if i were someone else

public service announcement.

2009-11-11T10:39:41Z

LEECHGRAVE WENT DOWN.

Bed now.

avast is anti-virus software for pirates?

2009-11-11T00:58:57Z

I HAVE INTERNET AGAIN. \o/!!!!!!

My computer is wiped cleaaaan, so weird. It also has all these programs on it that I don't really want, so I need to go through and uninstall those. I downloaded Avast! first thing since I don't want that to happen again, and... yeah. I'm running Google Chrome as a browser right now since that's what it came with, and it's weird. Will probably have to get Firefox soon since I don't think Chrome supports LJ Login, fff.

But yes, I should be around from now on, whew. This is going to feel really weird until I have all of my stuff back. BAW, POOR LAPTOP, YOU GOT GUTTED. :(

Days update: The bosses are kind of annoying, aren't they? I ended up giving up on beating the Halloween Town one last night. I know how to do it, it's just a matter of having patience. But I'm on Day 257 or something so I've been making progress.

Now to go catch up on everything and work on an essay, boo. But I have the day off tomorrow so that's fun!

Oh, and Heroes last night was loooovely. I'm so psyched for next week! And I have to pimp this gif from last night just 'cause I can.

This gif is compliments of tinted_glass. ♥

would never shy from a fight.

2009-11-09T01:13:18Z

Update about the whole internet situation. I ended up coming home this weekend since I needed to find my start-up disc (which I did, to my immense relief) and then back up all of my stuff with the help of evildrew's external hard drive. (Thanks again for that, Andrew!)

So tonight I'll go back on the train and then I'll take my computer in tomorrow and it'll hopefully be all reformatted by Tuesday. Then I should be around a lot more. I'm glad this seems to be working out, since I was beyond frustrated about it for a while.

Anyway, here's a meme that I was tagged for by lady_angelina:

FIRST: If you've been tagged, you must write your answers in your own LJ and replace any question that you dislike with a new, original question.
SECOND: Tag eight sexy people. Don't refuse to do that like a pansy.

Who sleeps in bed next to you?: Uhh, I sleep with my stuffed seal, Seymore. I've had him since I was probably six/seven and he's never left me for long. I took him to Japan, even. He kind of needs a wash, come to think of it. I SHOULD POST A PICTURE OF HIM SOMEDAY.

What did you last eat?: A parmesan chicken sandwich at the Cheesecake Factory. It was awesome and came with some fries. *__* And I have a lemon torte I took to go waiting for me, which I should eat before I leave for the station, wow.

What kind of books do you read?: BOOKS FOR MY LIT CLASS. LOL, seriously, that's what it comes down to. I've been reading The Tale of Genji, which I'm actually almost done with. I'm going to feel like such a boss when I finish that. Also been reading some Eastern European sci-fi, which has been really interesting. I'm on Solaris right now, which I've been enjoying a ton and I recommend it highly. It manages to be reaaaally creepy at the beginning, which I think is impressive since books usually don't creep me out. And it's got some really interesting identity issues that it messes with, which I love. ~~See Nathan's arc in Heroes.~~ Other than that, some Greek plays for my Greek Civ class, among other things. I started Catch 22 in the summer, but didn't finish it before school started up again. OH, and I read apps. 8)

If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?: ...Japan? I've had like 2 dreams about being back there, and I'd love to visit again. ;_; Other than that, EUROPE. I still haven't been able to go.

What's really creepy?: I... dunno? I kind of have a squick when it comes to eye injuries, but that's not exactly the same. OH, piggybacking off of Ang's answer, there was this one time in my freshman year of college when me and my friends were on the bus and there was this creepy kid who kept brushing his hair over and over with a comb and fkjdalfe, he followed us after we got off for a bit, ahhh.

Name one odd item within five feet of you.: I'm in the kitchen so there's nothing that weird... Let's go with this painted clay thing of pancakes that I made in middle school, LOL.

What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction?: I guess that for now it's still Heroes and Supernatural, although I've had Kingdom Hearts on the brain since I've been playing 358/2 Days. It makes me want to canon review even though I know I don't have the time.

What did you really want to do today that you didn't?: The day isn't over, but I guess I'll say that Erin was maybe going to drop by to return my doujinshi to me and she wasn't able to make it. Not a huge deal, but it's all I can think of. I was also planning to work on an essay but I've pretty much accepted that that isn't going to happen. It isn't due until next Monday so I'm not that worried.

What are you most excited for?: Hmm, let's see. I'm excited for where Heroes and Supernatural are going, but that's kind of a boring answer... I'm excited for Christmas, since I always love that time of year. ♥ The shopping, the wrapping, the warm fuzzy feelings...! That kind of thing. There aren't any games that I think will be coming out too soon that I'm excited about, but... OH, OH, I'm excited for the Star Trek DVD to come out, fffff. Do want.

What websites do you always visit when you go online?: Livejournal, Gmail, sometimes Facebook, Spoilertv, Youtube... Pretty basic stuff.

