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April 08 Jack Thompson is a f*cking retard...........
You know, I toyed with the idea of actually elaborating on that statement and explaining why, but at this juncture I'm sure it's pretty obvious, and to those of you who don't know who he is this doesn't really concern you anyways.
I will, however, say that he needs to get his first name changed. Only cool people should be named Jack, not human rejects..... February 25 Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes....So, it's been awhile since I've last added an entry into this thing, and for good reason too....
For the longest time now I honestly could not have cared less; I have simply had more important things on my mind than updating this senseless blog. But I figure that I may as well update now.
As the title of this entry suggests, my life has gone through some changes.
For one, I have started school up at the Art Institute of Burnaby Vancouver for their Game Design program. I know now that my passion lies in games and more specifically in their design, so I decided to just go with it and enroll at AI. I've got to say, I could not be happier with my decision as so far my experience has been nothing short of spectacular. Thing is, I haven't even gotten into the Game Design yet, it has just been art so far. For me this has been quite difficult as I didn't even go so far as to doodle during highschool, yet I am certainly holding my own. As is usually the case I have been a relatively quick study and my artistic abilities have improved dramatically since starting this program. Today I checked my midterm grades and I have 3 A-'s and nothing lower than a B so I must be doing something right.
I have been so psyched by my schoolwork that I honestly couldn't care less about anything else so yesterday I decided to put in my two weeks notice at Ground Zero. This isn't because I couldn't juggle the work (I have done many things last minute and received high grades for it) but rather because I can't bring myself to care about work, and my boss is such a great guy that he deserves more, so I opted to resign.
Also, I have been quick to make new friends at school as it appears that I have assumed sort of a class clown role, although my new friends are far more adept at performing such duties than I am. I am still a little bit reserved. Some of my peers scare me, a couple for their artistic abilities, which are considerable, but more for their personalities, which are far beyond what I am capable of accepting quite yet. Still, they are great people and I appreciate the fact that I am working with them now.
I have also turned 20 years old not but 2 days ago and am currently drunk while I type this out as I just got home from a little party with some of my new friends that was celebrating my birthday. I feel much younger than I used to, though far more unstable, and though I am still quite depressed, I have found many other things to focus on which make depression pale in comparison.
So, things are going quite well with me. Very well actually. Far better than I could have ever hoped for. And for those that I have known, know that I do not forget you, but also know that I have other things to think about now and it is up to you to contact me, not the other way around.
I am not the same Alex as I once was.
It was going to happen eventually... October 26 Stand Tall and Shake the HeavensThis is what Xenogears, my all-time favorite game, would have you do. Mind boggingly gigantic meccha storming about in their grandeur doling out a healthy serving of justice on evil doers.... and sand people, because hey, they had it coming after all those pod racers and landspeeders they've wrecked. Very few games have managed to capture the essence of size and strength as Xenogears did. These were not simple robots going about doing their "thing", these were legendary marvels of technology that dwarfed everything around them. Combine that with the most enthralling plotline to date in games and engrossing gameplay and Xenogears has stood the test of time as my favorite game above such contenders as Final Fantasy VII and Baldur's Gate II. Around 80 hours of gameplay if you take it nice and slow like I do, that's a lot of game. Yet emerging from the shadow of this game is one that though not as long (about 1/10th the length of Xenogears on my first playthrough actually), is more than capable of casting its own considerable shadow on the gaming industry. I am talking of "Shadow of the Colossus", from the creative team that gave birth to the cult classic "ICO"..... which I have never had the pleasure of playing... I know, shoot me now.
To be honest, before Shadow of the Colossus was released I was a tad wary of it. A co-worker told me that it wasn't too good after playing the demo and I was a mite put off by this. Before I was privy to this premature review I had been anticipating this game above all others (seeing as FF12 and the Twilight Princess were delayed *shakes fist*). The concept was so novel and captured so much of what I love about games and did away with what I dislike. To fight nothing but gigantic, nay, colossal bosses with no hapless minions to dispatch inbetween seemed like the breath of fresh air this industry needed. And thankfully, it was.
ICO was a classic after its time. With meager financial success upon release, it acheived greatness long after its initial conception. Looking back on my feelings regarding "Wanda and the Colossus" (as Shadow of the Colossus was initially coined) I honestly expected it to be handed the same fate as ICO. Such a lack of padding, character customization and growth, and an ambiguous storyline simply screamed "niche" to me. But now, it seems that this feat of a game did not lose itself in its own shadow.
