A Swathe of Colour

UPDATE: Therapy for my Condition

2011-03-16T12:06:00.000+00:00

No appointment today. My mum was on the phone for half an hour - you have to call from 8.30am for same-day appointments - only to be told that they were fully booked. So she's thinking of probably booking in advance for next week once she gets her rota tomorrow.

Again...I don't know what to feel. A part of me is kind of relieved, but my mother was so looking forward to it that a part of me feels down about it, despite me not being keen on the idea. I feel like I'm going ahead with this for her sake, rather than mine - she wants to sit in on the sessions, but there's no way I can talk openly while she's there. Perhaps, I should suggest that she talk to someone about how she feels...because, while we are close, we don't have that kind of relationship.

I've never talked to her about my feelings where I'm concerned, but always on other things. As far as she's always known, I'm a well-adjusted person...but truthfully, I'm far from it...well it feels that way. I've lived my life according to her standards; I've always been there for her, putting my needs and feelings on the side to make way for her. She isn't demanding in that way, but she's invested more emotional time in her sons than she has me...it's probably why I find it hard to talk about my feelings, and as a result I'm not as emotional as I should be. I do feel emotions, but often...I don't know how to convey them. I don't know, it's hard for me to put it into words...

But anyway, the person she thinks I am is not who I am, and in the past when I've tried to show her the real me...she doesn't seem to like it. So, I wonder if because of my condition, she's only just starting to realise this and doesn't know how to approach me, so she wants me to have someone to talk to. But...my whole life it's been that way; my only companion is me...I've had to figure out and deal with things by myself because she was never there, which is why I have a constant conflict within myself between my immaturity and my maturity.

The one person I feel that I could have talked to openly about this...isn't around anymore, and the friends that I do have, I don't see or hear enough from to even consider using them as a sounding board. Then again, I'm happy to enjoy what I have while I still can, so I don't really want to bog anyone down with all this stuff. I just want to hold onto 'normalcy' until I can't anymore.

Therapy for my Condition

2011-03-15T19:32:00.000+00:00

Yeah, I know I said that I'd have heaps of posts up ages ago...but I just haven't got around to them. It's all down to me being lazy, but I hope to have something else up soon.

In the meantime, this here is a post regarding my condition. For some time now, my mother's been suggesting that I make an appointment with the doctor so I can talk about my condition and get some information on how to deal with it, since it worries her that I have no-one to talk to about it. I mean that's the downside to having a rare condition - not a lot of people have it and because of that, there aren't many support groups in, what would be for me, a conveniently accessible area. I don't like travelling too far from home just to go somewhere for an hour, and since I live on the outskirts of the countryside and city, it makes it a little harder for me when you factor in petrol prices and public transport costs.

Tomorrow, my mother has the day off and suggested to me yesterday that she'll make the appointment and come with me to the doctor's because I mentioned to her about my goals and ambitions sometime last week, and my fear of not being able to accomplish them due to the time limit I have. I don't even know how long I have before I'm no longer in a position to do the things I want to, and so I don't really want to waste time doing things that won't help me in those goals. It doesn't help that I work 4 days a week, volunteer 1 day a week and my weekends and any free time I have are used working on small things and catching up with my TV. I think it's time for a timetable or something, you know, like allocate an hour or so a day doing something like working on my would-be novels and comics? Yeah, I think that'll help...it just requires me to discipline myself and gather whatever source of motivation there is within myself. It kind of worked last year, until I hit Artist's Block...

Anyway, I'm not sure how I feel about my appointment tomorrow...I mean, just what can the doctor do? The specialist that diagnosed me, in retrospect, did a crappy job. All he had to say was that I should "Prepare for the future," and ushered us out the door, without so much as providing us with reading material on how to deal with the inevitable or information on support groups. I guess I'm pretty angry about this, I mean, he practically threw me into the deep end and left me alone to learn how to float. So far I've been doing okay, I think...but then, I wouldn't know. I might feel like I'm doing fine, but someone else may think I'm not. It's true that I don't talk about my feelings on the matter; it's mainly because I don't want to come off like someone hunting for sympathy. I don't want to be one of those people that sits on their ass crying about their lot in life and how useless it all is - sometimes I feel that way, but then I shake myself out of it. That's not who I am, and it's not who I want to be. I want to be proud of my life and to not have any regrets.

Another reason why I don't talk about it is, because I don't want anyone to worry...especially my mother. Her health isn't the best, and she has more than enough things to worry about - she doesn't need me whining about my situation. But then, I also understand that while for me it feels like I'm being strong, my silence on the issue may worry her because she has no idea how I'm coping and whether my answers are honest or not when she does pluck up the courage to broach the topic.

More than anything though, when it comes to my mother, I don't want her to feel helpless or start blaming herself. My condition isn't anyone's fault...it just happens to be what happened. There was no way for anyone to know that this was going to happen, especially since no-one's ever been diagnosed with this in our family before. I wish I had some magic phrase that could make her feel better and know that this is something that I will never complain about. I might curse it and there will be times where I just want to self-destruct, but ultimately...I don't blame anyone for it and it's just one of those things I'll have to adapt to and deal with at some point.

Going back to the topic of support groups - I don't know if that's something I'd consider joining. If I were to, it's not sympathy I'm looking for or a self-esteem boost...what I do want is some life experience; someone who's going through this to share with me their views and experiences and how they dealt with it. I say this because, I joined a support group on FaceBook and frankly...while the people are nice, I don't feel like they're helping all that much. I wrote about that incident with the police woman and all I got were floods of sympathy and pats on the backs, but nothing to actually help me deal with it for the future.

We'll see how tomorrow goes...I'll definitely be writing about it.

Mind = BLOWN #001

2011-03-10T15:07:00.002+00:00

We all know the phrase:

"I before E, except after C,"

...

It's a lie. A horrible, horrible lie. My World has been turned upside down! You don't believe me? Here's the phrase to prove it:

"Seize the Day,"

I know...I don't know what's real anymore...

I'm sure there will be other instances where my mind will be blown, so this is just #001. In other news, I have been working on some new posts. They'll be up soon...I promise.

As soon as I get over this revelation...

EDIT
Okay...I may have been over-dramatic, but I took some time to calm down and eased myself into realising the many discrepancies Spelling has, like Glacier and Neighbour...and so much more. Why did someone come up with that phrase anyway?

I Live! #000

2011-02-07T13:13:00.000+00:00

I'm still here! I haven't disappeared from the face of the Earth!

This is something about me you'll come to expect quite often - long periods of inactivity. While I have nothing major, in terms of content, to report, I feel that I should make a log of what I've been up to.

I haven't exactly been dossing about; I've been catching up with my TV - the HD Box does fill up if I don't keep up-to-date with my shows. Perhaps I should write about my impressions? After all, I just finished Season 3 of Brothers and Sisters and I have a few thoughts about it...that's quite a good idea actually, though it's a little out of date since we're into Season 4 now, but to heck with it! That said, I may also write about Kara no Kyoukai, though it requires me to watch it again, which I would gladly do in a heartbeat! However, I do have a few posts lined up that require me to just sit my lazy butt down and write about it - they're all reviews, however, and two new recipes I tried out.

I have also been getting acquainted to my Saber Lily Dollfie, but haven't taken any pictures yet no put her on display until I can ger her some new digs. I'm petrified of her wig, which is a replacement since the one she came with fell apart, and so I'll be ordering two new ones - that aren't as fragile - in the coming weeks. I will also be making her a new outfit, since I don't want to keep her on display in her original outfit since it's too beautiful to get dirty. As I've already mentioned, I'm new to the hobby and more experienced collectors are probably rolling their eyes at my over-protectiveness...But it is nice to have a few clothing options, and I'm not exactly rolling in cash right now so I'll be trying my hand at sewing - something I was never any good at...

I recently bought a new DSLR Camera - a Nikon D3000 - and am slowly getting accustomed to it. Hang on! That's a post all by itself, so I'll be writing about that soon...perhaps I'll take the photos tonight and get to work on the post later on.

Well, since I'm not covering that aspect - despite having spoiled you on the surprise - I guess I'll round off my saying, that I've been working quite hard on collecting the online Trophies for certain PS3 titles. Right now, I'm working on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and man does it stress me out...Wow, that's another post right there...what's happening?! I've been slowly chipping away at BlazBlue Continuum Shift and seriously need to get back to White Knight Chronicles. Super Street Fighter IV is also something I'm working on, but will probably get back into that after MW2.

Other than that...I don't think there's anything much to report further. Wow, I come to give an update to prove that I'm not dossing, and I come away with 3-4 new blog posts to work on - superb!

Review: White Knight Chronicles - 2nd Playthrough COMPLETE

2011-01-10T16:58:00.002+00:00

I planned on writing this when I completed it the first time through, which was sometime last December, but then I thought it better to write it after my second since it was more epic that way and I would more certain of my points regarding the game. Also, I had my brother to bounce opinions off of, which were pretty much the same - they usually are, except he seems to be less harsh regarding certain aspects and bases his impressions on gameplay and graphics...I tend to be more critical of the story and characterisations; graphics play very little importance and gameplay fits somwhere in the middle.

After all, you could have an excellent game with crappy graphics and basic gameplay elements. Take for example, Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars. Your run of the mill point-and-click puzzle game, with nice graphics - albeit poor continuity with style when switching to animated cutscenes - and a rather interesting story with fun characters. You could hardly call it a bad game based on it's 2D graphics and simple gameplay when the story and characters prop it up to greater heights. Thus, it frustrates me when people in professional positions as reviewers or other fan-reviewers give a one-sided opinion, rather than combing through the whole. It disgusts me - yes, disgusts me - when praise is heaped onto a title that is, quite frankly, awful and the only thing going for it is the graphics and/or gameplay, or at worst it's associations to previous successful titles in the series or developer. If you haven't figured out my prime example from those hints, then you'll get your answer as soon as I can get that review out - currently it's at 5 pages and I need to do some trimming, or at least sectioning of it.

Anyway, that being said, let us move onto the main topic - White Knight Chronicles.

White Knight Chronicles I Opening - English

To be honest, what drew my interest to the game were two elements of the trailer that my brother downloaded this time last year - 1) Yulie smashing the bottle over some guy's head in a bar brawl, and 2) Kara on top of Caesar - I'm such a perve. It surprised me to see a scene like that and I just had to see what was up with it, and Yulie stood out simply for not being a girl that does nothing during a brawl. Sadly, despite getting the game on release, I only played it for 30 minutes at most and swapped it out for Final Fantasy XIII - not because I was fond of the latter, but simply because I knew I'd hate it and I wanted the torture over and done with, or at least hope to be surprised.

