First monies.

Got paid on Friday. Sweet. First pay check from TheNewJob™. The first pay cheque is always the bestest. Especially when you see the huge jump in salary. So what did I do with this pay? I bought things! Christmas is over, and now it was time for MeMas.
First and foremost, I knew I'd have to get myself in better shape. Driving so much and sitting on my at-dollarsign-dollersign all day isn't going to do my weight and figure any good. My solution? The Pro-Form 750 CardioCrossTrainer. It was 50% off at Canadian Tire (praise Allah). I tried other local retailers, but nothing else seemed to compare to the value I had found at Crappy Tire. Into the car it went.
I lugged the brute home and assembled it over a three hour period. Just like IKEA, I had a bunch of parts left over!! Not really. Come the evening, I thought I'd hop on for a twenty minute workout. HAH! Try six minutes and thirty seconds, brother. Yes, I am grossly out of shape. I'll work up to that 20 minutes though. Give me time. Friends, the cross CCT wasn't all.
Today on the way home, I slipped over to Long and McQuade's for some distortion pedal goodness. Long and McQuade is really a magical place for musicians. So many good good things there.

So, now the year is at it's end. 2007 Begins in this burb in a mere six hours. Sunflower and I will be spending it with Grindy and Cloudie, and twelve cans of Maclay's India Pale Ale. I doubt I'll be driving home tonight.

PS TheRoss is blogging again at Slow Down, Martha. Give him some love.

Technorati Tags: guitar, Money, My Life, Exercise, Eleptical Trainer

Fingers on Fire - A Merry Christmas Indeed

And so Christmas has come and nearly gone. New years, and then the rest of Winter. Perhaps Christmas comes too early. Everyone, let's write Palpetine.. I mean the Pope.
I came home shortly after 1am and scurried off to bed. Nick had already been by. I missed him again, just like Polkaroo. Regardless, I went to bed for my night time rest. My mother ended up getting TheWife and I out of bed around 9:30. I probably would have slept another hour at least. Funny how waking up early on Christmas is no longer a priority.
Breakfast was the first on the itinerary, mainly to help drive Sunflower nuts. She truly is like a kid on Christmas. The suspense kills her. She doesn't care what's in the gifts, she just wants to know what is in there-- if that makes sense.
After a most delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, and breakfast sausage, we made our ways to the living room and we began to open our gifts. Given the limited nature of my fundage, i couldn't give as much as I would have liked to. Even still, I was able to give the wife a Sens jersey, and we bought some coat, a couple sweaters, and a two unit cordless phone set at 5.8ghz. She was pleasantly surprised.
The highlight of my receiving, and what is currently set my fingers ablaze would be the Yamaha Eterna ET112 electric guitar and accessory kit. As an entry level guitar, it comes with pretty much everything you need to start playing, including an amp, electronic pitch pipe, pics, extra strings, along with some other goodies. You don't realize how bad your other guitar sounds until you have something that plays a lot nicer. Now that I have been inducted into the modern world of music, I now need to get a Macbook and some sort of input device, perhaps the MXL Desktop Recording Kit (D.R.K) so I will be, you know, all up in there. I hope to finally be able to enter this new realm in 2007. Ah yes, 2007. I believe it will be a fruitful year.

Technorati Tags: Apple, Christmas, guitar, macbook, My Life

Christmas Eve

And so it's upon us. Tomorrow is Christmas day, it's practically here. I think it's safe to say that I'm ready. I finished my shopping earlier this week. Everything is wrapped (not saying I'm the one who did the wrapping). All that's left is my last security shift tonight (I didn't want to turn down $15/hour), some sleep, and then opening up Pandora tomorrow.
Once again, I've overspent. It almost seems like a Christmas tradition, really. I don't mind though. I still like to go shopping for other people. Of courses I haven't had the capacity to buy as much as I've been known to do in the past, but it appears that'll be different next year. I better start saving soon, 'cause I might go nuts. It's a good thing I've opted out of getting credit cards. It's a lot safer for me that way.
I'm actually writing this whilst I wait for a short video I made to finish compressing. This old iBook G3 takes it's time when doing these types of activities. This video comes courtesy of the iSight I bought from TheRoss during the fall. Such a nice little gadget.

So, without further adieu, here's the Merry Christmas video. I'll be pumping the link out via email as well.. just so you knows.



More Christmas goodness later.

