The weather last week was like Mum. Also, Manila Ocean Park.

If I were to anthropomorphize last week's weather, she'd look and act a lot like my mum. I even have almost the same kind of misgivings towards the weather as my mum (thank you for NOT letting me go to the company outing). That's all I can say about last week's weather.

Mother-flavored weather or no, Sunday still saw me being treated to a sunny day with the fishes in Manila Ocean Park, courtesy of that someone who will remain seriously awesome...until our next argument.

With the exorbitant ticket price (400 can see me through an entire work week complete with a Wendy's side salad for each day), I wasn't expecting the place to be packed with people. While there was no line for the tickets by the time that we came, we were still greeted with several families gawking at the fishy population once we got into the park.

Needless to say I'm actually glad; while the park is relatively small I wouldn't want to see it close down due to lack of visitors.

The fishes were hard at work in entertaining the guests: a trio of huge Amazonian fishes - touted to be the largest freshwater fish in the world - tried tried their best to be as cuddly as possible, making me feel a strong urge to jump into the aquarium and hug them. Too bad that doing so would see me getting hauled away from the park.

Rays were also employed to shade the underwater tunnel visitors from the harsh rays of the sun, using their flat, wide bodies. Some of them looked grumpy, begging to have their pictures taken and used for macros such as "I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE. AND I DO NOT LIKE IT."

Of course, there are the doctor fishes of the fish spa. If I ever have to tag one group of fish as the company "overperformers", these lot would be it. The moment we dipped our feet into the shallow pool, hordes of nomnom fish instantaneously approached our submerged limbs and nom'ed on our feet and legs.

It was, I suppose, the doctor fishes' way of saying "Ma'am and Sir, we advise you to change your year-old loofah and scrub more. In the meantime, we recommend that you let us NOM on your dead skin cells. Nomnomnom." Having crowds of fish happily nibbling on your skin could very well make up being born with chronic dry skin.

A precarious boat ride and a nice lunch later, my companion and I mellowed out in MoA, strolling around hand in hand, just as we always do.

1: Even if we fight a lot, I've never been happier in my whole life.  
2: What made you say that so suddenly?
1: I just wanted to let you know.
2: Uhm, is this the point when the couple goes all lovey-dovey, then parts afterwards with one of them dying because of a freak accident, and the other goes emo and eventually saves the world?
1: Let's just look at them balls touching, shall we?

Guessing game of rage.

People of today's day and age undoubtedly enjoy technological progress that is unprecedented in previous generations. Unfortunately, similar progression in human behavior doesn't necessarily follow.

Back then, reaching out to people and introducing one's self is a highly encouraged act, even if it was done in roundabout, peculiar ways when between adolescents and young adults of opposite sex. There's the employment of mediators, the sending of humiliatingly cheesy love letters, and of course, the subtle throwing of rocks into windows.

Now that the current level of technological progress has enabled communication to ride on zeroes and ones that deliver information on mere fractions of a second, you'd think that human behavior would also become just as practical. But no.

This SMS log is a shining example. Please excuse the vernacular, much of the retardation will be lost in translation, and I can't be bothered to figure out how to encode the following in English txtspk:

[number redacted]: ,h! Uztah kna?
Me: Who's this?
[number redacted]: ,wh0's dis k jan?
Me: Kilala ba kita? Sabihin mo na kasi medyo busy ako.
[number redacted]: ,yup it's me airine?
Me: Nope, don't know you. kthxbai.
[number redacted]: ,gnun ok!! Babusss din
Me: *goes back to browsing awesome items in Saizen, Robinsons Galleria, fitting my boyfriend with fake boobies*


I really don't know if it's the in thing nowadays to prefix each and every SMS with a comma, but one thing's for sure, trying to hook someone into an untimely guessing game, for 1 buck a pop isn't just downright inconsiderate, it's also goddamn retarded and is a discredit to human intelligence.

A short break from the usual stuff.

1. I haven't been doing much outside of work, as always. It's sad, thinking that what transpired last week can be confined to mere bullet points and statistics. A list full of pre-emptive grieving, tears, boredom, paranoia, amusement and nigh miraculous recovery, but a restrictive list nonetheless.

I decided that it was high time to nurse a bottle.

