The Journey of a Geek

Greetings and Salutations!

2009-06-19T23:10:00.000-07:00

(orginally posted on my LiveJournal... but I figured I might as well update this too while I'm at it)

Hello everyone! This is my very first LiveJournal entry, and thus, not many people are likely to even be reading this right now. But I am here to, naturally, blog about anything and everything that goes on in my life. If I manage to net a bit of a readership along the way, that would be awesome, but... it is not at all necessary. I'm doing this more for myself than anything else.

This is sort of a place for me to spill my guts out. I'm keeping my identity and the identity of the people I speak of entirely private, as not to disclose my position. ;) But you know, I'm going to share this with you guys anyways, so there will be no brutal backtalking in my journal. Besides, that isn't in my style. Everything stated in this blog is true, except for the fact that the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

I'm not likely to bag on family or friends too often within this journal, and for the most part, I'm going to be talking about all of the nerdy and geeky things that really get me excited. I'm just going to have fun with this! Hope you guys enjoy!

And here's a picture of Nagato with a guitar for good measure.

Disneyland Trip: A Short Summary

2008-01-07T23:56:00.000-08:00

(I did not edit this blog entry before posting, so there's bound to be mistakes)

School is starting soon. Studies will take over my time. My manga will gather a bit of dust while I pick my bigger more imposing "World Religions" textbook. My figurines will be lonely. So what must one do at a time like this? Go to Disneyland!

Classes start tommorrow, so this was the perfect time to visit the Magic Kingdom. Plus, I was going with a very good friend of mine. We had a ton of fun! So much fun stuff happened today that it's very difficult to pick out highlights. It's probably best summed up in my video blog, which if you're interested is linked at the very bottom of this page. Describing a day like this in text is very difficult to do... but by god, I'll try!

First off, there was alot of injokes. ALOT! As if adding "-kun" to the end of every name wasn't strange enough, our discussions of 'crack pairings" probably weirded out more then one person waiting in line.

(for those of you not in the know, a 'crack pairing' is when you take two different characters, often times from different shows or movies, and make them a couple. For example: "Harry Potter and Arwen". Makes for great family discussions!)

Furthermore, what made this day even more awesome then it already is.. I got a Jack Skellington figurine! Actually, it isn't really Jack Skellington in the traditonal sense. It's Jack in his "Pumpkin King" form from the beginning of the movie. He looks like a scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head. It's very cool! *bows* Thanks Beck!

So if you're interested in hearing more about the trip, check out the video. Pure Kaleb blog goodness!

A Visit to 4chan

2008-01-07T23:36:00.000-08:00

(WARNING: I did not edit this entry after typing, so there's bound to be errors)

I've learned alot in my days of being an anime geek, one of them being that not all anime geeks are alike. You have one anime geek who is actually a normal guy going about their day to day lives who just so happen to find Japanese animation fascinating, then you have the guys who are completey obsessed (and kinda scary, and finally you have the guys like me who are kind of inbetween the two. Don't get me wrong, I think I'm perfectly normal... but I do own more figurines then your average seventeen year old.

So in order to prove to myself that I'm a "real anime fan", I decided to visit a "real anime fans" forum. That's right.. I visited 4chan! *dumdumdum*

Despite the somewhat 'adult' nature of the site, I found my stay to be quite entertaining. The site is structured in a way that pretty much anyone can say anything to anyone. There are rules, but I'm begginning to wonder how strict the actual moderation is on the site. There's some sections where the moderation is completely nonexistent infact (it's usually marked with a red "18+" sign.. you never know what you can find on there). Describing the way the site works would be pointless, because I don't entirely understand it myself, and thus explaining it would just make me look a idiot. Or in 4chan speak "my blog=failed". LOL, I r so clever.

It is an anime forum for the most part, but there's plenty of sections on the site. Although.. the anime forum did kind of creep me out. Some of these guys are very strange, to say the very least. But that's all part of the fun of the site. It's a place where geeks and nerds can: "insult, bash, hate, flame, spam, and lol". What more can one desire! Maybe a girlfriend (although, these guys seem perfectly content with their cartoon girls).

It was a fun experience, and I actually found myself participating in some of the forum debates. I was bashed and flamed on a frequent basis, but I laughed everytime it happened. Plus, it was a huge confidence booster! For you see, I may be a geek, but not on the same level the guys on that forum are. I still have a strand of sanity left. Then again... totally insane anime geeks are alot more fun then regular people.

The Windows of Your Body

2008-01-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

(Warning: I did not proofread this. Mistakes ahead!)

I was thinking today.. and this is kind of a mind-boggling kind of thing. I was thinking about the brain. Lets take into consideration that everyone in the world basically has this super computer in their skull. It can process tons of process, it can store alot more information then iPod can, and it's able to absorb the enviornment around you. It's the conductor of your body. Yet it doesn't always seem to work.

Lets delve into this a little further. Truly, it's human motivation that makes the brain work at its greatest potential. If you're in school (for example) and you're just sitting down at your desk twidling your thumbs, the brain is like a computer on stand-by. It isn't taking anything in. Yet when you're motivated, and you want to lear and you want to be there (or you just wanna "do your best"), that's when it starts actually functioning.

So to you, my trusted readers, I have this to say. When in you're in a tough fix, and you don't know how you're going to get out of it. Take a deep breath, close your eyes for a moment, and let that "Windows of Your Body" boot up. Motivate it, commit to it, and let the proccessor go. Just make sure it's running on "XP" and not "Vista". LOL, geek joke!

This time, the video has some different stuff to say. I made it before I wrote the blog entry. So everything on the video is just me rambling. lol

I'm Seventeen... But I Don't Feel Any Different

2008-01-05T23:20:00.000-08:00

(WARNING: SPELLING ERRORS AND MAJOR MISTAKES AHEAD.. I'm too lazy to edit)

Today, something very strange happened. I turned seventeen. I hear the number and I'm thinking to myself... man, I'm getting old. Not old in the sense of "man I'm old" more in the sense of "jeez, I'm seventeen and I don't feel anymore responsbile then when I was fifteen". So more important then me turning seventeen, what do I need to do now. What can I do to improve myself.

#1: I need to get along with writing my stories! I have about three cool ideas buzzing around in my head, I just can't seem to get them commited to paper. There is one infact, that I'm working out a script for (yes, a script, because one of my dreams is to make movies), and it seems to be coming along pretty well. I mean, it isn't an actual script yet, it isn't in the "proper format", but I've got all of the dialouge and stuff down alright. For two scenes anyways. They're beautiful scenes though. I've noticed that female characters are far more intresting to write for then male characters. Weird personal preference of mine.

#2: I need to become a bit more responsible as an individual. I'm nice. I'm most certainly not a jerk or anything, but man.. I could be a heck of alot more responsible. I need to take charge of my life instead of letting other people make my path for me. For the last year or so it's basiclaly been "I'll do whatever I need to do and nothing more then that". And really, that's not the kind of indivdual I want to be rememberd as when I die. I want to be remembered as somebody who jumped in and did "everything that he could do". Not just someone who got away with doing "just enough". Not that's bad or anything, but there is room for improvement, just like there is for everything.
And... really that's about it. I like the way I am right now, and besides becoming more responsible and bit more motivated, I'm pretty happy. So instead of talking about what are basically "New Year's Resoultions", let me summarize how my birthday went.

We went to the mall, we went shopping, we went out to eat. I now have all twelve volumes of Death Note as well as a couple more voulmes of Excel Saga, one volume of School Rumble, and one volume of Berzerk. Nothing too exciting, but I managed to get a load of cool manga out of it. Oh! And we went out to eat, that was really nice. If you haven't tried it already, BJ's pizza is amazing. I'm a massive pizza lover, and I've gotta admit, their pizza is probably the best I've ever had. No joke, I seriously think it is the best pizza.

So before I go mumbling on for too long, let me just say that, well, I feel that being seventeen is going to be a very special thing. Not because I'm one year older, but because if I develop as much "emotinally" as I had last year, I can't wait to see the man who emerges on my eigteenth birthday. So that'll just about rap this entry up. Bye y'all! (lol, bye y'all? That's... so not cool)

The video version of this blog entry. This is something I'm going to be doing quite often now, so look forward to it!

Video Blog By Me!

2007-11-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

xD Okay, it's really my voice rambling while anime pics float in the background, but whatever. I'm going to talk about other stuff other then anime in the near future, but at the moment... it's anime. LOL

It Amazes Me Sometimes

2007-09-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Look around you anywhere you go, and you'll see a wide range of different people with different talents. No one is perfect, but some people are born with certain advantages. Which leads me to the whole point of this entry, how different we all are, but yet we're still living within the same world.

It simply amazes me to think that one child can be born perfectly normal, while another child can be born that very same minute and be mentally disabled. The child who was born normal has so many oppurtinites ahead of him right from the word go, yet the child who is mentally disabled immediately has a limited range. Not because he chose to be that way, but because he was born that way. It's really sad when you think about it.

Look beyond that though, and you run across something else entirely. Look at the parents that are taking care of that child. They still love him (or at least the good ones do), and they still want him to live his life as fully as he can. So they're still given a shot to live, just things might be a little tougher for them. The child is still surrounded by parents who love him, he can still appreciate many of the things that makes life what it is. So ultimately when it comes down to it... he's just different. Just like how I'm different from a lawyer, and how you're probably different from your best friend. He's no less human then any of the rest of us.

Or how about people who become disabled through war? Talk about rough. *shudders* Not only do you have to deal with all of the emotinal scars of the battlefield, but you also have to struggle with physical ones as well. Gah! I just can't force myself to throw in a cute anime pic. This entry is too serious.

So how did this topic come up anyways, you might ask? xD I am getting a little preachy here, so I want to explain how this thought process came up. There's this kid at my college campus, maybe a year or two older then I am. I used to run into him everyday, and at first I found it kinda hard to look at him. You could tell, from the very second you saw him, something wasn't wired right. From the way he walked, to the way he talked, to his problem solving skills.... it just wasn't right. So whenever he popped up, I would just basically ignore him as best as I could. That was until one day, I actually had a conversation with him. He's a sweet guy!

It really made me think about things, and now whenever I see him (it is still a bit awkward, I will admit), I'm filled with a sort of admiration. He isn't likely to get married, he isn't likely to have a real relationship with anyone outside of his own family (if anyone does actually reach out to them, god bless their soul, they have more heart then I'll ever have), yet he's still on the college campus taking classes. He's still living. He has thoughts and emotions just like the rest of us (however simple they may be).

I just find it fascinating how different we all are. We're all wired differently, we all have different tastes and interests, and some of us are born with a better advantage then others. Yet we're all just truckin along together. It really opens your mind to alot of things, like how the way the world works now is probably far more accepting and loving then in any other point in time. We've improved quite a bit. Enough so that a handicapped child could grow up and get some sort of education, just like anyone else.

:) Hope I didn't get too preachy for you guys. *bows and leaves cookies* Next time I update, I should talk about anime or something. This blog needs more geeky entries!

School Has Started, and My Motivation Has Tanked

2007-09-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

Hey, y'all! I haven't updated my blog (or my LiveJournal) for so long that I finally decided to throw you guys a bone... you know, even though none of you read it. That'll change someday though. My one dream is to have about twenty or thirty comments on each of my blog entries. That would be the day.

So anyways, my college classes have started once again, but unfortuantely, I don't feel motivated to study what-so-ever! I try to get myself motivated and excited about studying, but to be honest, I just can't get myself to do it. Homework has been light, but there'll be a test coming up this coming Friday, which I SHOULD be studying for. But to be honest, I would rather watch my anime and dream about the future. This is the point where I remember that I won't have a future unless I get an education. That usually scares me straight xD

Another thing I've noticed that kinda bugs me when I'm walking around campus... what is with girls and wearing an ungodly amount of makeup? They look pretty enough just being themselves. The twelve tons of cosmetics just makes them seem, I don't know.... fake? Is fake the right word? I'm not sure what it is, but I like women to just be themselves. When the make-up is that obvious, it is a major turn-off for me. Maaaaajjjjjooooooorrr.

:) Look forward to more entries this weekend! Peace out.

The Movie Industry: Commerical Profit Over Creativity

2007-08-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the net today, and I decided to look further into this "Rebuild of Evangelion" movie I've been hearing so much about. As a casual fan of the orginal source matieral, I couldn't help but get just a little excited about the concept. Take one of the weirdest anime shows ever created, and remake it into a four part movie series. It would have the same basic plot and premise as its orginal source matieral, but with brand spanking new animation, new scenes, and a reworked ending. 0_0 I was hyped! Heck, I still am hyped!

A couple hours, I stepped back and actually started to think about it. They did this before, they already made an Evangelion movie... and it sucked. It really sucked, actually. Now they're going to go back and milk a dead cow that has been in retirement for over ten years? Come on! Why doesn't the show's creator make something new we can be excited about, why remake Evangelion? Then it hit me. Creativity isn't what pays off in the end, it's all about the money.

Rei! Now with more curve appeal and computer enhanced animation! This adds a whole new layer to the EVA mythos. You see, with Rei's new curve appeal and computer enhanced animation, we can now create a new kind of Evangelion. One with more curve appeal and computer enhanced animation!

I mean, look at the way Hollywood is run now. There isn't any quality control there?! The last two Pirates movies sucked, but I would bet you good money that we're going to see even more Captain Jack Sparrow in the near future. Not because it's necessary! Not because they have an orginal idea that would steer the series in a whole direction! But because it'll make the studio more money! Heck, we fall for it everytime. Disney has managed to feed me two extra doses of Pirates, and to be quite frank I don't care if I ever see Captain Jack Sparrow on the big screen again.

What made the first Pirates so appealing was the orginality of the characeter. Captain Jack was like nothing we had ever seen before, and the movie he starred in wasn't too bad either. It was easily some of the most fun I had at the cinema. I can't remember another movie where I laughed so often and so frequently. So when I heard they were going to make not only one, but "TWO" more outings for the then legendary "Jack Sparrow", I couldn't wait! Alas, I walked out of both Dead Man's Chest and At World's End thinking.... "What the hell went wrong?" It seemed like such a good idea on paper.

Thank you for seeing my crappy sequel! I couldn't have made all this money without you!!

The truth was, neither the writers nor the director had anything new to add to the franchise. They would try to trick you into thinking otherwise though! The scripts were so sloopy that it would take a "Pirates Expert" to make any sense out of the whole thing. Does the movie have any kind of message? Is there really any point to all this swashbuckling? And more importantly... is this really entertainment, or a really bland carbon copy of what we've already seen. Honestly, it feels like the writers spent a whole 'weekend' devising this plot, and you can easily see where they liberally borrowed from just about every other successful trilogy ever made. This is Pirates, not Star Wars. If I wanted to watch epic drawn out battles, I would have watched Lord of the Rings. Just be Pirates for me! Not only are you uninspired and unorginal, but you have an identity crisis as well.

Looking at the movie business as a whole, it really feels nothing more then a huge commercal market. The most creative and thoughtful movies produced every year are usually in 'limited release', while the surprisngly uncreative "Spider-Man 3" is shown in every theatre under the sun. It's kinda sad really. If there was any true justice, the personal dramas would be at the top of the box office, not the sequels.

The movie wasn't nearly as cool as this poster would make you think. It wasn't bad... but it wasn't particularly good either.

If a sequel is done well, then there's really no problem. But how often does that actually happen? When the sequel is just as good if not better then the orginal. I can only think of a few off the top of my head, and I know alot of people are going to disagree with me, but I usually don't agree with them either. xD I have a different taste in entertainment then most people.

-Toy Story 2 (just as funny, just as sharp, and just as 'strangely' touching as the orginal. The new characters didn't feel slapped on either, they actually had a reason to exist in this franchise besides the sales of 'Toy Story 2 merchandise.' Who could forget the famous freeway crossing scene?)

-Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (some actual emotinal substance with my Star Trek movie?!! Who da thunk it?! This one packs quite an emotinal wallop as well, easily out perfoming the orginal in every conceviable way. Awesome flick.)

Kirk to Enterprise. .... My movie rocks!

-The Harry Potter franchise (what can I say, each movie is better then the last. It actually makes me sad that there'll only be seven, and that's saying alot)

-The Empire Strikes Back (darker, deeper, and contains some of the best writing out of any Star Wars film. Makes me wish that George had stuck to his day job, and let other people write his stories for him)

I could go on and on with this, so I'll just list the rest: "Aliens, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Lord of the Rings films..... gah, I give up! There just aren't very many."

This whole rant being said and done... I'm still excited about "Rebuild of Evangelion." I just find it funny how the majority of blockbuster hits now are either based on a pre-existing franchise or a succesful book. Where is the creativity? You can find it in 'limited release', but very rarely do you find it on the box office charts. So while the majority of people are being fed the same crap and paying good money for it, a 'real' movie written by an 'inspired' writer often just floats by without any media attention. Remember "The Iron Giant?" Of course you don't. No one remembers that movie. But it was damn good, especially for an animated flick.

After seeing this poster, I really can't blame people for not having seen this. Trust me! It's alot better then it looks.

So I dedicate this blog post to director Anno Hideaki, who feels it necessary to milk his former glory instead of creating a brand new (and possibly more exciting) mythology. We don't need another Evangelion. I just want to watch great anime. I'll watch the movie because I'm an Evangelion fan (and I have a feeling it's gonna be "sugoi"... but that's the geeky side speaking again), but I still can't help but feel a little weird. This guy is feeding me the same story all over again. That's worse then making a sequel. That's about as low as you can get without jumping into prequel territory. I hope your movie turns out great, because I really want to see it. But maybe next time you should rekindle your relationship with Mr. Pen and Mr. Paper and make something new for us. Something truly new. Not something 'kinda new' that you know will make you money. You already have enough money. You're an artist! Make art!

.... Okay, that's the end of my rant. xD Hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did typing it.