I returned to the game towards the end of last year, having realised that I had made no progress in it and that I wanted my shot at getting the Platinum Trophy. You see, I didn't realise that the Trophies were practically achieved online and knowing that servers are up for a certain time and players would be into it for even less than that, I had to get a move on. I'm not really hardcore into Trophy Hunting, but I want to at least have the option of getting it if I want to. I just had no idea that this game was so heavy on the online elements and was practically an MMORPG - I guess the World of the game should have been a hint, since it had MMO elements...Then again, I knew nothing about it apart from that one trailer.

Right, I'm not sure how to summarise the game - it should be easy, seeing as how simple it is - but I guess I would describe it as the following:

Balandor is a prosperous kingdom, preparing to make peace with the neighbouring Faria with whom they have been warring for decades. The setting for this treaty is the Princess Cisna's 18th Birthday, unfortunately despite the merriment surrounding the happy occasion, a dark shadow looms on the horizon. Chaos ensues, resulting in the awakening of the White Knight Incorruptus and it falls to Leonard, the pilot, to rescue the Princess from the clutches of the Magi who wish to harness this power for themselves.

Something like that anyway, though it's roughly spot on without giving too much away.

The story of the game is nothing special - pretty generic and simple stuff, that can actually have you rolling your eyes, or at worst yelling at the TV - but it's certainly not the worst. While it is on the pathetic side, I find it hard to hate it since the characters keep it entertaining - I find Leonard's constant mewling over the Princess both frustrating, yet funny and reminiscent of simpler story times where you had the hero with the one-track mind. However, with this disposition it's quite easy to forget that he has a personality, and when he does show it, it's quite refreshing.

Interestingly, something strange happens close to two-thirds of the way in...Leonard is no longer the 'main character'! He's still the team leader, but the focus shifts to another character with a pretty big mouth - as such, he loves to talk and is usually the first to share his opinion, not to mention he has a handy ability that steals even more of Leonard's limelight. Of course, one could argue that having been in Leonard's company for most of the game already, we should be accustomed to his personality, and so compared to this new character, he's quite quiet and reserved. Having put up with the story so far, it gets really interesting in this latter portion as further revelations are made about the group and their powers. Throughout, we also see the goings on with other parties and how the events at the Princess' birthday have affected them, though I hope to find out the resolution to these events in the sequel. As there is a sequel, the game ends on a cliffhanger - much to the detriment of most players - which is quite a ballsy move by Level 5 - the game's developers. The director was commissioned to make the game complete in one release, but he felt that a player could play only a certain amount of time and that a sequel would be something to look forward to...and that I do. I really hope part two comes out this side - it's already seen it's JP release.

Another point to note about the characters is their intelligence. They play with cliches, yet it's only a foundation and you may find yourself surprised by the maturity, cleverness and wit displayed by them. I woud love to give examples, but I fear that doing so may detract from your enjoyment and I don't want to hype it up more than it deserves...I'll just settle for saying that the story is awfully cliche, yet different.

Now, let's get down to the lesser points - graphics are good, but not the best I've seen, but the environments created are beyone breathtaking. The number of times I found myself clearing a pack of monsters, just to stop and marvel at the detail and beauty programmed into being of the surrounding area...I even snapped images with the ingame Crystal Camera! Oh and the soundtrack...there are so many beautiful scores in this game, that again, I would sometimes stop and just listen...here's an example of one of my favourites:

Greede, The Capital of Freedom - White Knight Chronicles ~Ancient Heartbeat~ OST

Gameplay on the other hand, is relatively simple. You can customise your avatar - you create an avatar for the online portion, which is also playable in the Story Mode, though I stuck to using Leonard as my main - with a range skills from a range of 'Jobs' as it were, though it's not that simple as the combinations are near limitless. Of course, if you're aiming for a specific purpose for your avatar, there are guides to help you fashion them to your ideal. I hope to ultimately make a Paladin-type avatar - my preferred class; able to dish out pain, while lending support when needed.

Battles are simple and character AI is quite intelligent, so all you do is load up the skills and let them do the rest, while you focus on staying alive and winning. Of course if you happen to get carelessly KO'ed - as happened to me once - you can switch control to another character and either continue the fight, or focus on reviving whoever you were using before. As I have said before, I'm not fond of MMORPG's, but hopefully I'll have more luck as it seems like everyone who's still around is quite nice.

Completing the Story Mode was the easy part...now it's time for the hard part - QUESTING! I'll be sure to chronicle my progress either in the event I quit or achieve the Platinum, or decide it's time to write something.

White Knight Chronicles II Opening - Japanese

Addiction Woes

2011-01-03T03:10:00.000+00:00

Why oh why do I have this addiction to video games? I just keep buying them and they take up space; I've barely played half the games I own. Life was different when I was a child and my mother was my sole source of income - I actually listened to the voice that said "No!", though it was rarely uttered. Now that I have a job, most of my income goes on games...but I don't buy one every week, it's more like once every month or so. Very infrequent, so I suppose I've been quite good about it, but time just flies and the next thing I know I'm barely half-way through the game I'm playing and another one I want to play is out...sometimes they come in three's...However, I only shell out retail price if my gut tells me the game is one of those ones people overlook the promise of and only order a few units, or if there's a Limited or Collector's Edition, otherwise I troll the internet and wait for prices to eventually drop.

That said, you'd think I'd be better at managing my money...I am sort of, but it seems like a new addiction is blossoming and that is collecting figurines. I always admired the craftsmanship that goes into creating them but never had the gut-wrenching urge to own them...then came Saber Lily ~Distant Avalon~ - at the time I was unemployed and living off my savings, but that was the first time I really wanted to own a figurine. I decided to let her go as a farfetched dream, then around the time I became miraculously employed, I discovered the release of Saber Lily ~Golden Caliburn~ I came across this as I was looking for the predecessor, taking my brother's advice of owning a figurine to get a better idea of making her outfit - I should mention, one of the things I've always wanted to do is give Cosplaying a go at least once, and Saber Lily is my choice. I tracked down numerous reference images but none can compare to owning an actual figurine, and so stumped as to which I should own...I bought both, the former after a lengthy eBay hunt and the latter surprisingly through Amazon.co.uk - you don't want to know how much I spent in total...if you're really interested, you can perform the searches yourself.

Saber Lily ~ Distant Avalon ~

Saber Lily ~ Golden Caliburn ~

Shortly after, as I was buying the collection of Cable and Deadpool, I came across a figurine of Akihiko Sanada from Persona 3 - my favourite character from the game - and my other brother, who also liked him urged me to buy it and the next thing I know the figurine was taking up residence on my TV. It was around that time I also came across the Bishoujo DC/Marvel Heroines line of figurines and they look so beautiful that I don't know what to do...luckily I have some time to think about it, but then there's also the Saber Alter ~Vortigern~ due out in April and it just looks too cool to pass up...I may part with these figurines at some point, but for now I'm attempting to make space on my shelf to display them.

Akihiko Sanada, Persona 3 V1

Akihiko Sanada, Persona 3 V2

Recently, however, I discovered the Saber Lily Dollfie Dream, which is just breathtakingly stunning. I've been wanting to own a Dollfie for some years now, ever since Jonathon Ross featured one on his infrequent Japanimation show, but they're just so darn expensive, yet this Dollfie is a Limited Edition. When I found that out and read on the English portal of the VOLKS JP website that she was available at an event and that it had passed, I was crushed - there was no hope of ever owning one, but then I came across the VOLKS USA website and discovered they were holding a Lottery for remaining dolls. I felt like hope had blossomed, only to be crushed again to find out that entry had closed and was only open to US* residents anyway. However, I continued reading and came across the small print near the top about International** customers wishing to take part in the Lottery and to do so they would have to use the JP website. Full of trepidation, I followed the link and to my surprise entry for the Lottery was in progress! Entry was from 20th-23rd December Japan Time and I discovered this on the 21st London Time meaning that I had less than 2 days to decide. With no hope of winning, I entered anyway, putting in my ticket for the Dollfie and an extra accessory that just had to be bought for completionists sake.

I was full of hesitation, I mean if I won both items the total would come close to a full month's wages, meaning I'd have to dip into my savings and I really wanted to save so I can pay off my Student Loan and start saving again for all sorts of future commodities - I can't believe my brother has the gall to ask "What're you saving for anyway?" just because he can't hold onto his cash for more than 10 minutes. Anyway, I've decided that this will be my last expensive purchase of the year - that same brother also said it was fair to treat myself now and then, and that this could be my Christmas Present if anyone asks; he can be so sweet sometimes. I've also got a plan in place - it's an ingenious plan, seeing as I need a piggy bank with a tougher lock and I actually see myself sticking to this. Oh yeah, I won both items...imagine my surprise and horror, but something happened to make me realise how lucky I was and it would be a shame to turn this opportunity down - I'll write about it another time, like when she finally arrives.

Going back to the original topic of games, however, being so addicted to them is bad, especially when half the games I really want to play never make it to EU shores. I love living in the UK, but really there are times where I resent it for being overlooked by the US - it's quite sad when you think about it, I mean it's not like we don't try to put ourselves on the map, we just don't give ourselves the chance. I used to write reviews for AnimeCentral and there was such promise, just like there was so much promise when CNX used to be on air, but it barely had a chance what with "Purist" Anime fans wailing about Dubs versus Subs - an argument for another day - and the minority of the population actually tuning in. Then again, I wonder if advertising had anything to do with it - I didn't even know the channel was due to exist until a one-time friend told me about it. But really, if the channel had been given the chance to run for another year...who knows what could have happened. I know I could always hop online and pay subscription fees to crunchyroll or AnimeNetwork.co.uk but my mum pays the TV License and Sky HD fees for a reason...

Mini-rant aside, I've been looking forward to the release of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor on the DS, and waited close to TWO years for any news on an EU release, but have heard none. Some part of me still hopes it will be released, but if Wiki is anything to go by and it sees a release on the 3DS...then I shall be bummed, for I will not be buying a 3DS - as far as I know. With most of my hope dwindling, I turned to my other brother for advice and he said to import it anyway. I found a copy on Play-Asia, but hesitated and when I decided to buy it, it was on backorder, which some weeks later became Out of Print. I was bummed then decided to turn to eBay - I would hesitate no more, and now my game should be coming soon, albeit £3.00 more dearer including shipping.