A week almost under my belt

Tomorrow, in case you've lost track, is FRIDAY! It's also the Friday before Christmas, which in case you haven't noticed, is on Monday! Scrazy, folks. I hope your shopping is done. You're running out of time!
After being completely enamoured on the first couple of days of the job, I have calmed down a little. I still like the job though. I forgot I had a brain. Best of all, it still works, though it does feel like mush at the end of day. More importantly though, I'm enjoying being a part of a team atmosphere instead of working as mindless drones just doing a job. Ultimately, it's just great to be back in career mode. I am smrt.

With all the excitement of the new job along with busy schedules, we finally found the time and energy to put up the Christmas tree last night. Even in China, it's a task that I always enjoy doing. This may well be this tree's final year though. Artificial trees have come a long way since we got this one somewhere in the neighbourhood of twenty years ago. Although I'd never do it, you can buy them pre-decorated now. Aside from that, there are those that look more real than real trees-- just without the smell and falling needles. You don't have to worry about a waking squirrel either. Artificial vs. Real - what's your pick?

As with most of Christmas periods, I'll try and blog throughout and give updates as to what's going on around the house.

A Christmas without snow.. how depressing.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, My Life, New Job, career

Hoo-rah!

Started the new job. HOT DAMN! I know there's a whole novelty aspect to starting higher calibre position, but still, my first day was awesome. My team seems über friendly. People I've talked to seem to really enjoy the company and what goes on there. I talked with the company co-founder today as well. He was also a friendly guy. The drive is a bit long, but I can live with that.
In the staff kitchen you'll find a cooler filled with juices and pop. You'll also a find a coffee maker that makes individual cups using a variety of coffee selections. On top of these fringe benefits, I also start off with three weeks of vacation per year, an expected to happen stock option plan, employee bonus and employee benefits package, not to mention employee pension fund. ScoobyDoooooooooooo!
Also, now this is super special, it looks to be that every seven weeks I'll have a five day weekend because we'll normally be putting in 40 hours within four days. This is just cool.
In conclusion, I'm happy with the new digs.

PS A Very Merry Christmas Video C/O YouTube

Doesn't sit well - Marriage With a Fool

Today was TheWife's birthday. Happy birthday, baby.

We watched a Cantonese movie tonight called Marriage With a Fool (Duk ga si oi) - a romantic comedy about a young couple who get married and separate soon after. The reason for the split was because the guy, Wah, was spending some time with his childhood neighbour (Josephine) whilst his wife (Bobo) was at work. She wasn't aware of these meetings and she happened to read a message on his cell phone from this woman, she lost it on him despite the truth of Wah not having committed any sin (kiss or otherwise) with Josephine. Wah should have told his wife about spending time with this woman, but Bobo over reacted by saying they were now splitting up.
Wah went to the arms of Josephine that night (after getting loaded), and the next morning when he conceded to Bobo's declaration of a split (which she was pretending never happened), she once again went ballistic when she's the one that wanted it in the first place.
Fast forward to the part that didn't sit well with me after some introspection nearly 90 minutes later.
Both Wah and Bobo had at least somewhat of a romantic encounter with someone else during their split. It was obvious that both of them were still in love with each other. An emotional conversation and a floodgate of tears later, they re-unite. All happy, right? An undetermined amount of time passes (not too much, maybe a few months to a year) and Wah is playing some PS2 when he receives a text message for Josephine saying that she missed him. He replied in kind. After paying attention to his transaction, he decides to erase the message lest his wife read it. Bobo on the other hand, goes off to their bedroom (not knowing of the text message) and begins a letter to her interim fling using paper he had made for her. Fade to black. Credits role.
Instead of the theme that love conquers all, we're left with a theme more along the lines of love should be distributed to more than one person.
Although there's a certain realism to that ending, I'm finding it rather hard to stomach. Somewhere there are people doing this to themselves every day. Why? This whole concept is really bothering me. I'm not longer feeling entertained by this movie. I now sit disgruntled with the entire thing. Probably because there's more truth to that movie than fiction.

Technorati Tags: movie, review, Marriage With a Fool

Creepy Dreamy

Woah.
Just woke up from a nap, which will lead into my last overnight shift as a Security Guard. That's cool in itself, but I also just had a creep ass dream.
I can't remember what lead up the dramatic scene, but I was being chased by a mob boss and he cronies. After locking myself in a garage where a couple of swords were held the boss gets in, but I was able to keep the others outside.
With a sword in my hand, I offer him the other one (with sheath). He accepts and we begin to sword-fight. He tosses the sheath under the slightly open garage door for his cronies and we continue to battle. Both of us have a series of cuts, but eventually I take the upper hand after slicing his neck. He falls to the ground as his gang break through the garage door again. I stab and slice a few of them while I break for one of their cars outside. From the passenger's side (key's already in ignition), I start the car while on my stomach and use my right arm and hand as a leg, evading those who are after me. I win.
I come back to the garage after dark, thinking I'm going to have to dispose of the dead body that I left behind when I hear the sounds of an old truck driving slowly, and men obviously sitting in the back. They come into view as I go hide in a shed. Keeping the door open enough for me to see what goes by. The truck is decorated in Christmas lights with the men in back singing Christmas carols. There are two guys on either side holding sniper rifles looking for me. One of them suddenly speaks out saying "wait a sec," as he looks over my way. I know I'm doomed. I wake up. I lose.