At least I'll stil have Rei.... now with more curve appeal and computer enhanced animation! xD

A Brief History of Blogging

2007-08-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm finally getting back into the blogging game, since I really don't have anything better to do at the moment (watched a particularly boring sci-fi flick, which I'll review later). As I type this out, I have become curious how this entire blogging sensation started. I mean, now it seems like everyone has a blog. Just a few months ago, I was surfing around looking at people's anime blogs... and there is alot of us out there! I mean, dang, it makes me happy to be a geek. :) All that aside, I've become really curious about the history of blogging, so right this very moment I'm logged into Wikipedia to check it out. What follows is a brief report of my findings. *giggles* I feel like Indiana Jones or something, finding the lost history of an ancient peoples. xD

This was kinda what I felt like... until I discovered a terrible truth!

.... I have just now realised that I really don't wanna spend the time nor the effort to copy and paste this stuff in my own words. So, I'll just give you guys the link. I find it really fascinating, considering that I am a blogger. We should know more about our origins! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogging

*sigh* Wikipedia is a wonderful site.

Love and What It Means to People

2007-08-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

*bows* I apologise if my blog updates have been becoming less and less frequent, but since Christine seems to be the only person reading my blog anyways, that's no big loss. I've been keeping myself busy with doing geeky things, while avoiding the things I really should be doing. It really is great fun! My Nintendo Wii is still a god, and I have been watching anime like there'll be no tommorrow. Can't wait till school starts though, I miss studying. As strange as that may sound (I really quit enjoy it).

But anyways, I'm getting way off topic here.

The other day, I was surfing the "Extended Discussion" board on Gaia Online, which seems to be the only place you can go to have an intelligent conversation on that site. As I scrolled through the dozens of religious arguments and pro-feminism topics, I finally found something that caught my eye. Someone had made a topic about "love" and what it means. She asked that we each respond and describe what the word "love" means to us personally. I thought this was really interesting, not because of the topic in general, but because of the surprising array of different descriptions. It's really interesting how a universal idea like love can take so many different forms and mean as much or as little as a person wants it to. Fascinating stuff.

Love is Saber from Fate Stay Night. ... Not really, but I felt like sharing a pic of this awesome character anyways. My new favorite!

You had people who were obviously in the middle of a relationship, and stated that love was the feeling that two individuals share when in each others arms (gag!). There were others that believed that true love doesn't exist (emo types). I quote a strange looking Gaia avatar when I say "When you can levitate a skittle, you are in love."

What surprised me most was how narrow everyone's description of love seemed to be. They didn't seem to get that love, no matter which was you look at it, is everywhere we go. Below I will attempt, with questionable quality no doubt, to write down my own description. Why? Mostly because I'm bored, but also because I consider myself a "lover" in the most traditonal sense. I love to love life. xD That made... pefect sense.

"Love is what drives us, without love we have no reason to go on. The entire reason we live is to love.

When one witnesses a beautiful orange sunset, is one not feeling love? When one enters their house to watch an episode of Stargate SG-1.. is that not love? When you look into the eyes of someone you care for, and they stare back with the same intensity, are you not feeling love?

It is my humble opinion that love isn't something you can classify, for it embodies all things good and all things pure. If you enjoy doing something, you are performing an action of love. If you're cleaning the house for your mother as a surprise when she gets home from work, you are perfoming a labor of love. When you kiss your significant other softly on the lips, you are performing a very tender act of love.

We can't survive without love just like we can't survive without oxygen. Remember that really sappy oldies song? 'Love is Like Oxygen?' They had it all right. Love makes you high."

That was weird. *laughs* I just made that all up in five minutes, so if you were expecting poetry, you came to the wrong place. I actually quite like it though.. especially the Stargate reference. That was a very nice touch!

To close my thoughts, don't be afraid to let love in. Love is amazing.

Today's Review: Neon Genesis Evangelion (An Anime)

A cute picture of an anime that is everything but. Prepare for a dark depressing ride through the human condition.

What I Liked About Evangelion: I'll just say it straight out, I went head over heels for Evangelion. It was the best anime I had seen since Eureka Seven, and that was saying alot. Sure, there were giant robots protecting Earth from an unknown alien force, but it was done so well that I really didn't care how silly the plot was. EVA (Evangelion) was one of those anime that you completely forget that you were watching a cartoon. These characters feel more real to me then in any recent Hollywood production, and I couldn't wait to see how the show's numerous mysteries were going to unfold. Which leads me to why I hate EVA now, after watching the entire series.

What I Hated About Evangelion: This perfectly engaging show is ruined by what is perhaps the worst conclusion I have ever seen to any kind of story (and I've seen alot of bad endings). It left me speechless, wondering what the hell the writer/director was thinking! It feels like a cold hard slap in the face after all the time you spent watching the show. Nothing is explained, the plot dives straight into script hell, and I'm left angry and bitter. Thanks alot EVA! You just ended up being another "Lost".

Rating: B- (great anime ruined by absurdly weak conclusion)

Wii Love the Wii!

2007-08-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated as often as I've been wanting to, but I have a really good excuse. A few days ago, I bought a Nintendo Wii. After the continuous dissapointment as far as the PS3's line-up is concerned, I finally decided to go next-gen with Nintendo. After all, they are selliing the most amount of systems at the moment, meaning that alot of my favorite companies are no doubt going to make alot of orginal games for the system (can't wait to se what Square-Enix does with the motion control). After hours upon hours of hands on experience, I can say without a doubt that the Nintendo Wii is something else. Heck, I would even go so far as to say that it's the most innovative video game system yet realsed. The games are great, the extras are awesome, and the motion control is as smooth as silk. It's... just... too... freaking... cool.

Nagato loves the Wii too! *hugs* Gives me even more reason to love her.

One thing that I did like was how easy Internet gaming is on the Wii. You don't have to sign onto some weird thing like X-Box Live in order to enjoy a good game of Mario Strikers, which I've only played online once, but that's not the point. On top of that, you can download old games from the NES all the way to the N64 for no more then ten dollars (they range from five to ten dollars, depending on what you want to download). Buying Super Mario World is probably the best eight bucks I ever spent.. period.

I was worried about the motion control at first, but after spending a couple hours with it, it feels just as natural as using a normal controler. Now to all of you who love to whine about the controler.... actually try it out for me then just a few a practice runs. It's not "on crack", like some people like to call it (sorry Christine, your anti-wii statements fed fuel to my pro-wii fire).

Who said you needed great graphics to have fun?

Plus, they're making a Bleach fighting game!!!! Okay, it probably won't be any good.. but as a Bleach fan, I can't help but be a little excited. I can finally see how a fight between Orihime and Ichigo would go! Of course, Orihime would win.. because I would be playing as her. And she'd kick Ichigo's butt. xDD

Bleach..... for the Wii! *has geek attack*

I need to stop typing and get back to playing my Wii. Wii will update later.

Today's Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (A Book..... duh)

What I Loved About This Book: This is, on the whole, a fantastic conclusion to the Harry Potter series. There's drama, action, suspense, clever plot twists, and one of the best endings in recent memory. J.K. Rowling has managed to take what is basically a very traditional good versus evil story and shape it into something so unique and new that, to be honest, I can't really compare this series to anything else out there.
This book itself is one of the best in the series (if not the best in the series). I would have to go back and read all of the books from begginning to end to make a true comparsion, but this was easily the darkest and the most emotinal Harry Potter book so far. A must read... but you really didn't need me to tell you that.

Some Closing Thoughts: This book could have been trimmed down by about two-hundred pages. It really started to drag in the middle, and I couldn't help but feel that J.K. Rowling was trying a little too hard for every character to have their time in the spotlight. There is an entire scene in Gringotts as well that just turned me off. Don't ask me why, it just did.
Five hundred and fifty pages sounds more appropriate for the amount of plot that she was developing. While all of the extra subplots and details really don't detract from the story, they kept me from doing any "all nighters". The ending made up for it though. It.... was...... amazing.

Rating: A- (drags a bit in the middle, but it is still a fantastic conclusion to an enchanting series)

Just Another Day... I'm Bored Out of my Mind

2007-07-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

There are both positives and negatives towards not having any school for the next few weeks, but from my perspective at the moment, it's mostly negative. I have very little to build towards at the moment, unless of course you're talking about my current addiction to Evangelion (only another thirteen episodes before I finish the series, it's pretty short). Not the best anime show I've ever seen, but it's still pretty good. Not "Fullmetal Alchemist" good, more like "Haruhi" good or "Bleach" good.

xDD Gah! Can't I make a single entry without mentioning anime for once! :) Anyways, i've kind of made a deal with myself to try a little harder this next week at achieving my goals. Even though they may not be massive, they're still there, and part of the fun of life is to apply yourself and just "go for the gold". So starting tommorrow, I'm going to try and do that. It should be fun, to say the very least. I'll try and make a blog entry every night before I go to sleep as well, you know, to keep you guys posted on what is currently clattering in the mind of Kaleb Stewart. Oh! And look forward to some mini-reviews in every entry. I watch alot of TV and read alot of stuff, and unfortuantely, it's become too much of a pain to jam it all into one entry. Look forward to it!

Today's Mini-Review: Walk The Line (A Film)

What I Liked About this Movie: The perfomances were excellent and the movie was superbly crafted. My compliments to the director. There were waaaaayy too many concert "singing" scenes, but that was probably just because I dislike Johnny Cash's music. 0_0 Resse Witherspoon is still amazing. No matter what perfomance she's in, she nails it! Fantastic job.

What I Hated About this Movie: I'll just go out and say that I highly disliked this movie. It's about a washed out jerk who ends up making alot more then he deserves, and how he leaves his family and stalks after June Carter. I respect the movie and what it was trying to achieve, I just found it all very boring and uninteresting. Johnny Cash is a jerk who managed to make great music, that's all you basically need to know about this movie. Oh! And June Carter was crazy for staying with him. By the end of the movie, I was really starting to think about all of the other things I could've done with the time. Could have Wrote...could have read Harry Potter...could have studied for my DMV test..could have watched a drama about people worth giving a damn about.

Rating: C+ (some people will love it, but I just couldn't get into it)

Inspiration Comes Out of Thin Air Sometimes

2007-07-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

I was sitting down in front of my computer the other night, still developing the characters for this story that has been in the works for the last couple months or so. The problem was, I felt the story lacked any sort of orginality. Not from the plot, but from the characters. What every great story needs is strong likable character, and my leading man just wasn't cutting it for me. We have had so many pieces of science fiction and fantasy that revovle around young boys growing up and becoming a man, and I've found through alot of my manga reading and anime viewing that, well, very rarely do you see a female character in the main role of a sci-fi story unless she's some kind of tough samurai chick or something. Then... it hit me!

Evangelion, my current anime obsession. I've only seen eight episodes, but they were all pretty intense.

That's what I need to do, just switch the genders! It'll be awesome! Instead of having it be the guy who's finding his way in the world through these extraordinary events, you'll have your average ordinary girl becoming a woman. All of my favorite charcters in the anime I watch are usually female anyways, so why not make the leading character a girl? It's pretty genius, if I may say so myself (and again, I sound like I've discovered something new, lol).

Plus, it would draw in a completely different perspective to a story that needed some real life in the first place. xDD Okay, I need to go watch Evangelion now! Will update again soon.

"Things That I've Watched, Read, Or Done": Vol. 3

2007-07-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

I've returned after a very long break, to give you some new reviews and opinions on somethings that I've watched, read, or done as of late. So let's get crackin!

Blades of Glory (A Film in Review)

This could have been sooooooo funny if written and acted by the right people. Unfortuantely, we're stuck with another piece of Will Ferrell crap.

Seriously, Who Wrote This Garbage: I don't expect much from my dumb comedies, I just want to laugh. Zoolander had me laughing all the way through, while Blades of Glory just made me cringe. Bad dialouge, horrible jokes, and terrible comedic performances all wrapped around a concept that could have been funnier then hell. But somehow, everyone invovled in the production found a way to screw it up... big time! Don't even bother.

There Was One Good Thing Though...: Jenna Fischer is cuuuuuuttee with a capital "C". Basically, that's the only good thing I could remember from this train wreck. 0_0 Super kawaii!

Jon Heder: Is the most annoying actor working in the industry right now. Why do they keep on hiring him?! He's annoying!

Rating: D+ (maybe next time they could bring some class along with their humor)

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (An Anime Film in Review)

I Don't Know What To Say: I both loved and hated this movie, and yes, it is possible to feel both things at the same time. In one corner, you have a beautiful film telling what could have been the most touching story ever told through animation, and then in the other corner you have an extremely slow paced sci-fi flick that bores more then it entertains. There are scenes of such depth and beauty that you can't help but be drawn into the director's vision, but then afterwards they throw you into some crazy weird internal monolouge with some of the most angst ridden teens I've ever heard. Honestly! Your life can't suck that bad man, get over it.

This Is What I Loved: You want to prove to your anime hating friend that Japanese animation invovles alot more then just ninjas and crazy Dragonball fights? Sit them in front of this movie, and they'll never look at anime the same way again. At it's best moments, this is a gorgeous, deep, and visually captivating movie. At times, it feels more like a visual poem then it does a feature lenght film.. and that's where the problems start to set in.

This is What I Hated: I don't ask for much, I just want coherancy. For the first half of the film, I was completely and utterly confused. I really had no idea what the heck was going on. It wasn't until I was about two-thirds of the way into the film that I started to put the pieces together and.. it all kind of sort of made sense. I'm still a little fuzzy about alot of the plot details, but on a purely emotinal level it all made sense. But that isn't enough to make a film off of a plot that seems to be only half-baked. It's almost like they took someone's outline of a story, and they based their story off of that. You still have some beautiful scenes and some tremendous visuals, but the story just doesn't connect the way it should. Which is too bad, because with a little more work and character development, this could have been a real masterpiece.

The Ending: It may not have been complete sense, but this movie had one fantastic ending. Of all the things this girl could lose, the one thing one of the main leads is worried about is not dying, but forgetting how great it feels to be in love. Some of the best dialouge of any anime I've seen so far (this isn't the exact dialouge, but more an ad-lib of what I can remember):

"Oh no! Oh no, I.. if he rescues me, I might lose something. I might lose something very imporant. I might forget how this feels... I might forget to tell him how much I love him, how much I loved him. When we were all alone, just the two of us."

...... I'm getting the tingles just by thinking about it. Too bad it wasn't in a better paced movie.

Rating: C+ (what a dissapointment. There is so much going right for this movie, but it only works for about thirty minutes of its ninty minute running time. The rest of the time, I was either bored or frusturated. Would have worked better as a thirty minute short then a feature length film. Should have been a masterpiece, but lazy writing strikes again!)

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (A Disneyland Ride in Review)

Disney at It's Best: One thing is for sure, this is one of the best rides Disney has made in the last ten years (if not the best). Right from the moment I walked into the submarine, Disney had gripped me with their magic and didn't let go. Right when I thought the ride couldn't get cooler, it blew me away with yet another outstanding scene or dazzling effect. I love love loved this ride!

Children May Cry: The Angel Fish is offically awesome! Not only will he have freaked kids out when the movie first came out, but now he's going to be freaking little kids out in the ride as well. Angel fish.. you are my new hero. *salutes*

Rating: A- (I felt like a little kid riding this for the first time, and that in and of itself makes this ride one of the best in the park)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (A Re-Review of an Anime)

What Was I Thinking: After having rewatched Haruhi, I am now willing to admit that my previouis review was a bit harsh. I mean.. I only gave the show a "B-"? B-?! I even said it was a fun ride.. and I only gave it a B-?! xDD That had been bugging me for a while now, so now I'm going to set the record straight and say that this is probably the best anime comedy/sci-fi/drama/high-school romance/fantasy/ series I've seen so far! And yes, all five of those genres apply.

It May Be Crazy: But it isn't stupid. In my first review, I went so far as to say that Haruhi was basically a "stupid" show, when actually, it is one of the smarter comedies I've run into for a while. I guess I was just used to the angst and drama of Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven that I just couldn't appreciate "Haruhi" for what it was. A great time!

Rating: B+ (it isn't perfect by any stretch, but it is easily the best anime comedy I've seen so far. Just watch the episodes in chronological order instead of the broadcast order, and you should enjoy it)

It's Story Time!

2007-07-04T23:19:00.000-07:00

Just yesterday, my mom and grandmother managed to bribe me into going to the casino. Of course, I didn't gamble (I'm not legal yet), but instead had to stay in the hotel room while the family went to the slot machines. I rented a truly terrible Will Farrel movie called "Blades of Glory", which I suggest none of you see! @_@ It has to be one of the worst comedies I've seen since Epic Movie. While they were off gambling (aka "wasting money"), I stayed in the room and played my DS while reading my InuYasha manga (great series, by the way). At around one o' clock in the morning, my dad and I went out to eat at the casino's food court, and on the way there something completely and totally scary happened.

I really don't see the point in these things. Honestly, it's like lighting your cash on fire.

This one Korean lady, probably late twenties early thirties, approached me. As if that wasn't weird enough, she kind of glared at me and said "I think I'm in love". xDD I responded in typical fashion, quickly walking away before she realises that she's hitting on a minor. She was obviously drunk out of her mind, but just the thought of someone hitting on me like that is kind of disturbing.. even if I was legal. Dad was laughing his butt off though! *shakes head* I had to put up with some teasing on his part until we got our food.

Speaking of the food, it took them about an hour to give us two burgers and some fries! It was absurd. Sure, it was really late at night, but this is a casino. Don't they realise that the time people are waiting for their food could be used at the craps table risking all of their supposed "savings". So anyways, the food was luke warm by the time we got it. It didn't taste so hot either (no pun intended).

Come, waste all your hard earned cash! We'll be waiting.

I spend the rest of the night watching anime on Adult Swim, which isn't too bad once I'd gotten past the "bad English dub" gag reflex. I mean honestly, the voice for Kagome is awful! And those fedual era warriors, don't even get me started on those guys. It's still entertaining, but you think they could put more effort into making the voice work sound earnest and authentic.

So what did I learn? That drunk Korean ladies are scary! Nuff' said.

I'm Really Tired

2007-07-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

As most of the people who have hung around me know, I used to love making YouTube videos and uploading them. It was a blast! I thought ninty-percent of my videos were of questionable quality though, and I ended up getting a little burned out on it for a while there. But now that's about to change!