At first I was only going to rent this marvel of a game and so, knowing I would not be able to do so at home due to my inability to pay for rentals now and Shadow being a new release title, I sat myself down at work and popped this game into the demo system.
The opening cinematic was beautiful. It had nothing to do with how technically advanced the graphics were (and they are definitely advanced, though not in the typical manner) but rather with the overall art style. I don't know if I'm the only one but I am very very tired of the saturated color palette that most games use. Bright colors just never seemed very real to me, especially in games with "realistic" graphics. Shadow's colors are very much unsaturated, almost muted at times, and simply feels more alive because of it. But apart from the textures and graphics themselves, the design of the environment was simply breathtaking. When the "protagonist" first arrives in the valley of the colossi I could almost feel a catch in my chest as I gazed upon the majestic span before me that led to the startlingly beautiful tower in the far distance. Encountering the suspicious Dormin in the temple itself was also a scene of wonder as the designers truly captured the voice/s of a divine creature in his place of worship. And then began one of the most visually visceral experiences in gaming today.
When I first received control of my "hero" I opted to experiment with the games camera, and I could not be more pleased with my decision to do so. To say that this is the most amazing 3-D camera ever created in games and otherwise would be an injustice. To compare it with anything else simply does not do it credit. And to even attempt to describe how perfect it is just isn't possible. I'm not saying it doesn't have its snags here and then, but when it is in perfect working order, which it is most of the time, it truly is a sight to behold. The subtle motion blur effect the deisgners applied to it gives it such a life of its own that I was able to play with this camera for 10 minutes while being as happy as I've ever been.
I said before that the graphics in Shadow are not exactly advanced in usual terms. Where they shine is in the art direction, that fabulous camera, and in the rendering of the valley. The valley put before you to explore in this game is gigantic, colossal, every bit as much as the residents you are seeking to destroy. And it is completely seamless. Never once did I encounter loading (apart from the sequence after taking down a colossus but that was for plot and doesn't count) and being able to gallop across the fields and through forests and deserts while panning the camera around and beholding vistas that you had occupied only minutes before looking as gorgeous from afar as they did up close is one of the most unique and enthralling experiences in gaming, which is somewhat amusing to say the least.
One of the most engrossing aspects of this game is your ability to just go out there and explore to your hearts content. And the greatest reason you have for doing this is to enjoy the view. There are no items to collect, no enemies to vanquish, only you, your trusty steed Agro, and the captivating world you find yourselves in. And I never once felt cheated in this; never once did I think that my efforts went unrewarded. This world is absolutely brimming with life.... and none of it really wants to see you dead. Even the stars of the show, the Colossi.
The first time I encountered a colossus I had to remind myself to continue breathing as I had been relieved of this most basic of urges when this great, noble beast lumbered into sight. These things are huge, I mean huuuge. Colossal doesn't do them justice (well, most of them, some of them aren't so big). Colossal doesn't hold enough meaning to properly convey their presence when you are clutching onto them for dear life. These battles are epic in every sense of the word, the music perfect, the art compelling like nothing else, and the gameplay is exactly what it needed to be to capture these epic struggles. Attempting to scale these monstrosities is very much a puzzle yet rarely do you scratch your head in bewilderment as the entire process seems to come very naturally. The controls are not perfect, but somehow I doubt they could have been improved much without designing a different controller. Being flung about while you grasp the great beasts fur is so amazing it really has to be seen to be appreciated. Did I mention the music is perfect?
The melancholy tones that associate with the colossi you battle capture the mood of this games' storyline in a way that your typical fare in videogame music would have destroyed. These colossi have done nothing to slight the main character, in fact, the "protagonist" is on a very, very selfish quest. You can't help but feel a pang of guilt everytime you fell one of these frightfully beautiful creatures. But when you are battling these innocent giants you completely lose yourself in the moment as the music crescendos into an adrenaline rush of tempo and tone that spurs on your desire to destroy these noble monsters.
This game is art. Plain and simple. No other game out there is as beautiful as this. The emotions this game can inspire are wonderful and terrible to behold.
This is a work of art and for that reason I purchased Shadow of the Colossus. I am very glad that I am apparently not alone in this for it seems many have embraced the beauty of this unique experience. Because at the end of the day developers look at the numbers and if a game has performed well they will make another and if it hasn't, well, who's to say?
So stand tall and shake the heavens Shadow of the Colossus!!
And put a good stomping on some mainstream garbage while you're at it.
