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Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!

Credit to http://tatchit.deviantart.com/ for the image!

GHOSTS 'N' GHOULS! CANDY AND JACK O' LANTERNS!

It's that time of the year again! Everything gets a little bit darker, and everyone feels a little bit more mischievous on this night. Behind the safety of a mask, who knows what a person might do? Most likely travel from house to house in search of delicious candy. Are you stocked up and ready to give away candies, or are you going to be the one who gets candy given to them?

Maybe you're not interested in candy, and interested instead in causing some harmless havoc. Don't be surprised if you wake up to find your house covered in toilet paper! Perhaps you'll just stay in and watch some horror movies to celebrate the occasion. Remember to do something fun, Halloween only comes once a year! Whatever you choose to do, be careful out there.

Now, choose very carefully.

TRICK
or
TREAT

Friday, October 28, 2011

R. A. Salvatore - The Sellswords Trilogy

The Sellswords series is about the adventures of  Artemis Entreri and his dark elf companion Jarlaxle. Entreri is a deadly assassin once again trying to make his name known, but he knows he is getting older and age is starting to wear at his perfection. Jarlaxle is a cunning mercenary and leader of Bregan D'aerthe, a band of dark elves that have come from their underground home Menzoberranzan in search of power.

Entreri is Bregan D'aerthe's tie to the surface world, but Entreri must keep the arrival of dark elves to the city of Calimport a secret. To make things more difficult, Entreri is hated by Jarlaxle's lieutenants and has to manage by being cautious and putting his trust in Jarlaxle who is fond of him. At the same time, Entreri must survive the rival guilds and other enemies in Calimport.

Soon, the sentient crystal shard Crenshinibon starts to manipulate Jarlaxle to pursue his endless ambitions and bring the shard to its highest level of power. Can Entreri resist the calls of the shard and seek help to destroy it to regain his friend, or will things fall into chaos?

I came across the first book while looking through a store on a cruise ship. I had never heard of it before but it looked interesting, so I decided to buy it. Needless to say, a great amount of my time on the cruise was spent with my nose buried in the book. After I finished it, I absolutely had to get the other two.

If you love to read and are into fantasy, I highly recommend looking into this trilogy. It's very well written, when I'm reading it I feel like I'm absorbed into the world the author creates and witness first-hand the events that unfold. The exciting battles and trials the main characters face will keep you on edge and rooting for your favorite characters to triumph while craving for more.

If you have read the books, let me know what you think in the comments below. Thanks for reading.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Final Fantasy IX OST - Memoria



Any Final Fantasy IX fans out there?

Here's a song from the soundtrack that I find pretty relaxing. This is the song you hear at the Memoria area, if it wasn't already obvious. I'm not sure where I would rank Final Fantasy IX compared to the other games, but it's definitely no disappointment; in fact I'm pretty fond of it. This is one of the games I grew up watching an aunt of mine play, so it will always have its own special place along with the other games that I'll mention when I get to them.

Although I have to say, Zidane as a main character is less memorable than some of his counterparts. Squall and Cloud in comparison are much cooler in my opinion. Zidane appears to be part monkey or something, and that tail of his smacks me in the face every time I see it. I don't remember if it's ever explained in the game exactly what Zidane is. I could probably relate to him better if I had a tail.

That being said, all the male monkeys in the world probably idolize him for ending up with Garnet. (Yeah whatever male monkeys, Garnet is a better choice than a female monkey.)

Enjoy.

Friday, October 21, 2011

KILLER INSTINCT


Killer Instinct is one of my favorite fighting games, developed by Rare and initially released to arcades in 1994. There were several launches of the game; a SNES version, Game Boy version, and an N64 version (named Killer Instinct Gold). The version I played-- and I'm sure many of you played-- was the SNES release. I did own the Game Boy version at some point, but I don't remember much about it and didn't really get into it. Without a doubt, the most popular and praised release is the one for the Super Nintendo.