I found a new site on the web that has peeked my interest back into making YouTube videos. Just last night, I was making a really random vid with episodes from "The Melancholy of Haruhi". That's right, I was up till three in the morning editing and pasting together a silly anime video. xD Yeah, that thing called having a real life is still slightly out of sight.. but who can argue when I mixed Dr. Phil audio with one of my favorite anime shows? That's right! I so totally went there. *laughs*

I swear that this will be the last Haruhi pic for a while. I swear! .... Why does no one believe me?!

I really want to start over with my YouTube thing though. I'm going to be starting a new profile and everything, although I'll alert my previous subscribers that I'll be moving (and I won't be taking my old vidoes with me). Unfortuantely, I don't think they'll be so understanding. They're an awesome group, but they can be a little needy at times. But seriously, I love you guys! I just never want to make another Kingdom Hearts video!

So anyways, now I'm super tired (I got up at six o' clock in the morning). I'm going to clean the bathrooms now, you know, wake me up to reality. :) Planning to finish my video tonight, then launch my new YouTube account. Fun fun fun, every waking minute! Will update tommorrow.

Gunstar Super Heros: You'll Need Anger Management Classes

2007-07-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to get a new GBA game. Yes, I still play GBA games.. you've got a problem with that? Anyways, one trip to the Wal-Mart later, I landed myself a copy of Gunstar Super Heros. I heard alot about this game from a few different sources (I think X-Play gave it a 5 out of 5, but I don't trust them anymore), so I figured I would give it a go. To make this brief, here's a number of lessons you will learn from Gunstar Super Heros.

The game may look cute, but don't let it deceive you. It'll kick your butt!

Lesson 1: DON'T START A NEW GAME ON HARD! The game is challenging enough as it is, starting off on the hardest difficulty is one way to ensure an angry/violent breakdown. I probably landed myself about 30 game overs on one boss last night. *cries* It isn't fair, damn it!

Lesson 2: Keep your cool! No matter how any times you get a game over, nothing is impossible. Even if that boss seems to have ungodly strength and an amazingly stellar special attack.. just don't let it get to you. Take yoga if you must. Find your center.

Lesson 3: If you get frusturated, start a New Game on Easy. It will relieve the stress you've been going through, trust me. Just sit back, and watch the bullets fly.

Lesson 4: Man, I need to get a life. Will blog again later.

I think I'm gonna start havign nightmares about these guys. Getting crushed by the same boss over and over and over and over and over and over AND OVER AND OVER! *catches breath* I'm okay now, I'm okay.

My New Super Cute Wallpaper!

2007-07-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is seriously, the best wallpaper ever! :) It was so great that I had to make a little blog entry about it.

http://wallpapers.theotaku.com/view.php?action=retrieve&id=118723 You try and tell me that isn't the cutest wallpaper in the world! ... That's what I thought xDD

The Nemo Report: The Subs Are Back!

2007-07-01T01:31:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, I had the great pleasure of riding the Finding Nemo: Submarine Voyage with one of my best buds. The day wasn't exactly going smoothly for my friend, since this was his first time going to Disneyland with the homeschool group (he's public schooled). Let's just say that... he wasn't clicking very well with the rest of us. So, half-way through the day, I decided to give my friend a little piece of mind, and go on the new and improved subs without the rest of the group. They were driving him nuts! I have never seen him act so weird before.. he wouldn't speak to anyone. I had to do something about it!. Luckily I had some fun with the group, but I have a feeling he won't be coming back for seconds. We are a bit on the hyper side, afterall.

0_0 So pretty! It makes me.. happy! Which is a big deal... for me.

So anyways, I just want to get this out of the way. THE SUBS WERE AMAZING! I haven't been this impressed by a Disneyland ride in I don't know how long. It was everything I could have possibly hoped for a Nemo based ride, and then some. Pretty much every key scene in the film is used as inspiration for the new Submarine Voyage, making the entire thing feel unusually authentic. This wasn't just some rehash that they slapped together like *coughcough*SpaceMountain*coughcough*! This was a really well put together update of an attraction that, from what I heard, really needed a fresh coat of paint to begin with.

I was seriously ranting and raving about the ride the minute I got out. I personally think it's the best thing to happen to Disneyland since Haunted Mansion.. and no I am not joking! Nemo made me feel like a little kid again, riding Indiana Jones for the very first time. I jumped, I smiled, heck I was even at the point of laughing. I felt like I was high off of "Nemo". The coolest thing is.... this ride will scare the crap out of little kids. *devilish laugh* If there's anything I love, it's seeing scared kids at Disneyland! *sigh* Brings me back to the old days.

The subs are back! Let's just hope they never leave us again.

So what was the point of this entry? Nemo was fantastic, and you must ride it! Nuff' said. I'm going to sleep. Will have a more complete run-through of the ride when I get to my "Reviews Entry". I've already made two of them, so why not make another one. Good night!

Ouija Boards (Why I Won't Touch One)

2007-07-01T00:12:00.000-07:00

Alright, I just got back from a little nerd research, mostly because I'm bored out of my mind right now. So anyways, I don't know how the entire thing ended up swinging towards Ouija boards.. but it did. And now I may have a little issue getting myself to sleep tonight. Not because I believe in the stuff, but because the thought of a spirit completely taking a hold of your life is the scariest thing I can possibly think of. .... I sure hope writing a blog entry about it doesn't affect my future in some freaky 'Exorcist' way. *cries*

Be afraid. Be veeerry afraid.

So anyways, let me just go right out and say it, I am a bit of a spirtual skeptic. I believe in spirtuality and the effects it can have on people, but alot of actual spirtual concepts I find extremely hard to believe. I love alot of the concepts and I understand why people would choose to follow them, but they just don't work into how my mind runs. Which is probably why, I don't have a specific religion. Don't have one now, and probably will never have one. I'm just happy living my life the way it is. So why would a plastic board made by Parker Brothers scare me? Because of the possibility that there might be something out there, and that I could possibly screw up my life because of it. That's reason enough to stay away from Ouija boards.

I mean, are we so curious to talk to spirits that we are willing to put everything on the line because of it. After looking up Ouija boards online, and after watching a few YouTube videos (which are probably acted out by the way), there is no way I'd be willing to risk my sanity to experiment with this stuff. People have gone nuts over these things! It has happened! They were probably already a little nuts before they tried it, but still.. you've gotta admit that's really scary. All of a sudden you could be lying in your bed, and you've just realised that you have an unwanted guest in your room (and he isn't a Grim Grinning Ghost). Scccaaarrrrrryyy!

Another picture of the same damn thing! *sigh* What can I insert here that would be geeky?

But after reading some brief histories about Ouija boards, my sceptism can't help but turn on full blast. Would Parker Brother's really sell a game at Toys R' Us that truly allowed you to communicate with evil spirits. If so many people have experimented with this stuff and all of them have had "horrible edge of your seat horror flick experiences", then why hasn't the thing been BANNED YET! I know some hardcore Christian groups have probably already tried, but you get what I'm saying. Parker Brothers is not linked with the devil or to any spirtual realm out there. Parker Brothers sells board games!

Then you have people on the other side of things that say that, well, it doesn't matter if it was made by a board game company. If a demon or evil spirit finds a way to communicate, it will use it. Which brings me to my next point.. if demon's were so keen on corrupting people and taking over their lives, you would think that they would find better means then to use a piece of prediticable plastic which only seems to work if you have two people in the room. It brings to my mind a scene from the Sixth Sense where the kid looks away from what he was writing, and his true feelings would just start spilling out onto the paper while he kept his hand moving. Why wouldn't evil spirtis just try and do something like that? That seems to make alot more sense. Why do they need to have this magical entrance (aka the Parker Brother's Ouija board) to talk to you. If demons really did exist, I think we would see their actions more often within our everyday world.. and the fact that it seems to be only those that are religious or mentally ill that claim to have seen them and their corruption.. well that doens't quite cut it for me. The things that are corrupting our world are evil people, not some mythological force that no one can really seem to accurately describe.

It's geeky, and yet kind of sort of on topic. You know, because of withces and the occult and.. yeah. It was basically an excuse to throw an anime girl into this otherwise creepy entry!

*catches my breath* Of course, that doesn't mean that something weird might not be out there. Heck, I could be wrong about the entire evil spirt thing. That's why I'm never touching an Ouija board! After seeing and reading all that creepy stuff on the Web, I personally think the things shouldn't be sold in mainstream stores. Stuff linked with spirtualtiy in such an easy exciting way can play with people's minds, no matter who you are. If I got up in front of a Ouija board, which I won't because they scare me, some weird stuff might happen. Now whether this would be linked towards a spirit realm, or whether it is just purely in my head.. that's something else entirely.

Wow, maybe it isn't such a great idea to read about this stuff late at night. :) Will tell you guys if anything weird happens, which it won't (well, probably anyways). *jumps as my IM begins making noise* I will try and update soo! *bows* Peace out!

List of References (even though I didn't use any):
A Random YouTube vid I watched: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhDmJpEIe8M

Yet Another Random YouTube Vid I Watched (some guys blog entry about the dangers of Ouija boards): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE5foC-EQmw

The Wikipeida Page (Gotta Love Those Guys): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouija_Boards

A Skeptic Page (Let's Shed Some Light on the Subject): http://www.skepdic.com/ouija.html

"Stuff That I've Watched, Read, Or Done": Vol. 2

2007-06-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody! Kaleb the Critic has returned, and this time he's bringing an entire legion of different stuff for your reading pleasure. Fortuantely, I had alot of things that I had forgotten to review from my last entry, so I'll hit upon them here. Please enjoy, and if you don't agree with any of these insights, please give me a ton of rantful comments. :) I love comments.

Borat (A Film in Review)

I like a you! I like a this film! It's a very nice!

OMG: This is the funniest movie I've seen in a very long time! No matter which way I look at it, I really can't find anything I didn't like. I literally laughed until tears came streaming down my eyes. It was a that nice!

Classic Moment in Comedy: Two very naked men fighting through a hotel. It was perhaps one of the most disgusting/funniest scenes in any movie to date. Pure genius running wild!

Rating: A (Nice!)

He Is My Master (An Anime in Review)

Super kawaii!

Things That I Hated: This show hasn't a single shred of dignity or class. All of the characters are basically one dimensional archetypes, and the situations are even more generic. When your show relies almost entirely on the sex appeal of it's fourteen year old cast to sell every joke, you know you've got issues. Big issues!

But Yet...: At it's best, this show is a guility pleasure. There are alot of things to laugh at here, but you'll soon find yourself wondering how many times they'll end up reusing the same gag instead of using something fresh. While Anna-chan's constant infatuation with Izumi was downright hysterical for a few episodes, it all gets very ho-hum after the tenth "I would love to do this and that to Izumi-san!" statement. Come on, guys! Being perverted doesn't make up for creative!

Speaking of Perversion: I'm not going to lie to you and say that I don't like fan-service (a term that basically means "anime sex appeal"), but this show really does take it too far. I was nearly insulted on a few occasions, which is something that very rarely happens withe me and comedies. Maybe it was the fact that the girls are only fourteen, or the fact that thier "master" is a complete and utter lecher.. this show really rubbed me the wrong way. They're just too young! It's creepy!

Rating: C (it's sorta funny, but lacks a real heart)

Grave of the Fireflies (A Film/Anime in Review)

If you don't feel like being depressed, stay FAR FAR AWAY FROM THIS MOVIE! It's like seeing a cute little puppy dog get run over by a truck.. but in a good way.

What I Loved About This Movie: This goes up their with Pan's Labyrinth as one of the most depressing movies I've seen this year, but in a good way. The animation isn't quite as good as more recent efforts such as "Spirted Away" or "Howl's Moving Castle", but it's still a very pretty film to look at. You'll forget this is anime the moment the bombs begin dropping. The overall story is excellent, if a tad bit dissapointing. You really want these kids to be happy.. but unfortuantely, no matter how hard they try, everything just shoots straight for hell.

When Dubbing Attacks: I didn't manage to watch the orginal Japanese dialouge for "Grave of the Fireflies", but I can say that the English dub of the film was lacking a certain zest. It really took the emotinal power out of the movie's more dramatic scenes. When I'm watching a World War 2 animated drama, I really don't want the voices to sound like Speed Racer (which they don't, but you know what I'm saying).

Rating: B+ (would have been an A- if the dubbing was better)

Batman Begins (A Film in Review)

I must be emo.

Things That I Loved About This Movie: This is by far, the smartest superhero movie ever made. The plot is what we in the geek business like to call "freaking genius!" Trust me, this makes pretty much every other superhero film feel like child's play. This is a really deep, dramatic, fun movie! That's right, I did actually use the words "deep and dramatic" in the same sentence as "fun". It is possible! Batman Begins proves that there is still alot of life in the superhero genre, if directors would only treat their source matieral as seriously as this one does. A must see, even if you aren't a fan of The Dark Knight.

Don't Believe Me?: Take a look at http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_begins/ See! The majority of critics loved it too. Which means... you should watch it. I'm lookin at you, Christine.

Rating: A- (a great movie! Watch it now!!)

Back at the Begginning (Its Been a Tough Week)

2007-06-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

Several blog entries ago, I made an entry about how I was going to nursing school and how it was going to be this great amazing life changing experience. I had basically convinced myself that this was the perfect carrer track for me, and how everything was just going to fall into place from there. Unfortuantely, reality strikes and situations forced me to double think the choices that I was making. Since yesterday, I am no longer a nursing student, and I really have no idea what I'm gonna do with myself.

Okay, for starters, I'm only sixteen years old! I have another few years to think about what I really want to do with my life, and just throwing myself into something without giving it much thought and consideration could have some major consequences. I just said to myself, "I can be a nurse", and that was how I made my decision. I didn't really think about whether sticking tubes into people's private areas was really what I wanted to do for a living. Sure, I could have gotten a different job in the medical field after being a nurse.. but I've never been too fond of hospitals. xD Maybe that was something I should have considered when I signed up for nursing school, the fact that I don't like the hospitals or medical facilities. Where was I coming from again?

Amen to that! Although, I'm not so sure I would have "loved" it.

I do have to say though, that being in the program for as little time as I did ended up being a worthwhile experience. It really did open my eyes to the real world, and I feel that I've matured quite a bit. But now I'm back to where I was before I entered nursing school, and I can't help but feel just a tad bit guility. Here I was thinking I was gonna be "Macho Nurse", and yet I chickened out (I didn't really, but this is the way I keep on seeing it) and didn't finish what I started. And now what am I supposed to do?

I guess I'll start up the normal college classes again, and maybe get into some acting program. The only issue I'm really having right now is the debate between what I really want to do, and what will eventually become profitable. I really want to do something involving the arts or acting, but their are so many chances of failure in that area that it could become nearly impossible to make a solid living. Yet.. I really want to do something along those lines. Maybe I should write books or something. *shrugs* I have alot of time to think about it. Maybe following my dreams is the best way to go? Or are they just "dreams". Will I really be happy when I'm broke and chasing something I can't possibly attain? *shrugs* I've got alot of time to think about it.

Doesn't look like I'll be walking down this hallway anytime soon. Unless of course, I get an ingrown toenail or something. xDD Sorry, couldn't help but throw that in there.

Anyways, I really don't want this post to be a complete downer. I'm feeling all right, and this experience has really made me think about what I want from my future. That is.. I'm not sure what I want from my future. :) Guess I'll just have to go with the flow of things for now, and keep my eyes open for new oppurtinites. Hope you all have a great day!

A Song That Describes Me (A Tag Response)

2007-06-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'm a bloody rock god.

So anyways, the other day I was on Christine's blog (a friend of mine, who is awesome by the way), and like all good Blogger friends should do, she tagged me with a topic I'm going to have a really hard time responding to. She left me with the challenge of "trying to find a song that best describes me" and to write an entry about it. And to her I respond: "It's gonna take alot more then one song to flesh me out."

xDD When translated into honesty, this means that "I really don't want to spend the time narrowing it down to one song, and it'll be less time consuming making it three." :) Unfortuantely, there wouldn't be any fun in that now would there. So I decided, after much consideration, to pick a song that had touched me in an honest and sincere way. It may not exactly describe who I am, bit it does describe something I eventually want out of my life. And that in and of itself is enough to catapault it to the top of my list!

I Want Love (by Elton John)

I want love, but its impossible
A man like me, so irresponsible
A man like me is dead in places
Other men feel liberated

I cant love, shot full of holes
Dont feel nothing, I just feel cold
Dont feel nothing, just old scars
Toughening up around my heart

But I want love, just a different kind
I want love, wont break me down
Wont brick me up, wont fence me in
I want a love, that dont mean a thing
Thats the love I want, I want love

I want love on my own terms
After everything Ive ever learned
Me, I carry too much baggage
Oh man Ive seen so much traffic

So bring it on, Ive been bruised
Dont give me love thats clean and smooth
Im ready for the rougher stuff
No sweet romance, Ive had enough

My reasons: This song really breaks my heart everytime I hear it. Even though I've never been in a real relationship with anyone as of yet (I am only sixteen), this song really speaks to me. It talks about having a real emotinal connection with someone, instead of just hiding behind deceptive romance. Or at least.. that's what I got out of it.

"Stuff That I've Watched, Read, or Done": Vol. 1

2007-06-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Your opinion sucks! Mine is better!

There comes a point in one's life where... you just feel like being a critic. So now, it's my great plesure to reveal to you, a new feature in my blog. "Stuff That I've Watched, Read, or Done" Volumes!! :) +Since I really don't have the time nor the patience to make seperate entries about all of the things I'm about to review, I decided to give you what is basically a bite-sized summary of my thoughts for each subject. Don't worry, it isn't all anime.... only most of it. xDD I'm sure Roger Ebert here would be proud.

Pan's Labyrinth (A Film in Review)

Welcome! My name is Willy Wonka! Welcome to my factory!

Things That I Liked About This Film: Oh god, where to begin! Easily one of the most orginal and visually inspired films I've seen in a very long time.

I"d like to clear this up for alot of people.. this is not a fantasy film! This is a war-time drama that just so happens to have elements of dark fantasy thrown in for flavor. The fantasy scenes only take up about thirty minutes of the entire film, which is a bit misleading if you've watched all of the commericals and ads for the movie.