This dream just creeps me out. Eesht.

Technorati Tags: dream, dying, My Life, mob

What a few days can do

So I had all of last week off. No big secret. Since then I've watched a crap-load of downloaded anime torrents, worked a shift, got a new job, did a little Christmas shopping. You know, the usual. And the week is only half passed.
Back to that whole getting a new job thing. I got the phone call today to say I was hired. What's more interesting than the fact that I'm back on the career track is that I had a pre-sleep/half dozing vision. This vision consisted of a phone call about me getting the job. Cool, huh? I think I smell a new Macbook in my not too distant future, but distant enough for me to pay cash.
Of course there is a downside to the new position. Back to the commute I go, with a possible move into the GTA/Downtown core area. Haven't really decided on the move or anything, it's just a possibility.
So, yeah. I like... stuff. My question now is pretty simple. When will I find time to watch the crap I download now?

Technorati Tags: anime, My Life, New Job

Christmas time, again.

Last night was my annual Christmas get together with my former Woodbine clan. With or without me, this tradition has been going on for about six years. It's an event I always look forward to because I really don't get the chance to see these friends very often. Schedule differences, along with at least an hour driving distance between us, makes it somewhat difficult. At the same time, this infrequency always makes our time together that much more special, and thus I really look forward to it.
The festivities began with a beer and some Wii Sports. Bowling and golf were the games of choice, and I am pretty sure I know what my next console will be. Wii and Dildo jokes be damned, having the ability to physically get into the game really adds a great dimension to it. Imagine what might happen with DDR and a Wii-mote. This could be a killer aerobics app. Quite exciting, indeed.
More beers and snacks followed, as the rest of the troupe trickled in. We chatted, we played, we ate, and we drank. We also opened our Secret Santa gifts. I gave some Ottawa Sentators "Ice Glasses," great as a beer receptacle. I received the Family Guy DVD Trivia game. We did play a round of this game, but I was severely lacking my Family Guy factoids. This is okay though, as it gives me new impetus to increase my viewing of said series.
TheWife also received some Body Shop goodness, which she will surely enjoy. It smells like cranberries. I must be careful not to try and eat her.
So, after all was said and done, many beers and beverages consumed, we all went our own separate ways. A good time was had, and I was left longing for more beers.

Technorati Tags: Beer, Christmas, Party, gifts

Blue October in White December

Listening to:
You Make Me Smile from the album "Foiled" by Blue October
In some ways I'm glad I've decided to pay for the majority of my music downloads. Just like copied games on the XBOX, when I don't pay for something, I'm rather indiscriminate and I don't appreciate them. Others that I know went the now defunct, AllofMp3.com route. It was cheap (literally cents), you had your selection of bit rates, there were no DRM's, and best of all, you were always sure of what were getting; something you couldn't be sure of when taking the P2P roads. I opted to not use their services for a couple of reasons: Artists were not receiving a dime from those sales and also because I'm a Mac whore.

In September I found myself in Hamilton doing security at a hotel that was being erected (HA, I said erected). One early morning the radio was on and I heard the track "Hate Me" by Blue October. I liked it. I liked it enough to download at the cost of $0.99. I didn't bother sampling the album, as I figured it would probably suck like the majority of music on the radio. After I started picking up the guitar again, I learned the chords for the song and now I can almost play it in a mediocre fashion. Progress, yeah.
Yesterday I was checking for new music on the iTunes store, checking up on the new Incubus album which I found less than purchase worthy. Sad, but true. Also on the list of new was a Blue October EP. This started me on the path of actually giving them half a chance and you know, I actually liked what I heard. $10 later, I have the album downloaded and I'm enjoying it.
Foiled has a modern rock/alternative feel to it, but also incorporates the occasional 80's new wave synth or the Staind, I'm unhappy as all f--- (I believe that's been diagnosed as emo?). Currently I'm really digging the track "Into the Ocean," but I also like the album as a whole.
Being that I really don't really listen to the radio or watch Much anymore, my opinions on this album may be somewhat distorted, but one thing I'm finding out about music is this; ignorance is bliss. You enjoy music so much more that way.