Considered by many to be among the best fighting games of all time, Killer Instinct is your usual fighting game where you play as your character of choice in order to defeat your opponent in a one vs. one battle. According to Wikipedia, the game borrows the attack set of Street Fighter and is also inspired by the finishing moves from Mortal Kombat. However, there are several features that distinguish it from other franchises.

Ever heard "c-c-c-combo breaker"? This game is where that originated.

Here's the story; a megacorporation called Ultratech organizes a tournament to test the strength of their experimental creatures they created. The other participants all have their reasons for joining, whether it be searching for the truth or promises made to them by Ultratech. To read about each character's reasons for participating, visit the Wikipedia page located here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_Instinct

If you've played before, you know that this game has some really awesome characters. One notable pair is Cinder and Glacius, pitted against each other in the tournament. Cinder's body is made up entirely of flame, and Glacius is an alien whose body composition is that of icy liquid. Cinder is promised a return to his original form if he can defeat Glacius, and Glacius is promised freedom if he wins the tournament. The rivalry between these two characters is something special.

I believe the video above (not me playing by the way) shows just how great the gameplay is better than I could ever explain it. If you love fighting games, this is definitely a game you should try. The game has a great soundtrack (Killer Cuts); even the opening title's song is something I've listened to over and over again. My personal favorite character is Spinal, the one featured in the video above. If you have a favorite or want to let others know what you think of the game, go ahead and post it in the comments. Thanks for reading.

Fun Fact: Jago and Orchid are brother and sister.
Fun Fact #2: The cyborg Fulgore is only 1 year old.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Out of Place

Sometimes I don't pay enough attention to what I'm doing, and end up making a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, it's a common thing; we're only human. Most mistakes are easily forgivable, some not so much. I'm having trouble deciding which type of mistake this is, considering the sheer amount of "I have no idea what I am doing" that has to be going through your mind in order to accomplish this feat. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the jar of peanut butter left in the sink.

Jar of peanut butter, you do not belong there.

Alright I'll admit, I've almost put a cereal box into the refrigerator before, thinking that I was holding a gallon of milk. I'm sure a few of you out there have done the same. But how can something like that compare to leaving a jar of peanut butter in a SINK!? This is the brilliant work of my brother, who felt he needed to put the peanut butter in the sink for safekeeping. When I first saw it there, I almost pissed myself laughing, so I thought I'd share the story.

This is not fake, the above photo is exactly (well okay, I did put the jar up before I decided to take a picture, and put it back in for the photo) how I found it, don't ask me why I took a picture. You know, sometimes I feel like that jar of peanut butter, out of place. Thanks for reading.

got milk?

Monday, October 17, 2011

Bored? Try Notpron.

Considered by many to be the hardest riddle on the internet, Notpron is an online puzzle made in 2004 by David Münnich. There are 140 levels in total, and your goal is to start at level 1 and continuously progress through the levels. It starts out simple enough but quickly becomes challenging, requiring players to use a variety of tactics just to acquire more hints. There have been 15.5 million visitors to the site, but only 27 have successfully solved all 140 levels.

If you have some time to kill and feel like pushing your problem solving skills to the limit, try it out and see how far you can make it. If you have played before, share in the comments how far you made it and what you thought about it.

Think you have what it takes? Head to www.deathball.net/notpron to find out.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Room Progress (4)

Time for another update. As you can see, we have a complete (I think) wall frame now as well as a good start on the roof. Right now it reminds me of a big cage or some sort of jail cell. Pretty much anything could escape from it though, haha. They begin more work on the roof tomorrow, so I'll probably go out there and take some more pictures afterwards. No electrical or plumbing work has been done yet as far as I can tell.

I'm gonna have to move some stuff around, there's gonna be a door made that connects this new room to my room, as well as a door in the new room that leads outside.

That's it for now, more updates to come so stay tuned and thanks for reading.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Room Progress (3)

Starting to look like a room now I'd say, got some wall frames going on here. After walking around in it, I can tell it's going to be pretty nicely sized. I don't know anything at all about construction but it seems to be well built, I'd say the construction workers are doing a good job.