What was the last thing you bought?: Uhh... My mom paid for lunch, so I guess it was the pastrami sandwich I bought for lunch yesterday. Mmm, so good. ♥

If you could have any pet, what would it be?: Either a black lab (that's the kind of dog I've always, always wanted) or a parrot, preferably a talking one. Since I had an African Grey when I was a kid and I miss that bird like burning. ;;

Your past life: Tell me about it.: ...I was a merman. idek.

What do you want right this minute, off the top of your head?: That lemon torte that is waiting for me to eat it? 8D Just need to finish filling this out and I can om nom nom.

Where is the place you like to return to in order to calm down/relax/etc.?: It's always home. This is the place where I've grown up my entire life, so it's 'home base' in my mind. Of course, whatever happens to be 'home' at the time generally counts, since it's just a matter of that alone time and that space that I need. Obviously it's not quite as good when there's a roommate and etc. there, but usually that doesn't bother me. I just need my me time to keep me sane, ahaha. 8D

What's one thing that terrifies you that nobody else gets?: Terrifies me? Well, there's the whole eye mutilation thing that I'd mentioned before. I actually have a fear of death but I don't usually talk about that since... I feel weird discussing it and I don't really know how to explain it properly. 8(

What's something you'd like to say to someone right now?: I would like to tell a lot of my friends that they are awesome and talented and should shoot for whatever dreams they have. Even if it doesn't work out, it's better to give it a try than just settling for something else.

Are there any bits of childhood that you miss?: Summer break is definitely up there, even though I'm stealing from Angelina again. I remember my cousin used to come down every summer and watch me and my brother and we would just have a blast going over to the neighbors', playing video games, and whatnot. Also, hanging out with Liz and stuff. ;; And just that sense of frolicking outside being so fun whereas now I'm like "...why did kickball amuse me so much." Oh, and playing soccer.

Say something to the person who tagged you.: Angelina~ I still need to get a hold of FFVI and play it so I can toss out leapandrage someday. THANKS FOR BEING IN DAMNED AND PLAYING A PIMP-ASS VON KARMA, and as usual, have faith in your awesome writing because it seriously is awesome. Also, Harvey and von Karma should thread sometime. 8)

I apologize if I tag someone who's already been tagged: bondofflame, continuum, endless_abyss, evildrew, famira, nest, otakara, and wyna_hiros, you're up!

time to practice the voice.

2009-11-02T05:13:03Z

While I'm irked about my internet situation, I've been somewhat cheered up by the fact that I just bought a leather jacket off of eBay with the purpose of using it for a Dean Winchester outfit.

I'm... not quite sure how this happened. This is the result of going to a convention and missing dressing up so damn hard.

I will be the smallest Dean ever. Holy crap, why am I doing this.

your best is more than i can bear.

2009-10-28T18:32:31Z

Last night I had a dream where I hugged Luxord. Except it was also kind of Mary? But definitely Luxord. He was wearing boxers under his Org. coat.

I think this is my brain telling me that it wants to just play 358/2 Days and RP. I couldn't agree with it more.

I'm somewhere in the 150 Day region, by the way. For anyone who might have some reason to want to know my progress. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

hard to be a god.

2009-10-28T08:49:49Z

Having to read 211 pages in one day for school fucking sucks. Oh my god, at the end there I just felt like my eyes were going to close on me while my brain turned to mush.

At least I have internet back. Yeah, it was down since like Friday or Saturday and I had to shell out $40 for a wireless adapter to get it working again, and of course the connection is crap, but it's better than nothing. (Oh, and my laptop bluescreened earlier on top of it all. THANKS A LOT.)

I just want to... sleep. For a long, long time. But I should read this four page thing before, and AUUUUUUUGH I have a ton of reading tomorrow, too. Not as much, but like... 77 + 14 + 15(?) + 21 = 127 FUCK ME FUCKKKKKKKKKK and I have to go through and read some stuff for that literary magazine thing and I KNOW I'M JUST WHINING BUT THIS FUCKING SUCKS. That 77 is for Oedipus Rex, though, which I've read at least twice before not to mention it's quick reading, but wow, the fact that I'm even making words on a screen after looking at so much typed text is kind of making me want to just... die.

Well, exaggerating, but fuck I need this weekend already. I WANT SUSHI AND UMMMMMMMMM okay going to stop before I get any more incoherent. BYEEEEEEE.

it all seems to be cut and dry.

2009-10-22T21:43:08Z

Okay, a real update! I'm making one.

School has been going fine, which is partly because I'm only taking 12 units, so my workload is generally manageable. Sometimes the reading gets heavy, but there are also some times when it's pretty light, so it's been good so far. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune when my papers are due, but that's kind of the norm, so.

I've been trying to get involved in other stuff that will help boost my resumé (that doesn't... actually exist yet, OOPS). First off is that study abroad internship I mentioned. In fact, I have to leave to go do my "office hour" in 25 minutes or so. That part is just chilling in the office one hour a week and answering questions for anyone who walks in. I also have to do other stuff, such as giving presentations, participating in a photo contest, etc. It's pretty chill, though, so that's nice.

Secondly, I turned in an application to my college newspaper to work as a copy editor next quarter. I'm really hoping I get that since the hours aren't too bad and it actually pays. *__* In fact, I should email them and make sure my app made it into the right hands.