There are companies like Ghostlight, who work hard at establishing a place for JRPG's in the market, and I commend them highly for they have brought us the majority of SMT titles - Devil Summoner I and Persona 3/FES/4 were brought by other publishers - and are working on future acquisitions. I am also impressed by how they managed to localise Agarest before the US - not the first time it's happened, but it filled me with hope that one day, just one day the EU will have an equal presence. I don't understand where the idea that Japanese titles don't do well in the EU came from - the UK is just one country in Europe, but Anime, Manga and JRPG's certainly have a presence that needs to be nurtured, not kicked in the groin repeatedly.

I don't like importing my games, but I have done if the game has next to no chance of being released. Thus far, the games I have imported are Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona and Devil Summoner II - I have Swap Magic for PS2. Yes, I know that the first two games are available on the PSN, but I would much rather own a hard copy/disc with all the bells and whistles.

* As a fan of most things Japanese, I am often filled with jealous loathing for how lucky the US is for establishing their market/foothold. I wish that I was in a better position to exploit this niche...

** Not related to that point, but it irks me to no end that 'British English' is referred to as 'International English' by the US. I still can't believe an anecdote I heard, where someone went to Disney Land, Florida and asked for 'Water' (in a British accent) and the person she asked had no idea what she was asking for until her friend asked in an American one...

Stars of Tees Maar Khan at Cineworld Feltham

2010-12-16T16:14:00.001+00:00

As I write this, my neck is in pain - never has it been so stiff! - from standing close to an hour in the cold, with my mother, for an opportunity to meet Akshay Kumar...and a glimpse is all we got. We're quite disappointed, seeing as we could have been in better places...like the warmth of our house. My mother was quite excited and so was I, considering I've followed his career since my childhood - he was quite big in the early 90's, then disappeared for a really long time (details of which, I won't go into) before making his successful comeback in recent years. Akshay Kumar is a pretty big Bollywood actor and I have harboured a tiny crush on him since I was about 12(?) - I also think he could be Scott Bakula's Indian cousin or something, the two do look alike and I happen to have had a tiny crush on him too for about the same length of time.

Akshay Kumar (left) and Scott Bakula (right)...not that you needed me to point it out...

Not the best pictures I could find, but there is a resemblance...

Going back to topic, we were quite disappointed with what we got - I don't doubt that he could be a nice person, but seriously? All he did was wave from his car and duck into the cinema to do his promoting then pretty much did the same on his way out 30 minutes later, though the wave was a bit more elaborate. He was accompanied by Farah Khan, director of the movie, and his co-star Katrina Kaif. Unlike the two stars, Farah Khan didn't arrive in an elaborate car and had to walk through the crowd to get to her vehicle, but this also meant that she was gracious enough to hang out for a bit, posing for photos and signing autographs. Katrina Kaif on the other hand we didn't see much of, just a quick smile to the crowd before ducking into the car.

It seems like the event, which was highly publicised on the day, wasn't organised too well - I know that Cineworld Feltham is hardly Leicester Square, but seriously? That's all the time they could manage for a crowd of people who have been gathered since before 8.00pm - which is when they said they'd be there, but arrived 30 minutes late anyway. I couldn't take pictures because one arm was latched onto my mum, so we didn't lose each other, and the other was pinned to my side by the crowd, though there are videos on YouTube of the night, filmed by those lucky enough to get inside...

I guess nights like these do happen and one is not always lucky enough to get a picture with a star they really like and have followed for as long as I have...perhaps there'll be another opportunity in the future...

While the excitement was going on inside, I had to put up with raving girls some years younger than me squealing about how cute he is, when he's totally old enough to be their dad. Also, some woman filming an interview for London Tonight - who was obviously stuffed with her own self-importance - asking some inane questions like 'What do you think about Bollywood films being made more often in London?'...um...hasn't that been going on for decades now, like before you were even born?

Oh and before I forget, Tees Maar Khan means 'Con-artist', which is pretty much what the film is about and I am so going to watch it when it comes out.

Review: Professor Layton and the Lost Future - COMPLETE

2010-12-14T16:38:00.003+00:00

On Sunday I decided to put my butt into gear and complete Professor Layton and the Lost Future - this was done in a matter of 3 hours, pushing my total playtime to something like 16-17 hours.

There's not much to say on the matter, apart from just like with the previous two titles and the movie - I loved it! For some reason I found the puzzles slightly easier this time around - perhaps my brain is getting used to the pattern of the puzzles?

I never watched a trailer for this game, though for the purpose of this post I thought of including one...however, I thought it gave away too much so if you want to watch it, it's at the end of this post.

I would summarise the game as thus: Having been invited to a prestigious and highly anticipated event, Professor Layton and Luke are guests at the unveiling of Allen Stahngun's Time Machine project. However, when demonstrating its capabilities, things go wrong and the machine blows up, taking with it the volunteer to be its first subject, and the doctors working on the machine, though no trace of them is left. Shortly after the event, the Professor receives a letter detailing a plea for help and instructions for their next move...signed by a familiar name from 10 years in the future. What follows is a mystery beyond comprehension, the unravelling of which is tied to the mystery surrounding a similar experiment gone awry 10 years in the past.

What do you think? A bit vague, but I can't really think of anything to say without spoiling it...

I also loved the cast - I have always loved Layton's voice, if Danny Glover's is chocolate to my ears, then I suppose that makes Layton akin to a cripplingly good head massage? I also have a new respect for Liam O'Brien (Gaara of the Desert - Naruto, Archer/EMIYA - Fate/Stay Night, Junta Momonari - DNA^2) and Yuri Lowenthal (Sasuke Uchiha - Naruto, Luke fon Fabre/Asch - Tales of the Abyss, Yosuke Hanamura - Persona 4) both of whom have developed very well as voice actors, and pulled off splendid English accents! I was totally fooled/floored when I found out it was them! The only voice I could NOT stand was Flora's. Never been able to, it's that bad I actually forgot she sounded like that throughout the series - I somehow convinced myself that she had an English-accented one and since we heard her so much in this game, I was outraged that they had 'changed' her voice, even though they never did.

The power of the human mind is a scary thing...it can even warp reality...well my reality.

As stated, I'm not giving away anything more regarding the story, that would be mean on my part, but a few things I will say are:

'the Lost Future' totally suits as a sub-heading to the game as it has something to do with the story, unlike 'the Unwound Future'...I am curious as to why the NA region chose that sub-heading though...
I can't believe Layton's voice is also Don Paolo's - now that's talent!
This game now sits nicely next to its predecessors in the sexy box provided free by Club Nintendo to all who register all three games in the series.
I cannot wait for the Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright crossover game!

See...I told you it gave too much away...While I shouldn't be surprised, but the fact that Layton had a sweetheart took me completely off guard.

Preview: Catherine

2010-12-13T19:06:00.001+00:00

This is a post I've had in the draft stages since 28/10/2010. Not because I was stuck on things to write about, but simply because - much to my regret - I don't update as much as I'd like.

I came across Catherine while perusing my source for most information, Wikipedia, to get an update on the goings on at ATLUS, one of my favourite game developers/publishers. Honestly, I have loved every game they have come out with - specifically the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series. People tend to dismiss JRPG's simply for being thus - we all know the stereotypical archetype associated with it and mainstream anime/manga doesn't help matters. When I say 'mainstream' I refer to the stuff we tend to leap to when hearing anime/manga - big-eyed, pretty boys, androgynous characters, amply-bosomed girls, gratuitous panty-shots etc. It's true most of the market is saturated with harem stories rife with fanservice - 1 boy + 10 girls, who to choose? The childhood friend or the sassy girl who calls him a pervert all the time? - or teenage angst, but you don't really have to dig that deep to find a true gem. The same goes for JRPG's.

Sadly, what can be applied to anime/manga can also be applied to most JRPG's - every character seems to be ripped out of a stereotype; you have Baron Stoic, Ms. Big-Mouth Chatterbox, Mr. Horny, Madame Bosom-Fanservice, Lord Clueless-Hero and Lady Childhood-Friend (with crush on Lord Clueless-Hero), to name but some. But again, you don't have to dig that far to find a gem. I can't say that I came across the series purely on my own - I was introduced to it by a friend, but if I hadn't listened to him, I wouldn't have fallen in love with all things SMT. Granted there are characters who fit these personalities, but it's not who they are througout the game - the characters tend to develop and grow and the story more than makes up for any pitfalls, and with each successive release they improve and develop - which is more than I can say for a certain other series.

Right, Catherine. Catherine is the next title ATLUS has been working on and what intrigued me was how its characters were adults and not teenagers, dealing with adult issues. The focus is on Vincent, 30-something in age, and dealing with that point in life where he has to "grow up" so to speak. I'm guessing what brought this on was the dilemma posed by his long-time girlfriend, Katherine, who is apparently preggers with his bun and is pushing for marriage. Vincent enjoys the life of a bachelor, but knows that he has responsibilities - at least that's the impression I'm getting from what little I know - and is having a hard time making that transition. Then enters Catherine, a woman who is totally his type and after a steamy night of passion - I wasn't aware of that until I saw the trailer - he starts to be haunted by some very weird, very trippy nightmares which coincide - or something like that - with a rash of gruesome murders.

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Don't those tickle your curiosity? I honestly had no idea there was going to be 'adult scenes', I mean you'd think I would get a hint considering the Wiki description mentioned Katherine's pregnancy - which I thought was a simple plot device - but no...'grown-up intimacy' is so far off my radar, that it's not what immediately leaps to my mind, so I was rightfully surprised when I saw Catherine's bare back! I'm not complaining, but I know I'll be playing this game when no-one's home...seriously, I'm such a prude!

But going back to the trailers, what I also love about ATLUS games is the symbolism they throw in - some are in-your-face-obvious, while others tend to be more subtle. I've come across a lot of comments regarding the confusion on the existence of the Sheep-Men in Vincent's dreams, and I have yet to come across a suitable response - at least, I haven't read far enough through them to find one. My take is simply that the sheep represent Vincent's dilemma, to follow the 'herd' and do what society dictates he should do, however this leads to his fear - the woman who chases after the sheep with a bloody knife - in that by following society's expectations and marrying Katherine, she will consume his life. I mean the woman's already putting demands on him since the reason she's pushing for marriage is to appease her parents when she tells them she's pregnant, rather than giving him the choice to come to his own conclusion. The same goes for the giant baby - I'm not sure if abortion is on the table in their relationship, but it looks like that he fears that bringing this child into the world will do the same thing - consume his life, or at least be a constant present that 'chases' him to do his duty as a father.