He said that Gilbey's Gin Pineapple has been pulled out from store shelves, my font of college comforts condemned as entry-level alcohol for those too young to remove their lips from their mother's teats.

Just because it was sweet, I suppose.

I'm now left to sucking on lemony lollipops for now. I wish I had someone to drink with tonight.

2. Only recently I've had a few people inquiring if I was still writing. I am, I suppose, working on it. In fact, I have another blog where I'm supposed to post new short stories, but it's currently locked until I have posted four pieces. Hopefully coherent ones.

Thanks for asking.

In the meantime, while the cuckoo in my head plots my downfall...

...I am going to the beach. After almost a year since my last beach trip, with the same crowd I'm going with in a few hours, give or take a few people.

I'm glad I'm still able to go to the beach. Simple joys warrant appropriate thanks.

First impressions: Ragnarok Online DS

Originally written for Gamer Blag. 

(Author's Note: Considering that I played the game's Japanese release and I didn't want to force myself to "read" moonspeak by squinting at the text for long periods of time in the hopes of understanding it, I may have missed some options that would have improved my gaming experience.)

Finally managed to get my hands on Ragnarok Online DS, the miniature version of Gravity’s surprisingly resilient MMO. Despite my enthusiasm towards the concept of finally getting an RO experience (more or less) in the pocket, an hour or so of playtesting the game left me feeling a bit... "meh". Not too awesome, but not too crappy. 

Graphics: At first glance, the whole game looks like it's been ripped out from the original PC version of Ragnarok Online. Now, this is good: imagine being able to walk through the familiar Pronteran fields with the same trees, the same pathways and waters, and the same plop-plopping Porings, all in the compact handheld console that is your DS. Fields and dungeons are broken down into small parts so the player can go through the environments piecemeal with minimal lagging between areas and/or slowdown. 

Judging from the first dungeon I played through (DS exclusive; I'm not sure if I came across an underground dungeon solely populated with Porings and the Culvert theme playing in the background), expect some areas to be sparsely decorated. No pillars, no trees, no rocks; just you, the floor, and the poor Poring. Now, if you're a nitpicker you'd certainly go anal-retentive at the sore lack of background elements.

But what really gets to me is how the sprites look crappy when you zoom out your view. Surprisingly, the GungHo Works managed to make the zoom in/out function available in the DS incarnation, but it pretty much gives a mediocre result. The 3D background and textures still looks more or less the same, whether zoomed in or out, but the sprites become horribly pixellated when you crank up the zoom out view. And when I say pixellated, I say disfigured beyond recognition.

All things considered, liking Ragnarok Online DS' graphics its just a matter of nostalgia versus quality.

Interface/Controls: GungHo Works, the new console gaming arm of Japanese MMO publisher GungHo Entertainment, certainly made an effort to mimic the user interface of the game, at least to a certain level. They implemented the shortcut bar (or however you call it), where players can opt to hotkey skills and/or items for use during battles. Like the later version of the shortcut bar in the original RO, you can configure and swap between three bars with just a nudge of the stylus.

Now, here is where things go a bit wrong: it seems that in order for you to use skills, you have to tap the icon of your chosen skill in the shortcut bar, then immediately perform the needed motion to activate the skill (check related screens here). I see this as redundant - the developers could have opted a more streamlined control scheme akin to The World Ends With You, where players can just perform stylus motions anytime they like without having to push any buttons or tap any icons. I can see myself getting flustered at the game if ever I'll encounter a higher-level mob, tapping icons and doing random stylus motions, and maybe break the touchscreen in frustration. 

That said, the in-game controls of Ragnarok Online DS are mostly stylus-based, and the DS buttons are only used as shortcuts to the following windows:

Y - equip

B - stats

X - items

A - menu

R - notepad

The Notepad function is a cute addition to the game - I'm not sure if it's main use is to let players scribble important notes for quests, but I used it as a nifty drawing tablet. Seriously, though, its a convenient touch and most RPGs should make use of a similar function (like Phantom Hourglass and Phantasy Star). Hey, that's what the touchscreen and stylus is for.

 

Gameplay: I haven't gotten that far into the game to give pertinent impressions about its gameplay, but suffice it to say that it has a decent combat system similar to Soma Bringer. You control your newbie character, while your party member (you get a Shaman at the first part of the game) is controlled by AI. 