Lastly, I'm an editor for a literary magazine that my major is putting out. At this point all it involves is reading over the submissions every week (poems, stories, etc.) and grading them. It's actually kind of fun, though that might be because I'm used to doing this sort of thing due to reading damned apps, ffff.

Speaking of which, I've read almost all of those, so now I'm going to attempt to power-play through Days so I can read those four apps. I'm not sure how well this plan will work, but it's worth a shot, right?

Oh, right, and I had my birthday! On the actual day I had a lot of class, but still made it out for some Italian food and was surprised when some of my friends who I went to Japan with were there as well. It was really sweet of them to come. Then I returned to the apartment and ate delicious German chocolate cake. The following Sunday my parents, my brother, and my brother's boyfriend came up and we went out to lunch with some of my friends, so that was nice. Oh, and Erin was up here all last weekend and we had a great time. We went to a lemon festival, saw Zombieland (which we both loved), played Arkham Asylum, and watched Heroes together on Monday night before she left.

My haul:
- $200, half from my mom and half from my dad
- Hat, scarf, and Halloween candy from my mom
- Two years of paid LJ time and 1 year of extra userpics from my brother
- Friendship bracelet from one of my friends who I went to Japan with
- Half of the price for the Heroes doujinshi I bought was paid for by Erin, plus she came up to see me

I think that's it. I'm probably going to use some of the money I got to pay for y-con, since yes, I'm finally going! Only for a day (Saturday, AKA Halloween), but I'll also be chilling in San Francisco for the weekend, which I'm really looking forward to. But yeah. ANYONE GOING TO Y-CON? Zalia, I know you are, at least! We should meet up. Erin's going too. ♥

some things are just meant to be.

2009-10-20T04:28:18Z

Oh man oh man, I still love Samuel and his outfits (and omg, he hugged Sylar!Nathan, that was weirdly cute :<) and I loved Bennet and Peter teaming up together.

Peter's half-hysterical laughter after he was healed? Also weirdly cute. AND I LOVE THE STATE OF HIS HAIR SO MUCH. (Sylar!Nathan, on the other hand... AUGH, CUT IT ALREADY.)

Unlike most of the fandom, I'm really happy with the Sylar!Nathan storyline and I love the direction it looks like it's going in. Messing around with identity is delicious in my book.

I liked Emma more in this episode as well, and Hiro was cute, even though I felt bad for Peter flying all the way back and then finding him gone. But wow, excited for the Homecoming AU. Oh, and I also really liked the conversation between Hiro and Peter where Peter was offering up his hospice skills. So sweeeeet. And also interesting considering how he was talking about paramedic vs. hospice work earlier in the season. It's becoming more and more obvious that he's getting pulled away from that unhealthy lifestyle. (But why hasn't he noticed that Nathan is missing yet?)

But yeah, liked this episode! Part of it probably has to do with my sadistic affinity for seeing Peter bloodied and in pain.

Oh, and for the record? Edgar is totally jealous because Sylar!Nathan is getting all of Samuel's attention. You know this to be true.

Someday I will talk about something that isn't Heroes. Today is not that day. orz

would you bring me back down?

2009-10-06T07:03:16Z

I am so backlogged on posts, but I just had to talk about this episode.

BECAUSE IT WAS FANTASTIC.

Seriously, I have not enjoyed a Heroes episode that much in ages.

- I kind of feel bad for criticizing Hiro's storyline now since I actually really liked it this time around. I love whenever the show goes back to real life problems. I mean, here was this guy who, while he tried to pass it off as shaming his family name, really just hated his job and hated his life. And I think it's good to be reminded of those things that seem "mundane" in comparison to what all the main characters are going through and pointing out they're actually very important. At the same time, the dark humor undercurrent made it so it wasn't too overdone, which I thought was a good move. Heroes has done a better job of taking itself less seriously as of late, I feel. Oh, and him telling Kimiko? That was also such a real situation, which Hiro's arcs tend to somehow end up touching at in one way or another. Having to tell your sister something like that? Not easy, and I can see why he'd been avoiding it.

- Speaking of the show taking itself less seriously, I was also thinking of that line where Bennet was like, "...Well, I'd kill them." Badly quoted, but you know what I mean! Really, his interaction with Claire here was just A+ and I loved it so, so much. I hope that this continues because it's great to see them getting along and helping each other like this.

- Bennet's scene with Peter was also lovely. Great to know that you think he has nice arms, Bennet! Oh man, that didn't help the soft spot I have for those two interacting. It looks like they'll probably run into each other again soon, considering Bennet's looking into the compass once more.

- Peter didn't impress me too much. Like everyone else, I thought that it seemed weak that he had such a small reaction to Nathan's SUDDEN POWERS. I mean, there's just not a very good way to justify that, so it bugged me. I'm going to assume that his distance from both Nathan and Claire is just a result of his "I HATE THE WORLD" mindset right now, so I hope he gets over himself soon. Sorry, Peter, but it's not all that charming anymore. D: I'm still not sold on his interaction with Deaf Girl, but if they somehow help each other get out of their respective ruts (and what else would be the point of them meeting?), then I'll be all for it. Probably.