Granted, this is all speculation and I could be way off the mark, but I'd like to see how things turn out and whether I'm right, if at all. It all seems like pretty basic symbolism, but I have yet to work out a suitable one for Catherine's presence...apart from being the obvious trigger to all of this.

As a final note, I believe that as of this writing, the official opening of the game is available to view. I'm not including a link here simply because I don't want to spoil myself and would rather save that experience for when I get the game.

Recipe: Autumn Harvest Quiche

2010-12-09T19:28:00.001+00:00

Autumn Quiche

Forgive the burnt look, it'll be explained later on...also I don't have fancy tableware...

It all started with a hunt for cheese...

I'm not a big fan of cheese and never eat it unless it's melted - the very definition of 'health' I am - however, I went to an event earlier in the year with my boss and his daughter in Richmond Park. Rather than the standard idea of 'finger food', like sandwiches, sausage rolls, cream tea and anything else you'd expect to see, there was instead...you guessed it! A cheeseboard! A range of cheeses that I know nothing about, apart from cheddar and mozzarella and maybe that mexican pepper stuff from Subway. Immediately, I could feel myself recoiling - I had to eat something, this was after all - judging from the choice of cheeseboard to common finger food - an upper-class affair and while my boss and his daughter may be used to this, I certainly am not. I do feel like a fish-out-of-water at times, and certainly do worry about coming off boorish and uncultured...but I stick around because it's all part of the experience!

Anyway, daunted by the range of the not-so-appetising selection before me - I mean mouldy, veiny cheese?! Why would you think that was good? I was raised to think once it turned blue, in the bin it goes! Then there's the smell and the texture...just ew! - I turned to my bosses daughter and confessed my inexperience, in the hopes that she could perhaps turn me towards some safer cheeses - ones I wouldn't cause a scene by up-chucking immediately. She turns to me and says not to worry, she doesn't know anything either but if you're interested those look nice - she's gesturing towards a curious, light-ish cheese with chives dotting it's surface. Thinking that I should be adventurous, I take two slices and a few slices of similar looking cheeses - all the while not knowing what they were - and grabbed a few baguette slices to pop them on, and maybe a few olives and celery sticks - I love olives and maybe they could neutralise the taste.

We joined my boss at a table he had procured, and I began to eat tentatively from my plate. The first two cheeses were ones I don't think I'd miss - I can't even remember them; I know they didn't taste all that nice, but not as bad as I had imagined - then it was time to eat the mystery cheese with chives. I eyed it eyeing me and then, mustering my resolve I placed it upon the baguette slice. I was surprised to find it quite spreadable, but my apprehension grew as I realised it could end up tasting like feta. With a celery stick at the ready - I was saving the olives for last - I took a bite and chewed...then kept chewing...then realised something strange was happening...I LIKED this cheese. It barely tasted like cheese, but had a buttery texture to match its spreadable-ness. I wanted to get up and grab more, but we had a presentation to get to and I never got around to asking what cheese it was...thus I fear the identity of this cheese shall remain a mystery...

Since then, each time I stopped by the supermarket, I would scour the cheese aisles looking for some clue as to the identity of it - much like the Prince searching for Cinderella, when all he had was the memory of their dance and her glass slipper. Then, just the other day, I went to Tesco with my mum - her quest being to procure some ink cartridges and pick up some food. Having mostly given up hope, I decided to do a more thorough search of what was available and came across the Double Gloucester with Chives and Onion. It certainly looked like the mystery cheese, if only a slightly darker yellow, and prodding it revealed it could perhaps have the same texture as well. Deciding that I didn't have much to lose, apart from my taste-buds waging war against me, I stuck it in the trolley along with some crackers.

The next day, as I semi-fantasised about indulging on a tea of Cheese'n'Crackers, I realised...what would I do if I DIDN'T like this cheese? I couldn't let it go to waste, since it wasn't its fault I didn't like it. Then the idea struck me, I could make a Quiche! I haven't made a Quiche since Year 11 and I've always wanted to try making one again - what a perfect opportunity! And so, remembering also that I had bought Sweet Potatoes in order to try the Houmous Recipe on iamafeeder.net, I decided to throw them together with a little onion. Partway through, I realised something felt missing and decided to throw in half a Green Pepper - otherwise I'd have forgotten they existed.

What follows is my recipe, made from a combination of THREE different Quiche - well, one of them was called Grandma's Sweet Potato Pie - recipes, I nabbed from my Baking Cookbook, combined with a little guesswork to get the Eggs/Milk combination which I'm glad turned out right!

Also, a not-so-interesting fact - the original title for this post was going to be Sweet Potato Quiche with Onion and Peppers, but that sounded pretty blah and then I realised that all the ingredients were Autumn-related...at least according to the Harvest Moon games...

Ingredients

For the Single-Crust Pastry

1 1/4 cups Plain Flour
2 tbsp Vegetable Fat/Shortening
4 tbsp Soft, Unsalted Butter
1/4 tsp Salt
3-5 tbsp Ice-Cold Water

For the Filling

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1/2 Onion
1/2 Green Pepper
3 Medium Eggs
120ml Milk
4oz Double Gloucester Cheese with Chives and Onion
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Mixed Herbs
Chilli Powder
Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Some of the above ingredients can be ommitted/replaced to your preference, such as the cheese and seasoning's.

Utensils

These are suggested utensils, based on what I used:

Mixing Bowl
Measuring Jug
Pastry Mixer/Food Processor/Fork/2 Knives - if you prefer not to get your hands dirty
Rolling Pin
9-inch Pie Dish, preferably Stoneware
Cling Film/Plastic Wrap
Baking Beads/Rice
Aluminium Foil
Chopping Board
Knife
Deep Saucepan

Method

To start with, we begin by making the single-crust pastry. Pre-heat the oven to 220C and mix the flour and salt in the mixing bowl and then using the pastry mixer/fork or two knives (in scissor fashion) 'cut in' the butter and vegetable fat/shortening until the mixture resembles crumbs.
A/N: I used a mixer with dough hooks but it did jack all, and not wanting to use what few knives I have, I used a fork. This became tedious, and so I just dove in with my fingers (washed of course) and rubbed the mixture to get the desired result. While I do know you can make the pastry using a food processor, I've never used one for this purpose...
Add the ice-water 1 tbsp at a time, and mix the pastry until it's moist enough to hold itself together - again, I used a fork for this, but resorted to my fingers in the end...what handy little tools. Once done, fashion into a disc and wrap in cling film/plastic wrap - see image below - and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. If you're planning on making this dish the next day, you can leave it over night but you have to let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling it out.

Disc-shaped single-crust pastry, wrapped and ready to chill
While the pastry is in the fridge, give the two Sweet Potatoes a quick scrub under warm water and then place them in the saucepan, just covering them with water. Bring the water to boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes simmering away

During the remaining time, prepare the remaining ingredients. Slice the half-onion, chop the half-pepper, grate the cheese, crack the 3 eggs and add to the 140ml of milk. Mix the eggs and milk to get a custard-like appearance.

Onions, eggs/milk and cheese - I hadn't thought of adding the green pepper at this time...

Once the 30 minutes are up, retrieve the pastry and roll out on a floured surface into a disc slightly larger than your pie-dish - at least enough for the crust to peek over the rim. I only realised afterwards, that the mixture could spill when moved to the oven...

Leave the pastry in the fridge for another 10 minutes to set, i.e. get used to its new shape. While this is going on, it's a good idea to check on the Sweet Potatoes, making sure that they've softened all around. If they have, drain the water and set aside to cool a little, otherwise let them simmer for another 10 minutes max.

Once the 10 minutes for the pastry is up, cover the pastry with aluminium foil and fill with the baking beads - I used uncooked rice...since rice is a staple in my home, we have lots of it, but since times are hard, let's hope my mum doesn't notice the missing 1/4 cup... - Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Pastry before and after chilling; latter ready for the oven

While this is going on, it's finally time to work on the filling! Drain the Sweet Potatoes - if they aren't already - and peel them. You can let them cool for a bit if you like, but if you happen to have nerves/fingers of rubber (steel gets hot!) you can peel as is.

Place the peeled Sweet Potatoes in a mixing bowl - either a second one or the same as the first, as long as it's been washed and dried! Mash away with a fork.

Sweet Potato mash...my fork got slightly bent, but luckily I can reshape it

Add the egg/milk mixture to the mash and combine the two - don't expect them to blend. Add the onion, cheese, green pepper and seasoning's and mix together well. As mentioned earlier, I hadn't thought of adding the green pepper now. Originally I planned on adding Chicken Tikka pieces, but decided it needed something else and - as they say - BAM! It hit me!

Mix with and without green peppers

Take the pastry - now pie crust - out of the oven once the 10 minutes are up and let it cool a little, pressing down any risen areas with the back of a spoon.

Pie crust fresh out of the oven - as you can see, I wasn't too gentle

and accidentally broke the surface a little...

Lower the oven temperature to 180C and place the pie dish on a larger baking tray lined with foil. Upturn the foil edges to catch any spillage when pouring the filling into the crust, or when moving it to the oven.
A/N: I did it the other way around - poured the filling then placed on a larger backing tray...while there was no spillage, outside of the pie dish, I will be more careful next time.

Carefully return the baking tray/pie dish to the oven and allow to cook/back for 50-60 minutes.

Quiche before and after being placed in the oven

I let mine cook for 60 minutes, but next time I might do it for 55 max as it came out a little browner than I had planned. Then again, I'm odd and quite like eating burnt food. But yes, the Quiche is ready to be served and my God was the smell heavenly! It tasted even better!

Quiche, fresh out of the oven and ready to be served

And there you have it ladies and gentleman, my first Quiche in 10 years! I am so making another one in the future.

Yes, I do know that song

2010-12-01T17:02:00.001+00:00

A memory that keeps surfacing for me is one that happened only a few months ago, I think it was over the Summer because my youngest brother - who this post features - was looking forward to starting University - something he has worked very hard for.

Let's sidetrack a bit before I dive too deep into the event - my taste in music is...not so much unique, but rather I don't quite care about it. I listen to what I like the sound of and this usually consists of anything with good use of guitars and drums. I love golden oldies like Sinatra, Elvis, The Beatles, ABBA - who doesn't? I love a lot of old songs I don't know the artists and/or, in some cases, the names of. I bought the Toploader album - Onka's Big Moka - just for Dancing in the Moonlight, and it was a number of years later before I actually listened to the entirety of it and realised...I liked all of their songs, Achilles' Heel being my favourite - it barely makes any sense, but it resonates with me in a way that I actually understand what it's about. I remember my father buying the Trogg's album because my brothers and I loved the Wild Thing song from the Lion* adverts - remember those? Back when a 8-piece bucket of KFC was cheaper than it is today** - I never got around to listening to that completely...it got misplaced.