Technorati Tags: Blue October, Foiled, iTMS, review

What a couple of weeks

I'm pooped. In the past two weeks I've worked 104 hours. Think about that for a moment. Okay, avoid the thinking as I'd hate to be a hypocrite. Thinking is to me, like the rainforest is to snow; both nearly impossible and very distant to it's location.
The past few days have found me babysitting for a major curling event. I've never seen curling anywhere other than on the TV, so it was a bit of a first for me. I also learned a few things about the people involved in curling. If you've ever seen the movie "Men With Brooms," you can accept that as a pretty significant truth behind the game. You have a bunch of grown men who are still sixteen years old. They also consume beer in the same fashion. It was an interesting experience, but I'm certainly glad it's over. You can only look at the stuff for so long before you go squirrely. Secondly, when you work with someone who does sweet f*ck all, you get a little frustrated.
After tonight, I'm actually free until next Monday. I get some pre-Christmas time off, which I'm really looking forward to. I need a break. Zero excuse for not wallowing in my geekishness.

And one last thing...
Check out the Official Webpage for No Talent Hacks. They suck.

Technorati Tags: Curling, My Life, Masters of Curling

So it begins?

Update: Did anyone noticed the typo in the "title" heading?

Listening to:
Hurt (Live) by Nine Inch Nails w/ David Bowie

Looking at the Weather Network website, I was informed via THE RED BAR OF DEATH that there's a freezing rain warning overnight into Friday morning. Scary. We couldn't be graced with something a little less dangerous (ie snow). Instead, we get something that'll send cars flying every which way except straight. Gah.

I decided to make my last "official" post over at Section-9 last night. As I mentioned there, it did feel somewhat like the beating of an expired gelding. My heart isn't there anymore. It's here, with this wonderfully blue background and grey text. I realize that my new home will likely be less perused by the internet incumbents of the blogosphere, but I'm comfortable with that. Call me crazy, but I bet I'll be able to count the consistent readers on one hand. I'm not an intellectual, I'm not a political pundit. I offer nothing to the masses other than the occasional review of something I enjoyed or hated, or some other nugget of truth that's happened to drop from my ass. So welcome back to my blogging style of old, because now I'm back to doing it for myself.

Technorati Tags: blogging, My Life

I'll be settling in soon.

So, admittedly, posting has been rather sporadic. I don't know if that'll be changing anytime soon or not. What will be changing soon enough is the content. Up until now, most posts have been anime centric. Not everyone that comes here (okay, probably most of those who happen to rear their mugs) don't really give a damn about my minor animated obsessions. Although these types of posts will continue, soon you'll be reading a bit more of My Life type posts which consist of rants, news, ideas, and vegetable pr0n.
Continuing on the anime themes; I'm almost completely caught up with my downloaded torrents now. Basically I have about four episodes of Crescent Love to get through, as well as five episodes of Kanon. Kanon being favourite, I'm unsurprisingly keeping it for last. I do the same thing with my dinner plate. It was the only way that I could ever leave the table when I was younger, lest being confined to my chair until it's contents were gone.
I've actually noticed the frequency of my downloads has lessened somewhat. Part of it could be my faster connection (going from 100kbs to 2.5mbs makes a big difference). A more noticeable trait would be that my HDD space seems to be increasing - something I take careful note of given the limited nature 30gigs provides you. Maybe things are slowing down a bit. I can't say I really mind though, as it's nice feeling knowing that I don't have the weight of a full waking day of things you have to digest.

Technorati Tags: anime, My Life

Sugoi! Death Note is AWESOME!

I don't have all that much to say right now. I've been catching up on some fansubs today. On the docket was Pumpkin Scissors (8), Busou Renkin (6), Black Blood Brothers (11), along with episodes 4-8 of Death Note. Wow. That's all I can say about the series. It's powerful in it's suspense and intrigue, beautifully woven, nicely animated, and comes with a lifetime supply of Kraft Dinner.

It's going to be my luck that the series gets licensed before it finishes.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Death Note, Fansub

A bit side-tracked.