Since I couldn't make heads or tails of the moonspeak menu, I'm also not so sure if you can assign certain actions or behavior patterns on your teammates. It would be nice if you can order your partner, who has less that 1/4 HP, to defend himself or to concentrate on healing the party. That would really be a big plus towards the game.

Like the original Ragnarok Online, you can assign stat points to attributes such as Str, Int, Vit, etc. Sadly the stat attributes are labelled in kanji, so I couldn't tell which is which :/ I don't think I'll be able to play the game if my stats are stunted, so I think I'll just have to keep an eye out for FAQs for reference before I play again from scratch.

Sounds: Not surprisingly, Ragnarok Online DS makes use of the same soundtrack found in the original PC version. However, the background music is midi-fied, meaning that instead of the awesome SoundTEMP-produced orchestra and guitars you'll hear mostly techno bleeps and bops trying hard to emulate the original music, but they do a great job anyway. Except to hear the usual plop-plopping of Porings, and other sound clips that can't be mistaken for anything else but Ragnarok Online.

 

Miscallaneous but still important: Here's what really disappointed me about the game: I was duped by one of the game's cutscenes into thinking that I could walk around Prontera, showing clips and scenes of familiar Pronteran streets and landmarks, such as the fountain. After the cutscene, however, it turns out that I couldn't traverse the Pronteran alleyways (and maybe find a scamming vendor or two). To go to shops, inns, or go out of the city, all I have to do is talk to Ms. Pavianne, who would warp me to my chosen location.

What also ticked me off are the extremely long cutscenes. Sure, they're needed to build the game's story and all, but having to go through five full minutes of watching the characters talk, bump, or hit each other is nothing but tedious. Even more so when I'm allowed to do a short piece of actual game time after a lengthy cutscene, only to launch into another borefest again. I'm starting to think that Ragnarok Online DS is actually a parody of Metal Gear Solid 4, only without the Kojima touch. At least you can opt to skip cutscenes in his game.

Overall Impression: As I said before, it's not great, but not bad either. Yes, it looks like I'm weaseling out in this review, but let me reiterate that I'm playing a Japanese version of the game; there's a chance that I'll actually like Ragnarok Online if I can actually understand the menu, etc.

Pros: Good job in retaining the look, feel, and sound of the original game; character customization is enabled to some extent (naming, equipment, stat assignment...not so sure about being able to play as other classes, though. All the screenshots I've seen is the main character wearing a knight sprite); small things such as the inclusion of zoom in/out function as well as the notepad.

Cons: Crappy sprites on zoom-out, redundant battle controls, extremely long cutscenes, not being able to explore cities like the original Ragnarok Online.

New fiction here:

re: Beyond Black Doors 

It's been a long while since I last wrote fiction, and it's really hard to pick up the pen again after a year of not writing anything that isn't work (or game) related.

The title of my new thread - Beyond Black Doors - may be very familiar to those who've followed my old works. This time, however, the story takes place in contemporary settings, and there's not much swordfighting or magic involved. Just a lot of weird people (either alive or dead), and some strangelove all around.

New banner yay.

When I asked him to draw a new turtly banner for my blog, I didn't ask for anything NSFW. I should have known better than to ask something "edgy" from him. In any case, it still falls under the general theme of why people shouldn't lick turtles - rather, why people wouldn't want to lick turtles.

Because the above happens.

I know, I'm rambling incoherently. I should be blogging about the nice finds I got from the bazaar in World Trade Center earlier, but mind wants to ewijrkjfker. Thank you, Coke Zero guys, for flooding the entire building with Coke Zero earlier. I love Coke.

Okay I'll stop now.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Resurrection

More or less a decade has passed since the release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. However, Michiru Yamane's haunting score still populates my Winamp playlist even now - a feat not matched by the decent but utterly trite Eyes on Me, One-Winged Angel, or most other video game music (with the exception of arranged King of Fighters tracks).

That's why I was only a hair breadth's away from utter rapture when I came across Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Resurrection. It's a compilation of remixed SotN tracks by various musicians - no Niconico artists here, so steer clear if you're a bit racist with your vidya game music and don't like Western remixers.

I'm in love with the compilation's medley track created by one Joshua Morse. Titled "Heart of Vlad," Morse tackles the music not usually covered by most other remixers, who seem to favor Tragic Prince and Dance of Pales.