Oh yeah, and kick some ass "Okami". I'm rooting for you too! ^^ October 01 Serenity was Amazing.There's really no other way to put it. I'm not going to try to be clever and/or funny with this one. Serenity was an amazing theatrical experience. Lessened only somewhat by the fact that I seriously had to take a bathroom break for half the movie. But it was so good I simply couldn't leave my seat regardless of the damage done to myself internally. :S
Now, I am a huge fan of Firefly. I am on the lookout for the boxed set of the TV series whenever I'm out and about, though I still have had no luck in locating a set. Firefly would be my number 1 favorite TV series over "24" if it hadn't been cancelled so abruptly during the first season. Although, I think I'm going to have to reassess my rankings after having watched this movie.
Firefly was-- is nothing short of a masterpiece. It captures so much of what makes science fiction great, so much of what made science fiction great. It has such an engaging cast of characters who mesh together so well, and by well I mean they don't always get along. Well, I suppose I should say they are almost always at odds with each other. They are creatures of circumstance as is the case with life itself. Of course, this is a science fiction so without a compelling universe it would fall flat on its face. Luckily Firefly truly hits its stride in this realm.
Firefly had so much of what made the original Star Wars a milestone in its genre. The universe was very worn in, very gritty, yet without losing any of that special magnificence the stars hold for us. Also, these were real actors on real sets here, not one real actor talking to nothing that would later be put in with the magic of CG and VA at the same time the big green field he was on is transformed into a battlefield. Sure, original Star Wars used models and Firefly used CG, but the CG on Firefly just looked real, as if they were using models, and it really helped immerse the audience.
To be honest, I cannot give Serenity a 10/10. There were a few things that irked me of which I cannot speak of here for fear of ruining the movie for someone. Certain characters were not given their chance to shine like they had in the series. I understand that this was a 2 hour movie and not 11 1 hour episodes so there couldn't be enough time to fully flesh out each character, but one of the biggest, and most endearing, aspects of the series was how each character was given such a life and despite the captain kicking major ass, it never felt as though this were all for his sake. The movie lost a lot of that, but it can be forgiven somewhat due to the major ass kicking captain mentioned previously.
But a few events seemed somewhat trite and meaningless, or as though they could have been scripted better, especially given that there are going to be sequels or a continuation of the series after this. A few things that occurred will unfortunately dissipate some of the magic inherent to the show, but sometimes it has to happen.
But, I will say this..... the most pointless and unforgiving of moments is also perhaps one of the most brilliant, visceral, and emotionally ravaging moments in the history of cinema. I will say no more about it because it absolutely must be experienced fresh.
All in all, I give Serenity a 9.5/10 and encourage anyone out there who hasn't seen it to see it. Even if you haven't seen the series Firefly, this might just encourage you to go see that as well. And to all you who have seen it, go see it again..... as if you need my encouragement. :S August 29 I Found A Japanese Copy of FFVII...It was just sitting in the back room of my store and I stumbled across it whilst looking for PSX cases to cannibalize. I was so ecstatic, the ultimate collector's item! ..... Or something.
In any case, it is completely useless to me seeing as I lack a means to play it but it is sooooo valuable at the same time. I even got it for free! Brent just said, "Take it," so I did. I would have paid $50 for it no problem. Yeah, I know, that's sad. But I am not at all ashamed of being a fanboy, not in the slightest. It's far better than being nothing at all, or what everyone tells you to be. So many people hate Final Fantasy VII simply because so many people like it. They think it sucks just because it's so mainstream. That just doesn't seem right to me.
Of course, I'm not saying we should like stuff that's mainstream, far from it. Mainstream stuff tends to suck ass a fair deal. Well, at least from our current generation's point of view. There comes a time in every generation that what was mainstream to them becomes retro, or classic. Classic rock is a good example. In its time it was the brunt of much of its own negative stigma. People more acquainted with the way things were did not care for this "mainstream" music and those who were into it were, well, into it.
That's not to say that it didn't earn any of its bad press. Drugs, sex, alcohol, anarchy, the list goes on. But goddamn we got some good f**king music out of all that shit. And in my opinion (as one who prefers the music of yesteryear) all of that irreputable influence is a good sight better than what we have today.
Now I know what you're thinking.... "Stop while you're ahead you hypocrite." And you're absolutely right, I am a hypocrite. Not exactly proud of it but not exactly ashamed of it either. Life is too short to worry about stepping on those kinds of toes so just bear with me as I rant on about this new-age bullshit.