- Nathan's scenes were fantastic and engaging and compelling and just fun to watch overall. I'm a little hurt that I still haven't gotten any kid!Peter scenes, but... maybe someday. SIGH. But still, a Nathan will do! I liked the casting for him as a teenager as well. I'm sad that we didn't get any scenes with the dog from the promo photos, but maybe it was deleted? I really don't know, but I'm weirdly disappointed by that! Umm, I would say more, but someone else already summed it up with much more excitement than I could. Long story shot: I think they're nailing the arc so far and I hope it continues.

- Oh, and carnies showed up for a bit! I like them, I really do. For some reason, that moment when Samuel held his glasses in his teeth was really great for me. I love little character quirks like that and I have to wonder if the actor came up with it or what it was. Oh, and Edgar is such a little ball of anger! I love it! I really hope that we start to learn more about them and that they get good development, because seriously? There's nothing I love more than multidimensional villains.

Slightly unrelated, but pimping this site because it is putting up some niiiice Heroes promos that I have never seen before. Like this one. MAN OH MAN. And this. BRB FANNING SELF.

Aww yeah, S4, treating us rite. ♥

i like past you.

2009-10-02T05:20:01Z

I usually leave the Supernatural reports to continuum, but I couldn't resist this time.

DEAN LIKES TO WEAR GIRL'S PANTIES.

I will never forget about this. Ever. That is just... such gold. And fdkljafdae I... want fic involving this now. Too bad I like Dean paired up with a total prude.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, I want future!Dean/future!Castiel like burning. I mean, if Castiel threw caution to the wind and steeped himself in decadence, I could totally see him asking Dean to let him experience something he hadn't tried before. Dean would probably just stare at him like he was insane, but future!Castiel would let Dean wear whatever girly clothing they could find among all the wreckage, and it would be a wonderful partnership.

I mean, that exchange between past!Dean and future!Dean: "You're going to just let all your friends die? Even Cas?"

What. Does that mean.

But but but WOW, I loved future!Dean to bits. I love the totally broken future counterparts who have just been pushed so hard you can just see it, and and I noticed how Jensen changed the way he spoke between the two Deans, and it was awesome, okay. (I want future!Dean and future!Peter to interact. Someone make this happen.)

Chuck was adorable too. HOARD TOILET PAPER. I will take your advice, Chuck.

Oh, and MAYBE IT'S JUST ME, but I liked Sam in that suit. My roommate agreed with me and so does Erin, so NYEH.

That scene when Sam and Dean met up at the end was really good, I thought. Just... idk, there was a quiet optimism to it that I really liked. I can't quite explain it... I'd have to watch it again.

It was also so cute how Castiel pulled Dean away from Zachariah at the perfect moment! "We had an appointment." Don't you mean date, Cas? Oh, they're just too precious. ;__;

Bottom line: Court loves future episodes. Unless they're the one from season 3 of Heroes. Then they can go diaf.

Next week looks wonderfully ridic. I hope that Castiel is along for the ride. SRSLY, EPIC THREESOME, C'MON NOW.

In other news, I've had a headache all afternoon/evening. Finally took meds for it, SO GO AWAY. And fuuuck, I hope I get to pick up Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days tomorrow. I might just buckle down and take the bus if I have to.

i remind myself of somebody else.

2009-09-29T04:43:53Z

This episode was a bit boring, so probably only a few thoughts.

- I dig Samuel going after Peter for the very biased reason of liking the plots where evil people try to manipulate Spongey. I loved it with Adam and was sad that it didn't last so long, so I'm glad to see it here. Still liking Samuel, and I was glad that they didn't go with the cliche of a rich boy ending up being a carnie. Instead his parents just worked for the rich people. Although I see the parallel they're building between Nathan-Peter and Joseph-Samuel here. Brothers who grew up in New York, hmm? And one of them is (sorta) dead?

- Do not like Gretchen. She is pushy and... idk, just rubs me the wrong way. I'm pretty sure she's going to turn out to be evil, kind of like what they originally wanted to do with the West storyline.

- Oh, and the deaf girl is also making me roll my eyes so far. Maybe it's because her character really annoyed me in CSI, maybe it's because she decided to play someone else's cello in the middle of the sidewalk. Don't know, but she's not doing anything for me so far. My roommate, who was watching with me, was like "Pfft, it's not like you're the first deaf musician!" and I was very amused.

- Matt and Sylar stuff, I loved. HATERS TO THE LEFT, and oh yes, I've seen you. >[ Sylar oozes charm. And poor, poor Matt.

- The pacing is a lot slower this season, but I like that. Gasp, Claire hasn't gone lesbian in the first 3 episodes! Gasp, Claire and Bennet's relationship hasn't fallen apart in the first 3 episodes! If Peter and Deaf Girl aren't macking by episode 6, I'll be amazed. It might lead to some sorta boring episodes like this one, but I generally prefer slower pacing.

- Hiro and Tracy were not missed. Nathan was. ;_; Wow, this song I'm listening to is really good for Nathan right now. 8D;;

- Next week: Nathan and Peter interaction! Eeee!

don't make me choose!

2009-09-28T18:03:46Z

CRAP.

