lot better at controlling my angst and depression. (I still have my days, but hey - who doesn't?)

Ask anyone who's read my past blogs - they can tell you that I've raved in a negative fashion quite a lot in my younger years.

If my Xanga was still up (yes, I had one) or if I felt like linking my old MySpace or Facebook posts, you'd know full well how raging I was.

(I might provide one later on.)

And apart from that, there's not much else to say today. I got work later on, and I'll probably be spelunking in my storage unit or playing Pokémon: White Version before then.

So, until the 'morrow, everyone. Here's to another great 100 posts in a row! *throws confetti around*