I hate rap.... I despise rap..... I downright loathe rap. Or rather, gangsta rap as I believe it is called. To be perfectly honest I kind of liked the rap that people like Will Smith did when it was more about the style of the music (yes I did not put quotation marks around music just there, those are reserved for the "music" known as gangsta rap) than the lyrics of the songs themselves. It was more lighthearted back then and to be perfectly honest that was a different generation of music as well. Generations aren't always gigantic leaps. Sometimes they can be no more than the difference between a couple years depending on the mold of society. So back then rap was sort of lumped in with '80s techno and pop. Quite enjoyable back then really.
And before I continue on to the heart of the bashing I will tell you that I am quite aware that rap of this variety does in fact still exist and continues to propagate in this day and age, in much the same way that classic rock is still being created as well..... heheh, classic.
So, anyways, gangsta rap is a goddamn plague. First of all, it promotes the use of the crude language known as Eubonics. I'm not sure about the spelling and can't be bothered to double check it because why would I spell check the name of a language when the language itself defies all such conventions itself. Honestly, it is a ridiculous manner of speaking; it is barbaric, almost entirely nonsensical, and also disrespectful in my opinion (whatever that's good for). Back to why it is a plague. I am sorry to stereotype like I will in a moment but I feel I should point out stereotypes exist and persist for good reason. Just mull that over...... Didn't take long to agree with that now did it? Anyways, it is undeniable that the largest ethnic group to speak in Eubonician (or whatever the hell they would call it...) is in fact that of the African American. They are black, obviously. And this language seems to desire the complete destruction or death of everything that makes language so beautiful. So obviously Eubonics is the Black Death. And look at the language's name.... Eubonic? Bubonic? Coincidence? I think not. We are dealing with the Black Death or Bubonic Plague and it is truly frightening. And who seems to spread it? (Bringing up Flame Shields, Commander) The dregs of society, the rats. (We are taking heavy fire, sir!) And rats multiply quickly.... very f**king quickly. (Losing stability over the port bow, Commander) And they spread many diseases, not just this plague, though it is indeed the most dangerous affliction at their disposal. (Calculating hyperspace route, sir) Problem is, they don't even know they're spreading it, it's simply become another part of their existence. (Enemy fire has ceased. Quick, punch it!)
I suppose I could continue going on about how crude and obnoxious the language is but yet again I would be a hypocrite for saying that language is crucial while at the same time belittling this language. Needless to say, I hate it, and if someone walks into my store talking like that they had better impress me with their personality or I am only going to screw them over.
Secondly, rap is very offensive at its core, always talking about smacking around some bitches or f**king up some niggers or basically being a detriment to society. Honestly, how in this "enlightened" world in which we live could we still depreciate women in this fashion and in fact be praised for it? It makes no sense to me. And why should we always "bust a cap" in someone's ass if they step over our pride in the most minute of fashions? It is sickening.... almost as sickening as the bass in these songs. I mean seriously, there's so much bass it makes me want to throw up from the vibrations. And it isn't even utilized effectively.
I'm not going to say that all classic rock songs used bass to the greatest glory but there are many that stand out in my mind as having spectacular bass lines. Little Green Bag is my personal favorite, if you haven't heard it you owe it to yourself to do so. It was featured in Reservoir Dogs I believe. In any event, bass was used much better in rock. In rap you would be hard pressed to distinguish one line from another.
And people who are really into rap will really force their bass on others whether they like it or not. There is absolutely no consideration for the affairs of others. If you make your opinions known to them and politely ask for them to make their "music" that of a more personal nature then you will, in all likelihood, be made out to be the bad guy, the asshole.
There is something seriously wrong with the world when so many of our youth clamor for and emulate this behavior. It is disgusting. I doubt there will be a cut-off age for being a dumb punk pretty soon. One day, a baby will be born that is a punk from the onset simply due to genetic inheritance.
But in the end.....
I could care less!
I've got my own life and I am going to live it following the ideals that I create for myself. Some of them will ultimately be forced upon me by society. I am only human after all. But so long as I always make an attempt to think for myself and not be led by what the world deems right, wrong, and mainstream, I know I will live a life that was worth living. And if that doesn't pan out-
At least I have a japanese copy of FFVII! August 15 Watch Sin City you must.Sin City is movie of the year. Hands down. And I bet if I looked at the years gone by I could tack a few more years onto that statement. It is sheer brilliance, and I'm not even talking about the stories yet.