Prepare to be depressed! By the time you've watched the last five minutes, you'll see the world a bit differently. I know I did.

Things I Didn't LIke About This Film: While the movie was basically brilliant, there were a scene I thought was unneccessary. When you've got a big CGI frog in the middle of what is otherwise a hauntingly realistic film, it completely takes you out of the moment. What were they thinking when they did that scene anyways? It didn't make much sense to me.

While this isn't really a complaint, I thought the brutal violence could have been toned down in a couple scenes. It really narrows the auidence down, since I do know a few people who wouldn't be able to tolerated watching a man's face get beaten in (quite literally). I like that Pan's Labyrinth didn't smooth any of it's sharp corners while presenting it's tale, but people who can't stand the sight of flowing blood need not apply. Which is unfortuante, because they'll be missing out on a really great piece of art.

Rating: A-

Emma (An Anime in Review)

Get outta my grill, yo!

Things I Liked About This Series: I really do love the Japanese! I've been watching anime pretty much non-stop for the last year or so, and they never cease to impress. You would never see anything like Emma realised in the United States, because we're still stuck in an "animation is either satire or kiddy shows" rut. This show proves that you can pull off a Dickens like tale in animation without a single compromise.

The characters are well developed, the story is interesting, and the love between the two main leads is like something you'd find out of an old 1940's style film. See! You can have a believable romance in animation! Now get crackin Disney. I can't stomach anymore of those "Chicken Little" leftovers you've been given me.

Things I Didn't Like About This Series: I do respect that the show takes it's time with developing the characters and the situations they currently find themselves in, but the series is rather slow paced. I really didn't mind that much, but I know a few people who will be turned off by it. :) To be completely honest, I would rather have believable characters then have to put up with another "fast-paced bang boom" anime. Those are getting old really fast.

The ending was not good.. at all. If I didn't know there was a sequel series to this, I would be pretty pissed. I don't want to give anything away, but the last episode was very dissapointing. Luckily, "Emma: Second Act" just got uploaded to Crunchyroll.com! Yaaaaaahhooooooo!

Rating: B

Epic Movie (A Film in Review)

Get it! It's just like the movie Scarface... only with a fawn! Hahahahahahahaha! *crickets chirp in background*

Things I Liked About This Movie: I laughed once. *shivers* I'm embarassed I even said that.

Things I Hate Hate Hated!! About This Movie: By now, you all know this movie is horrible. I mean, come on! Look at the trailer and all of the promotinal clips. Do I really need to tell you how bad this is? .... Actually, I didn't make it all the way through. My friend and I watched the first forty-five minutes and turned it off. If you know me, and how much I love my stupid comedies, this is not something that should have happened. But this isn't just a stupid comedy, it's so brain-dead that it's tragic.

Rating: D-

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?! (A Film in Review)

Marty! We need to travel Back to the Future. (Only major geeks will have gotten that.. because you know, the guy who plays the villian in Roger Rabbit is also the same guy who plays the professor in Back to the Future)

Things I Liked About This Movie: What's not to like? Who Framed Roger Rabbit is funny, hip, and just about everything else you'd want a movie of this type to be. It was also a huge breakthrough from a film perspective, making the animation/live-action sequences in Song of the South seem downright prehistoric. It's mind blowing just how believable the cartoons are when they're acting alongside the actual actors.

The icing on the cake? A piano duel between Daffy Duck and Donald Duck. Genius!

Things I Didn't Like About This Movie: Let's face it, this isn't a kids flick by any stretch. Heck, Jessica Rabbit should have boosted the rating to PG-13 all by herself. You have waaaaaayy too many sexual innuendos, far too many curse words, and far too many Jessica Rabbit jiggles to really qualify this as a family movie. While I personally found it all amusing, I'm sure many parents have not. I saw worse stuff when I was a kid.. but the fact that there's a Disneyland ride and lots of merchandise in Toontown may be a little misleading.

Rating: B+

Welcome to the Bi-Youth Nation

2007-06-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

In our culture, teenagers find themselves confroming to different kinds of personality and psychology traits just strictly because it's the popular thing to do within their group. Look around you and you'll see hundreds of kids morphing themselves into something they aren't, just to receive the attention and admiration of their peers. They do it because they feel they have to. It has become a bit of a social survival technique. Although, every so often this can actually deal more emotinal harm then good, and thus I come to the topic of this entry. Why, in such alarmingly massive numbers, have teenagers all of a sudden been stumbling out of the closest about their 'supposed' bi-sexuality. Is it because they're actually bi-sexual... or are they just seeking attention of other youths.

Within our youth culture, the new it thing is being "bi". Now maybe it's just because I'm young and haven't had much experience within the real world, but it seems like every other teenage girl I've talked to claims that she's bi-sexual. On top of that, most of their friends are either "bi" or have been converted into being "bi". Wanna talk about exposure! All of a sudden, you have all of your friends bragging about how great it is to be attracted to both genders. Now how is the typical teenage brain going to react: it conforms and adapts. Pretty soon, you've got a whole group of friends that have all decided that they're bi-sexual. It's really strange, and I've seen it happen a little more then I'd like.

Through peer pressure! Oh, the drama of Japanese school life! Although.. if you had watched the show, you would know this has very little to do with my actual topic. I just thought the image was funny! Haruhi is a cutie anyways.

Now, if you're completely for people being bi-sexual, this really shouldn't be a problem right? Well, I for one don't have a problem with people being either gay or bi-sexual. People should be able to choose what works for them, and that includes sexual preferences. That's not the point. The point I'm trying to make is when kids put themselves into a state of mind that isn't their own, but was created through the forces of peer pressure, you have a problem! You are what you are, and you shouldn't just jump into something because it's the new and hip thing to do. If you aren't gay and you aren't bi, then there is no reason why you should be. It's more healthy to be true to yourself and walk your own path then to hear girls giggle about you being "the hot bi".

I do believe that this sudden bi-wave is probably just a phase, and will eventually pass just like everything else. Their are some major negatives to going around bragging about how you swing both ways. As accepting or unaccepting as you think our society is, once someone says that they're "bi-sexual", a massive amount of assumptions will be made about you. Do they really want that? Do teenagers even bother to think about this part of the deal? Do they bother to ponder what emotinal baggage playfully dabbling in this kind of stuff can cause? How many of them are actually bi-sexual? If you want my humble opinion, probably less then you think.

I would like to state once again that I'm not against any sexual preferences. Whatever floats your boat is fine by me. Just stay true to who you are, and not what the current social "it" is hinting towards. You may just end up trapped in something that you may later regret.

Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End (A Film in Review)

2007-05-27T16:50:00.001-07:00

Captain Jack Sparrow returns for another action-packed sea voyage in Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End, the third (and hopefully final) entry in the Pirates of the Carribean saga. I'll just go out and say it, the first Pirates one of the best times I had seeing a movie. Not necessairly because of the content, or even because of Johnny Depp's peformance, but because no one knew what to expect from it. There were no expectations of what the film should be like. Everyone was on the same page when "The Curse of the Black Pearl" opened, and it ended up being one of the most orginal action-films ever made. Outside of Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Carribean had vibe that was distinictly its own, mixing your typical pirate swash-buckler with the supernatural elements found in the Disneyland attractions. Completely fresh and unexpected, Pirates was the surprise hit of the decade. I couldn't wait to see how the sequels were going to turn out.

Arrrrr! Even ol' trusty Johnny Depp seems bland in this sea voyage. Make him scrub the planks, I say!

Now four years later, I could care less if they make another Pirates movie. It feels exactly like every other piece of Hollywood garbage being produced. There's nothing fresh or new in "At World's End", it feels exactly like the first film, just with an overly dramatic story and a script that's in desperate need of a few rewrites. Who wrote some of this stuff! Who decided that (insert one of the several strange scenarios you'll find in "At World's End" here) was a good idea! Why does this series have to become this grand sweeping adventure epic, when what we loved about the first film was the characters and humor? We didn't flock to see "Curse of the Black Pearl" because of the amazing special effects or the incredibly stretched out sword-fights. We went to go see the first film because it made us laugh! I want Pirates to make me laugh again, I could care less about Davy Jones (Darth Vader) or the West India Trading Company (the Empire) or William Turner and his daddy issues (Luke Skywalker). This isn't Star Wars, this is Pirates of the Carribean! Aka: The Funny Johnny Depp Druken Pirate Adventure

To be quite fair, there were a few things I liked about this movie. The special effects were superb, the acting was reasonably good, and the final battle was really mind blowing. But wait... I think I've seen this movie somewhere before.

*Goffy performance by Johnny Depp: check!
*Constant switching of sides made by crew: check!
*Funny parrot that speaks everyone's mind: check!
*Pirate guy with the funny eye... oh forget it!

Keira Knightly is cuuuuttteeee in this movie! 0_0 No words can describe.

In other words, everything that's amusing in this film was three times better in the orginal. Save your money and watch "Curse of the Black Pearl" another dozen times. If you've just gotta see how the entire story comes together, then you're probably going to see this anyways. Don't say I didn't try to warn you.

Not a bad movie by any stretch, just a bland and uninspired one. Unless Disney seriously improves their game plan, we're no doubt in for more generic Pirate sequels. Arrrrrrr! Captain Kaleb says: "All carbon copies should walk the plank!" I'm almost begginning to hope this is the "End" of the Pirates franchise.

RIP: Pirates of the Carribean

It was fun, until you got all serious 'trilogy' on me. I liked you better when you were yourself, not when you were trying to be like big brother 'Star Wars'. Swish down another dozen bottles of rum, an' get back to bein' an ol' drunken sailor you miserable pup!

Rating: C+

Is There Truly a Soul?

2007-05-13T20:22:00.001-07:00

A question that pops up very rarely in my mind, but one that I find both disturbing and intriguing: Is there really such a thing as a soul? The concept is unproveable, there is no real scientific evidence that suggest such a thing exists. And if it does exist.. what is it exactly? Some people believe it to be the pure esecence of the human being, while others believe it to be the life force that merely sparks the body into motion. Then there are those who choose to believe that the soul is merely a symbol, that all of those life sparks and spirtual feelings of enlightenment are all just linked into our biological structure. There are some rather convincing arguments, and it's really making me think about the subject.

When religion first started sprouting all around this great world of ours, people were trying to find an explanation to why they were here. And more importantly, why do they have the emotions that they do. Emotions that go way beyond that of your average animal. We have feelings that animals do not; we're smarter then the animals. Of course, these people didn't have the modern sciences and techniques that we do, so they invent the concept of the soul. A being inside of us that creates our complex emotions and brain processes, something that would live on long after our human shells would begin to decay. They had no other explanation! They didn't have the technology to know that all of our emotions, fears, and beliefs are all just embeded into our minds. How could they? All they saw was a big lump of grey mass.

All of us need an explanation of the unknown, and when we don't, we begin making up all sorts of things that may merely be speculations. Is this true with spirtis and souls as well? What if when we die, our whole being just ceases to be. Once the brain shuts down, all thoughts and memory of who you were would no longer exist. So does the soul perserve these memories, or do we just pass on with no clue of who we were or where we came from? When we die, is it truly the end? If so... maybe we should live every moment to its fullest, instead of worrying about what will happen when we pass on. I'm not saying that having a spirtual life is a bad thing.. infact it's one of the things I've been trying to improve on within myself. I just find it intriguing just how much we don't know. How much is still a mystery. Where do you think we go when we die?

Mu-Mu-Muh-Make Up Exam!!!!!!!

2007-05-13T20:21:00.002-07:00

Hola, my loyal readers! I haven't been updating my blog much recently, but it's for a good reason. School is offically working me to the bone! Not in a bad way, of course.. but it has been rather exhausting. Lots of homework assignments, tons of terms to hammer down, and at least a few gallons of new concepts poured on top of it all. So right now I'm just going to try and relax.. while lifting a three-way blog update. :) Makin up for lost time, that's what I call it.

There have been a few shockers though. One of them of course being the fact that I... kind of failed my very first test. I'm not sure if any of you know, but I am perhaps one of the world's worst test takers. Getting nervous isn't even the begginning of it.. I start double guessing myself. I ended up flunking what was a pretty basic math test. There was something more to it then just "exam jitters" though. I got a little cocky, and assumed I knew all of the matieral when what I really needed to do was go over it at least a few more times. I started giving my answers in decimal form even though I was supposed to give them in fraction form and.. it just became a mess. One of the big "whooops, I should have payed more attention" moments was when I got the test back and realised that I was only supposed to round to the tenth spot on the 'decimal division' problems. *sigh*

Luckily, we did have a make-up exam! Nearly half the class failed the exam, so that made me feel a tad-bit better. I was sorta depressed for the couple days before the make-up exam though. Feelings of bitterness aren't common in my day to day life, but I just couldn't help it. It was such a huge change for me, actually having to put all of my heart and soul into something in order to achieve my goals. I'm more used to things being given to me a silver platter :) Not that I'm spolied of course, but I'm used to a more laid-back comfortable kind of living. This has already been a great learning experience for me, but we'll just have to see whether I truly learned anything based on next Monday's test. I just know I'm going to do better this time. Now I'm prepared for what's ahead of me, and I know that one little smudge isn't going to keep me from painting the bigger picture of my future. Here's hoping for near honor student status coming up in the next couple months! That's my current goal at the moment, and I sure hope it doesn't slip through my fingers again.

I managed to pass the make-up exam with flying colors, even though the maximum amount of points we can receive is 75. xDD That made me feel a little better, but I'm still pretty dissapointed. Wish me luck!

Fantasy: The World's Greatest Form of Escapism

2007-05-13T20:20:00.002-07:00

I find it fascinating that we as a race seem to have a universal love of fantasty and fiction. When you think about it on the purest and simplest levels, you would think we'd have grown past becoming emotinally connected and invovled with stories that don't even exist in the planes of reality. Why are we even interested about what happens to Frodo and Sam? Why do I care if Luke gets blown up along with the Death Star? And why oh why do I get all misty eyed during the last few episodes of Eureka Seven? They are cartoon characters after all, and really have nothing to do with my real life and day to day activites. Yet we feel concern, sympathy, even emotion when we invovle ourselves with a story that we truly love. But why? Wouldn't we much rather be improving our lives through activity, instead of diving into a creation of pure imagination with no truth and no 'real' substance.

The real truth is, we need fantasty to escape. When the waves of reality come crashing down around us, and there's no shelter in sight, what keeps you going? The belief that things will be better, and the image we create mentally to help us through the storm. We all have an ideal image of what life should be like in our minds, and that is usually what keeps us stumbling forward. The hope that some day we may be able to attain that kind of life, and watch as all our burdens drift away like grains of sand into the ocean. We no longer notice them, even though the problems and issues are still there. You've become bigger then the problems, solving everything with a cool head and a kind hearted determination. Is this not a form of fantasy?

We begin formulating scenarios and possibilites in our heads of what our lives or what the future may hold. Ultimately, thanks to our ever clever human nature, we inadvertently create stories for ourselves. Despite the fact that it's purely fantasy, the emotions attached to it can be very real. Mentally visualising how loved ones may eventually leave you, or how you might find true love at an anime convention (xDDDD okay, that one is mine) can cause a wall of feelings to wash over you. That's why when someone else's story is unraveling in front of us, in the forms of film or novels, we immediatelly connect to it. Because the emotions and thoughts of the stories creator appeals to all of us. We need the fantasy to block out the bad things, even if only for a few moments.

We connect to it because of an undeniable need to get away from it all. We want to see how that figment of imagination is doing in his little world, because we have a desire to participate in a scenario that has nothing to do with us or our lives. We want to see how someone else deals with issues, we want to see how the world around him changes because of his actions, we want to see if everything turns out well for him in the end.

Think of the limitations modern society would have if it wasn't for the imaginations of scientists and inventors. We wouldn't have any sort of robotics, we wouldn't have television, heck we wouldn't even have the light bulb. Wired into us from birth, human kinds hunger for fantasy triggers our imagination. Its lead us to the moon and back, and there's a very real possibility that it'll take us much further then that.

What I Learned From My Mother

2007-05-13T20:20:00.001-07:00

In honor of Mother's Day, it's my duty as an honorable American boy to say just how fantastic my mother really is. When I was young and needed emotianl support, who was there for me? Mom. With warm little nothings that could put even the most excessively hyper beast back into its pen. Every time I think about her singing "You Are My Sunshine", my heart literally melts. No matter how hard I was crying or how upset I was, hearing her sing that melody always calmed me down. Through the best of times, through the worst of times.

I really can't help but admire her spirit. She may be a bit on the paranoid side, but she also has an amazing sparking energy that never ceases to let up. Even when she's depressed, even when she's pissed, the energy never goes away. It's like an honest life force shining through everything. The situation around me may be completely black with no end in sight, but when my mother is around she's like my light of hope. Everything brightens up, and I'm finally able to see my path once again.

I'm not saying that my mother is perfect by any stretch, she is a human being afterall. She is, however, the one who conceived and raised me from an infant into the man I've become today. Just for that alone, I am forever thankful, and forever loving. :) Love you, mom!

- Happy Mother's Day

Blogging: Can't Think of Anything Thoughtful to Say

2007-05-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

It was going to happen at some point ladies and gentlemen, I have offically run out of blog ideas. I've talked about religion, I've talked about my interests, I've been reviewing movies, I've talked about my personal life.. and now I can't think of anything else to talk about. Here I am, wanting to update my blog like crazy, and stuff just isn't coming. My brain needs to fire itself up, because I'm sure not coming up with anything inventive and or interesting to say. xDD Unless of course you count that 'Karin' review, which was pretty good, if I may say so myself.

On a completely different note, the weather next week says 'Pirates' will once again invade ciniplexes with mediocre critical response but with outstanding ticket sales. Proof once again that a film doesn't have to be quality to make a billion.

Maybe I should come up with a plan. Yeah, that'll work! Every week I'll write down a new topic that I can talk about, and I can do research on it and state my opinion! ....... You know, if I had the time or the energy to do research outside of school. *sigh* Maybe I should write one of those "Support Our Troops" entries. Everyone loves those (I don't have a good mind for politics)!