I'm only 24 at the moment, and these are the songs I love as well as a lot from the 80's/90's. There are a few songs I like from this decade, but honestly? Almost every song sounds the same to me, though one band I will faithfully listen to is Linkin Park. Say what you will, but I commend the boys on their efforts and experiments - the Black Eyed Peas never got flack for getting 'creative', and I doubt any of them have a set of pipes like Chester - the man's voice is heaven-sent. Okay, that may be going a little far considering Danny Glover's voice is chocolate for my ears...I know...I was surprised too...

...Oh if my SatNav was voiced by Danny Glover...

Ahem! Getting back on topic, I also listen to a lot of J-Pop/J-Rock and - as per my heritage - Indian/Arabian music. Anything I like the sound of, which is good because I don't discriminate. Though it's also hard, because what do I say when I'm asked what music I like? I usually stick with Rock as my answer - though people tend to rattle off bands from this decade, whom I don't really know outside of Muse. I also love Classical music - the one type I do not listen to a lot of is Rap and it's various derivatives, though I admit there are some good ones out there - one example being Gangsta's Paradise.

My youngest brother listens to a lot of those kinds of music, though I wonder if I helped shape his taste and broaden his horizon, because strangely enough he also likes some of the stuff I do. I believe I remember him saying that I was the reason he was introduced to Papa Roach - I myself don't listen to him, but I happened to come across a good song of his while I was surfing the music channels one night.

Anyway, with that said, we're brought to the event. He was listening to music on his laptop while playing S4 League. After the round he was playing ended, he realised I was in the room and unplugged his earphones...the following is what happened:

My brother: "Hey, you're old, aren't you?"

Me ":...I guess...?"

My brother: "Tell me if you know this one," *puts on Bon Jovi's It's My Life*

I've had that song on my memory stick (for my car) and all the MP3 players I've ever owned over the past 3 or so years, and he's just come across it. It's awesome to know that he likes it, but it's a little disappointing that he discovered the song while watching a Hajime no Ippo AMV***

The reason why he thought I'd know the song in the first place is because he knows we like somewhat similar stuff, but mainly because he knows I like a lot of old tunes. Also, the reason why he considers me 'old' is possibly because of this, but moreso because he can't remember my age - all he knows is that I'm older than him, hence 'old'

* The advert in question:

** I have an old episode of The Real Ghostbusters Animated Series - I think it's the one with the fairytales coming to life - which has both the Lion ad and a KFC ad before it starts...I can't remember the exact price, but I know it was cheap.

*** AMV = Anime/Animated Music Video

Vulnerable ≠ Weak

2010-11-28T02:32:00.001+00:00

I'm in two minds about putting this up, mainly because it's a bit too personal and too 'bare-all' for my liking. However, as this is a blog to house my experiences, from the mundane to the not-so-mundane, I suppose I should really put it up in the hopes that someone out there who feels the same as I do, won't feel quite as alone as I do. So, I guess without further ado, in the hopes that you will find comfort...here goes...

I don't really cry...not in public anyway, but something happened on my way home that just made me realise just how vulnerable I can be and I began to feel emotional on the bus home from my weekly volunteering at the Shooting Star Fundraising Office. No, I didn't give into the temptation of letting the floodgates open - I would never have been able to live with myself if I did - but what made me feel so broken, was the simple act of tripping on a kerb I didn't see in time because I was too busy walking to avoid a car pulling out and adjusting my torch.

It's silly, I know, but I've been encountering events that have chipped away at my confidence to function at night/low-light while my eyes are still working okay. I mean, I've tripped up in the past and I've usually chalked it up to clumsiness, but now that I know there's something wrong with me...I just wonder if the signs have been there all along. However, nearly a month ago now, I fell off the bus because I couldn't see the gap between it and the kerb, and hurt my foot in the process by landing on it quite badly...I don't think I broke anything, but it aches a little now and again. I didn't quite realise what had happened and sort of sat there in a daze, when a woman who had seen me fall lifted me up to my feet and continued on with her family as I limped to the nearby bus shelter.

The event was followed a few weeks later by missing the last step on the second-to-last flight of stairs. I had attended a meeting with my boss at a heritage site - Ham House - and I understand that they don't use lights in case of damage, but unfortunately the natural light didn't help much. I landed on my other foot this time, but luckily it didn't hurt as much. The incident with the kerb happened a week later, and it dawned on me as I sat on the bus home, that I'll never be able to function efficiently at all soon. Sure, there's treatments in development, but I'm not really all too keen in having cybernetic implants that require an external power source...maybe something a little discreet perhaps? I can't believe I'm being vain about this...I guess it's the girl in me, seeing as I'm quite butch in my thought processes otherwise. Anyway, by the time I need them, therapies and treatments may have been perfected - so bright side!

Thinking about it though, while I do have a vulnerability that will only get worse, it by no means imply that I am weak...at least I hope so. The two a different entities to me; vulnerable being physical and weak being mental. Superman, whom I do adore, is vulnerable to Kryptonite, but he is by no means weak...gosh, I cannot believe I went there...but it comforts me to know that. The same could be said about Batman...despite their vulnerabilities, they continue to do what they do. Ah okay, enough with the geeky comic-book references!

Having said all that, I have to disclose that more recently, I was helping out with the Christmas Lights event my boss organises each year on the street our offices are located on. Obviously, to see Christmas Lights you need darkness. I was doing okay all night, but towards the end when I was heading back to the office, I decided to bypass the crowd in the square where a crowd had gathered for the Punch and Judy show, and aimed to take a shortcut. I turned into it, only to end up bumping into a female police officer, who it could be argued also bumped into me. She came right out my blindspot, and her wearing all black didn't help either - the exchange sort of went like this:

Me: "Oh! I'm so sorry!"
Her: "What do you think you're doing?!"
Me: "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Her: "You walked right into me! What do you think you're doing?!"
Me: 'Do I tell her about my condition? No...she'll think it's too convenient given the circumstance...' "I...I'm really sorry..."
Her:"...Fine, next time watch where you're going!"

All true, word for word. You can imagine how that made me feel right? I'm all for the police; I respect what they do, but is that really any way for them to act? I know I should expect reactions like this from people, but...I never expected it from someone in an authoritative position, even though I know there are those who let their job/position get to their heads. I felt awful and the incident really knocked my confidence.

I went back to the office and my boss was trying to talk to me, but all I could think about was what had happened and I started getting weepy. I tried so hard to contain it, but she was concerned and sat me down to talk about what had happened - she knows about my condition, so it makes it easier to talk about it. Based on my description of the officer, she deduced it was a particular one who frequently caused trouble, but just to make sure, she asked her husband (also my boss) who had been in the area. He confirmed that he had seen the officer, and that they had filed complaints in the past - I think I might just file a new one.

It's disgusting, when I think about it. Regardless of her being a police officer, people shouldn't act that way. I was raised to be polite and I hope it shows in my speech and mannerisms - I know that there are people who aren't as disciplined. Though, what can I do? As a friend of mine put it - one I haven't told my condition to yet:

"We each have more power than we know to influence the lives of those around us, as Spider-Man will tell you, 'With great power, comes great responsibility,' Some people don't appreciate this - these people are dicks,"

Review: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 - COMPLETE

2010-11-18T18:02:00.003+00:00

I seriously am getting quite tardy with my updates on this blog; the last one was on 12/11/10 - I suppose it's not bad, but considering how long I've been planning on having this post up...Actually, I only really completed this game - Trophies and all - last week.

It's odd when I think about it; I'm not really much of a Naruto fan, but I did enjoy this game and it's strangely the first game I've ever got a Platinum in - I always thought it'd be Bayonetta, since I'm about 10 easy Trophies away; what's taken me so long is completing that blasted Alfheim Portal on Hard so I can get the Umbran Tear! I got so close then lost my cool and died carelessly on the last wave - it's what happens when I get excited about reaching a long-awaited goal...

Anyway, back to Naruto. I watched the anime as soon as it came out and followed it religiously until the fillers kicked in. Close to 100 episodes of filler just so they didn't have to take a break until the release of the next arc, which was still being penned by the author! It was the fillers that killed it for me; despite not being canon, they were so badly written and consisted of 3-4 episode story arcs, which while offered time to expand on the characters not heavily featured, just grated on me with how lame they were. As soon as the 'Curry of Life' arc rolled along, I thought enough...just no.

I can't really remember much about them and this wasn't meant to be a vent post about the anime anyway, so let's focus on the game. I haven't played Ultimate Ninja Storm I, so I'm kind of doing this backwards - I did order it, however, and will play it after White Knight Chronicles. Then again, from my understanding, the UNS series basically recaps the story so far, so UNSI covers the story up until Naruto: Shippuden - again, I watched it as soon as it aired, and switched off as soon as the fillers came on; I haven't kept up since. I know I can always pick up the manga, but if what I've heard from my brother and my perusals of Wiki are anything to go by, I'm glad I chose not to. The end of Sasuke's Revenge arc seen in the game just further facilitates my reasons for not getting too deep into the series, though I will be buying UNSIII if and when it comes out.

UNSII is based on the Shippuden series up until Pain/Nagano's defeat and the encounter between Killer Bee and Sasuke. It's weird, I really did enjoy the game - battles were enjoyable and the story itself is good, I just can't stand some of the characterisations and how it's delivered at points. My only gripes with the game are that the Request Missions weren't spaced out evenly; there wasn't much to do when controlling other characters and that there weren't any special moves for characters to execute when in the Awakened state during battle. Oh, and the lip-sync was horribly off at some points of the game - the worst being during the Jiraiya vs Pain scene.

Other issues include how Naruto and Sasuke are the only characters to have alternate costumes and Ultimate Jutsu - in this regard, I believe it's keeping in line with the manga, where the two are the only ones to undergo heavy development and power progression...a staple of your standard shounen/boys manga. However, I don't see why it should affect the sub-characters - Choji going giganto is good and all, but I doubt he'd have forgotten how to go Uber/Butterfly mode and hearing Shikamaru utter "That's your grave," every time I execute his Ultimate Jutsu just gets annoying. The same can be said for the majority of the characters, but I wish they had been given better treatment to make things just that bit more fun - variety is the spice! It would have been interesting to see Sakura in an alternate Sage Mode, seeing as she is obviously the Tsunade to Naruto and Sasuke's Jiraiya and Orochimaru respectively. Oh, and would it have been so hard to allow players to play the different incarnations of Pain?