I thought it was just last week since they both had 2 hour premieres, but... Heroes and House are going to be on at the same time every week now?!

Why would they do that? ;____;

i've laced up both my boots.

2009-09-25T02:32:50Z

All right, so a week or so ago I did something very stupid. I SOMEHOW MANAGED TO DELETE MY BUDDY LIST. Or, well, I deleted my main "Buddies" group. The "Damned" group is intact, but a lot of Damned people still got deleted because they were in "Buddies" even though they're part of damned because I knew them before Damned existed, or I just placed them in the wrong place by accident, etc. etc.

The point is...

Please leave your AIM screen name for me in a comment!

If you want to be on my buddy list, that is. If not, take this as a way to get away from me. 8(

You might not need to respond if you're a player at Damned, but on the other hand, you might. FFFF I FAIL AT BUDDY LIST ORGANIZATION. Umm, if you want to be safe, then go ahead and do it anyway.

Also, if we never exchanged SNs in the first place and want me to have yours, also feel free to respond, of course. Anyway, I'm so sorry for the huge inconvenience. Feel free to throw tomatoes at me.

Comments are screened, of course.

In other news, I'm struggling to get a fourth class because of the budget cuts and it's driving me a little batty. I just want into this Social Psych class, is that so hard? Fuck the fire marshal and his insistence that you can only pack so many college kids into one room.

see how deep the bullet lies.

2009-09-22T06:49:51Z

It's that time again!

WOW, HEROES. YOU DIDN'T DISAPPOINT ME TERRIBLY. Actually, I liked this premiere quite a bit!

- Peter, Peter, Peter. What are we going to do with you. While it's kind of neat the way he's gotten totally obsessed, I'm not 100% on board with this SHUTTING EVERYONE OUT OF MY LIFE thing, mainly because there was zero explanation given. Heroes suffers from this problem a lot. Yes, I can totally see why he'd be pissed at his family and just sick of it all after the second half of season three, but... idk, it just didn't seem like a smooth transition to me, so it's kind of sudden and jarring. Still, his interaction with Bennet was awesome (I squee every time he calls him Noah, I swear), and... the clam chowder. STILL, PETER, YOU ARE ON MY BAD LIST FOR NOT ANSWERING NATHAN'S CALLS. BAD BOY. Even though your hair is looking absolutely adorable right now.

- Speaking of Nathan! Obviously this is the most controversial point, but so far I am intrigued. I realize that most Nathan fans are throwing a fit and refusing to watch the show, but... I don't know, I think this could be very compelling if they handle it well, and it's been interesting so far. I think it's really sad how he's like "I WANT TO CHANGE MY LIFE, AND BE A BETTER PERSON", and it's like umm Nathan you're in Sylar's body. ;; Pretty interesting that Sylar's consciousness seems to be off with Matt, though, since that kind of establishes them as two different "people" which would make for interesting stuff in the future. We'll see, though. Heroes is very good at fucking things up. ~~I was all over that one butt shot of him, though fdjkal;fjd~~

- SYLAR AND MATT STUFF WAS HILARIOUS, THOUGH. God, I love Sylar, and he just... is tormenting poor Matt like a boss. Those scenes were really just fantastic, and I'm eager to see more of it.

- I LIKED CLAIRE IN THIS. She seemed way back on track as far as characterization goes, which I was really happy about. Her roommate drove me nuts, omg, but I'm intrigued about the murder/suicide thing. Kind of seems like Gretchen might be working for the carnies, though, hmm. Judging from the preview, that is. UM, YES. Claire. \o/ I'm... not really sure how I'm going to feel about the whole bisexual thing. ~~Peter should have been the one to experiment... with his paramedic partner. THOSE TWO ARE CUTE, OKAY~~

- I was very wtf when I first heard about the whole carnival thing, but I'm actually liking the characters thus far. Main guy has some nice charisma going, and I like this idea that he's collecting people, idk. And the speedster with knives is cool, too. I'll admit, I was all over his fight with Peter... Even though it makes no sense that Peter would be able to wield knives with any competence.

- Hiro and Ando stuff is just kind of ehhh for me. I mean, they're adorable as always, but... it's kind of just the same old thing with a different twist, and I seriously doubt that Hiro is going to die, so... 8( LOL idk, their storyline just fell flat to me compared to the others.

- It's so obvious they're going to pair up Tracy and Bennet, but ehh. It doesn't bug me too much, since I think it might be interesting if they do it well. But who am I kidding, Heroes never does romance well. POOR SINGLE BENNET IS SO SAD AND RONREY, THOUGH, and I loved the bit where he basically told Peter not to make the same kind of life for himself. ;; LISTEN TO HIM, PETER, GEEZ.

- Curious about the compass, too! I thought these episodes had good pacing and left me with the right amount of stuff to wonder about without overwhelming me.

- No Mohinder, baw. I mean, I heard he was going to revert to guest star status, and I can understand letting a character fall away if there's really nothing to be done with them, but still.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised! It's a good feeling to be happy with this show. ♥

we will be victorious.