This isn't really getting me anywhere, so I'll just leave it at this. May The Geek Be With You, and leave your comment at the beep. *beep*

Karin (An Anime in Review)

2007-05-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

This was quite a surprise. An anime series that has yet to hit the United States, has only been produced here in manga form, and has little-to-no fanbase. The surprising part.. the show was actually good! Sure, it isn't the next Eureka Seven or Fullmetal Alchemist, but it isn't trying to be. What you have here is a cute romantic comedy about two teenagers falling in love and dealing with the inevitable complications that there relationship will lead them to. It doesn't help matters that the girl just so happens to be a vampire capable of roaming about in the sunlight, while everyone in her family (not counting her younger sister Anju) must live the rest of their lives in the shadows. Actually.. calling Karin a vampire is technically incorrect. She's a special breed of vampire whose blood increases, a blood-maker. Being a blood-maker means that she can live outside in the sunlight and participate in social activites like most normal teenage girls.. with a catch. Her surplus blood must be injected into humans through vampire bites, otherwise an ungodly amount of plasma rushes straight out of her nose like a rocket! What's a girl to do?

Despite how crude the show sounds by my brief description above (I try my best), it's actually really really cute! The relationship between Karin and the mortal Usui-kun makes for great entertainment, and the situations don't fall prey to the typical anime cliches that often plague this kind of animation. Sure, you still have the usual character archetypes and guidelines that are usually connected to romantic stories, but the fantasy/vampire angle helps to keep the show from striding into "been there, done that" territory. It is a story about a blood spewing vampire after all! How much more creative can you get?!

This show knows that vampires are cool, and even though the cast is generally lovable, there are still several vampirc horror moments. None of it is particularly scary or even threatening, but it adds an extra 'bite' to the series. Get it? Bite! xDD I'm so clever.

The episode quality is rather consistent when compared to other animated comedies, which have the tendency to be a bit more 'scatter gun' as far as script quality are concerned. Here, every episode is just about as good as the last, making the whole package very engaging and often hysterical. Of course, there is one exception... the dreadful and completely out of place Episode 18! I don't wanna discuss what happened in that episode, I don't wanna remember how it ruined my perception of possibly the coolest character on the show, I'm just going to pretend it DOESN'T EXIST! Get it, got it, good!

There are just soo many cute and memorable moments sprinkled around this little candy bar, that it's hard to imagine anyone who could truly hate it. Sure, it doesn't have the mind-blowing impact or lasting value of a show like Fullmetal Alchemist, but its characters feel so fresh and true that I couldn't help but fall for it. The story won't change your life or the view of the world around you, but that's not what romantic comedies are about. Comedies are about kicking back after a hard day's work and laughing at someone else who's in a deeper and more amusing pit of hell then you're currently in. Observing it for what it's meant to be, the show is top-notch entertainment. But that doesn't mean that I don't have a few issues with it.

Flaw 1: It isn't genetically possible for someone's eyes to be that freaking big! Did she get eye implants or something?

*sigh* Those Japanese anime writers and their dirty minds. This is one of the cleaner anime comedies I've seen so far, but don't be surprised when you slam into the inevitable "how'd you get so stacked" one-liner. In another show, I would have accepted such dialouge, but when it's used here it just feels contrivied and out of place. It was funny the first time they commented on her bra size.. but after that it gets old. Not to mention the two rather awkward bath conversation scenes near the end of the series. There is nothing here that's particularly offensive (especially for anime fans), but it takes away from the overall class of the show. 0_0 Don't even get me started on the show's intro.

Another thing to note is that, and this doesn't happen often mind you, sometimes the series' fantasy elements feel a little out of place. One particular note is a swashbuckling Highlander-ish fight that unfolds a few episodes before the show's conclusion It was just too much for me to take! I can accept all the other crazy stuff that happens, but when it comes to a nearly Matrix like swordfight, you know that section needed a rewrite. It just doesn't fit with the overall tone, and feels just a little tacked on. There are a few other scenes that I can vaguely remember, but I think you get the idea. There is some camp invovled (surprise! It's animated! duh!).

Flaw 2: Why oh why do the anime characters have it so easy in terms of love! It's not fair! *sniffle sniffle*

On the whole, this is a fine choice for your anime viewing attention. :) If you're addicted to sweets like me, make that about an hour every night before you go to sleep. It's that cute! Long live Karin, and pray that there'll be a second season (it has been hinted at)!!

Rating: B+

Le Update on Le School

2007-05-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, the first week of nursing school is now offically over! Only another fourteen months until I can go out and work as an LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse), and make a minor amount of green. But of course that isn't the important part of the job.. the important thing is that I'll be helping sick people to recovery. It's going to take alot of adjusting and effort, but eventually I think I'll be a really awesome nurse! Honestly, I'm gonna rock the house.. or rock the hospital.. or care center... or whatever. The point is, the more and more I'm studying into this field, the more I realise that this is gonna be one rewarding job. There are going to be days where it'll be complete and utter choas, but that's going to happen no matter which carrer path I tromp down. *squeals* Can't wait until I graduate!

Let me tell you though, the study load is really hefty. You basically go to school, go straight home, complete all your homework, maybe get an hour of anime and video games in, and go to bed. xDD Which isn't too bad now that I think about it, but to me it's like being thrown to the sharks. I'm not used to this kind of schedule, especially because I hadn't been to college sense the begginning of last semester. So yeah, I basically had a couple months there where I didn't have any real goals set until the nursing program started. Luckily, it's giving me a quick kick in the motivator!

Photobucket is truly an awesome site. *sigh* I remember Pokemon. So many hundreds of dollars wasted on collectible toys that I never used. I want my nine-hundred bucks back!

One thing that I did find surprising was that we've been doing alot of math. The first couple days were basically nothing but math, which wasn't quite what I was expecting. It's completely understandable though, because they want to get the basics out of the way before they actually go and teach you all of the patient stuff. I have heard quite a few interesting stories from our teacher though... vomit is very common in this field 0_0

I feel pretty exhausted right now, but in a good way! I just spend the week studying, and luckily the class has Friday off. Yay! Gives me more time to study for the test that's coming up. *stands tall and proud* I did score one-hundred percent on my first quiz. *nods* I want to try and keep my grade point average around that level even if I have to sacrifice watching those Emma episodes (the latest anime series that I've been watching). So until next time people.. MAY THE GEEK BE WITH YOU! *bows and exits stage left*

The Revenge of the Needle

2007-05-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

Well, the nursing program is going to start this Monday. You can't believe how excited I am about this!! I am literally off the walls freaking out over here! After what seemed like forever, I'll finally be doing something meaningful and pull my life in an interesting new direction.. you know, outside of anime. But joining the wonderful world of nursing also means that I'll have to get certain immunites to particular diseases, which of course means that I have to visit the doctor once again. Exciting.. I know.

It was a somewhat interesting experience though, since I'm seeing hospitals and other medical facilities from a whole new perspective. Someday, I'll end up working at one of these places, so I better get used to the atmosphere now. They're really neat actually. You've got a bunch of guys running around treating patients, comforting the sick, and even preparing families for the possibility of death (okay, that part isn't so neat). Nurses are an important piece in the medical puzzle, and being in the place where the action happens was thought provoking. I didn't see anything particularly interesting, but there was something enlightening about seeing what may become one of my homes away from home in the following years.

I remember that line! Wow.. I'm having flashbacks to my childhood now. *wipes away a tear*

After one generally painless shot and some drawn blood, I have learned to know the needle.. you must first fear it! xDDD Sure, I'll be just fine if I ever have to inject somone with a needle, but if I'm on the receiving end of one of those things 0_0 I'll take it, but my face will turn beet red in the process. I am what we in the medical field call "The iPod Patient." With ear-buds placed firmly in each ear, I can just pretend I'm at home not getting a shot. :) There's nothing quite like hearing the song "Candy Pop" while someone is sticking a needle into your arm. *hums along* I really don't understand why I love that song, it's really cheesy and overproduced pop song. Catchy though (wow, that was off topic).

Guess what?! Tomorrow, they're gonna stick me with even more needles. *applause sounds in the background* Until tomorrow comes, I intend to spend my time reading, writing, and watching anime! May the Geek Be With You.

I just couldn't help but think this funny. That's me, the student nurse! *squeals*

Spider-Man 3 Review

2007-05-04T19:21:00.002-07:00

Well, summer is almost upon us! And us movie geeks knows what that means... The Season of Generic Sequels is upon us! To be entirely honest, I was dreading the results of this film. After hearing so much negative buzz right before the film's release, I was almost certain that the entire thing was going to be one big giant train wreck. Either that or it was going to be another half-assed attempt by Hollywood to farm every last dollar they could from a franchise that would have been better off being left alone (example: Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest). I sat down in my local multiplex, and braced myself for the worst. Afterall, the last super hero film I had the displeasure to digest (X-Men 3: The Last Stand) left me feeling so empty and utterly dissapointed that I couldn't help but distrust nearly every sequel before I actually sit down and watch it.

This film really caught me by surprise... it didn't suck! But was it a great movie? No! It is filled with a laundry lists of flaws, many of which were clearly present in the last two films of the series. So if you didn't mind the average acting and completely unbelievable feats of gravity defying action the first time around, you won't notice it here either. Which brings us to one of the other questions that everyone has been asking about Spider-Man 3.. is it as good as the first two? Well, you'll just have to keep on reading to find out, won't cha?

First thing I would like to point out is that this is a considerably darker film then the first two, well deserving of its PG-13 rating. They never show anything particularly graphic or bloody, but the violence has been ramped up quite a bit. One thing to note is Spider-man's sudden shift in personality which effects his actions a good portion of the picture's 2 1/2 hour running time. I could see kids being slightly disturbed by the fact that Peter Parker is all of a sudden slamming people violently up against walls and wrecking havoc around New York City. Spider-man is back to normal by the film's conclusion, but I couldn't help but feel just a tad sad for the parents who brought their younger kids to go see it. This isn't a film designed with especially young children in mind, and I thought it was weird just how many five and six year old kids were in the theatre. Not so nice when you a hear toddler softly crying in the very back while you're trying to get emotinally involed with the story. Parents, be aware of the content in Spider-man 3 before you take your tyke! It gets just a tad scary, especially in the Venom/Eddie Brock church scene, where Brock seeking revenge turns into something truly ugly (more on that later)!

If he was this cool throughout the whole film, this would be one of the top movies of the summer. Unfortuantely, he's played by The 70's Show's Topher Grace. Doh!

Besides the clear shifts in tone, this is a Spider-man movie through and through. From the opening credits to the music, everything here feels authentic to the mythos that the first two films so clearly defined. You have your high-flying web-slinging antics, you have your slightly corny yet undeniably sweet romantic dialouge, and the usual mix of drama with superhero camp. What Spider-man 3 does is deliver everything that you come to expect from the series, but gives you three times more of it. Three times the villans, three times the drama, and three times the camp factor! Unfortuantely, the actual quality of the matieral is a real mixed bag.

I personally think more elements of the film should have been left underwraps. Imagine how awesome it would have been if we didn't know that Venom was in the film. I would have passed out in the theatre (probably not.. but you get my point).

Any review of Spider-Man 3 can't go without saying how dissaponting the villans were. Even though they're completely fleshed out and have understandable motives, they lack any kind of real menace. A severe case of mis-casting, giving such important adversary roles as Venom to the one and only.... Topher Grace from That 70's Show? You've gotta be kidding me right?! I think I have more menace in my left pinky then 'Eric Foreman' does! Why didn't it get cast in the role! Same goes for the Sandman... maybe a better title for him would be Can't-Act-Man. Impressive sand effects aside, his entire role felt rather tacked on to just throw another super villan into the frey. Is it really necessary to have three of them? Quality over quantity, my dear director. The only real redeeming factors of these two is the fact that.. well... they have cool visual effects embedded in their very souls! xD Just needed to say something postive here.

The real core of the story, however, is just as strong as it was in Spider-Man 2. Peter Parker is still your average neighbor Spider-Man, building up the courage to ask the love of his life (Mary Jane Watson) to marry him. Unfortuantely, things don't go so hot, and they start having issues. Major issues! I'm not going to leak any spoliers here, but let's just say that the reapperance of Harry Osbourne and a certain alien blob from outer space turns their entire world upside down. There are quite a few surprises along the way, so don't go in expecting the same ol' story, same ol' song and dance (Kirsten Dunst actually sings twice in the film.. random fact of the week). Infact, the plot often veered itself into directions I didn't expect, which for long time Spidey-fans is either going to ratchet up the tension... or cause them all to rise up and write director Sam Raimi some very angry hate mail! I personally found it all rather entertaining, but I've read many reviews from people how have thought differently. Personally, I feel I must applaud the filmmakers for trying something orginal instead of rehasing the orginals. In an age of uninspired sequels, this one at least has the guts to create something unique.

Holy towering mass of sand Spider-Man! Are we running out of villian ideas or what?!

Something that has really bugs me about these movies, but is something that everyone else seems to pass by... is the overall quality of the acting. The main cast delivers some decent performances, but most of the supporting characters are mostly unbelievable and overdrawn. I know it's a comic book movie, but we as audiences have grown up since the orginal Spider-man. There have been superhero films (like Batman Begins) that are not only great pieces of popcorn entertainment, but also deliver characters and scenarios that actually feel like they could exist in the real world, regardless of how ridicoulous they sound on paper. And that was mostly because the actors took their roles seriously, instead of camping it up because it's just another "superhero movie." The most obvious instance of this is when Topher Grace is in the church asking God to "Please, kill Peter Parker!" What could have been a really powerful and emotinal scene ends up falling flat because Mr. Grace is hamming it up so much that it seems more like he's auditioning for a play then asking The Lord to commit an act of unspeakable evil.

This acting problem even glistens through some of the scenes between Peter and MJ. Much like the orginal films, these are really quite sweet.. but they can also feel quite awkward and artifical. It doesn't happen on a frequent basis, but occasionally they'll say something that just sounds ridiculous or forced. I can't quite explain why I felt this way.. but something bothered me about some of the dialouge. It didn't feel natural, it didn't flow at times. But again, I felt that way about the first two movies. So if you're a fan of the series thus far, you'll find very little to complain about. The acting isn't terrible, it just didn't meet the potential I would expect from the last chapter of a comic book epic.

Despite all my complaing, Spider-Man 3 was still pretty decent!

What is so surprising is that besides all of its flaws, Spider-Man 3 manages to be an entertaining flick. The plot is very engaging, and the main characters are just as endearing and memorable as they were before. The action is exciting, the turns are surprising enough to keep your interest, and the ending is completely and utterly upsurd. Just to express how silly this conclusion feels without leaking spoliers.. I'll just say it's about the equivalence of getting the crap beat out of you by a bully. You decide not to turn the other way, and you decide to kick his butt! Then the bully gets all weepy-eyed, which makes you feel bad and you start to get weepy eyed. You both have a big hug, and you forgive the bully for all that horrid torture he put you through...... Yeah. Not the most inspired or imaginative ending in the world. Which is a shame, because the build-up was pretty intense.

So how did I feel after leaving the theatre? I'll just say that I left feeling satisfied and entertained, and isn't that what going to the movies is all about? It won't be winning any awards, and some fans will hate it, but I still think it is one of the most orginal sequels I've seen in a very long time. Not a great movie, not even a particularly well-structured movie, but still a worthy popcorn flick that most Spidey-fans will enjoy. Worth the price of admission, but not the best fly in the spider's web.

Rating: B-

Old Family Memories

2007-04-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

You know when you look through the old photo albums or video tapes from about ten years back and you rediscover those old memories that you had since forgotten? Little bits and pieces of your childhood slowly coming back to you the more and more you watch or examine. Old houses, old hairstyles, old people, all the things that had slowly disappeared as time swept forward. That's why things like video recording devices and photos can seem trivial, but are ultimately necessary instrumentss in keeping said memories intact. Who wants to forget those crazy Disneyland trips anyways? Not me!

Mom was going through the old family videos today, trying to find our tape that chronicled our first trip to Hawaii. After going through nearly a dozen little time capsules (when put together they span about eight years, with a few jumps), we had no luck finding the one containing our Hawaii vacation. Which was a bummer, sincewe're going to be taking another trip to Hawaii starting this Saturday, and it would have been wild watching the old then recording the new. xD I really can't wait.. but that's besides the point.

We ended up watching bits from each of the tapes, which was really weird. Dad looked really really freaky with a moustache! I was, on the whole, perhaps the cutest baby you could possibly think of. :) Or at least I think so.. but then again, I could be a little bit biased on that account. After a few minutes, nearly the entire family parked themselves in front of the TV, completely engaged in past activites and events. It was just reeeeaaally trippy for some reason, kind of like time travelling through the television set.

After an hour or two, I decided to bust out the ol' DVD Camera and start recording some random stuff around the house. After all, we did have a couple empty discs, and what else were we going to record on them? No time better the present, that was my current motto. And thus began my quest to annoy everyone around the house with my video camera (technically it's mom's camera, but she always lets me use it). It was really silly and quite pointless, but I'm sure ten years down the line it'll be just as trippy and enjoyable as all the other video's of our family we've been accumilating over the years. Then a cool thought struck me.

Wouldn't it be neat if for every week, I had managed to record one disc's worth of video? You could start all the way from the begginning, and watch straight through an entire year almost like a television series. Mind you, at some points in my life I would have to skip weeks, but it's a really cool concept. The discs aren't too expensive, and it doesn't suck up that much time at all (it only takes thirty minutes to fill up an entire disc). Some kind of bizarre little treat to keep for myself, and maybe eventually I could share it with my kids. xD Of course, they probably wouldn't care.. but I will.

So I would like to dedicate this blog entry to the video camera, one of the world's coolest electronic devices. :) I'll keep you all posted if I do actually decide to record my life one disc at a time.. but I doubt it. It was just a really cool thought that I felt like sharing with the world. =) May The Geek Be With You!

Blending a video camera?! You've gotta be kidding right?