There's Dad and a friend in the picture inspecting what has been done so far. (I could hear your curiosity from the other side of my monitor.)

I'll have some nice progress to show tomorrow, so stay tuned and thanks for reading.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Room Progress (2)

Here's an update on the progress of the room being built. As you can see, we have a floor foundation now. It's coming along pretty quick, the wood part was done in just a few hours. It'd be hard to sleep during the day with all the noise from the construction, that's for sure.

More updates to come, so stay tuned and thanks for reading.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Who is your favorite Batman?

(Credit to http://jillgiovanni.deviantart.com/ for the logo.)

Being a big fan of the Batman movies, I decided to make a post about the different actors that have portrayed him. Here's the list:

Adam West
starred as Batman in Leslie H. Martinson's  Batman: The Movie. {1966}

Michael Keaton starred as Batman in Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. {1989 and 1992}

Val Kilmer starred as Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever. {1995}

George Clooney starred as Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin. {1997}

Christian Bale starred as Batman in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. {2005 and 2008}

I'll just leave out the 1943 and 1949 serial films that nobody cares or knows about (including me, didn't find out about them until reading Wikipedia). Some of these films were obviously more well-met by critics and fans than others.

My favorite film adaptation so far are Nolan's films, while my favorite actor to play Batman is Michael Keaton. I'll add a poll that will last until the end of the month allowing users to vote for their favorite actor. Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. Thanks for reading.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Room Progress

My Grandma's home surroundings are easily flooded (happened once and could happen again), and her house has definitely seen its better days. Due to these circumstances, we've decided (and she agreed) that she should come live with us. However, we're pretty short on rooms. Originally we planned on me and her moving into an apartment, but after seeing how bad the ones we could afford were and how much it would've cost we decided against it.

Not having too many alternatives, we've decided to build a room onto our house. We aren't doing it ourselves of course, we hired a team of guys to do it. Pictured above is the work completed so far, they appear to be doing a good job.

I'll be posting more pictures as the work is completed, so stay tuned and thanks for reading.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Thoughts about Fitness

Considering my previous post was about sweets, I suppose it's fitting that my next one be about fitness. This is by no means going to be any sort of guide, I'm no fitness expert nor do I pretend to be. In fact I'm pretty much a novice, I've only been going a matter of months and do so unfortunately without a personal trainer or professional help. I don't compete in any sports, it's just an effort to try and improve myself.

I fear falling into a lifestyle where I don't have the energy or motivation to do anything except go get that next bit of comfort food. (Luckily for me I dislike most dessert foods). Perhaps you feel the same way, or perhaps you're already in such a situation. Getting stuck in a bad lifestyle is (to many people's demise) unfortunately way too easy, and it can happen before you realize it. Easy to happen, but hard to escape.

It takes a level of dedication above the average human being's capability to change yourself for the better. That doesn't mean you can't do it though, I believe (almost) anyone can if they put in the effort. It's definitely harder for some than it is for others, but it's a difficult process for all of us. It helps to have strong reasons for your own changing process, to do so with no reason will make you give up at a moment's notice.

Maybe there's weight you need to lose to make your life easier, or maybe you want to beef up so you can protect the people you love should they ever need it. Or maybe you just want to push yourself to your limits. There are many great reasons to improve yourself, but it's up to you to realize the importance and act on it.

If you do go to the gym or are thinking about going, there are a couple of things I recommend. First, that you go with a partner. This isn't required, but there are benefits. You can keep each other motivated if one of you are feeling lazy; by yourself you'd be likely to just skip that day. A partner can also spot you if you're attempting to lift heavier weights, so you're less likely to hurt yourself. I'm sure you can find a random friendly person at the gym to help out, but it's more comfortable if it's someone you know.

Second, take an mp3 player so you can listen to music while you workout. This isn't as important, but it's something that definitely helps me out. You're more likely to push yourself if you're listening to one of your favorite songs. Music can pump you up and help you get through the difficult machines.

As for don'ts, don't bite off more than you can chew with weights. There's nothing shameful about having a limit, everyone does. Trying to lift more than you're capable will just hurt you more than help you. Stick with a bit more than you're comfortable with each time though so your muscles will grow.