Listening to:
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow from the album "Let It Snow! - EP" by Michael Bublé

So anime-wise, this weekend was a bust. I watched sweet-bo-diddly. S'all good. Instead this weekend found my old Netgear wireless router kack (is that really even a word) which required immediate replacement. We here at the LosRicos Dojo opted for the Linksys WRT54G V.6 Wireless G router. Nope. No sir. Don't like it. When I wasn't attending yesterday's Santa Claus parade or visiting Grindy for some jammage, I was fussing over the most retarded router I've ever worked with. I returned the first one after deciding that it was flunky after a day of experimentation (no rawr here folks). Back I went to the point-of-purchase for an exchange (their Wii's sold out in 15 minutes BTW). After brining it home, I immediately downloaded the firmware update and installed it. Strangely, the router wouldn't give my iBook an IP address, whether hardwired or through WiFi. More research revealed others having the same issue, and that the Firmware seemed to be the one to blame. I downgraded to the previous version, naturally, and encountered similar issues that I had the day before.
As it stands now, all the connections are working, but I don't know how long this will last. If it fails again, I'll be going for a refund next time and getting something else, whilst placing Linksys on my shit-list.
So that was my weekend folks. Hope yours was better.

Technorati Tags: Linksys, My Life, wireless router, WRT54G

Making in-roads.

Well, I'm not caught up yet. I'm not a machine. I need sleep. I also need to work. And then I need to sleep some more. In between I also eat, urinate, and defecate. To much info? Didn't think so.
I watched the first episode of S-Strain during me weekend anime digestion period. At first I was a little leery about it. During the first few minutes I was under the impression that this was going to be a period peace, judging on their decorum. If that were the case, it probably would have ended up on the chopping block shortly after. Instead, S-Strain turned out to be a mech-based series about a girl who joins the service during an intergalactic war in an effort to join her brother. You discover that her brother was actually somewhat of a war hero and ace-pilot, which left our protagonist with some big shoes to fill. Well on her to finishing her training her school gets attacked, leaving the students to fend off the invaders.
Immediate twists to the story are offered up by end of the twenty-two, which has left me hanging for the next episode. I'm not sure if this one is a keeper yet, and thus have put it on the "on-trial" list. I'll be sure (or not) to let you know. For now, check it out yourself.

Also see the official web site: http://www.s-strain.jp/

Technorati Tags: Anime, review, S-Strain

Tonagura is Funny!

Tonagura! is a series I began downloading back in August but kept getting shoved aside and accumulating on my "Media Whore" external drive. Every time a new episode was posted, I dutifully downloaded it but stopped short of actually watching it. Now that we're well into the new fall season, "Media whore" is facing some capacity issues. In light of this, I've spent the weekend going through series that I have been downloading and checking out which I can do without and Tonagura isn't one of them. That series is freaking hilarious. Sure it's all fan-service TnA, but it's all in good fun.
Also noteworthy would be Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto. It's actually more of a shounen series, no funny and all action/story. Instead of actually reviewing them, why don't you go check out the Anime News Network Encyclopedia for more information. What can a brother say? I'm feeling lazy.

Technorati Tags: Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto, Anime, Tonagura

Good news, bad news. Always the way.

So I'll be working 12 hour shifts starting Monday. Again. That's the bad news. The good news is that they will be single day shifts, with a break of at least one day in between (ie Monday, Wednesday, Friday with Tuesday, Thursday, and the Weekend off) This means that everything I get behind in during the week shouldn't happen anymore. This long backlog of anime will finally be eliminated. S'about time. ^^;;

Technorati Tags: Anime, My Life

Sifting through the backlog.

The problem with working so much is that all the anime I accumulate lies dormant until the weekend, at which time I must plant my ass down and start withering the list down.
I polished off the final episodes of Innocent Venus today, as well as got through three more episodes of Nana.
Innocent Venus I felt ended nicely. Wasn't a mega-happy ending by any stretch, but it was, for lack of a better term, nice. I actually found it a bit inspirational. Overall the series wasn't bad. Definitely worth watching, but I doubt I would have bought the twelve episode series.
On the other hand, I'd love to see a full DVD treatment for Nana. I can't help but love that series. I find that stories that are character driven really find that loose hoop and hooks me. Nana's characters are certainly well rounded and I identify with all of them in some way or another. You'll never find me watching The View or anything of the sort, but give me a good chick anime series and I'm in. Call me a sap. I'm just in tune, man.

One last thing, I've compiled a list of series that I've decided to ignore, and let it slip by the radar. Because of hard drive limitations along with not wanting to get caught up in series that I find are crap or simply don't interest me, I actually ended up categorizing everything that's been coming down the pipe. If you're curious, the following is a list of things I am NOT watching:

• Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi
• Negima
• Shounen Onmyouji
• Sumomo mo Momo mo
• Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (VERY, VERY, GAY)
• Candy Candy
• La Corda D'Oro
• Tenpo Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi
• Night Head Genesis
• Gintama
• Red Garden
• D.Gray Man

I hope this makes up for my lack of postage this week.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Innocent Venus, Nana, Otaku, Review

Almost through the guantlet.