I am in love with the fact that Robert and Frank broke out of what cinema is today and did something completely out there and ill-advised. I should sincerely hope that people follow their model and break out of their forced upon mindsets and do something different and original. I know at times it seems all the good ideas, hell, all the ideas have been used, but that simply is not true. I know its not true because I have had plenty of original ideas. I'm not going to share them here because I am mortified at the repurcussions, but I have shared many of my ideas with close friends and they know it's true as well.
Now, are all of my ideas sensible? Realistic? Possible?
Hell No!
But that's all we have left nowadays because I am seriously bored with our creative industry. Trust me, we have seen it. About all you have going for you is that fact that we are easily amused and that new coat of paint you applied to an old idea will keep us entertained. So don't fret, there are people like Robert, Frank, and myself (hopefully) out there willing to take a few risks for the greater good. Do what you've been doing and keep the economy afloat for us poor souls.
Just please.... please stop doing foul remakes of classic films.
And Uwe Boll deserves to die for his sins.
****BUY SIN CITY NOW**** August 07 Sympathy is Bad for Your HealthThere are many instances in my life I deem happy moments. To list them all here would be an exercise in futility for I neither recall nor fully relate to many of them anymore. In any case, if I were to somehow conjure that list up out of thin air it would be a long one to be sure. I have not lived a perfect life, and who among us has? But that doesn't mean I haven't known happiness, that my life is somehow a life to feel sorry for, far from it. I don't want, need, or particularly care for sympathy. It's pretty annoying to be honest and doesn't get you anywhere. Except for the kind of sympathy that gets me food or presents. I like that kind of sympathy.
No, sympathy is a corrosive gesture, eating away at you in ways you really would have rather avoided. Sympathy is also synonymous with pity and no one likes to be pitied. What's worse than feeling like crap? Being told that you feel like crap by people who probably feel like crap themselves (because that's life folks) and who are looking to feel less crappy by telling you how crappy you are but in a very subtle, "compassionate" manner so they don't feel they were rude, and in turn, more crappy. So, we've established that sympathy only stimulates the crap you've been going through. Sympathy - 0 Hard-Assedness - 0 Indifference - 1.
Sympathy therefore seems to beget more sympathy. So, therefore, however crappy you feel at the moment is exponentially proportional to the intial value of the sympathy you originally received. CRAP + SYMPATHY = CRAP + (CRAP * SYMPATHY)^SYMPATHY^n. That's a bitch. Where n is the number of people you bitch to. Sympathy - 0 Indifference - 1*10^1.
I believe it is a well known fact that our every movement is watched by cameras in the sky or what-not. Why is this a well known fact? Because we are all very paranoid. So paranoid, in fact, that we fear sympathy before we even receive because that person over there who just glanced at me probably noticed the red welt on my face and the down-trodden flowers on my lap and wants to come over and give me some gut-wrenching sagely advice on not giving up or some such bullshit just so that he can forget for a moment that he's being divorced because he slept with his secretary after he got back from a successful business meeting in Chicago or some gay place where arrogant soulless pricks congregate because they found no meaning in their life other than to make more money than they know what to do with and fuck up their marriages so that they can go mope around cafes during lunch waiting to pounce on a guy looking down on his luck so they can cheer him up and feel better about their dreary existence while making another life feel their petty pains even more, well I'm not going to give him the satisfaction because I know his little plan and I'm just going to look like nothing happened and this all part of the design I came up with, no problems here, I don't even care about what's-her-name anymore...... I miss what's-her-name.... I hate my life. SSS-SORROW. Of course, the soon to be divorced businessman simply noticed a rather large breasted woman standing behind you and couldn't care less about your financially inadequate existence. How do you think he got in his mess in the first place? See what the mere thought of sympathy can do to a person? Sympathy is teh suck. Sympathy - 0 Indifference - 11 Large-Breasted Woman - Tip 'o' the Hat.