Peaceful Quiet

2007-04-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

Life is one enormous roller coaster ride of emotions, and not having a moment of peace makes it even more difficult to hold on. I haven't had much to do over the last couple weeks, so I've been trying my hand at spirtuality, with some rather interesting results. What I find fascinating is that when I put aside just a few moments to pray every morning , I feel more motivated and active throughout the course of the day then if I didn't pray. While I pray, I tend to focus on the things that are good in my life, thus placing me in a more postive active state of mind. Which, needless to say, is quite awesome!

I put aside my own time to communicate with whatever is out there, and a surreal kind of change occasionally happens. My emotions seems to balance out, and alot of the harder edged emotions that pop-up frequently in my day to day life feel considerably dulled. I still have the emotions, and I'm still not the world's perfect man, but praying seems to help a little more then I was expecting. Truly a great way to begin and end each day! There is a kind of peaceful quiet that envelopes me, if only for a few minutes. Still, that moment of serenity really helps when I know the day is going to be a little harsher then usual, or when I just want to give my thanks for what will no doubt be a great day around the Playstation. :) I'm very thankful for my Playstation.

What a Twist!! Something that has nothing to do with the rest of the entry!

The freedom of conversation is invigorating, since I can say things to God that I have great diffculty speaking about to other people. If I feel guilty or hurt about anything, the option to pray usually comes to mind. So I kneel in front of my bed, and have a silent conversation with my God. Thinking patterns seem to gradualy clear up the more emotions I let out, leaving my body feel like a clean slate. There is a promise that today will be better then tommorrow, because I have the will and integrity to make it so.

Was it an instant cure to all of my life problems? Nope! My room is still a mess, and I still haven't gotten around to cleaning my bathroom. You can still find me staring at my computer instead of engaging in more fulfilling real life situations with *gasp* REAL PEOPLE! What it has provided me with though, is a rough foundation for a better tomorrow. So here's to the future, and it's many oppurtinites! May The Geek Be With You!

A Path Few Tread

2007-04-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple days, I've been trying to find new ways to improve myself little by little. In order to thrieve in this world, you must first find balance within yourself.. or so I keep telling myself. On the whole, I'm a pretty calm guy. On the rare ocassion that I actually do get angry, the guilt usually outweighs the sudden burst of negative energy, casting me back into the middle again. Still, finding little ways to improve myself is going to end up being a very beneficial process.. just as long as I don't get frusturated and give up right when I'm starting to get somewhere.

I'm just realising that fixing bad habits is alot more difficult then it sounds. All of those wasted moments where I think about doing something actually could be used towards (dare I say it) doing something. That's not to say that I don't engage in activity on a frequent basis, but there is a massive room there that could use some improving. So why not liven it up with some wallpaper and some furniture?

Alright, so my new life goal right now is just to improve. What do I need to improve? Everything that I can (that won't drive me insane in the process)! With that, I bid you all good day. May The Geek Be With You!

An AMV from one of my favorite anime shows, Azumanga Daioh!

SCR: The Best Years of My Life Thus Far (Part 2)

2007-04-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well, a few days I made the first part of what will be a little mini-series of entries talking about my time at SCR. This will hopefully become a trend with my new blog entries, since I want to talk alot about my own life and not just about my current geek interests. After all, it is "The Journey of a Geek", not just "The Geek".

Once I had finished my acting classes with Joe (for those of you just tuning in, one of my acting instructors), I decided to auditon for a program called the Junior Players. Quite a bit more advanced then the usual lessons, Junior Players was a group that not only included the typical classroom lessons that were common at South Coast, but also invovled the students in an actual play. This of course meant, actually performing in front of an audience that consisted of more then just your friends and family. That was what really tickled my fancy! I wanted to know what that was like, and whether I would actually be able to compose myself within that context. So I auditioned.. with a scene from Jurassic Park. If I was a little more experienced and maybe a little bit older, I would have auditioned with something else. What was really shocking was that... they liked it! They were laughing along with me!

If you've seen the movie Jurassic Park, there's this scene in the begginning where John Hammond is introducing them to the museum tour, which includes a rather silly Disneyland-ish video invovling an animated DNA strand presenting the concepts of cloning. I was the DNA strand! And they loved it for some reason. They did ask me to do it again with a different mindset, which kind of freaked me out. I learned later that they will do this to you everytime you audition for anything, not because you did anything particularly wrong, but because they want to test you. See how you react to new situations and new territory. So I went in with the new directions they gave (they asked me to play it seriously), and I nailed it!

For the next few days, my soul was off in the heavens somewhere. You could probably see me prancing about the house in anticipation, waiting for them to call back with the news. I kept reminding myself that there were probably twenty other kids who went in there with Shakesphere, and the chances of them picking the dweeb with the Jurassic Park audition wasn't very good. Much to my surprise, they called back with not only news, but good news! I got accepted into that year's "SCR Junior Players." If you could've seen me face, it was probably complete and utter shock mixed with a rush of nirvana. I actually made it! It was like... winning the lottery to my little twelve year old mind. You know what the coolest thing was? I didn't have to study! I already had the entire movie down in my head from repeated geek charged viewings Oh yeeeeeaaaaahhh, I felt like the man.

Nothing could prepare me for the unusual experience that went by the name of "Junior Players".. but that will have to wait till next time. For now, this old hermit needs to read more Bleach volumes and finish Eureka Seven. May The Geek Be With You!

Weird Al being his typical song spoofing movie lapooning self.

Eragon Review

2007-04-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

Talk about dissapointing. Ever since I heard they were going to make an Eragon movie, I was having 'Geek Attacks' all over the place. Even though the book was completely unorginal, it still had a ton of scenes and themes that would make an outstanding movie. Just thinking about how the movie might handle such concepts as Eragon's first true communication with his dragon got me all excited. This could have been the next Harry Potter! So what happened? The movie sucked, that's what happened.

I don't know who wrote or directed this piece of garbage, but they need to be fired. The entire film lacks any sort of visual inspiration, and I think this is mostly to blame for the studio picking up a newbie director to take charge of the movie. The guy hasn't directed a Hollywood film before, is it really worth the gamble giving something with so much possibility to a complete unknown? If the studio even cared how the film was going to turn out, they would have actually searched for someone with the directing skills to handle a grand fantasy picture. Of course.. they didn't even bother, and the movie suffers for it.

Don't get me wrong, even a talented director would have a hard time making anything out of this screenplay. I understand that you have to take liberties when adapating a book to screen, but this is just absurd. The only thing the book and film have in common is the names of the characters and maybe the first twenty minutes of the movie (but barely). That's it! None of the touching themes or interesting concepts that made the book such a hit made it in this big-screen adaptation. What's left is what feels like a bad Star Wars rip-off set in Middle-Earth. They might as well have changed the title of the movie, because Eragon fans will be ticked after seeing this. I sure was, and I didn't even finish the entire book!

I couldn't have put it better myself, Action Figure Man!

One of my favorite examples of how the screenplay utterly ruined its source matieral was in Saphira's (the dragon) first flight. In the book, it takes a while for the dragon to completely mature. In the film, she just swoops up into the sky for a minute, then comes crashing back down as a full blown dragon. To make it even cheesier, she begins talking to Eragon right from the word go. :) His expression still makes me laugh. It isn't one of those 'Wow, I'm really amazed' kind of looks. Instead it was one of those 'I really want my paycheck, but that means acting in this crappy movie' looks.

I could go and on and on about how uninspired and boring this movie was, but I figure you already get the picture. Most everyone already knows it was a flop, so you're probably not going to see it anyways. Save your money and rent Superman Returns instead! Now that was a good movie.

Rating: D+ (the dragon was kind of cool... and that's about it)

This is one of those cool trailers that is about twice as entertaining as the actual movie. Has about the same amount of substance too.

Religion: The World's Greatest Inspiration

2007-04-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

You know what I find fascinating? The fact that there are so many religions out there, and most of them all share the same concepts and themes. All are locked into this wonderous concept that there is a spirtual realm beyond our own, and that us as mortals have an obligation to use our lives to the fullest (or worship to the fullest). It just blows my mind to think that so many people would all rally under one banner, and take up this certain religion that they've chosen as the core of their moral and spirtual beliefs. To think that just through the belief of a higher power, people are able to change their lives for the better. Through the power of faith, people are able to find a new meaning to live, something beyond the everyday grind of our world. They can feel the change happening inside of them, basically changing their entire perception of the universe. Now that's something truly amazing!

Not everyone manages to be so lucky though. Some individuals manage to enrich their lives through faith, and still others remain as cruel and sinful as they ever were. Religion and spirtuality isn't an insant cure to our everyday problems, but it is one of the most inspiring forms of self-motivation to ever come into existence. It can open up your heart and mind to new experiences, and even dramatically change your relationships with loved ones. :) Just thinking about it sets me in a whole new frame of mind. When I look into any kind of religion that has benefited the faithful's lives in a considerable fashion, it makes me feel lighter. *laughs* I don't know how to explain it.. but I feel better about myself and my surroundings. Alot of the tasks that earlier in the day seemed extremely irriating or frusturating seemed like a breeze now that I looked at it from this new perspective. I kind of felt like nothing was beyond me, that I could make a difference if I gave it my best shot. That doesn't happen everyday.

There is a sense of wonder when I look at all of the world's religions as a whole, and not just the one I was born into. I really don't believe in the entire concept of heaven and hell, because how can a Budhist who has found such spirtual and self peace with themself possibly be punished for it? I believe there is a spirtual realm beyond our understanding, and we will never quite understand how it functions and interlocks with our world. Maybe some day we'll find the answers, but until that day comes, I am perfectly contend with leaving it as the world's greatest mystery. As long as I can keep this sensation with me everytime I think about spirtuality, I think whatever God or Being that is out there will be pleased with the way I've developed since my childhood. :) If there is a heaven... I'm confident I will go there someday. And if there isn't.. it was still one helluva ride.

I needed to add something geeky here. LOL, at least it's on topic.

Richard Simmons: One Cool Dude!

2007-04-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

I'm doing super! Thanks for asking! *rolls eyes*

Last night, I was watching this one program called "Super Obese". It was a really sad show about a few individuals who can't even function properly in the real world due to their weight problems. One woman had to have portions of her fat surgically removed before she could even begin recovery. Can you imagine that? Hardly being able to function at all? These people hardly have anything going in their lives. They're completely consumed by their weight problem. And of all the people in the world.. Richard Simmons comes to these weight treatment centers to cheer them up! These depressed obese people go from being miserable and helpless to feeling happy and empowered within the blink of an eye, and it's all because Richard Simmons decided to drop by and give them a boost. After watching that program, I have new found respect for that man. He's really a cool guy, even if he is a little on the flamboyant side.

I figured it was all a big stunt at first, that he just did it because he had some sort of secret agenda behind it. After doing some research, I came to realise that Richard Simmons has no real ulterior motives. He drops by those kinds of centers all the time, and he actually reaches out to the people who ask him for help. One guy on the show said that Simmons would talk to him at least once a week to ask how everything was going and if he was making any progress. :) Doesn't that just bring a smile to your face? There is no finical reward for him to be doing that, but he still goes out and does it.

When Richard Simmons ran into that room and hollered "Who's ready to sweat to the oldies!", everyones face lit up. Just by being there and acting like his typical self, he made about two dozen critically obese people temporairly happy. Just for that, a man whom I had never taken seriously gained my complete respect. This salute goes out to you, Richard Simmons! *salutes* May The Geek Be With You!

Richard Simmons advertising a steamer on the David Lettermen show! Believe it!

The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya (An Anime in Review)

2007-04-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably all ready know, I am a huge anime geek! When I manage to grab hold of some freetime, you will usually find me in front of my computer soaking in whatever piece of Japanese animation I can find on YouTube. Alot of it is really quite invovling, with characters constantly developing and changing depending on what kind of weird situations the writers feel like throwing them in this week. Brothers turn against brothers, wars rage out over fantasy landscapes, all that good stuff. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is perhaps the stupidest anime series I have ever watched, but not in a bad way. This is one of those shows that is so stupid and upsurd that you can't help but wonder "what were these guys on?" Again, not neccesairly a bad thing. Infact, with the right mindset, it can be a very good thing!

Let me first start out by saying that this series has a very uneven feel. It can often feel like two different shows mixed into one, each episode switching between tones so quickly that it will no doubt leave some viewers with a case of whiplash. About two-thirds of the series is complete and total junk food, throwing you into one weird (and often hysterical) situation after another. The other third is an often confusing sci-fi/drama where the very fate of the universe revovles around the happiness of one high-school student. Although there were times when I had no idea what was going on, I never found myself bored. Most of the thanks goes towards the show's main character Haruhi, who manages to pull the entire mess together through sheer force of personality. The rest of the cast isn't bad either, consisting of your usual array of delightful anime sterotypes (cute clueless girl, quiet shy girl, smart-ass guy, just plain smart guy, ect). The show is fun, even though the entire thing is really a sugar filled train wreck.

Actually... did I fail to mention that the creators purposely released the episodes out of order to confuse people? One odd thing about this show, is that if you watch it in its orginal order, the timeline is all messed up. You'll be watching one episode that is set at the begginning of the school year, then it'll jump ahead and start an episode that is midway through the school year. To further your confusion, they always feel its necessary to show flashbacks to episodes that you haven't even gotten to yet. Of course, you won't have this issue if you watch the episodes in their correct chronological order.. but first you'll have to figure out what order that is. Which means you'll end up watching the series out of order anyways (unless you cheat and look up the proper order online). *shakes head* It's a really trippy fun ride, I'll give it that.

The ending theme of the show as performed by a bunch of cos-playing nerds. I love them all!

The continuing episode quality could have been better. There were a couple stories that felt rather rehased and uninspired, and after watching several episodes of pure zippy insanity, they tend to stick out. None of the episodes were truly bad, but there is a definite quality difference between them. For instance, Episode 1 was a real knock-out homerun episode. Funny from start to finish. Then the next episode after that is just midly entertaining. Then there's another fantastic episode followed by an average one and such and so forth. This is a general flaw in most televised shows, but it is particularly apparent here.

Against my better judgement, I couldn't help but like this show. It's funny, insane, and unusually difficult to follow. Is it worth the ride? Yes and no. "Yes" if you love surreal humor, "no" if you don't feel like taking the risk of possibly rotting your brain.

Rating: B-

This intro really doesn't express how weird this show is.

SCR: The Best Years of My Life Thus Far (Part 1)

2007-04-04T22:56:00.000-07:00

It has been over a year now, but I still miss acting at SCR (South Coast Reperatory). I always felt so energetic and alive when I did a play there, even if it was just a small insignificant role. Just that feeling of going out there in front of an audience and melding yourself into a character was just amazing! It was like being a part of your own little fantasy world, except you had a large group of other people participating in what would end up being the same vison for that world.

I remember my first year at SCR as if it was yesterday (wow, how cliche). I was basically scared to death, because before that time I hadn't really participated in any social activites on my own with other kids. Just the thought of being judged by a group of ten year olds made me feel extremely nervous. There was just the constant thoughts of "oh my god what do they think of me", "oh my god do I look okay, "oh my god that girl is looking at me". I never once thought to relax and just act like myself, because whenever I attempted to do that, I usually said something incredibly stupid. Nothing that people would even remember, just stuff that made myself feel slightly lesser for some reason.

Then came my first play, and it turned my world upside down. Not only was it one of the more exciting memories of my youth, it was also one of the scariest. I had all my lines down, but my acting was horribly stiff. I got out there and I was sorta robotic.. okay, maybe very robotic. But it was one of those fun "only your parents and friends get to see it" kind of plays, so it was all good. I knew what I needed to improve on, and I moved on.

And now time for something "Completely Different"!

The next year was rather mild and uneventful as far as drama was concerned. I loosened up quite a bit, but was still the social clutz. One of the down sides of homeschooling was that I didn't really gain many social skills with people my own age. Sure, I could talk to adults just fine, but kids were an entirely different matter. They had to accept you as one of their own, and they didn't have to accept you just because you were someones son. So I ended up being the quiet boy, avoiding social contact and just trying to please whoever was my current drama instructor. We always had a perfomance we put on for the parents, usually a short play that had either already existed or something our instructor had created personally for us as a group. Which meant.. we usually ended up playing ourselves. :) Which was actually quite educational, since I could focus entirely on my charisma and stage presence instead of overloading myself with character traits and possiblites. Mind you, they always wanted us to have a different character body and background, but I basically ended up playing the shy guy for about a year. That was of course, unless I got to choose the character I played for class activites (those were fun!!). I would usually do something really wild and crazy, to the pleasure and or displeasure of whoever my stage partner was at the time. Good times, good times.

One of my biggest acting leaps had to be when I performed "Gradution Day" (a play written for us by Joy, one of my instructors). It really built up my confidence, since I was required to do a couple stage shifts that were a little tricky. Tricky as in turn the box around so it lines up with the other box tricky... but at the time that was really quite difficult! More importantly, it taught me alot about myself. I learned that talking to people could often lead to conversations (amazing), and that you shouldn't tell your teacher what other students are doing behind his back. Those kids will give you the evil eye for at least two weeks. :) I learend evil glares should be avoided at all costs.

After I had participated in Joy's play, I felt like a new person. It hit me right during puberty, and it really hepled me grow emotinal strength. It was also a huge stepping stone towards my teenage years at South Coast.. and that was when the fun really began! We shall talk about it next time though, because this entry is already waaaaaaaaaayy too long! May The Geek Be With You!

MST3k completely relates to this topic! Don't deny it.

A Description of Myself

2007-04-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

If you've been keeping up with my blog entries thus far, you no doubt know that I'm huge geek, but I haven't entirely thrown my personality out there for everyone to see. Since I want this to bascially be my life story as told through sloppy badly proof read blog entries, I have decided to make my own character profile of sorts. Slightly influenced by the character profiles commonly found in my favorite manga volumes (no shock there), this should throw a bunch of random details about myself out there for everyone to see. Please enjoy these very juicy pieces of Kaleb Knowledge!