One brilliant example is his rendition of the Catacomb stage's BGM, Rainbow Cemetery (3:33). While it sticks close to the source material, Morse's Rainbow Cemetery is arguably a bit more crisp than the original with liberal amounts of drum beats and accentuating guitar riffs.

I also enjoyed his jazzy version of my favorite SotN track, Crystal Teardrop (6:07). For those who couldn't recognize the notes, it's the tune used in the Underwater Vein Stage. Morse took away the bass that made Crystal Teardrop quite distinct from others, but his cool jazz treatment more than makes up for it.

One of the reasons why I immensely liked Morse's take on Yamane's opus is that he doesn't stray too far from the original and alienate the fans of the soundtrack. If you loved SotN's music and still remember each and every tune, better give Morse's version a shot. And oh, a few lines taken from the cheesy yet priceless voice acting in the game are inserted, making for a few lulzy moments.

Liked it so far? Just drop me a line at my YM if you want to get the entire compilation of the SotN remix.

Why I don't write more personal posts, passive-aggressiveness, etc.

Someone asked me, in passing, why I don't write more personal posts. Why write only about animu and gaems?

I actually do, in fact there are some of them just lurking about in my past entries. It is true, though, that I don't use this particular blog as a repository of private thoughts that much. Unlike most other bloggers, I don't consider a public blog as a good medium for a personal diary, not even my "friends-only" (sorta) Multiply account.

I prefer to keep my private thoughts private in every sense of the word. I use handwritten diaries as personal journals - and I do mean it when I say personal. I had to throw away one of my diaries after someone managed to read it.

Also, a blog for me isn't a medium for passive aggression. It's not my thing to write highly-opinionated posts - unless they're about current events, of course - while riding my moral high horse and wish that the person I'm writing about would read it and rub into his face my utter disdain and disapproval. And oh, how much of a better person I am, too.

(Sometimes, I do write raging rants about certain individuals if I feel the need for release, but I make sure that they don't know about this blog's existence - if there's no way that they or persons closely affiliated with them would come across my written aggression, then its not passive-aggressive.)

Which reminds me. Those who make YM status messages out of PA notes? Bleh. How hard is it to send off a YM private message saying, upfront, "I disapprove. You suck. I hate you"? Sending that doesn't take more than a few clicks and typing a few words. It shouldn't be that difficult.

Not unless, of course, you don't have enough balls to tell them directly in person, so to sate your need to feel self-righteous you just have to create a YM/MSN status message out of a hostile PA note - directed at someone who's conveniently included in your YM/MSN list.

To the people in my YM list who plan on doing that, do yourselves a favor: kindly remove me or others who don't tolerate any of that PA nonsense from your YM/MSN, or just set your handles to appear permanently offline on our end. You don't want to show people just how wimpy you are, I'm sure.

Tl;dr before I go too off-tangent: I don't write too much about my personal affairs because I don't feel the need to whore them out am a private person.

Yes, I'm being horribly passive-aggressive in this post. Irony is delicious, etc. etc.

Not again, L.

:[

Someone introduced me to that emote, and I'm going to use it on you, L.

Again.

You may have forgotten what I told you, a couple of years ago, but since you matter a lot to me I'll just go ahead and c/p them here (with some revisions).

They’re not worth losing your sanity or ideals. I know you love her, she may have love/d you, but not enough. You can go and off yourself, but nothing would change. The world turns, but will not cry for you. You snooze (forever), you lose.

Go read more Murakamis and listen to The Smiths for weird dreams. Weird dreams are always entertaining, yes?

When life gives you lemons...

...you make onion rings and udon, of course.

In my case, I decided to make delicious onion rings and udon when I got a stress-inducing lemon. While it's not yet scientifically determined how a tangy, sour, acidic lemon can produce yummy fish and shrimp broth, anyone can do it anyway out of sheer will.

Here's how I did it, with Ryan's help:

First off we made onion rings. We got a single mutant white onion, enough to yield a plateful of onion-y goodness enough for three people, and Ryan sliced it to several pungent rings. I couldn't touch raw onions, because for some reason I have a certain...reaction to them, as long as they're fresh.