Now I'm sure I could find more reasons sympathy should be illegal but I think I'll end on one of the most dangerous aspects. Far be it from people just being paranoid, most of us are insecure and most of the ones who aren't are just assholes. If thinking about the prospect of receiving sympathy is frightening, the repercussions are quite possibly nothing more than horrific. People can't respect someone who always begs for sympathy; it's disgusting, and that, invariably, is where sympathy turns to pure pity. Pity is absolutely ghastly. Pity turns perfectly normal people into gun-weilding dealers of judgement upon all those who abused their "feelings". Of course this is just ridiculous. Normal people don't possess feelings. I doubt they even have souls. But when you unleash pity on odd folk, well, better find yourself a fucking bunker to shack up in for a few decades 'cause the fall-out is nasty. A weird person who has been weathered by relentless pity might do something drastic now that their outer shell is gone. There is no longer anything to hold them back, no sense of control. They might nuke a country because they don't think it's respecting their feelings or *gasp* beliefs. They might decide to write a book about their thoughts on life or something even more meaningless and then we'll have to contend with yet another New York Times Bestseller. They could even come to the conclusion that their life has meaning in the grand scheme of things and that they are going to make a difference and we all know how dangerous that is if you actually meant to do it. And, something that paralyzes most with terrific awe-inspiring fear, they might take up interpretive dance. So you see, sympathy leads to war, Bestselling novels, individuality, and bad taste. Sympathy must stop before we end this world with nothing left to do but express ourselves in the wonders of dance. Sympathy - 0 Indifference - 12 Interpretive Dance - The Death Sentence.
What I'm trying to say is, I don't particularly want, need, or care for your sympathy.
I just want to vent...... July 31 I Wish I Had $40KNo one bid on the Giant Fighting Robot on EBay.
.
.
.
.
For Shame, World.
For Shame. July 13 Giant Fighting Robots..... from AmericaI've been saying it for quite some time. Pretty soon we're going to have Giant Fighting Robots from Japan rise up and take over this world. I have also been saying that these robots were going to look like panda bears or kittens or any cute and cuddly animal you can think of. They are Japanese after all. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Oh, not about the giant robot thing, no no no, about the fact that they will come from Japan and that they will all share the likeness of various forest creatures (thank god for that).
Yes indeed, the Age of GFR (Giant Fighting Robots) is not far off. Don't believe me? Here's your proof:
Has the sheer awesomeness knocked you flat?
I would like to salute America for creating this work of wonder, but I don't do that kind of thing. Also, I shouldn't actually thank America in the slightest for bringing us this technological marvel. The goddamned military looks upon it as a joke, they would prefer to spend billions making their own versions which lack the cool factor of this mecha. And why is that, do you think? Could it perhaps be that they are far more concerned with the more "important" matter of the War on Iraq? These government officials look down on this ingenuity because it has no clear profit in their eyes, whether that be financial or political profit. They just want war for their own selfish reasons.
It's a shame really, mankind will always be embroiled in conflict. If ever we ascend beyond such urges I doubt if we could ever call ourselves human again. But that kind of enlightenment only exists in stories. Mankind will always wage war, so why not make it look cooler?
But no, rather than take this approach of frivolity for frivolity's sake they take frivolity to a whole new level. A very serious one at that. While people like this Owens are slaving away on their lonesome trying to make strides in history, the American war machine is devising new methods of taking lives. And they aren't making it cool in the slightest. I see no secret documents (and we all know how tight the governments lips are on secret projects when they announce them publicly on national television) detailing the construction of a giant plasma sword. I see no ancient scriptures that have been used to resurrect the dead and command them to ravage helpless villages. All I see is the latest model of rocket launcher that has widened the blast radius and intensity so that it can increase its kill rate by 7.2%.
What is the point of it all? I personally see none. And don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for terrorists or any of that bullshit. Those guys are assholes who had their dicks chopped off during adolescence and are now quite pissed off about it. Hmmm, come to think, they sound kind of emo.... Moving on.
It is a serious problem when a country has started more wars than its citizens can count on one hand. And why have these wars, especially the current one, been instigated? Because of greed, plain and simple. When I hear these high-ups speak I almost need avert mine eyes to avoid the soul-tainting corruption of the avarice that is gushing forth from their dark, lifeless hearts. These people are forcing others to commit their sins so that they may profit from it, and they care not one whit for their minions.
And what do they tell us? What do they preach? That we are making a difference? Hell, I could make a difference easy. It's as simple as stealing some money from the till at work when nobody's watching. There, now I've made a difference between what we have and what we should have. And that's the whole point isn't it? America is stealing from these foreigners that which defines them, makes them who they are, and at the same time are forcing their own systems on them. And what honestly gives them the right to commit such acts? Sure, foreigners do the same thing on our shores, but you see, we're countries of "freedom" and can't do a thing about that. Perhaps it is a sad thing that we are different, but I don't believe so. The only sad thing about it is that it creates great chasmic divides between cultures thanks to the pig-headed amongst our ranks. In any case, at least these invaders know who they are and what they stand for. Americans can barely believe in anything unless its fed to them by the media. They have been given their culture by these invading cultures. These foreigners know exactly what they stand for, and even if that is for the opression of women and their own god-blinded ignorance, at least they're honest about it. America has to hide behind lies and tricks. The greatest sin of all is that because of all this animosity we are a stagnant society. We are neither moving forward nor backwards. Nothing is changing. We have stolen from ourselves the present we should have and are now stuck with the difference.