Role Models: My Parents (taught me everything I know about morality and life in genreal), George Lucas (taught me to follow my dreams), and Peter Jackson (same as Lucas)

Favorite movies: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (one word... amazing), Star Wars Trilogy (most cherished movies from my childhood), and Jurassic Park (one of the best thrill-a-minute rides of the 90's)

Favorite televison shows: Stargate SG-1 (great characters, great writing, and some thought provoking stories), Stargate Atlantis (same reasons as SG-1), Fullmetal Alchemist (one of the best anime shows.. period), and Bleach (anime action/drama/comedy at its finest).

Things I Love: Movies, anime, manga, happy people acting happy, writing, drama, and my mother!

Things I Hate: hateful people doing hateful things

What I Hope Will Come From the Future: I really want to be a father! What will end up being my major goal is to find
that special someone, stay married a few years to see if we can ever stand each other, then have the baby. I really want to make sure that the realationship can be stable before having the child. Bitter relationship between parents= unhappy child (in my book at least)

This song is strangely addicting! Another fact about myself.

My Description of the World: It's a mess.. but a beautiful mess brimming with qualites. Just stay away from the gloomy dark alleys and you should be fine.

People I Would Like to Meet: George Lucas (one of my idols), Peter Jackson (another one of my idols), Keira Knightly (just to say that I met one of my top crushes), and God (who wouldn't wanna meet God).

Features I Love About Myself: my quirkyness, my non-agressive nautre, my hair, my love of the Japanese

Features I Would Rather Change About Myself: My nose and my acne back.

Favorite quote: "Do.. or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

Favorite candy: Warheads all the way, baby!

Favoirte food: I am pizza addict, no doubts about it.

Favoirte color: Red all the way, baby!

Yoda break dancing?

Yeeeeaaaaahhh, that was kinda pointless. :) Hoped you all enjoyed it though. *makes peace sign* May The Geek Be With You!

Barnes and Noble= Geek Heaven!!

2007-04-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those dreamy kinds of days. You know, the ones you wish would never end because you're having such a good time. :) Well, today was one of those days. Not only did I get to stay at the Barnes and Noble.. but I got to stay at the Barnes and Noble for FIVE HOURS!! This gave me plent of time to catch up on the latest manga and comic-book developments. It was quite exciting!

The only downside is that I've just recently caught a wicked cold. The sore throught has gone away, but I still have a really bad case of the sniffles. So while I park myself in the manga aisle, I kept having to quickly run to the bathroom to blow my nose. Even after all that effort, my nose was still pretty plugged up. I swear people could hear me breathing from about twenty feet away! That.. was kind of embarassing.

This is too funny for words! Seriously, you need to watch it.

I managed to wolf down three graphic novels while I was there though, which is quite an accomplishment on my part. They weren't all of the greatest quality, but I managed to pick up one that will soon be a personal favorite. It was just sooo kawaii! Anyone who has ever had a crush should pick up "School Rumble". You will smile.. and given the right circumstances and enviornment, laugh out loud. Unforutnatley, I had people sitting right next to me, so I had to keep my laughter in (it was hard at times).

So overall, here are the ratings for all of the mangas and comic-books I had read! Like anyone cares. *snickers*

School Rumble Vol. 1: B+ (the concept got slightly repetitive, but I couldn't help but love it)

Yu-Gi-Oh Duelist Vol. 1: C (it's kinda like Poke'mon. Feels like a giant fluffly ad for the card game)

Astonshing X-Men Vol. 3: B- (I found this really confusing, but it was still entertaing)

.dot Hack//Legend of Twilight Vol. 1: B (The entire concept is very simple, but I really fell for this one. Great characters and funny situations!)

And yeah, that basically rounds out what I had read. I only read half of Yu-Gi-Oh, so my grade is based entirely on the portion that I read. Maybe it got better.. but I doubt it.

This man is a genius! Literally.

Basically, today was alot of fun! And now I wish to continue the fun with a couple hours of anime before I go to bed (yaaaaayyy!). May The Geek Be With You!!!

Happy Feet Review

2007-04-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

Since I have a long break before nursing school starts up, I've been watching alot of movies. Thanks to my mother's Blockbuster Online account, I'm basically able to watch an unlimited amount of movies with no further charge. So I've been basically glued to the television set this week, watching movie after movie after movie. After seeing so many films, you come to realise how bad and overrated most movies are. Very rarely do I end up watching a film that I find not only memorable and engaging, but that affects me on a much deeper emotinal level. Happy Feet is not one of those movies.

After hearing rave reviews from critics and friends alike, I finally decided that I would give the film ago. Besides, the concept of dancing singing penguins seemed kinda cute. Maybe it would end up being like Cars or Finding Nemo, where I actually pat myself on the back for giving the movie a chance. I made up my mind, and figured that Happy Feet would be a good time. Unfortuantely, the film is so murky and badly put together that I find it hard to believe people embraced it at all. I could have written a better script!

The first problem is with the story itself. The entire thing takes far too long to get off the ground, and when it finally does you're bashed over the head with themes that feel like they came straight from the 'Save the Whales' foundation. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against using enviormentalism as a major theme in a movie. Infact, some of my favorite films, including the work of Miyazki, use those ethics to great storytelling effect. Unfortuantely, Happy Feet doesn't have enough of a story behind to make you care about anything it's trying to express. It wants to be taken seriously in the end, but how can anyone take the film seriously when you have a bunch of badly developed Mexican penguins busting out some of the lamest wise cracks I've heard in a very long time. This script should have never seen the light of day.

Here's an entirely different look on the movie. Apparently this guy really liked it! Maybe you will too (the first review is for a differnet movie, but the vid is only three minutes long).

Another issue I had with the film was the badly slapped together stereo-types it wants us to accept as characters. Incredibly one-dimensonal and completly boring, the film doesn't even attempt to be orginal with its inhabitants. Hence the dreadful Mexican penguins that I had mentioned earlier. Not even an all-star cast could save these shallow computer-generated images from inevitable hollowness. One of the biggest let-downs was Elijah Wood's vocal peformance as Mumble, who seems about as enthusatic as a stoned actor in a recording studio after an all nighter. Come on Elijah! You can do better then that!

To the movie's credit, the visuals were simply stunning! By far one of the best looking animated films ever made, if not the best looking animated film ever made. There are some shots that will take your breath away, and leave you craving more. The movie doesn't even seem to understand the beauty of its own surroundings, as it drops you into yet another brain dead penguin dance number. There are barely any quiet moments throughout Happy Feet's runtime, since it insists on constantly engaging the audience in hyperactive action scenes which barely have anything to do with the main plot as a whole. Looking back at one of Walt Disney's greatest animations "Bambi" proves that you can make a kid flick without resorting yourself to ADD style structuring. I wish more animated movies were like "Bambi". The world would be a better place.

I really wanted to like this film, but I couldn't help but be reminded how full-length animation has lost all of it's creativity and zeal. There is not a single moment in this romp that isn't spoiled by eratic directing and a poorly plopped together script. Happy Feet did not make me happy in the slightest.

Rating: C- (only because the animation was breathtaking)

Serenity: A Movie Review

2007-04-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

Having recently seen the cult sci-fi series Firefly, I couldn't help but feel a little excited about seeing "Serenity". Continuing the plot of the orginal film, Serenity feels more like a great three episode story arc then an actual film. Anyone who has seen the majority of the "Star Trek" flicks without any biasis knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Besides a few surprisingly dramatic moments, the film as a whole is as flat as a pancake. You've got the typical sci-fi plot invovling human superweapons and evil empires, while throwing in a bit of Wild West salt in for good measure. That in and of itself isn't a bad thing, since the orginal Star Wars films were about as generic storywise as you could get, but the film itself has always been a breath of fresh-air for sci-fi fans. Serenity in comparison, isn't even worth a second glance.

One of the major issues I had with the movie was that it didn't set itself apart from its source matieral. When you're making a film continuation, drawing upon the series isn't a bad thing.. but in this particular case it keeps the film from feeling worthy of the big screen. It feels as if Joss Whedon (the writer and director of the film and series) took one of his Firefly scripts and just added a few extra fight scenes to pull the entire thing together.

For anyone interested, here's the trailer for the film. Worth seeing if you're sci-fi fan or a fan of the show, don't get me wrong. Just not a particularly good movie.

Oh! And let's kill off two characters that everyone loves and hardly have any emotinal reaction from the rest of the crew. I can understand killing people off to raise the stakes, but in Serenity's case, they don't dwell upon the deaths long enough to leave an emotinal impact. It kinda goes like this: "He's dead, we're sad, we're over it." It's like X-Men 3 all over again!

This film is riddled with plot holes. Points where you wonder if the story had been created by a bunch of lucky fan-fiction writers. The plot itself isn't bad, wit a few suddle tweaks to keep the movie fresh. But when you start to look at the events from a logical standpoint, the entire thing starts to fall apart. Why wouldn't the Alliance just nuke the planet if it was that much of a threat to their order (the geeks know what I'm talking about).

The movie wasn't all bad. Infact, I found myself fairly entertained for the two hours the film lasted. It has a cool style, some nice one liners, and a likeable cast. But it could have been so much more then it was. There was a few scenes I thought were quite neat, such as the spaceship battle bewteen Serenity and a horde of Alliance ships. But this isn't anything you haven't seen before in deeper more emotinally rewarding sci-fi pictures. As a Firefly fan, I was dissapointed. Which too bad, because the only people who will enjoy this film are those who have already experienced the TV show. If you haven't.. good luck trying to figure out all of the different relationships and plot points. This is a film for the fans only! And more then likely, they will love it. Does that make it a good movie? No.

Rating: C+

Life's Gonna Suck When You Grow Up!

2007-04-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't updated in god knows how long, I decided to throw you guys a bone. Or more importantly, just throw Chrsitine a bone.. since I think she's the only person who's reading my blog. :) I need a fanbase, that way I can become one of those famous interent people. Then I wouldn't even have to get a job, I could just get into modeling and make my living from that (be on the cover of Hot Otaku Weekly). So yeah, I have now just realised that in order to fulfill this goal of fully expressing myself through the magic of blogging, I need to blog more often. So here's the first of what I think will be many updates. Oh goody!

This one's gonna be short, since I have alot of other topics that I want to type about. There's this song I found on the Internet just a few days ago, and I've found it very amusing. I think the title of the song is "Life's Gonna Suck", but I'm not entirely sure. I watched a vid with the song in the background, but I'm dying to get it on my iPod It's really funny while also being brutally honest. It's a great messsage to give to your kids.. that life is gonna suck! *shrugs* Let's face it, most of the time it does. But this song puts it out there in such a playful manner that it's unusually uplifting (for me at least). So without further ado, here's the "Life's Gonna Suck" vid.

Warning: Did I mention that this is an anime vid?

In Charge of my Own Happiness

2007-03-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

This is something that I've been thinking about for a while, and it's really gotten into the core of who I am.. though I don't always apply it. It's the truth that outside influences aren't always the ones involved in our happiness, that infact much of it is eternal. We often fall into outside influences and obstacles that trip up our emotions, but ultimately what decides if we acknowledge said emotion is what is going on up in your head. Meaning that irrations like "stress" or "boredom" can be countered (not easily I might add) by your own mental will.

I have had alot of experiences where I just give up, and hope someone else will clean up my mess. I'm human, I do that. But let's look at this from a mental perspective. I had a choice to choose to finish what I started, or to push it on someone else and walk out. I could have choosen the "pure path", meaning doing what I knew was right.. but instead I choose the path most tread, the "path of irresponsibility". But I could have been perfectly happy doing the work if I had set myself up mentally to do it, and look at it from a different perspective.

See, what usually helps is my relating it to a good video game. You often have to trudge through alot of leveling up and making sacrifices in order to reach your goal of beating it. Ultimately, that is what life is like. Even though you may not enjoy certain elements, that doesn't mean that the reward won't be well worth it in the end. Especially when with an adjusted mind-set, even some of the most every-day chores can be more rewarding then anything else you experience that day. I remember a day when I cleaned up all of the bathrooms for my mother, even though I personally hated the work. But in the end, I felt really great about it. She thanked me, and I had made her life slightly easier just by using two hours of my free-time to help her. Not only did I feel great, but it was one of the most rewarding things I had done that entire week. Remembering that state of mind, the next few times I cleaned the bathroom seemed much easier and enjoyable then they usually were. Why? Because I was in control of the emotinal output, by supplying myself with the feeling. Not neccesairly an outside influence, but something that happened within myself.

It's really a shame how little you see this kind of behavior in people. How often does it actually happen within ourselves? Not very often, I know. But.. haven't we been given this gift of life for a reason. Aren't we gifted with this thing so we can be the best person we can be? Yes.. but we often forget about the passion that drives us, getting caught up in the daily grind. But wait! Don't think of it as a grind! Think of it as an oppurtinity. You see, I believe that no matter who you are, you can find some means of being happy. It may be harder for some then others, but if they manage to find the inner strenght within themselves.. they can find happiness. They may just be looking in the wrong place.

The Process of Writing a Fan Fiction

2007-03-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

I think everyone is well aware with my recent fascination with Japanese animation (also known as anime). I don't know exactly what it is, but the mix of unique animation and serialised situations is incredibly gripping. A few months ago I was watching the Fullmetal Alchemist movie, and I thought it was quite entertaining. But there was so much lost potential. The ending really leaves you longing for a spin-off, but the creators have it quite clear that the movie is the offical ending to the series. This led me of course to one of my "If I Was the Director" thought sessions. I ended up with this very rough version of what I thought would be an interesting sequel to the series. This ended up being my fan fiction.

Then I started to realise just how difficult it is to fine tune an orginal plot within an already well established world with a very particular set of rules. So... I tweaked some stuff around. To say the very least. But it's ultimately stuff they would have added and tweaked around if they were going to make a sequel anyways. So ha! I win!

Anyways, I've only finished the first three chapters. Chapter 4 is still in the works, and is probably going to be the least dramatic chapter yet.. meaning that it's gonna be very difficult to write. Writing for greatly dramatic scenes usually comes very easily to me, but writing for the softer/quieter aspects of the story is usually more difficult. Part of the reason why I've been putting off writing my novel (that I started about a year ago and never finished). The responses have actually been really positive, so I'm actually going to try and finish this one. The later chapters are going to be a real trip, I've got some crazy ideas on how implement the show's main characters back into the story (there aren't any at the begginning of the story). So yeah, it's gonna be exciting! And now, I should really do something constructive instead of blogging about my geek life. Peace!

Bleach: The Rock Musical

2007-03-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, just the other night I discovered something magical. Something profound.. something that I think will truly change my life forever. I am of course speaking of "The Bleach Rock Musical". A Japan only musical based off of one of my favorite all-time anime cartoons. Let me just say that the moment I found out about it, I was having massive "geek attacks". They're kind of like heart attacks, just with subtitles and lightsabers (all the nerds know what I'm talking about). So anyways, the entire premise is really quite cool. Take one of the best anime cartoons out there, and translate the first sixty or so episodes into a musical ala "Rent" or "We Will Rock You". Sounds like a train wreck right? Well, it kind of is. And that's what makes it so compelling!

If you're a fan of the show, you have to see this. Even if you hate musicals, you have to see this! Even if the thought of Ichigo singing sappy rock ballads makes you throw up a little, you still have to see this! Just watch the clip below, you'll understand.

Somewhere in geek heaven, someone came up with this. To that man.. I thank you!

My Star Wars Novel Is... Kind of Getting Annoying!

2007-02-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

I'll just go straight out and say it, I love Star Wars novels. If you ever see me reading a book, it's probably a Star Wars novel. I don't why.. but the entire ideas and themes expressed in the Star Wars universe just speak to me. I love the entire concept of like "Good Jedi" and "Bad Jedi" and "Good Jedi that Become Bad Jedi" and "Bad Jedi That Become Good Jedi" and.... the list pretty much goes on and on and on and on and on. So to put it simply, I am a pretty big Star Wars fan. Not just of the movies though.. but of the entire concept behind Star Wars.

Very rarely do I read a Star Wars book that I don't enjoy. Unfortuantely, "Labyrinth of Evil" just had to go and ruin it for me. It's just kind of boring and hard to follow. For one thing, there isn't as much of the entire Star Wars feel to it. No really cool lightsaber battles, no geek philosophy about the force, and no new concepts to speak of. It's like the ultimate filler I have ever read! This is why Episode 3 open the way it does.. because no body cares about the political side of Star Wars! We either want to see people slinging lightsabers around, or we want to hear some geek philosophy. That's why we watch Star Wars movies, and that is why we read Star Wars novels. Without the lightsabers and the philosphy.. it's just boring! Especially when your book is set in the time of the prequel films, meaning that you have one of the whinest main characters in all of history (for those of you who don't know, it's Anakin Skywalker).

I'm almost finished with the book anyways, so I can soon move on to something else. It wasn't painful.. but I didn't really enjoy it all that much either. I should really read some reviews before I buy my books. So until next time, May The Geek Be With You!

Crazy Disneyland Trip

2007-02-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

So anyways, today I ended up going to Disneyland with a group of my friends. It was all very last minute, since I wasn't really informed about it until a buddy on mine left me a Myspace comment asking whether I was going. Soooo, thanks to my top notch totally awesome skills of reasoning, I was able to figure when they were showing up and when to meet up with them. Oh yeah, I'm that good! You wish you had my skills dont'cha?! Dont'cha?!!

To sum it all up, I pretty much just had a blast. We didn't go on quite as many rides as I would have liked, but I really can't complain. Okay, I can complain.. but I'm not going to say what about. There was an incident with a Finding Nemo sign and....yeah. You know who you are, and you know what you were doing! I'll just leave it at that, and try to erase the incident from my memory. Not that it was particularly awful it was just... strange.

While we were there, for some reason we dropped by the arcade in Tommorowland. It was really quite fun, but the stupid Lost World machien gobbled up all my dollar bills. It's just too dang addictive! For one second you're shooting up some Raptors, and then the next it's asking you to put in another dollar bill. That's ridicoulous! I've played that game in plenty of other arcades, and I've never had to pay that much money before. Of course.. this is Disneyland, so that isn't all that unexpected.