Don't make fun of people at the gym who look like they don't belong, everyone is there for self-improvement. Mocking that is just taking a dump on the idea of progress.

That's all for now, thanks for reading. If you have any funny gym stories, feel free to share them.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Jolly Ranchers (why not?)

If you like candy, then you're probably a fan of these. Who can resist them? With strong flavor all the way until they're finished dissolving in your mouth, Jolly Ranchers have built themselves a home in the top tier of treats. Jolly Rancher has a host of different products to try: Jelly Beans, Fruit Chews, and Sodas to name a few. But this post will focus mostly on the Hard Candy. (Has anyone seen that movie by the way? If so, tell me what you thought about it).

Speaking of candy, it's getting close to Halloween. Any Trick or Treaters out there? What kind of treat do you hope for when you knock on someone's door? I wouldn't complain if someone gave me some Jolly Ranchers, just sayin'.

My fondness of Jolly Ranchers started pretty early in life. My 3rd Grade teacher kept a big jar of Jolly Ranchers in her classroom, and she would give out pieces to students for different reasons. If you did a good job of reading something aloud to the class, or answered a difficult question, maybe she would give you one. She would always give you one if your voice was hoarse, that's how I got my hands on one.

Giving away candy was nice of her, but she also dumped my desk out in front of the class because it was messy. That was probably the most traumatizing event of my younger years.

That about sums it up, feel free to share your favorite (or least favorite) Jolly Rancher flavor or product. I like all flavors, but Cherry is probably my favorite.

Fun Fact: Jolly Rancher is currently owned by Hershey's.
Fun Fact #2: Hershey's was founded in 1894.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Let's Plays

I can't begin to think about how many games I've started over the course of my life that I never finished. Megaman games in particular were very challenging to me, the endless enemies and difficult platforming had me losing life after life. If I did somehow manage to make it through the level, most of the time I would just get stomped down by the nasty boss at the end. So due to my incompetence or laziness (sometimes both), I would not get the full knowledge/experience of the game.

Perhaps you had the same problem (or still have like me).

If you still want to experience the full game without having to put the effort in, there's a solution. It's called a Let's Play. People upload videos to Youtube of the game they are playing along with their own funny/interesting commentary for you to listen to. Personally I watch them mostly because of the calming effect they have on me, but if you want a laugh you're probably still in the right place.

All LPers have their own style, and of course not all LPers will entertain you. You just have to find the ones that are most suited for your tastes. Or perhaps there are only specific games you would like to see played through, that's fine too. However, depending on the game there may be a very limited amount of Youtubers that have done a LP of it. A few of the more famous LPers are SSoHPKC, chuggaaconroy, xXSlyFoxHoundXx, and UberHaxorNova. Sorry if I missed any extremely popular ones out there, these are just the ones I thought about off the top of my head.

Shout out to Necroscope86 and HCBailly, a couple of lesser known LPers that are worth watching in my opinion.

To get started with watching your first LP, simply type the LPer's name into the Youtube search box and browse through their playlists to see if there's anything you're interested in. If you don't like to watch people play games, this type of thing probably isn't for you, sorry about that. But for those of you that do, happy watching.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Flash Flash Revolution

Most of you reading this are probably familiar with Dance Dance Revolution, the game at the arcade where you step on the arrows in time with the songs. If you're not familiar, learn about it so you can become a little bit more awesome. Like this guy.
If you're in my financial situation, you can't afford to put one of those fancy machines in your room. Playing at the arcade isn't exactly cheap either...3 tokens for a game at the arcade in our mall nearby, that's nearly a dollar! Bummer.

But if you love the idea of timing your arrow smashes and need a substitute, here's an option! Make a free account at www.flashflashrevolution.com, the site offers a great variety of songs to choose from, your own profile to customize and rankings/achievements. There's also multiplayer and a chatroom/forums for you social types out there.

The site/game may be a bit confusing to navigate at first, but after some exploring I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Have fun keyboard smashing!