So I thank- No, I salute this Owens and his vision to actually move forward into the Age of GFR.
Because if we can't stop fighting, we may as well look cool doing it. July 03 My PSP is far more interesting than 99% of the people on this planet.I bought my PSP at launch, and I couldn't be more pleased with
myself in doing so. Why is that, you ask? Well, to tell the truth, I
had absolutely no intention of doing so in the first place. In fact, I
distinctly remember saying to myself the night before launch, "I need
to save up money for school. I'm doing a decent job of it and I'm not
going to screw it up. Anyways, what do I need a new gaming system for?
Just forget it." I even went so far as to say that I wouldn't pick it
up at launch and probably never would on a GameFAQs poll. I made a
slight miscalculation however, that being where I work.
For those of you not aware of where I currently work I will
enlighten you. I work at a privately owned video-game / movie / anime
rental / retail store called Ground Zero Video. I love where I work, at
least in comparison to where I could be working. If I were working for
some huge corporation in the retail services industry I probably would
have experienced a mental breakdown and gone postal my second month in.
Luckily that is not the case as jail looks very dirty in many of the
movies I have watched. Fortunately Ground Zero is owned by a man, a
single man, and a pretty cool one at that. No uniforms, no bullshit
rules, no personality constraints (apart from the aforementioned
homicidal ones mentioned previously), and best of all, NO CORPORATE
BIG-WIGS!!! I despise corporations as they are today by the way and am
of the opinion that we should all rise up as ninjas (and a few pirates
here and there) and take their heads, which is why I can't work for
them. I hate them with such a passion that it depresses me sometimes,
quickly transforming into righteous anger. But goddamn I love their
products. What a cruel world....
Anyways, there are only 3 things I dislike about my work.
1. We aren't allowed to sit down because there are no chairs behind the counter. (I break that rule often ^^)
2. There is nothing creative about this job, nothing I can create. And I thrive on creation.
3. The customers we deal with are no more intelligent than those McDonalds must deal with.
Back to the main point of this whole thought... My work is the
reason I ultimately, and happily, purchased a PSP at launch. One factor
was the fact that I found out Brent (my cool boss) had ordered 28 PSPs
from his distributors and only received 4. I could not ignore the
supply limitations at work here. Another factor was the sense of
elitism these handhelds seemed to bestow upon their owners. For one,
they were kind of hard to get ahold of, not impossible by any stretch,
but a chore. Secondly, they were damn expensive for a handheld, though
for good reason in my opinion. Thirdly, they looked damn cool, sexy,
and cute, and just made you feel more powerful holding one as you look
upon the peons I call customers.
*note* The customer is only right when I say he is.
The biggest factor in my obtaining a PSP however was because it
was such a sweet techie device. It had so many elements, so many things
you could do with it. And I LOVE technology, love it to death. When I
took the first PSP box out of the bigger shipping box I could just feel
how insignificant my existence had been up to this point and how close
to completion I could come if only I would buy this device from the
gods of technology. I love the imagination. Another, smaller factor was
Metal Gear Ac!d as I am a huge fan of the Metal Gear series and happen
to like card games such as Magic: The Gathering though I may not play
them. Metal Gear Ac!d alone made the PSP worth it to me.
The only thing is, I honestly hadn't made use of it very often
since buying the PSP, even though I still loved the thing. It became
yet another gaming device collecting dust, while at the same time
customers almost seemed to serve a purpose in my mind. That would be
completely changed soon.
Along rolled E3 and with it, the PS3. I love Sony. I love Sony. I
love Sony Playstation ^^. Seriously, Microsoft be damned, that PS3 is
damned sexy from what I can gather and my PS2 has seen more use than my
X-Box by at least 1000 times. Sony > Nintendo >>> Sega
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Microsoft. I love
booleans. Far be it from the PS3 just kicking ass at its press
conference, the fact that it had PSP connectivity made me respect
my launch decision even more. Then came another event that would make
me come back to understanding how uninteresting and useless customers
are.