Just a shorty.

Spent the majority of the weekend sifting through tons of downloaded fansubbed anime, playing guitar, downloading Chinese lessons, and drinking tea.
A new series of note in particular would be Kanon (the remake). Great looking series. Hooked me at the opening. It's pretty obvious where the game/series AIR got its influence from. Simply spectacular. I imagine this will get licensed pretty quick. Tokimeki Memorial and Death Note are also doing their part.
On a negative note, a series to stay away from would be Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge. I say stay away from it, unless you're into man-love. GIVES-ME-SHUDDERS. But hey, if you're into that kind of thing, go to town.

So now I'm tired and require sleep before a long day of work tomorrow. Wokao.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Guitar, My Life

Two down, umpteengabilllion to go.

I was able to digest Nana 22 and Bakura Ga Ita 15 today. Not even close the the goals I had set for myself. I was hoping to get at least half my viewing itinerary completed, but so much for that.

Instead, I felt the compulsive need to pick up the guitar and play. Three hours later my fingertips are feeling pretty raw, but manageable. More importantly, I have a new song in my limited repertoire of songs I can play the chords for. Today I added the popular, "Hate Me" by Blue October. I'm trying to learn how to play Michael Bublé's "Home", but I'm a problem with F and Bm in that I CAN'T DO THEM. Other than that, it's all good.

So back to the anime, Nana was good. The series is great for grabbing at raw emotion. Sure it's a Josei series, but that's what makes it so good. If I had a faster iBook, I'd watch the Nana movie I downloaded. Unfortunately, it runs like a bad internet connection.

I'm kind of surprised that I've begun to enjoy Bakura ga Ita, though. A shojo series that will use a lot of stagnant backgrounds and is pretty weak on animation quality. I guess it's the not so predictable story that keeps it interesting.



So perhaps I'll get into a couple of shows before I go to bed. I'm getting pretty sleep as it is, and subtitles will probably knock me out completely, but it's worth a shot.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Bakura ga Ita, Guitar, My Life, Nana

I need to lock myself in a cave.

This will be pretty brief, as I'm rather tired. I've been such the busy boy as of late. Work sometimes has a habit of keeping me away from my beloved wife and iBook (not one in the same). It also keeps me away from watching all that I've downloaded. In total, there's a gauntlet of 28 episodes of various series' waiting to satiate the visual senses. Let's test my math skills. 28, multiplied by approximately 22 minutes a piece equals.. a heck of a lot (616 minutes which is also about 10.25 hours..eesht). Will I be reviewing them all for you? Not bloody likely. I'm not a machine. I'll give the highlights of what's cool though. That's all you can expect from me.

More tomorrow. Now it's sleepy time.

Technorati Tags: Anime, My Life

Too Old to be Otaku?

Some people will argue that you're never too old for anything. That sounds all too good in theory, but in reality the majority of us know that this is not true. There comes a point in time where it becomes harder and harder to fit in.
Maybe I'm just self conscious, but when I start surfing the user forums of various anime-related sites I feel like a freak. It's obvious with the topics at hand as well as the writing styles that the majority of the users are high school and college/university students. Here I am, 29 in less than a month, and I'm trying to hang out with the young-ins. It's kind of like that one guy in high school that never leaves; always coming in for a visit or participating in events related to his past scholastic institution. What kind of loser am I?
I find it all rather frustrating, as I feel my youth slowly slipping away and knowing that there's not a single god damned thing I can do about it. That's probably why I'm here. That's probably why I want to take part and join in on all the fun I used to have. I want to feel young, but every time I try and feel that much older. What a conundrum.

Technorati Tags: Anime, My Life, Old, Otaku

A Glance at Tokimeki Memorial

Good stuff. A precursor to what will be a sparkling initial review.

Riku Aoba arrives for his first day at his new school to find that things there aren't what some might consider normal. Imagine Furinkan High without the Anything Goes Martial Arts. This place is completely nuts.
After being awarded pink cat ears, the Student Council President, Sakurai, announces that the person to catch the one with the cat ears will receive Amamiya Sayuri's email address. An email so coveted that only the student council has it. If it isn't obvious, Amamiya-San is the one that is sought after by the entire school for her good looks, charm, and overall goodness. The only good thing for Riku is that if he gives his ears to Amamiya, Sakurai will give the email address to him instead.
With one episode under my belt, I can say that I'm enjoying the series so far. If you're a fan of Nakahara Kiyotaka's work (Tenchi Universe), then I'm sure you'll appreciate the designs. Plus, I'm pretty sure there will be a hint of fan service in the coming episodes, which is good for those who might be a little hard up.