The casualty: Ryan's finger

In the meantime I set all the other ingredients - egg, flour, and bread crumbs - into separate bowls. Here's how he did it, according to what Cooking Mama taught him: dip the onion in flour, then egg, and finally coat them with the Japanese bread crumbs. I noticed that the coating stripped off easily, so Ryan tried another tack: dip in egg, then flour, then the crumbs (it made more sense that way). The onion rings then had better coating.

They're actually pretty good.

Next, we made udon. Or we cooked instant udon, to be more precise. There's a nice Japanese grocery near my place, Shinanoya, and needless to say all the stocked items in that grocery will make any weeaboo feel at home. Hey, Calorie Mate. Wasabi nuts. Natto. Nat-chan. Calpis.

We got ourselves a double pack of wet udon noodles, and just dumped it into a pot of boiling water along with the seasoning that came with it. Then we put in a fish broth cube, sliced cabbages and carrots, and shelled shrimps (Ryan morbidly calls them flayed shrimps). We topped it all off with a (half-assedly) poached egg, and the confetti-like Noritama toppings. Profit.

(L-R) The carrots, shoddily-chopped cabbages, the 'flayed' shrimp

(L-R) Ryan dumping the cabbages into the pot, the finished product

What's the lemon? There's something happening in the office right now and yes, it's quite an annoyance. It's more of an annoyance than an all out "oh, woe is me" affair, but let's not delve on that right now. Indulging in too much anger or turning emo won't help me (or anyone) and doesn't look good either.

You do things in style, instead of being immature, whining, and insecure. You do the right things. You do not complain and actually do nothing about the matter at hand (no, picketing isn't tantamount to doing something). You do GAR things, not whimper like a puppy. Nevermind the fact that some puppies whine and mewl just to look cute to their respective owners.

*kick*

Whineyipwhinewhineyip.


A postscript: If I need to get crabsticks, I'll certainly go for this brand:

Robo-crab.

Sometimes, boredom can lead to something...nice.

I spied the word "Cuil" from someone's YM status message. Turns out Cuil is some upstart search engine that rivals Google, so I tried to test my old pen name on it for the lulz.

Then I found this post in a message board that I'm not familiar with. My old pen name is there, as well as those of my past online acquaintances and a few people I'm close with. It's mostly a non-derogatory post, so I'll go ahead and paste it here (if any of the names mentioned are yours and you don't like to see 'em here, please notify me and I'll take down the part with your name on it).

i don't read books.

i read fanfictions.

recommended fanfictions:

beyond black doors by selrotta(omg i never knew she was magician in jeans!!! i was actually talking to the very same person whose fic got me into the fanfic addiction!!!!!) and dm_punks.

~this was the first fic i read eh.... it did a very very big impact on my life.. without it, i wouldn't be anywhere near RB fanfare, moreso at writer's arcadia)

selrotta's oneshots(try to search if it's still in RB fanfare..)... priceless... T_T

redkinoko's shots(fave: rainfall(damnijustloverain), four seasons, ten arrows, writer's block, bittersweet, anawim, conversations(EL OH EL), in real life, letting go(inspired my oneshot ^^)... his war of the cards fic is great too.)

first circle's shots(fave: cold road(wowwhatatwist), the collector(hereallyisthetimburtonofRBfanfare), tower to the moon(anothergreatone)... then part time death(neverexpectedthistobeacomedyfic) )

t'wolf's controversy(damnwhatagoodsuspensefic)

karasawa's stuff(fave:polarity divide(it'ssobloodydetailed), all her oneshots(damn...i'mspeechless) )

athousandoceans's stuff (fave: a love destructive(you never ever see this kind of fic in RB), and everything else)

if anyone can't find them in RB i'll be glad to send them to you(have copies on HD, except selrotta-sama's oneshots... they're missing T_T)

Unfortunately, most of those one shots are still missing...no, gone forever. I distinctly remember A Night in Prontera, but...eh. Lesson learned: DO NOT USE CD-RW AS BACKUP.

In any case, whoever you are, thanks. I came across your post just when I needed some boost, haha. :3 I haven't written for quite some time already - I'm not joking when I say that I couldn't write these days and this is the worse time for a spell of writer's block to hit me.

Sankyuu.