2009-09-16T03:53:18Z

POKEMEME

I figured this was appropriate since I've been playing Pearl lately. ♥

ALSO, I AM JUMPING FOR JOY BECAUSE MY BROTHER FINALLY FOUND MY COPY OF TALES OF THE ABYSS. Basically, a while back (probably over a year ago) I was using my brother's PS2 to play Abyss because my PS2 has disc read errors most of the time. He then ended up taking his PS2 over to his friend's house with the game still in there and it got lost in the house and has been lost until yesterday. OH GOD, SO HAPPYYYY. ;__;

the future doesn't scare me at all.

2009-09-09T23:15:03Z

In light of that post I made a few days back, I have a poll!

View Poll: Tearjerkers

Feel free to comment explaining which part made you cry, so long as it's a game I've played so I'm not spoiled. (Though I might not even care depending on the game. I'm more concerned about ones I do plan to play in the future.) Of course, you could always be vague! In my case, all three times it was at the end of the game.

he wields both darkness and light.

2009-09-09T01:01:25Z

For the most part, my Labor Day was very nice! I went to the beach with my mom and got to go embrace my inner sea creature. Seriously, I love being in water. Why did I ever stop doing that in the first place? After that, we picked up a crapload of fruit and then I helped make a fruit salad while my dad BBQ'd. I talked with my parents about some family drama involving my cousin, but yeah, it was a pretty good day with tasty food and cupcakes.

I also finished Cecil's chapter in Dissidia, which I enjoyed quite a bit! Cecil's voice really grew on me, actually, and it's making me want to start my DS copy of FFIV already. Actually, I should probably check that it's the same VA first, but y'know. The battle system is a lot of fun, but it made me tear my hair out a few times, such as when I decided to take on a level 15 Sephiroth even though Cecil was level 7 or something. HE DODGED EVERYTHING. I eventually did it, though.

But aww, Cecil and Golbez were so cute! (They weren't that cute in the original game, were they? I actually didn't get to see interaction between them because I got stuck at the freakin' Four Fiends battle. AUUUUGH.)

I've been loving the game battle remixes in it, too. I like being nostalgia-bombed, so I was eating that up like candy. I feel kind of fail that my chocobo never seems to get anywhere, though, and I'm thinking I should do quick battles instead of just jumping into story mode since I want to level up the characters some. I also need to unlock the villains and all that...

All in all, I've been enjoying it so far! Oh, but does anyone know why it says that Cecil's chapter isn't 100% even though I finished it? Is it because I didn't get all of the bonus items at the end?

my living legacy.

2009-09-03T12:41:18Z

Just beat Crisis Core.

Need to try and not cry myself to sleep now.

...Seriously, though. I was kind of crying through the whole ending part and then Cloud's theme played in the credits and that song gets me emotional even when I'm not already upset about something, so then there was some sobbing... but then I recovered.

But god. God. How did I even think I could get through that without breaking down. Auuugh.

...Good game, though. Except for the whole Genesis thing, but I'm looking past it for now.

and swallow the gravy!

2009-09-01T09:11:04Z

As was mentioned last entry, I did go to the beach! It was great and made me wonder why I don't do it more often. I think we might go again next Sunday, and I'm going to try and go while I'm in Santa Barbara as well. But yes, I went with my mom and my brother. My brother and I swam out pretty far and just treaded water and floated and gawked at the fire cloud in the distance. (California, why must you always burn? D:) I also laid around on the sand and read a bit and slept. All in all, very relaxing! I love the ocean.

I was reading Catch-22. I actually read it once when in middle school, but I barely remember it. I doubt I understood much of it at the time, but I do recall liking it despite that. And it seems good so far! I want to keep on chipping away at it while I can (by which I mean while I'm not in school and don't have 53729473 other books to read), but I suspect that other things will distract me.

Such as Dissidia, which I bought today using my Best Buy gift cards! I haven't played much yet at all (seriously, I'm not even done with the Prologue), but it seems nifty thus far. Actually, the thing that got me the most excited was having the other characters from the different games giving the tutorials. I grinned like nothing else when Steiner and Vivi started explaining stuff to me. Though... all I have to say? Zell better show up at some point or there will be hell to pay. Oh, and some FFVI characters too. I'm already noticing the bias for the higher-numbered games and I do not approve. (Well, I at least want some FFIV and FFVI in there, dammit! The others aren't quite as important since... let's face it, most of the characters in I-III and V are pretty flat. EXCEPT FOR FARIS.)

Anyway, I know a few other people on my flist have the game already, so if you want to do battle sometime... well, we should! After I've actually gotten through more of the game and gotten a feel for which character I like the most and stuff, that is.

In other news, I watched Tropic Thunder yesterday! It was pretty amusing, and it reminded me of how I pretty much love Robert Downey Jr. in every role he does. It also reminded me that I need to see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang already. Oh, and that scene between him and Tobey Maguire never gets old.

What else? Oh, lacidiana starts school tomorrow, which probably means I'll be around more often... until my own school starts up, at least. Which is... September 24th, I believe?

I think that's about all for now. Oh, and I love this icon. So. Much.

why are you urinating on your own home?

2009-08-30T11:05:23Z

Man, I really frickin' suck at updating my journal. It's not like I don't go to the "Post Entry" box a lot; it's just that I always change the "Post to" box to say damned_lounge.