Glance Rating: A Must See.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Review, Tokimeki Memorial

My g33k r00tz.

I enjoyed the Section-9 project. It started off back in 2001 along with two friends of mine basically as a blog and news portal. Now, five years later, all parties have new lives (ie. now married and far removed from college/university) and thus have different priorities. It's only natural that Section-9 would fall by the wayside. I don't regret it, as I'm still friends with all it's former members and will continue to be after the domain expires in December.
Now I have LRP, and I'm damned excited about it. It's always an interesting adventure when have to rebuild from scratch. Where my old website was becoming a bit of a chore and less of a hobby, this page gives me a new sense of purpose. It allows me the opportunity to talk and take part in something I love (anime.. duh), which is also a throwback to what I enjoyed during my high school and college years. Hell, I'm already getting myself psyched for Anime North and CN Anime in 2007. These will be my first cons since college, and I may even go cosplay-style; something of which I have NEVER done.
When you're working on a group project, you are somewhat limited in what you can do, especially when you don't necessarily share in the same hobbies. If I were to post about anime all the time on Section-9, it just wouldn't fit in with the motif. With LRP I'm free to immerse myself into whatever and share it with you. Feel lucky, punks.

Although I've been posting here for nearly a month, I still kind of feel the need to welcome you to my new home. I hope you enjoy it. The welcome is always out, and the door is always open to the Otaku inside.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Convention, Cosplay, My Life, Otaku

The Onslaught: Five New Anime 25-Word Impressions

I said I would, so here it is. The 525.

Angels Feather: Many gay men in one school. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Simply too gay for me. I need something wholesome. Fan service anyone?
Glance Rating: Forget it. (please, please forget it).

Death Note: Highlight of my night. Power to kill people by writing their name in a black book. Avoid passing this book to Kim Jong-Il or my sister-in-law.
Glance Rating: A Must See.

D.Grey Man: Souls become the machines of the devil. Why do exorcists where funny hats? Funny how killing undead is become rather en vogue. Ghosts aren't scary.
Glance Rating: Give it a chance.

Sasami Magical Girl Club: I used to like the Tenchi Universe. It all went to hell with Tenchi in Tokyo. Washu is not crazy enough. Designs don't look right.
Glance Rating: Forget it.

Crescent Love: Princess wants to live amongst commoners for peace between the Earth and Moon. Candidate for fan service and pretty funny. Will show them my moon.
Glance rating: A must see.

So now that those are out of the way, an additional two have been added to the cue. After Shounen Onmyouji, Chou Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru and Negima, you can add Asatte no Houkou and Tokimeki Memorial. Will it never end? Then again, I don't really want it to.

Technorati Tags: Angels Feather, Anime, Crescent Love, D.Gray-Man, Death Note, Review, Sasami Magical Girl Club

The Onslaught - Sweet Merciful Crap

I was actually a little bit late getting into the fan-sub BitTorrent scene. When I used to teach in China, I was able to find any number of pirated subs on DVD. There was the odd the odd BT I'd download, like Air for example. On the grand scale of things however, it just wasn't needed. Especially considering the quality of internet connections in that country. Eesht.
The past few months have been a different story altogether. Since my return to my homeland, I haven't been able to land that high paying job I once held before I left. That being said, fansubs are really my only anime recourse because I'm too poor to buy anything. The fall of 2006 is my first real onslaught of new series, and sweet merciful crap there are many. In the past week, I've seen the first episodes of:

• Black Blood Brothers
• Pumpkin Scissors
• Angels Feather (that series is so gay.. literally)
• Death Note
• D. Grey Man
• Sasami Magical Girl Club
• and Crescent Love

But that's not all. Currently sitting in my cue are Chou Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru and Shounen Onmyouji. I'm also waiting for Negima to finish downloading. Not everything I've downloaded has been enjoyable (namely Angels Feather and Sasami.. how disappointing), but overall the experience has been good. Over the next couple of days I'll do the Onslaught 25 words or less impressions for everything I've seen thus far. Also, if you're not careful, there also might be a Video Podcast.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm back. How I've missed being otaku.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Bit Torrent, My Life, Otaku

A Glance at Pumpkin Scissors

It's three years after a war between empires has ended. During these three years the population has suffered through famine and poverty. Many old war-time veterans have resurfaced as gang leaders, forsaking their military background.
Some of the more recent military graduates have become Relief Soldiers and have been dispatched to various communities. Alice Malvin is the leader of her squad, known as Pumpkin Scissors. This lieutenant is somewhat of a go-getter looking for action, wanting to defend those around her from evil and tyranny.
After a brief encounter with a military gang boss, Grauwolf, Alice encounters another veteran by the name of Randal Orland. When what appeared to be a blank shot was fired from Grauwolf's tank, the local citizens become fatally ill and it's up to the Pumpkin Scissors to find the anti-thesis to this biological poison.
During their attack in search of the cure, Orland displays a mysterious power after he turns on a small lantern that he carries. Who is this guy, and why is he such a freak?