With Final Fantasy XII and Kingdom Hearts 2 looming on the
horizon, I knew I had to revisit the series...... I love Square. I love
Square. I love Squaresoft, and I curse Square-Enix' name! I decided I
would play through every Final Fantasy from I to XI (including
Mystic Quest and X-2.... *shudders*) in order to prepare myself for
XII. By the time I beat II I knew I had to move from my PS2 to my
computer for III, but the thought of playing a Final Fantasy on my
computer just appalled me. A friend, Mark, then clued me in to the fact
that emulators had been released for the PSP and I immediately
proceeded to jump for joy. I bought the USB cable for my PSP and
transferred over all necessary files as per the directions of the
lovely people on the forum Mark had directed me to.
The next day, at work, I brought my PSP. I played Final Fantasy III. I couldn't have cared less about the customers.
Good lord are these people stupid, well, most of them. I will be
the first to admit that there are some that actually entertain and
possibly even rival me, but I honestly can't even recall any. Except
perhaps some of Brent's friends, good, intelligent
conversationalists that most of them are. One of them even
gave me a watch from his work, Coke. Hate corporations, love
products. *dies* In any case, I wish the vast majority of pond scum (No
I'm not talking about you Cale :S ) would take a look at themselves in
the mirror and just think about how they act, how they look, why they
even exist, and what the hell they are going to do for the world to
make up for that fact. I know I do, constantly. Drives me insane, and I
consider myself all the more stable for it. Just once I would love to
ask these people the following questions after they've finished talking
about how pointless their lives are:
Can you do math?
Can you tell time?
Can you act out a movie for my enjoyment?
Can you engage me in a realistic gaming experience?
Can you conduct a symphony for me while I work out?
Can you emulate retro games?
Can your back pop open so I can insert one of these cool looking UMD's?
To which every question I would recieve a resounding 'no'. In
response I would pick up my PSP and tell them, "My PSP can, what good
are you for?....... By the way, your total comes to $34.19" This Is The End..... or somethingWelcome. My name is Alex or rather Elandarex for those of us with no
lives outside of our computers. I am a human being from Canada being on
the planet Earth in the Sol System of the Milky Way Galaxy, The
Universe. I am a carbon based life form who requires oxygen, carbon
dioxide, and argon, among other intrinsic elements necessary to my
continued respiration and ultimately, survival. I enjoy water and
feasting upon the flesh of lesser beings, or so I am told. I am
particularly fond of trees and greenery in general but that is a story
for another day. In my spare time I generally take the opportunity to
sleep, or catch some Z's, which I believe is the technical term. Most
carbon based humanoid lifeforms such as myself, and that includes the
Swiss, dream wonderful dreams of wonder upon reaching the blissful
state of zero effort that is sleep. Luckily for me I am not like most
and dream in my waking hours. For those among you a bit lacking in the technical department, an hour is a unit of time derived from sixty minutes which is a unit of time derived from sixty seconds which is a unit of time derived from the length of time required for light to travel some specified distance specified by people with large brains and the time to standardize such nonsense. Or does it have something to do with the revolution of an electron around some sort of thing called an atom which is the smallest building block of existence known to man excepting the fact that man now knows there are smaller things than atoms which are in fact the smallest things known to man which will be one-upped pretty soon anyways in all likelihood if history tells us anything-- where was I? Oh yes, twenty-four hours make up a day, 3/4's of which is spent awake by most people. Or as awake as most people can be. Anyways, most people dream 1/4 of each day, that being the night ( or day for you night walkers ), and as such are very uninteresting people to be around. I am one of those who dreams for 3/4 of the day and as such am very unproductive. But because of this lack of productivity my head is filled with strange thoughts, sick thoughts, enlightening thoughts, and just plain retarded thoughts. All these thoughts are making my head rather crowded and I'm afraid I must get them out of this cramped space. As such, this page shall be the sub-standard living space I lease to my thoughts. I am, however, far too cheap to put locks on the doors or even supply them with electricity or even running water, being the carbon based water-hog I am, so feel free to come visit them at your leisure, I'm sure they won't mind. Feel free to shove some of your free loaders onto mine. I'm sure they won't complain. Just remember one key thing: Don't take anything they say seriously..... or do.... up to you really. Welcome, to Jurassic Pa-- to Pandora. The only thing you have left is the hope that I shut up and let things be. |
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