Ragnarok Online DS scans from Famitsu

It was already announced quite some time ago (almost a year, in fact, but was drowned in obscurity), and just when I thought the whole thing was just a hoax out came a handful of screenshots for the fabled DS version of everyone's favorite bitch, Ragnarok Online:

Scans taken from Famitsu, provided by gamekyo.com

As you can see, Ragnarok Online for the DS isn't that different compared to its PC predecessor, except for the bigger sprites. The Kafra maids are still there, and the interface mimics that of the PC MMO, with icons similar to the skill/item hotkeys placed at the top.

But don't be fooled: Ragnarok Online DS is predominantly offline. Does that mean, then, that we should refer to it as Ragnarok Online DS Offline? Or Ragnarok Online Offline DS? Feh, whatever.

To make things simpler, Ragnarok Online DS, like most DS RPGs, focus primarily on an offline single-player story campaign, and the only online action DS users will get is the three-person Tower of Mirages online mode. It's not even clear whether this is done over the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, or just plain multiplayer where all participants are in the same room (like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates).

Here are the details of the game, taken from sites 1up and Go Nintendo:

• gameplay remains closely related to PC title
• offline story mode is main focus
• Play as Ares, a mild-mannered kid who wants to start up his own guild and be a great adventurer like his father
• recruit party members
• takes place in the realm of Rune Midgard
• build up characters to gain new jobs, skills
• mostly stylus control
• tap to pick up items, attack enemies
• draw circles and more for spells
• two brand-new jobs (Dark Knight can do special moves that drain HP, Shaman has various magic skills)
• Online play: three people team up to take on the Tower of Mirages, a 50 floor random dungeon
• December 18th release in Japan
• no US plans yet

New character classes? Awesome TWEWY-like control scheme? Cool beans.

If the existence of a handheld RO was reported...say, years ago, when I was still interested in the game and it wasn't quite yet raped throughly, I'd be all happy wappy over this news and despairing over the fact that it won't probably see an English language release.

But my days with RO have already ended, so I'll just say this: Meh.

Update: It's confirmed, the multiplayer online mode will be hosted by Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, so partying up the usual way is still a go.

Plugging! : Fanfic Contest (no, not mine XD)

Awesome Deviant Artist Addy is holding a fanart/fanfic contest of the Ben 10 persuasion. Particularly, of the Gwevin persuasion. If you know what the series is...or better yet, what Gwevin is, it's likely that you're qualified to join the contest. Go check out the details here.

I'm also going to take this as a good reason to add a "Public Service Announcement" section to my sidebar.

Happy Birthday.

Whether or not this anecdote really happened during the Sichuan tragedy, I BAWWWWED.

;-;

More strips can be found here: China 5.12 Earthquake Strips

Go go go go.

Someone took my highschool diary, read it, and made certain comments about its contents. I was deeply offended.

I threw the diary - along with my once precious memories in it - into the trash can.

Those memories aren't mine anymore.

Update before I go out.

As you can I see I managed to pour buckets of virtual pink paint on my blog. I wanted a change, but I'm still partial to this layout so this is all I can do - until he manages to draw me a new banner, that is.

I also got rid of the auto-playing music thing and swapped it with a "Song of the Day/Week/Whatever" section that I added in the sidebar. It's better, I think, and I'll spare you guys from the pain of getting some weird music blaring through your speakers, thus earning you some odd stares from your family, co-workers, or whoever ("What the hell is that shit?").

The first Song of the Moment is something that I encountered in *drumroll* Taiko no Tatsujin DS 2, Sousei no Aquarion. I haven't watched the anime yet, and I don't think I'll ever will after I read bits and pieces about it. I read that it's a good show, but its premise just isn't my thing.

I'ma take another shower and go out now, bills bills bills to pay and other household stuff. Being the lady of the house sure does have its own non-perks.

:<

Toycon 2008.

I'm usually lukewarm to the idea of going to anime conventions, unless I'm jaded enough to cosplay myself (won't happen anytime soon for now, though), but off I went to the last day of Toycon 2008, along with the rest of the GamerTotoy crew to cover the event.

All the reasons why I'm not so enthusiastic about cons are there, most of them setting off my rare bouts of agoraphobia. Too many people, too little space, a highly-skewed ratio between oxygen and carbon dioxide (in favor of CO₂) - he had to pull me to a well-ventilated area because I was getting pale and becoming disoriented - and yes, there's the thing where you see your fandom fantasies getting crushed and maimed and destroyed every now and then.