After an episodes introduction to the series, it seems like your average post-war chaos story of an unknown culture with strange technological mishmashes.

Glance Rating: "Give it a chance."

Other "Glance" ratings:
"A must see" and "Forget it."

Technorati Tags: Anime, Pumpkin Scissors, Review

Black Blood Brothers Mini Review: Episodes 1-4

It's time to get past the initial impressions now that I'm four episodes into the series.

Jirou is actually a vampire who's also a Vampire hunter. Ten years ago there was a bloodline of vampires called the Kowloon Child that spread vampirism like a disease. He worked with Company to help eradicate this line. A decade later it appears that this line is resurfacing, with the help of what appears to be an old Acquaintance of Jirou.
Although the first episode was rather humorous, the following episode seems to drop most of the funny stuff in favour of good story building, only to end the first story arc with more of it.

Jirou seems to be a likeable character, who despite his vampirism, seems to be rather polite, friendly and noble. His younger brother, Kotarou, is probably a yet-to-be revealed important piece to the overall story, though his actual purpose is yet to be determined. As with all "young" characters in anime stories, I wish he'd die. He bugs me and should face a horrible death.

For the most part, I'm enjoying this series. Not too grim, not too light. It seems to be the right mix.

Overall Rating: 7.5 - 10

Stay tuned for my initial impressions of Pumpkin Scissors.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Black Blood Brothers, Review

Black Blood Brothers: Initial Impressions

I just watched the first episode of Black Blood Brothers.
From what I can gather after the initial episode is that Vampires are heading to Yokohama as it is supposed to be some sort of Vampire sanctuary. The main character, Jirou, appears to be an über (does anyone still use that word) vampire of ancient origin. His "little brother" Kotarou is also accompanying him to Yokohama.


At first glance I thought this was going to be a toned down Vampire Hunter D / Hellsing knock off, but I was quickly proven wrong with a lot of physical humour in the form of immortals bashing each other around all slap-sticky like. Like with many other stories told in this medium, there are also layers of heartbreak and troubled past that follows the protagonists which will undoubtedly be played out later.
With one episode digested, I'm under the impression that it's worth the bandwidth to watch, but I doubt it'll reach a truly great status.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Bit Torrent, Black Blood Brothers, Review

My New Apartment on the Street

The heading is actually a reference to one of my favourite Sci-Fi novels. Two points to whoever guesses it correctly.

Although the rest of the world doesn't really know it yet, and by the rest of the world I mean about 15-20 people, my original site will be coming to an end shortly. That being said, I needed to find a new home and I have found it over here at Blogger. I could be in a better blogging situation, but this will certainly meet my needs for the time being. Welcome friends.

Being that I'm going to focus more towards Anime now, I should get to the actual meat of what I wanted to discuss today.
The fall season is now upon us, which means new shows and thus, new subs to download. There's a handful of series that I've recently downloaded that I have yet to dive into, along with a couple of new ones I just started downloading today. Those being D.Gray-Man and Pumpkin Scissors.
While I'm thankful that fansubs have become so prevalent since the onset of BitTorrent, I still can't help but wonder how much they effect sales in the North American market and exactly how much they hurt distributors. I'll be honest and say it's something I've considered trying to get into; especially since I read This Article in Forbes about the CEO of ADV. If I'm not going to make money of something because people are sharing it online for free, then obviously I won't want to.
I digress. I'll give the skinny on D.Gray-Man and Pumpkin Scissors later.

Technorati Tags: Anime, Bit Torrent, D.Gray-Man, Pumpkin Scissors

Funny Stuff.

As found on the Workopolis Website:

Shaver Poultry Breeding Farms is looking for a motivated individual to fill the position of CHICKEN SEXOR; specialized training (Chick Sexing School) 7-8 years of experience as Chick Sexor.

Please contact Mr. Tom Ikeda
phone 519-621-2220 or
fax resume to 519-621-9407.

I wanna ruffle some feathers.

Technorati Tags: Chicken, Funny, Sex

Video Podcast Episode 2

Technorati Tags: My Life, Podcast, Video

My first video Podcast

Watch this as many times as you like.

Technorati Tags: My Life, Podcast, Video

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