In my brother's words "The game's really good, but it's broken at the same time..."

Other aspects to note include my fangirl-ish realisation that both of Archer's - from Fate/Stay Night - VA's were present, as guest character Lars Alexandersson from Tekken 6 (Japanese) - I was and still am not fond of his alternate costume - and Gaara (English). Speaking of VA's, I still can't stand Naruto's English VA...being a woman and forcing out an older voice, she really killed some scenes that called for emotion.

Oh and the following video from the anime really makes me feel glad that I never caught this fight in its animated 'glory'...

...Makes me wonder if they hired the same group of monkeys that did the animation for a few of the episodes in Hakkenden: Legend of the Dog Warriors - despite it's varying animation quality, it was a very good anime.

Valkyria Chronicles II Ordeal: base.com; SEGA and LoveFilm

2010-11-12T16:36:00.002+00:00

Buying a game online should be a relatively simple task correct? Pre-ordering is a bit of a challenge, depending on how anticipated the title is. I bought Valkyria Chronicles I a long time after it had been released and have yet to make time to complete it - currently it's competing with a few titles I'm playing consecutively: Blue Dragon; Professor Layton and the Lost Future; White Knight Chronicles; Last Rebellion; Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles; Final Fantasy II; Final Fantasy III; Final Fantasy V; Final Fantasy VI; Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearer; Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness; Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility; Tales of Eternia; Tales of Legendia; Agarest: Generations of War and clean-up on Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (review pending) and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Oh, as well as my third time through Fate/Unlimited Codes - not by choice, but because my darn Memory Stick keeps corrupting my save data after a few months of inactivity...Despite playing that many games at once - the majority of which I haven't picked up in years - I still keep buying more and when I do, I'm a glutton for Pre-Order bonuses and Limited Editions...

Which leads me onto the ordeal heading this post.

Valkyria Chronicles II came out two months ago on 03/09/2010 and for those who pre-ordered the game, they were rewarded with a bonus code that allowed exclusive download and access of two Missions that would later be released on the PlayStation Network for purchase - date to be confirmed, though now it's available as part of a bundle of 22 Missions for the humble price of £3.99. Attracted to the offer, I hit Google and searched for the best price and came across the one on base.com for £17.99. I put my pre-order in and waited; rather than what most sellers do and despatch the order in time for release, they despatched it ON release and I didn't get my game until FIVE days later. I forgave them for this, but found that I didn't receive my pre-order code and so I hit customer support. Now this is probably my fault, but could easily be down to them not writing an accurate description for the product, but according to them they never advertised to offer the code. Either way, I asked for them to offer some assistance in reaching a resolution but there was nothing they could do and since I had opened the game, they couldn't refund it.

Okay, with them not being able to help, I took the next logical step and contacted SEGA - the publishers of the game in the hopes that they could help. They kept sending me back to the retailer, despite the numerous times I told them I had already dealt with them and they eventually said they'll look to see if they had anymore codes available. A few days of waiting later and they replied with a negative - no more codes.

I know what it looks like, all this for a measly code to get two extra Missions before they were released on the PSN. It's the principle! Lame defense, but I was in that frame of mind where I had pre-ordered my game with the intent of being eligible for the extra Missions and had been "robbed" of that - I don't roll over easily and will be tenacious in my endeavour until I have exhausted every rational/acceptable means.

Going for a last ditch effort, I decided to try and see if I could buy another copy of the game - one that clearly advertised providing the code - and came across the one offered by LoveFilm. Yes, I'm also crazy enough to pay for a second copy of the game just to get what I want...what would I have done with the other copy? eBay of course! It had been a month since release by this time - base.com and SEGA had awful response times - and so I contacted LoveFilm before putting in my order willy-nilly, informing them of the situation and asking if they could make an exception in this case. I received a prompt and lovely reply from their customer service rep, which seemed promising, and put in my order. I received my game a week or so later and was informed that the code had been recalled from the manufacturer and once it had arrived it would be e-mailed to me. I waited a month and no code; I don't doubt that LoveFilm did all they could to help me, but seeing that it was now TWO months since the game's release, I thought it was quite pointless/ridiculous hovering around waiting for something that was quite evidently not going to happen.

I managed to get a refund from them for the game - they were lovely all the way - and decided to troll the boards for info on the new Downloadable Missions, as they had been released on the PSN by now. Specifically, I wanted to know if the pack included the two Missions that were pre-order bonuses. Little did I expect to find some news that greatly infuriated me; the two pre-order Missions had been available for free download ALL ALONG! They had been released on the PSN on 01/09/10 - TWO days before the official release! I checked the PSN the day I got my game to see if they were up and couldn't find a thing; the only download at the time was the game itself, which was also released on 01/09/2010. I don't know who to be mad it - myself; fate; SEGA...SEGA seems like a good bet. Surely the publisher of a game that happily sang about the release of the Mission pack on the PSN should ALSO know about the two pre-order Missions being available? I don't expect base.com to know; after all retailers don't give technical support, but they should learn to write accurate product descriptions. I feel awful for putting LoveFilm in the position they were in for trying to help me - there was no way they'd know about the Missions being available on the PSN.

But...SEGA?! How could they not know?! I wasted TWO months in an effort to get what I pre-ordered my game for, and not once did they tell me to shut up and troll the PSN! Their customer service sucks!

</rant>

Marriage Criteria

2010-11-08T17:19:00.002+00:00

Marriage is a subject that has come up more than a few times over the years, since I turned 18, and what has caused me to bring it up now is the fact that soon my brothers and I will be the only ones in my family, who have hit and passed 'Marriageable Age', who remain to get hitched. Nearly all of my cousin's who tick that box are either married to each other or some other cousin in the family, and I refuse to marry a cousin who shares my blood - some of my cousin-brothers have been candidates for me despite this tenet, though those were suggested by their parents and not my mother. My mother knows my stance on intra-family marriage, and I will not compromise the health of any future children I may be lucky enough to have.

That being said, any child I do have will be screwed anyway since there's a high likelihood that they'll inherit my condition, and so I have resolved that I will pay any amount there is to ensure my child will be free of this gene. Yes, I'm talking about Genetically Engineering my child since Retinitis Pigmentosa is currently an incurable condition, despite rather excellent recent developments in trial therapies to partially restore sight that remain to be perfected. I do remain optimistic, however, that hopefully at some point a definite cure (or as good as) will come into existence and I may not have to go down that route. I'm all for Genetic Engineering when it has benefits in the long-term, but I know that just like with Plastic Surgery, it will become commercialised and Gattaca* will be that much closer to becoming reality.

Anyway, the main point of this post is to highlight a fear that I have - do I tell any possible marriage candidates the 'small-print' included with their purchase**, or keep schtum and act as surprised and devastated as they are when the symptoms get worse? Being an honest person, I suppose I would most likely tell them at the first instance. However, the rules would be different depending on who's doing the proposing; should it be a run-of-the-mill Arranged Marriage, then I'd tell them there and then with some tactful questioning leading up to it. If it's a boyfriend, then I may be inclined to tell them a little later on...perhaps if they began to see the relationship going long-term, but then they'd have developed feelings for me so may be more inclined to stick with me for a while so as not to seem like a prick...I haven't even told the majority of my friends yet, let alone a non-existent boyfriend! See, it's a tough subject to bring up...I wish there was an easier way to do this, but I figure that since my eyes are okay for now, then there's no point and I should only bring it up in the real problem areas, like going clubbing or to the cinema or to a platonic 'dinner-date'...

Thinking about it though, I guess I only have to really worry about the Arranged Marriage scenario, because frankly I've never been in a relationship and I don't really see myself in one anytime soon. It's not like I'm averse to sharing my life with someone - my mother's always encouraged me to get a boyfriend - I think it's really down to how stupid I am when it comes to recognising when people are interested in me. To be honest, I just don't feel comfortable thinking of every dude I meet as a potential bed-buddy, so I tend to keep that part of myself switched off and it makes it much easier talking to people, since I'm shy as anything. Also, taking the plunge and taking a relationship further has a lot riding on it - I start to panic just thinking about it! I mean, how does one feel comfortable and secure enough to let someone else in on so many levels?

Not only do I have to worry about that, but I also have to wonder if whoever's dumb/courageous/patient enough to be with me is someone I can trust in the long-term.

It's not like I've never been asked out...actually it's been about a total of a possible three? I'm not sure...the first guy asked when I was in Sixth Form and into someone else, but he phrased it in such a vague way like he was asking my opinion and I'm not the type to go out with someone just because I'm getting nowhere with the person I'd rather be with; during University, the second guy never asked but his friend started a pretty strange conversation that was rudely interrupted by someone and it's been bothering me ever since and the third guy asked while I was taking a Summer Math/Science course...I turned him down and he called me a racist.

Another issue about Arranged Marriages, is that in my experience Indian families can be quite weird. From personal experience, I can firmly say that there are some right monsters out there - real wolves in sheep's clothing, so to speak. It's a scenario we're used to hearing about, where someone gets involved with/marries Prince Charming only to find out that he's Mr. Hyde - I was going to say Gaston, but Gaston doesn't strike me as a monster. Now spin it so that the entire husband's family is like that; where do you get the strength to retain who you are when you're continually put down, taken advantage of, blamed for things beyond your control and there's no-one to trust?

I have always maintained that any suitor I take the hand of has to be willing to have his own house; I am not moving in with his family like traditional Indian girls do. I'm marrying the suitor, not his family. So far, the only suitor's I've had and turned down are men in their 30's (while I was 18), essentially looking for a green-card while being in the country on a worker's permit or some such and/or living with their family still. I know I'm not one to talk about being put off by someone living with their family, since I live with mine, but I do plan to once my brothers finish University so am saving up in the meantime.

Gosh, reading over this it appears like all I'm doing is bashing, but I'm trying to convey that I have to be more prudent in my choices in life. I have to continually think as smart as my limited brain-power will allow before getting distracted by the nearest shiny object...

* For those who don't know, I urge you to Wiki it or pick it up at your nearest Video Rental outlet. It's a good movie and seems more plausible than The Matrix - I hated that series of movies.