But it was fun. I'll give it that.

One of our friends treated anime cons as a surefire venue where people could catch the otaku "disease" (that's his opinion, haha), but he ended up enjoying the whole thing; though I think he enjoyed how we covered the event more than the event itself.

As always, the best thing about Toycon this year is the merchandise. Compared to other local conventions that only have Comic Alley and other mainstream anime "specialty" stores selling rip-off merchandise, Toycon usually has a bunch of decent retailers peddling quality stuff. Here are the things that I managed to get from yesterday's raid:

First picture: Mudkip cap, Mt. Fuji plush keychain, Xenosaga Shion gashapon, Mamegoma plush with cup / Second Picture: Gothloli-style Major Arcana Tarot cards with holder

They also had other incredible stuff that I wasn't able to get, like the Cybaster model kit - I was about to get it, but when I finally decided to take the plunge and splurge for it, Cybaster wasn't there anymore. *sigh* They also had the Buddy Christ figure, too.

He's happy! He's scrappy! He's the Son of God!

DS, down with the sickness, Pyro Olympics

1. I managed to get myself a new DS Lite unit, this time in Crimson/Black. Getting this thing is a tad crucial to me right now - I've realized, after months of playing with the PSP, that I'm pretty much a DS person, and that I miss my old DS terribly (I hope my brother is happy with my pink one). I've also been promoted somehow, given free rein over the DS side of things in my workplace.

For the record, my new DS Lite would be the second one that I purchased, and is the third one acquired by my household so far (the first one was stolen, and was my brother's). Just shows how much we're gay for Nintendo, ever since my granpappy, bless his soul, bought us a Famicom console.

2. I'm prone to sickness these days due to stress, and I oftentimes find myself reigning over the family house alone with no one to help me. It's sad; getting sick doesn't give me the dose of happy that it once did when I was in elementary or high school. Hey, it bought me a day off from school in those days, when I'd happily choose getting sick rather than suffer math.

I'm not alone this time around. He dropped by and stayed to take care of me, and even bought my meds. For once I was no longer stewing in my sickbed all alone, but contentedly basking in a day off from work, with him keeping me company. I was able to get well just in time for the last leg of the Pyro Olympics, thanks to his brand of TLC.

3. Ah yes, the Pyro Olympics. We weren't able to get our usual spot in Pier One (the place probably had the best deal with their 250 per head offer), but we managed to grab one of the last tables in the Jatujak area.

Yeah, that Jatujak with the epic Tom Yum soup. We didn't regret shelling out a bit more dough this time, since the food made our Pyro Olympics viewing not only a stunning visual experience, but a gastronomic one as well. A thousand pesos' worth of food is a bit too much for us to take in one go, and some of the awesome eats are sitting in my fridge right now. Leftovers have never been so wonderful.

While waiting for the fireworks to come out, I was busy filling out the first few pages of my new handwritten journal. The notebook that I got is quite nice - it had black pages, and I wrote on it with gold and silver pens. He also added a couple of page's worth of writing and scribbles; I think we're going to use it as a collaborative private journal between the both of us.

The fireworks eventually came out after a hour's worth of writing, talking, playing Taiko no Tatsujin and him fanboying over the Speed Racer DS game. I never bothered to check out which country sponsored the first round of fireworks. It was a tad lackluster and suffered from a weak finale compared to other entries; but this batch had its own share of unique dancing flames like the cross, and they had better-shaped hearts (but it may be a matter of angle and perspective because I watched from the upper floor last night).

The last batch, our country's own pyromusical exhibition, featured fireworks cavorting to themes from various films, such as Superman, Indiana Jones, James Bond, and other movies. And yes, there's also the oft whored-out O Fortuna. It's just too bad that this one also had a finale that lacked ooomph. It's quite sad, taking into account the fact that we usually had awesome fireworks with grandspanking finishing moves during the free fireworks display every Friday and Saturday.

4. ...and Mangaholix? What Mangaholix?

Advisory

Due to the huge number of spam I get through my old Y! Messenger account, I've decided to close it and opened a new one. My new YM ID is...wait, I'll just write it by hand and scan it (so as not to be harvested by spambots).



I won't be touching my old YM account anymore; you can add my new YM nick if you need to keep in touch with me.

:3