That's mainly what I've been doing with the rest of my summer, actually. Mod stuff, mod stuff, mod stuff. That and hanging out with my friends. I've been really wanting to get to some video gaming (Pokemon and Crisis Core are my games at the moment), but there's always something else to do that gets in the way. (I have about $50 in Best Buy gift money that I'm itching to spend...)

Oh, I also wrote a ton of drabbles (most of which will be nonsensical if you aren't at damned, though there are a few Castiel ones that are general SPN). I haven't written that much in fic-style in a while, and it was actually kind of nice even though I got prompted like crazy. I'm proud of myself for getting it all done, though.

I saw District 9! Twice. I enjoyed it a lot and it was interesting for me personally since my parents are both from South Africa. I thought it did a good job of hitting the social message while being an engaging movie in its own right. Would definitely suggest checking it out! Unless you dislike the documentary-style camera. I thought it worked well for the movie, but I know some people take serious issue with that.

In more real life adult news, I sent out an application to internship at the study abroad office at my college. I'm really hoping I get it, since even if it isn't paid, it would still give me something to put on a resume. Cross your fingers!

Oh, and I think I'm finally going to the beach tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to that!

won't only be a memory.

2009-08-10T06:50:02Z

Home safely! I was hanging out on barely any sleep for a while since my friends surprised me at my house, but now I'm kind of feeling it catch up to me. Auuuuuuugh.

Flight went well, though, and I'm fine. I broke out the PSP and ended up getting Crisis Core for it since it was $20 at Best Buy. Also downloaded the Dissidia demo and it's way more fun than expected!

and not to pull your halo down...

2009-08-08T13:05:02Z

AHHHHHHHHH saying goodbye is hard. :( Especially when people start crying and then I don't know what to dooooo except hug them and say nakanai de!! I don't cry easily, so I feel bad -- but just because I'm not crying doesn't mean I'm not sad.

Being back in America is going to be weird, but I'm excited to see everyone and to give them the souvenirs I got them and all that. It's just... I don't know, that sense that a chapter of my life is ending and things will never quite be like this again. I guess it was the same with high school, but this is somehow different.

BUT WOW, I just make myself sadder if I put it into words like that.

I'll see a lot of the friends who I made here back in California, so it's okay, but... gaaah.

Anyway, yeah, going on a jetplane tomorrow. It sucks, though, since we have to be out of the apartments by 11, but my flight doesn't leave until 5:30PM, meaning I'll be stuck at the airport for a while before I even get off the ground. I'll have one friend with me (we happen to be on the same flight), but he was totally despondent tonight so I don't know what that'll be like. D:

But I'll post again when I'm on the other side of the Pacific! ♥

end up feeling mostly dead.

2009-08-04T16:44:46Z

VICTORY!!!

Yes, that is me and my friends at the top of Mt. Fuji. \o/ I am the one in the red sweater, in case you didn't know. Pardon me looking like crap -- I had just climbed a mountain, after all. Overall, it was very difficult and painful, but I'm glad that I did it! I mean, I just gained like... a bazillion badass points, right? And that's probably one of the crazier things I've ever done. It was quite the experience, so I'll give a recap (with a few more pictures) under the cut.

So, I've been living in Kyoto this whole time, whereas Fuji is a lot closer to Tokyo, so it's a good ways away. None of us wanted to pay money to take the bullet train up there, so we instead used this deal called the Seishun 18 ticket that's available during certain seasons in Japan. Basically, you pay around $115 and then you get five times that you can use the local trains as much as you want within a certain day. I shared a ticket with one of my friends, so the whole trip only cost me around $46.

However, the fact that we could only use local trains meant that it took us 6 and a half hours to get from Kyoto to a place called Mishima, and then another 2 hours to get from Mishima to the mountain by bus. That actually wasn't so bad. I spent the time looking out the window, chatting with my friends, sleeping, or playing DS. I got kind of nauseous on the bus, but it wasn't too bad, although there was the huge moth in there with us that kept terrorizing us. DX

Anyway, it was already pretty chilly even at the starting point, so we started piling on layers. See, we chose to climb the mountain overnight because 1) it's not unbearably hot and 2) you can see the sunrise from the top of the mountain. However, it also means that it gets cold as fuck and you have to stay up all night.

At the bottom we ran into two middle-aged Japanese guys who started chatting with us. They were really nice and also from the Kansai area (where Kyoto is), from Osaka. One of them started to teach us all of these wacky kansai-ben (Kansai dialect) phrases and gags, and the two of them were just really funny. we ran into them periodically on the way up.

As for the climb itself, it honestly feels like a dream in a lot of ways. It was dark, though I had a flashlight, of course. We realized that head lamps would have been better, but ahh well. We had two backpacks to share between the three of us, so we traded off wearing it. Anyway, it wasn't so bad at first, of course, but your stamina only holds out for so long, and it got colder and harder to breathe the higher we went. Actually, the altitude didn't affect me as bad as my two friends - Diana in particular said that her heart was spazzing out and beating really fast most of the time. D:

That being said, the worst part about it was the cold:

There are ten stations (rest stops) along the trail we used, which includes the starting point and the peak. They basically just have benches to sit on (the above picture is at one of them) and bathrooms to use, but it cost 200 yen ($2) to use them. Still, it couldn't really be helped, as ridiculous as that is. We snacked along the way and took frequent breaks since we started at 9PM, giving us a lot of time to get to the top by 4:30AM, when the sun was supposed to rise.