** Perhaps I should now carry around a card with my number and the following on the reverse: WARNING! The possessor of this number has a fairly rare genetic condition in that their vision is slowly deteriorating to the point that one day they will be blind, or will have severely impaired vision at best. Further contact with this individual stipulates that you have read and understood this warning, and that either you a) only wish to bed her or b) have accepted that possibility in its entirety and are still willing to pursue a long-term relationship ending in the possibility of marriage and offspring.

There May Be Hope Yet

2010-11-04T13:28:00.005+00:00

Not the next post I had in mind - I really should post more often/plan my posts better/make time to actually post - but I heard about this from a colleague at work and just had to share it:

Eye Implant Allows the Blind to See Again

Isn't that exciting?! I probably wouldn't have been as excited if I didn't have RP, but regardless of whether I did or didn't have it, I would definitely have been excited for those who were blind or suffering from the condition - both from an empathic position and a scientific one. I'm no scientist, but I am all for scientific advancement and breakthroughs and it's moments like these where science can be considered beautiful; it doesn't just destroy and cause pain but also brings life and joy.

The article isn't the only route for people with RP to regain their sight; an alternative is highlighted in the following:

Sight Restored to Mice Afflicted with Retinitis Pigmentosa

Looking at that title, it sounds straightforward, but it doesn't say the how...not like the first one. Also it's full of geek-speak, so I'll try and translate/summarise:

A Swiss team have been able to reactivate the cone cells of mice with RP. They have achieved this by introducing a protein via Gene Therapy, which switches the cells 'On'...

...Perhaps I should elaborate on the condition a little; Retinitis Pigmentosa is a genetic condition, thus inherited, which slowly degenerates the vision of a person with the condition to the point of eventual blindness. It mainly presents itself first by severely impairing the person's night vision, but can overlap with impairing the person's day vision as well. My night vision is pretty bad - I think I can compare it with my day vision, in that during the day the fringes of my field of view are a little hazy; it looks like the feathered edge you would give to an image. These hazy spots, however, are complete blind spots in low light and at night - I think it'll be better illustrated if I were to use an image...I've been meaning to make one for a while now. Anyway, the stages are different depending on the type of RP a person has and I'm writing about what I'm experiencing.

To understand the process, you need to remember the structure of the eye and how it works to help you see. Light bounces onto the retina, from the pupil, where it is transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve. The retina is made up of rod and cone cells - their properties are listed in the table below:

Rods	Cones
Used for scotopic vision	Used for photopic vision
Very light sensitive; sensitive to scattered light	Not very light sensitive; sensitive to only direct light
Loss causes night blindness	Loss causes legal blindness
Low visual acuity	High visual acuity; better spatial resolution
Not present in fovea	Concentrated in fovea
Slow response to light, stimuli added over time	Fast response to light, can perceive more rapid changes in stimuli
Have more pigment than cones, so can detect lower light levels	Have less pigment than rods, require more light to detect images
Stacks of membrane-enclosed disks are unattached to cell membrane directly	Disks are attached to outer membrane
20 times more rods than cones in the retina
One type of photosensitive pigment	Three types of photosensitive pigment in humans
Confer achromatic vision	Confer color vision

Source: Wikipedia

Did you understand any of that? To summarise, rods are used for vision in the absence of light and take a while to adjust. They are very sensitive and have a lot pigment, though it is only one type of pigment, thus they are well suited to determine depth-perception. They are present in high numbers in the outer regions of the retina - generally considered the "white's of the eye"; the fovea is the central part located around where the optic nerve attaches to the eyeball. In contrast, the cones are used to determine colour and have three types of pigment to do this; they aren't very sensitive and only work when light is present. They are very good at seeing detail and spotting sudden changes in the environment.

That's GCSE Science baby, with a hint of A-Level Biology - ka-chow!

Anyway, taking the functions of the two cell-types into account, it's interesting how RP affects them - rods die completely, while cones simply "switch off". This is the basis of the second article, so hopefully now you can understand what happens.

Since my eyes seem to be a ways off from completely losing sight, I'm not really sure which of the two treatments I'd go for. I guess I can't really give my choice since perhaps by the time I do lose my sight, new treatments will have come into being.

Pizza Express Launch Party

2010-10-21T20:12:00.000+01:00

Last night, I attended the launch party celebrating the new look of Pizza Express at Richmond. I suppose to tell this story I should start somewhere near the beginning, so here goes: last November I started interning for a new inbound travel venture called Destination Richmond, where I now work full-time apart from Mondays, with the goal of generating interest in the Borough and encouraging short stays and weekend breaks - you can check it all out on the website. To supplement this vision, I started writing a blog about 6 months ago called Eye on Richmond, which details events and general goings on in the Borough.

A member of the PR team for Pizza Express found my blog and dropped me an invite the same day I read in the Metro about how the Richmond branch was experimenting a new style of service, by training their staff in 'small-talk'. What they neglected to mention was that the entire branch had undergone a make-over, by revisting their original vision and bringing it to life and that the Richmond branch was the first to test it out...and boy is it a great style - the only other branch I have been to is the one in Twickenham, and I've passed the Hounslow one many times while I was living there.

I invited two of my colleagues to go with me and one of them brought her lovely daughters and we all had a great time. I hung out with my PR contact and he was wonderful, even introduced me to a few other bloggers he had invited who were also fab to hang out with. They were Jackie Lee of I am a Feeder and Rajini Lolay of Young and Poor - lovely people who had so much advice to give to a relatively new blogger.

The party was fantastic, though there were a few times I had to pause and adjust to the low light and look for steps, but otherwise the staff were great about making sure we had food, which consisted of items new to the menu. Honestly, everything was so delicious, it was hard to keep myself from stuffing my face. If it's one thing about me, apart from my obsession with games, anime, manga and comics, it's that I love my food and I especially love pizza - I maintain that Michelangelo from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is the source of this, with his cute first words upon sampling the delicious dish: "Pizza...Pizza!" So yes, the Pizza Express launch party was like my heaven because everything was FREE and delicious.

The music was great and there was a caricature artist on site, and there were even some staff going about the room entertaining the guests with their amazing Pizza Tossing skills. However, I'd have to say that the highlight of the evening was the following:

Yes people, I met three cast members from Eastenders. In case you don't know, they are from left to right Stefan Booth, Nina Wadia and Himesh Patel, starring as Greg (Tanya's boyfriend), Zainab and Tamwar Masood respectively. Apparently, they were invited by someone Himesh Patel met during a charity event for Mencap. They were fantastic to hang out with and I sort of got trapped in their corner for close to half an hour, with Stefan Booth actually speaking to me. I'm still buzzing over that excitement, I mean especially with my condition, I never dreamed I would get to meet celebrities without paying to do so and it was wonderful how they were such lovely people - I truly feel honoured, and grateful for my eyes not deteriorating as fast I feared they would and I am thankful also for them giving me a beautiful memory to look back on. Actually, I'm more grateful for my PR contact for inviting me and my job for opening an opportunity I would never have otherwise dreamed of.

Okay...that sounded like an Oscar speech, but if I'm ever going to look back on this, I want to detail every emotion I feel and hopefully, I'll remember this night so vividly. To be honest, this is most exciting thing that's happened to me since catching a glimpse of Hideo Kojima at the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater launch event.

It's actually really funny how this came about, meeting the Eastenders crew, my colleagues had just left to get caricatures done and I was left looking after the bags and scanning the room, when just across the table next to me I thought 'Is that Stefan Booth? Nooo...it can't be Stefan Booth, I mean...Stefan Booth at a launch party in Richmond? Nooo...let me check his fansite 'cause if it's not, he's one hell of a look-alike, perhaps I should go up and say so...' I did check out his fansite and there was no information on any public appearances, the only latest message I found was announcing his very recent birthday - I don't really frequent his fansite, not that kind of person but they do come in handy sometimes.

I then looked up, convinced it wasn't him and saw two guys coming my way having been intrigued by the iPod/iPhone stand on the sill behind me. Why they chose my table, I don't know, but I informed them of it's purpose, which was to plug your device in and you can listen to your own music played through the overhead dome-speaker. They found it cool and my colleagues and I love the feature - it's like setting up your own private party!

Anyway, when they had left, I over that way again and saw Nina Wadia - there was no way I could mistake her - who was speaking to Himesh Patel, and the following popped through my mind: 'Oh my God! It's Stefan Booth!' I loved him on Dancing on Ice, then I was confused because she looked at me, beamed and waved at me like she knew me. I naturally waved back, somewhat thrown, and my colleagues came back whom I proceeded to tell about who I had just seen. When we looked back again, there was Nina Wadia smiling and waving again...needless to say, I carried out my plan to take a picture with them and went over. She apologised for waving - she had thought I was someone Himesh Patel knew because he was pointing in my direction, but not at me. Anyway, picture taken and a lovely night was had. I would go into further detail about what we talked about, but it's not really interesting and with the music so loud I could barely hold a conversation because of my low voice...just know that Stefan Booth was very entertaining and kept making me laugh. Also, all I could think about was how much of a tramp I looked...

Preview: Supernatural: The Animation - Update (now coming February 2011)

2010-10-19T18:18:00.002+01:00

I wrote about this earlier in the month and since then a second trailer has been released:

Looks like we'll have to wait another month for this to be released, but damn does it look good! Though I barely recognise any of the scenes from the live action series...though I think I may have spotted the ShapeShifter.

Review: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - Aqua and Final Episode

2010-10-13T18:03:00.002+01:00

Completed Aqua's story on Monday 4th October, quickly followed by the Final Episode the next day. Can I just say, before launching into my opinion of her arc, I am really not impressed with Aqua's VA. I appreciate the fact that voice-acting doesn't come naturally to some people and that this may be her first foray in the field, but she really didn't sound comfortable in her role. Especially when hearing Terra and Ventus sound so natural, and then to have her mumble her lines in that croaky fashion like she's trying to sound cool/keep her voice low for a YouTube video. Yes, a lot of people on YouTube sound like that when recording "How To's" and their own reviews and whatnot, and it's annoying; Croaky Voice DOES NOT = Cool.

I'm sorry, this has just been bothering me throughout the game and to sit through 11 hours of her arc plus the 1 hour for the Final Episode...ugh.

Anyway, apart from that minor gripe, her arc wasn't too bad, though again the pacing was off. For all three arcs, there seemed to be this disconnection from what the characters were doing, the development they were going through and the story that's trying to be told. It's interesting, however, how the origins of the more familiar characters has been told...though a few things could have warranted further thought. I just wish I knew whether Nomura either had this all planned from the beginning, or is throwing this all together as he goes because he never saw Kingdom Hearts I to be such a big hit. There was a magic in that flagship title that I haven't felt since, and rather than each successive title building on that magic (bar Chain of Memories), there seems to be a dynamic that he just won't give up. There are various elements that frustrate me about each new title...but this isn't the place for them, and nor is it the time.