It took us all that time. We got there before the sunrise, but just barely.

It was cold as ever at the top, but we hung around there until the sun had fully risen and it became too bright for us to look at anymore. Actually, there was a guide sitting behind us and he was telling someone how it was one of the best days, weather and scenery-wise. I was glad for that since someone else I knew who climbed it said that it rained on their ways up and they couldn't see much and the wind almost blew them over. IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH WORSE. But yeah, it was really gorgeous. ♥

We wandered around the summit a little before gearing up to go back down.

The torii gate at the peak, on our way down. I like this picture a lot. 8D

Now, you might think that going down would be a walk in the park as compared to going up, but that was definitely not the case. It was extremely hard not to slip, although a lot of other people seemed to do it with relative ease compared to the three of us. My guess is that it's because they had walking sticks and we didn't (we seriously needed them, oh god) and also better shoes than us. Either that or Japanese people are just better at climbing down mountains than us for some reason. 8(

So we were clinging to the rope along the side of the trail and working our way down while trying not to die, as it got hotter and hotter. The bugs also appeared, although I got away with only two bites (one on my thumb and a big-ass one on my ankle). Oh, and we all got kind of sunburned even though we used sunscreen since we were so high up. Not too bad, at least. Anyway, whereas climbing up worked my thighs and calves, going down was hell on my feet and knees. We were all very unhappy campers at this point and just wanted to get the bottom.

I don't very often look that pissed off. And yes, that's strawberry pocky I'm holding. Notice how I'm down to one layer of clothing there.

But still, we made it down! We had to wait around the bottom station for a while before our bus came, so we spent it playing cards and... stuff. We also slept a bunch on the bus ride down and the driver luckily didn't care that we were laying on the seats in all kinds of wacky ways. (My feet were hanging out in the aisle at one point.)

We checked into our hotel and all took showers, and we were then going to go out and get dinner, but that's when Diana's nose started to bleed really badly. It lasted for... a while, and eventually I even texted Erin to have her look up cures for nosebleeds. I had Diana drink some cold water and it finally went away. None of us got real altitude sickness (no bad headaches or vomiting), though, so that's good.

After that we got dinner and then went back and hung around the hotel before crashing at 10. Woke up around 8 or 9 and then took the trains back to Kyoto. So that's my crazy story! I am glad to have survived, even though I am so sore it's not even funny.

Tomorrow will be spent packing, maybe souvenir shopping, and then going to my class party.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I successfully obtained a PSP! It is red and amazing and I can't want to get games for it.

Speaking of which, I played a ton of Pokemon on the trains during the trip. Finally got back to my Pearl game, and it was a lot of fun. The sad thing is that I spent all that time leveling up. I finally decided that I want one Pokemon of each element/type to be up to level, although some Pokemon cover two categories (my Monferno is Fighting and Fire time, for instance). Anyway, going to be playing the shit out of that on the flight home.

challenge the rock.

2009-07-28T05:01:40Z

Two days down, three to go. Today I have to study even more material, augh augh augh.

Still, the time I'm not spending studying is spent with apps, zombies, and Star Trek, so it's not all bad. THAT BEING SAID:

Had to share this. This is going to be what's running through my head as I attempt to climb Fuji.

it's such a shame for us to part.

2009-07-27T04:32:19Z

I really need to switch some of my icons around when I have the time to.

Anyway! One day of finals down, four to go. This week kind of sucks, but I guess I'm just sort of in the study mindset at this point, so whatever. I just want to get through it and be done already.

After finals I only have nine more days in Japan. Saturday will be spent with murasaki_kaze in Osaka, buying a PSP (AWWWW YEAH) and seeing fireworks. Sunday will be spent getting up to Mt. Fuji area, which I will climb Sunday night, getting to the top by Monday morning if all goes well. Monday will be spent dying after the climb and resting in a hotel, and then Tuesday I'll come back to Kyoto area. Wednesday is my class party, and I'm hoping to go to the Osaka aquarium on Thursday if I can find someone to come with and if I'm not too busy packing. Friday is my friend's birthday party, Saturday will be spent finishing up packing and seeing whoever I need to see for the last time, and then Sunday I head to the airport.

Yeah, it's weird to have the end in sight like that. Part of me is excited to be going home, but at the same time I'm going to miss this place. I guess that's always how it feels, though. I do look forward to resting up, though. The plan is to watch a ton of shows and play a lot of video games before I start up at UCSB again.

That being said... I have a question for you, flist! I wanted to buy a few volumes of manga in Japanese to try and read when I go home so I can keep practicing. Does anyone have recommendations? I want it to be something I haven't read before, but it also has to be something that probably wouldn't be too impossible to read. I was thinking about Pandora Hearts because it looks interesting, but I'm open to suggestions. Please rec me!