Thinking about it, I'm having a hard time even figuring out what her arc was all about. I know it's to do with her duties as a Keyblade Master, i.e. make sure Terra doesn't stray and bring Ventus home at any cost. I suppose it's meant to be about the struggle she feels with her new duties/title while also maintaining her relationship with her friends. By the way, I seriously can't stop wondering if she and Terra ever 'experimented'...I have no basis for this apart from how they look at and talk to each other. Argh! Any excuse for my mind to wander into the nearest gutter.

Now, there's not much I can say about the Final Episode, but it was interesting and damn Sora is so gosh-darn cute...what happened to him in Kingdom Hearts II?! It's like he went to sleep and came back as someone else! While I have my own theories about certain things revealed in this chapter, I do have a few other questions, which I will address once completing the Reports for each characters and unlocking the hidden video.

Yes, I played the game on Standard Mode mainly for the added challenge and because I misunderstood the requirement for one of the Trinity Trophies. Specifically, the the Time one...everywhere I read at the time said the game had to be completed in under or around 80 hours - Proud Mode would have taken me ages, because I'd spend more time grinding...but now I know that's rubbish and really, it should be completed in 80 hours or more...or rather you have to play the game for that length of time, because really, each arc averages 10 hours with an added 2 for the Final Episode. What really eats up the time is completing all the various other things to complete each character's Report. That's what I tell myself at least...but hey, if I'm going to get Gold Mickey's in my Trinity Reports it's more worthwhile doing it this way as well, then I won't have to feel like I'm wasting my time...which is what I'm totally doing...

Preview: Supernatural Anime coming January 2011

2010-10-05T15:14:00.001+01:00

Now this is news! I came across this while browsing the DeviantArt Supernatural Club, which I helped found and am now trying to get back into a somewhat active role in running it. Someone posted up a Windows 7 theme for the show and I couldn't believe it when I Wiki-ed* the show and tracked down a trailer!

I'm so pumped; the 22 episodes due to air in January will cover the first 2 Seasons, though I wasn't all too impressed with the second Season...hated the Route 666 episode and hated how Sam lost the ability to do all his research and had to rely on Dr. Badass of the RoadHouse - though I did like Dr. Badass. Also hated how Ellen and Jo were introduced; the Season picked up for me after Tall Tales. It will also include some side-stories, obviously so it's not like you're watching the live-action series in animated form.

Can you hear me 'Squee!' in delight? Madhouse is also a very good animation studio, having contributed to Batman: Gotham Knight, Casshern SINS, Devil May Cry Anime, Death Note, Perfect Blue, Hajime no Ippo, Last Order: Final Fantasy VII and various other works including almost all CLAMP titles. Needless to say, I approve of the choice of animation studio.

*It's a fundamental aspect of my being; when in doubt, I Wiki.

Learning to say 'Goodbye'

2010-10-05T14:50:00.002+01:00

So watching an older episode of Ugly Betty a second time made me think a little...okay well maybe a lot. The episode was about Daniel reaching Level 7 and finally making peace within himself and saying goodbye to Molly. It was quite a moving episode, though no more so than any other episode of any given series that deals with loss and moving on with one's life.

Learning to say goodbye on an emotional level is a difficult step and perhaps one of the few lessons we learn from our grandparents, or perhaps the very last that we should ideally learn from our parents. Of course life never goes so smoothly nor runs the same course for everyone, no matter how much we'd like to believe otherwise.

Saying 'Goodbye' isn't just limited to coming to terms with the death of someone, either family or friend, but also the loss of someone's general company. It's been over a year since I verbally said goodbye to my best friend of 5 years - she has a debatably strong internet presence, in that she's a Twitter addict, DeviantArtist (read: Photographer) and an eBay troll; all comments made in the fondest way. We had so much in common and I really cared about her, but I guess our fundamental values were different. You see, what drove me to end our friendship was that at some point I was treated more as a groupie than a friend, she also began to impose double-standards and any activity she cancelled with me, she gladly did with someone else. I won't go into the finer details about the 'last straw' as it were, but since then, I've had a hard time getting over it. It's not so bad now, but I think I'm getting pretty close to getting some peace. A year, after all is a short time to get over a friendship that lasted 5 years...I'm thinking I need 2½ at most.

When I really think about what's holding me back, it's the fact that I didn't have the proverbial-non-existent-balls to bide my time on the situation and confront her in person about it, maybe then I could have got the answers that I don't have. The lack of answers is what eats at me most - did I really do something to warrant that attitude from her, and the fact that she doesn't seem the least bit remorseful about hurting me in that way.

Am I worried about her coming across this? Not really, my blog is my business.

Another, more meaningful aspect I have yet to say goodbye to is my sight. Now that's an even tougher subject to make internal peace with; I don't think I'm ready to even poke that subject with a stick from the moon and back. But I know I'll have to face it - not something can avoid after all - but what I worry more about is how my family feel about it...

Review: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - Ventus

2010-09-28T16:53:00.001+01:00

Last Sunday (26/09) I completed Ventus' story in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep and have since started Aqua's story. Yes, I completed his arc in one day...around 13 hours to be exact.

Going into my opinion of his arc, I have to say it's quite cute with his quest for friendship, but the pacing seems to be pretty off. The majority of the arc is dedicated to bouncing around worlds and making friends, while realising that his relationship with Terra and Aqua is unshakable. The last hour is then spent speeding through the important bit of the game's story...the χ-Blade (pronounced: 'ki-blade') of which we have a vague understanding about, taking Terra's story into account. Also, there is a major spoiler I'm very confused about...

Again, I reserve judgement until completing the game, but I shall leave you with this one thought...Zack is too freaking cute! He has always - even as far back as Final Fantasy VII - struck me as the kind of guy who made friends easily. I wish I could be more like that, or perhaps even have someone like that in my life...ah such childish dreams...but I'm learning. Though that line in Terra's arc was a little weird...wouldn't 'freeing one's heart' in effect kill them? I know what it was in reference to...but surely there was a better choice of words.

Speaking of 'kill', why oh why does everyone in a game/anime/manga/cartoon/comic/book whose death is a pivotal point in a story never do the deed themselves...why do they always expect someone else to do it for them? DRAMA!

Review: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - Terra

2010-09-20T16:02:00.003+01:00

I received my copy of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep on Thursday 9th September - one day before release this side! I experienced a mix of excitement and trepidation, but I guess this could sum up my reaction:

Well, really the last 3 seconds, but I love that clip. Cracking open the box, I looked at the artbook first and frankly, I'm disappointed by it. It could hardly be called an 'artbook', for it was full of promotional art and CG renderings and images - where was the concept art?! The only hint of 'artwork'/'concept art' was a 2-page spread on world designs. Now I may be a little picky, but Tekken 6 had a better 'artbook' supplied with it's Limited Edition - and I wear the hoodie with pride.

Going back to the game, I haven't even sampled the selected OST yet, but it was strangely addicting. I was hooked on Command Melding and maxing out my D-Links. I've chosen to complete it Terra - Ventus - Aqua, as recommended, and while his story was an innane tango with Light and Dark, the ending to his arc was a twist I did not see coming. Clearly, someone has learned from the master that is Hideo Kojima *cough*Snake Eater*cough*

Seriously though, I loved that twist, though I really feel that the division of Light and Dark is too simple - would one consider 'Anger' an aspect of Darkness? Surely the force behind the sense of 'Anger' is what determines it's classification? There are also a few a things I don't quite understand, but am hoping the other arcs will explain, though if not, I'll revisit them in a summary post.

Jupiter and Uranus to Waltz Tonight

2010-09-20T15:39:00.000+01:00

Okay, so they're not exactly dancing, but for them to be merely 1-degree apart in the heavens is quite a sight and one I hope not to miss tonight - I've reserved a telescope that I will be picking up tonight from my local Argos.

It's really interesting how much celestial news I pick up from AOL News, the last time was in regards to the annual Perseids meteor shower every August. I missed it this time, though I did try to spot a few but am unsure if I caught any because of the light-pollution - so any of you folk out in the country, I envy you. Hopefully, I can catch the show next year if this telescope proves its worth and if my eyes hold out - I have this nagging and irrational fear that while I can see everything fine now, my condition will rapidly deteriorate much to my annoyance...and yet, I haven't really done anything marked on my Bucket List yet...

But anyway, I found out about Jupiter being the closest it's been to Earth since 46 years ago, and the next time will probably be in 2022...though I doubt it will be in conjunction with Uranus. Thus it is considered a very rare opportunity.

Wish me luck in being able to find it!

Article: Jupiter to make closest to Earth since 1963
The Sky Tonight

My New Consoles and Data Transfer

2010-09-18T14:06:00.003+01:00

So, what with my brothers going to Uni this weekend, I've been forced to buy my own PS3 and XBox 360. It's an investment I was going to make at some point, as I had hoped to have moved out by now, but someone's got to be there for my mum until they get back...

Anyway, with these shiny new consoles, the issue came with transferring my data over. Especially the PS3 - we've all heard the horror stories about not being able to transfer the 'copy-protected' stuff.

Moving my data to my XBox was pretty painless - luckily my bro had a 16GB memory stick on hand that had to be formatted for 360 use. I transferred my GamerTag, after syncing my achievements, and moved/copied over all my save data and downloads. Then naturally these were moved to my 360 and all was well. The reason for copying some of the data was in case something went wrong; after formatting the memory stick a warning was thrown up saying that while it has been formatted, the memory stick wasn't 360 approved and some data may be lost during transfer or some such.

The PS3 was a little more worrying as I had progress I didn't want to lose on Bayonetta, so using a method I found a few months ago that preserved data (which I can't seem to find on the net anymore...) I gave it a shot...after backing up the data on my bro's PS3 in case something went wrong. I then created a dummy account and initiated the transfer using this account after following the deactivation steps and syncing trophies for the other accounts. Once the transfer was complete, I checked both consoles and all data was intact, though the 'copy-protected' data had moved completely to my PS3. the next thing was to test the Bayonetta save files and everything was fine, though for some reason my trophies were re-achieved...

So I'm not sure if Sony fixed the data transfer issues or this method of using a dummy account was what did it, but I didn't lose anything...Either way though, I'm happy and sorted for my gaming needs. Though I also heard that once certain data has been moved, you can't earn future trophies on that data - will update once tested.