I swear, the Matterhorn will never seem the same ever again. My friend Ryan and I went on with my iPod jacked into both of our ears, and we listened to M.C. Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" while looking backwards. It was quite incredible, and just a little disorienting. It truly adds a whole new layer to a ride that didn't have very much of a plot to begin with. So you can kind of invent your own, through the magic of M.C. Hammer! HAMMER TIME!

Oh! And apparently all my friends hate Fullmetal Alchemist for some reason. *shakes head* They will never know what it means to truly fall in love with an anime cartoon. Pity.

Anyways, I'm just gonna end up yammering on and on and on and on unless I end this thing right now. So I'm just gonna slam on the brakes here, and tell you guys "May The Geek Be With You." :)

The Stories Remain Untold

2007-02-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

For the last couple years, I've had a few good ideas that I thought would translate into great stories. Unfortuantely, due to my complete lack of motivation, I haven't really gotten around to actually writing them. Now that I'm in college, matters have only gotten worse for alot of my unrealised ideas. It isn't that I don't have enough free-time to write them.. it's just that I can get too easily side tracked.

There was one story that I actually got around to writing, mostly because I thought the plot and twists were fairly orginal and it would be something to creative to partake in. Unfortuantely, I only got about two chapters in before I stopped writing. The intro (in my opinion anyways) was fantastic.. I just didn't like how Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 came about. I guess that's why they call them drafts, but I just can't get myself to revise and reimagine things so they'll work on paper. It's always far more difficult to tailor something to your vision then you first expect.. especially when it would technically be the first novel you have ever written.

Don't ask me what I didn't like about Chapters 1 and 2, because I really can't put my finger on it. It just never seemed quite as inspiring or as exciting as it appeared in my head. When you actually have to draw it out and describe it, you realise that it isn't going to move along at the roller coaster like pace you first expected. And the dialouge and world seemed far too child-like, not exactly what I had in mind when I developed the plot outline. In order for the story to work, there has to be a certain amount of maturity to the story.. and that just wasn't showing through for me. Call me picky, but if I'm gonna write an entire book, I want it to read exactly how I imagined it or not at all.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Describing this is kind of weird, since I don't really talk about it very much (unless I'm talking to Christine.. you know who you are). But for a while there I figured that I would just write a couple of fan-fictions based off of my favorite anime cartoons to get some experience. Well, I started writing a fan-fiction for Fullmetal Alchemist.. got two chapters in and stopped writing. Ugggggghh! I am not easily motivated! It was gonna be a really good fan-fiction too!

Anyways, that is enough whining for today. I just felt like expressing one of my interests with you, my loyal readers (I know there aren't any of you... except for Christine). So until next time, MAY THE GEEK BE WITH YOU!

The Last 24 Hours

2007-02-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

Don't ask me how this came about.. but just today I started wondering what I would do if today was my last day to live. That begginning right now, the next twenty-four hours would be my last. What would I do with my time? What things would I attempt to accomplish before death parted me from my family and friends? It's really interesting when you think about it, you would probably accomplish things you would never before see yourself doing. So to myself I began to day-dream... what would I do with the time?

1) Say goodbye to my family and friends: This step would be the most difficult of all, and couldn't be put off until the last minute. In my opinion, there is nothing more important in this world then the love I receive from my family and friends, so in my final hours I would want to tell them exactly how I felt. How much they had ment to me, how much they helped me develop who I am today. I can just imagine saying goodbye to my grandmother and mom.. how heartwrenching it would be for them to know that they will never see me again.. or at least not in this life.
One man that I would absouletely have to send my best wishes to is my best friend Dylan, who has been more like a brother then a friend all these years. We've had our arguments and the times when he bothered me more then anything else... but he's always remained my best friend this entire time. And for that, I thank him.

2) Resolve any loose ends: If there was ever anyone that I hurt at one point or another, I would want to resolve everything between the individual and me. Maybe for some odd reason, I had emotinally damaged someone in ways that cannot be easily mended (I think everyone has at one point in their lives). So, I would wish to meet them and make everything right. Hopefully they will understand why I did the things I did, and they would find it somewhere in their hearts to forgive me. It would make me very happy knowing that there weren't any hard feelings before I ascended into the great unknown.

3) Have one last Disneyland trip: This would be assuming that I was well enough to even go to Disneyland.. but if I was, I would want to go on one last Disneyland trip with my friends. The mood probably wouldn't be the same, but at least I could leave with a sense that I tied up that portion of my teenage years. Some of my fondest memories took place at Disneyland.. I would want to relive all of that.

4) The last prayer: I have never been particularly religious, but I know there is something out there. Death might not be the end for me.. and I would want to meld with whatever created me. This would no doubt be where the entire whole life flashing before your eyes thing happens, but I know I'll leave with no regrets.

And yeah.. that would basically be it. ....... That was incredibly depressing. What kind of a mood am I in?!! Need to lighten the mood here. Uuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... may the geek be with you? Yeah, I think that closes it pretty well. Or at least I sure hope it does. *shuts up*

Life in General: aka "The Real Life Discussion"

2007-02-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

I just realised that out of all my recent blog entires.. I haven't talked about my actual life very much. So without further ado, here is a long drawn out and possibly boring description about how my week has been! Wheee! *waits for applause* Okay, so it's not the most exciting topic in the world.. but at least I'm not talking about anime.

You know the one thing that kinda sucked about this week? I was sick! Yep, that was kind of a bummer. You know, I had the usual *hack hacks* and *cough coughs* lately, but thankfully the magic of pills have reduced it to a minimum. Thanks Advil! You're my best buddy! You know.. besides all those other people I've told are my best buddies. But those were all lies!

Being sick is not fun, as illustrated by this adorable drawing. Isn't it cute!

I've been completely unmotivated though, which is unfortuante. I was really active last month, but for seem reason I've been really really lazy as of lately. But school's gonna start up on Monday. :) Yeaaaaaahh.. and all that Bleach time just went flying out the door. It's better all around though, since I feel alot more confident about myself when I'm actually working towards a goal. This semester.. it's gonna be the big "A"! Oh yeah! It shall be mine once again! *sinister laugh*

Oh yeah! And I haven't even talked about sacred "Fullmetal Alchemist Calendar" yet. My brother and sister-and-law got me a bunch of FMA stuff for my birthday (and a Darth Vader t-shirt). I got a deck of Fullmetal Alchemist playing cards (traditonal playing cards, not a TCG) and the real star of the show.. the beautiful Fullmetal Alchemist calendar. I immediately nailed it up to my wall. And whatever that thing says goes man! Each day before I'd go to bed, I'd write up an entire schedule in the square for the upcoming day. If I didn't do everything I had written down, I would get a frowny face. If I did it all, I would get one completely professional check-mark! Sounds really childish, I know. LOL, it really worked for a while there though. That was until I got sick.. then I just pretty much told myself that the schedule wasn't valid anymore. Like everybody else.. I get incredibly lazy when I'm sick. :) And I'm proud of it!

This is a FMA calendar. Not the one majestic one I own mind you, but this is just to illustrate the point. Anime calendars rule! Nuff said.

So yeah, that's all I have to ramble about for right now. Nothing too overy tramatic or dramatic happened, so I really don't have anything to complain about. Which you know.. is basically all Blogger's do. No offense nice Blogger's who are no doubt totally digging my blog. :) Leave some nice comments! May the geek be with you.

The Donny and Marie Show!! aka "Crappy Show my Mother Used to Watch"

2007-02-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

She's a little bit country, and he's a little bit rock n' roll. But there is one thing they both are, incredibly fake and boring. For those of you who don't know, The Donny and Marie Show is a staple of bad 70's television. Everything down to the hair styles to the tacky music simply wreeks of the 70's... but not in a good way! Let me explain further.

Wow! Donny and Marie action figures! So it wasn't an urban legend that they were a pop culture smash. That's reassuring to know after watching their show.

My mom has a bad habit of wanting me to watch the show's she grew up when she was a girl, so I was forced to sit through this retro piece of variety show waste. For one thing.. the show is just stupid! I feel really immature lowering to such adjectives, but it's true. The skits are anything but creative, making even SNL's worst seem like comedy gold. Now the musical numbers are actually pretty decent, but them come in such excess that you feel like you're at the opera instead of watching a variety show.

Wow! A Donny and Marie button! Now I can bring the tackyness with me wherever I go! Thanks marketing executives!

Everything about the show just seemed fake to me. Infact, the best metaphor I can think of is a man who has had one too many botox injections. He's trying to make himself look good.. but in the end he just looks really akward and kinda scary. Now that I think of it.. that metaphor wasn't half bad at all. Come on Donny! Don't you realise you look like a geek prancing around in your tight pants and puffy jacket (apparently, no one had any fashion taste in the 70's). Don't tell me kids at school didn't get made fun of back then for wearing stuff like that. It looks ridiculous!

Wow! Donny Osmond is dancing! And.... girls are swooning? Over what?!!

One interesting thing I did find out was that the show was produced by Sid and Marty Croft. For those of you who don't know, they were the minds behind such fabulous programming as "H.R. Puffinstuff" and "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters". In other words, these men have created nothing but garbage their entire lives. No wonder the show was so tacky! Thank you Sid and Marty, thank you for all the unintentional laughs. May the geek be with you!

Howl's Moving Castle Review

2007-02-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

Very rarely do I find myself particularly engaged or fascinated by a movie. As a fairly avid film fan, nothing is truly new or unique. You realise that every theme and idea has been recycled in some way, and even the big time summer blockbuster's have mostly been remakes or retreads of old classics. Then finally, after watching nothing but complete garbage for the last few weeks, I found Howl's Moving Castle. Being the hard-core otaku that I am, I basically had to see it.

You put your left foot in you put your left foot out. And you shake it all about!

Created by Hayao Miyazaki (the genius behind such films as Spirted Away and Kiki's Delivery Service), Howl's Moving Castle felt like a breath of fresh air. Even at it's least inspired, Howl is still one of the best animated films I have seen in a very long time. Kind of makes me wonder what's been wrong with the Disney Studio over the last decade. While they continue to create uninspired animated trinkets like "Chicken Little" or "Meet the Robionsons", a bunch of Japanese guys manage to make something like this. Gimme a break! Isn't Disney supposed to be the leading animation studio in the world?!
Speaking of Disney, this film brings to mind many old classics. It really reminds me of sitting down and watching The Lion King for the very first time. As a kid, I was so completely immersed in this world whenever I plopped it into the VHS player. It wasn't just a great animated movie, it was also a fantastic film. The characters in Howl's Moving Castle are developed with the same care and detail as any live-action film, making the movie feel like something much more then your average cartoon romp. That isn't to say that it isn't without humor or those silly zany moments that keep younger audiences engaged; it just feels more personal.

Christian Bale is the voice of the film's leading man "Howl". But geeks everywhere truly know him as the first decent Batman in "Batman Begins". Billy Crystal lends his talents too!

From begginning to end, Hayao Miyazaki packs every frame with a vibrant amount of detail. The moving castle is a great example, resembling what happens when you mix an Imperial Walker from "The Empire Strkies Back" and your average garden toad. Many of the set-pieces later on in the film are really dazzling. One of my personal favorites was the view of a gorgeous landscape from the top of the castle. You know you're watching a great movie when you've almost forgotten that the people and world onscreen were hand-drawn by some Japan's finest talents (and they really did a bang-up job).
That's not to say that I don't a few little gribes about the movies. The ending was far more sastisfying then any movie I've seen recently, but I still felt it lacked something. I really can't put my finger on it, but something was missing for me. And while the dubbing was for the most part superb, there were a few moments when I felt the voices were just a little off. But when you take into consideration that this minor detail only creeps into about one minute of the finished film, it isn't going to annoy or distract anyone from the movie. Now what might is the defenite difference in story-telling style when compared to American films. Howl's Moving Castle isn't particularly a fast-paced movie. Young kids might get bored.. but since when aren't they bored? Screw them! I'll take the beautiful vistas and fantastic musical score over 'Stitch' any day.

Just in case I didn't warn you before.. this movie is kinda weird. But a good weird. Like Wizard of Oz meets Beauty and the Beast weird!

So in conclusion: see this movie and thank me later. Trust me, you'll have a great time. May the geek be with you!

Final Film Rating: A-

Nintendo DS vs. PSP: Who Would Win?

2007-01-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

Hello, geeks and nerds and some of my friends who are none of the above. :) Welcome to another slapped toegether blog entry, I all hope you enjoy my random ranting and or raving.. because there is no inbetween here. So today, as I was quickly trying to think of a topic (I'm not a very creative person), I decided to talk about my two best buds in the world! My Nintendo DS and PSP! ....... I know, I know. I have no life. So then I started thinking, if I pit the two together, who would stand triumphant? Who would claim the video game medal for Kaleb's Favorite Hand-held Video-game Device! What would make this more exciting you might ask? Putting it in a reality show format, of course. I'm a genius!

The PSP, one of man's best friends! You know, besides a Nintendo DS (they're both good).

*drums play in background as Jeff Probst appears in my room* Welcome back to Survivor.... The PSP/DS Edition. To my right we have the PSP, which features such fantastic games as "Tekken: Dark Ressurection", "Daxter", and "Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins." You know on second though, forget about "Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins", he doesn't count. And to the left of me with have Nintendo's little system that could, The DS! What it lacks in power, it makes up for in personality. Using a new gameplay gimmick *cough*, I mean.. revolution.. the Nintendo DS uses a touch-pad for much of it's gameplay concepts. Luckily, the number of notable games is far greater then the PSP library, but some may note that many of the games don't have as much lasting appeal. Anyways, let's get on with it.

*drums contine to roll as Tribal Council begins* Alright, why don't you two sit down. *DS and PSP sit down on there little benches* Now we're going to make our final decision here and now, this is.. the final tribal council! *dramatic music* We'll now bring in the only member of our jury, Kaleb, voted out at last week's tribal council.

Don't ask me how Jeff Probst managed to get into this blog.. it just kinda happened. He was desperate for work, and I just couldn't turn him down. He's Jeff Probst!

Kaleb and his Rant: "PSP you have lied to me! You know, besides the good times we've had with Daxter and Tekken: Dark Ressurection and... never mind, you really never lied to me. But, you're lack of an expansive game library means.. that I have to let you go. PSP *dramatic music* you're fired!"

Jeff Probst: "Ouch! Oh no he didn't! ....... So I guess that's the end of the show, tune in next time for another exciting and possibly completely pointless entry in The Journey of the Geek. Until next time, May The Geek Be With You!"

Did I mention how tiny the cartidiges are?! I mean.. dang. I sure hope the dog doesn't eat em. *sigh* That would mean bye bye Metriod.

Myspace: Bringing Adult Videos to Teens Everywhere

2007-01-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

I don't usually make blogs like this. Most of the time, I would be typing about some dumb movie I just saw or about how I'm going ga-ga for some new anime series. But I just logged onto Myspace last night and scanned around the videos... and I cannot believe how much pornographic matieral is on there. It makes me sick, I know alot of kids who are under eighteen (some much younger then that) who have Myspace accounts, and when they're gonna click onto the videos section the first thing they're gonna be treated to is... I really don't feel like going into detail.

Soooo, is Myspace even concerned with this issue? Based off of my observations... no, they really don't care. Their video section is fairly recent, so it is understandable that it lacks many of the features you would find on YouTube, but the lack of a video age blocker is just irresponsible. Sure, it's easy to bypass, but it gives some kids the slap on the wrist they deserve before viewing any adult content. On Myspace, you can just view the video without any sort of "This is Adult Content" warning... mind you, the title is usually a dead give-away, but you know what I mean.

I really have no idea what this has to do with Myspace... but it's a cool picture!

*shakes head* The fact that MySpace hasn't even addressed this makes me sick! They haven't done a single damn thing. No age blocker, no title blocker, zip! If you think about it, they could easily just program the site to reject anything with the term "sex" or "porn" in the title. How hard could that be! Then no one else has to deal with this filth, and the people who do wish for that kind of content can go back to finding it the old-fashioned way. I know it wouldn't elimanate all of the adult content that would be on there, but at least it wouldn't be as blantantly obvious and disgusting.

Alright, that was a nice short little rant.. I believe I shall go back to writing about anime and how cool Rukia is. Until next time, May the Geek Be With You!

Kaleb-Man Returns!

2007-01-11T14:39:00.001-08:00

I haven't made a blog post for avery long time, so I figured now that I have a little vacation time.. I'll fill you guys in on what's going on in my life currently. ... If there is anyone who really cares about what's going on in my life, but that is not the point. :) I know I have some blogger fans somewhere out there.. right? Right?!!

So before I get off topic again, I would like to tell you all one very valuable thing I learned this week. Never ever take an acclerated Chemistry class.. you have no idea what you are going to be in for. Seriously, I had never felt so overwhelmed by basic concepts before.. but the amount of stuff they expect you to learn in such a short amount of time is devestating. Our teacher was pretty fantastic though, so that was one bright spot throughout the entire ordeal. Unfortuantely, I ended up dropping the class, just because I didn't want to get a C.. which would lower my grade point average.. and that would just stink on the whole. *sigh* Thankfully, I'm going to be taking the class again in another few weeks.. but this time it won't be at an acclerated rate, so I'll have more time to soak up the matieral. Yipee!

Your typical Chemistry students... pretending to understand what the hell they're looking at. Rock on, girls.. rock on!

Oh, and did I mention that I'm uber "Bleach" addicted right now. For those of you who don't know what Bleach is (and no, it's not a substance you use to clean bathrooms), let me break it down for you. Bleach.. is basically one of the coolest anime shows period. It revovles around a main character named Ichigo, who gets thrown into being a substitute Soul Reaper (or Death God, depending on which version you're watching). :) The characters are really quite interesting, even if the story can drag in spots. I mean... how many epic battles to the death do you really need? It gets old!

The moral of this story is... never sing a Pussy-Cat Dolls song in front of Rukia. It really pisses her off!

:) So yeah, I've been doing pretty well, and I intend to update this blog far more often from now on. So until next time, I am still a hottie!

Unexplainable Intro

2006-09-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Imagine if you will, not having any memory about who you are. You wake up in a completely alien enviornment, and you don't have the faintest idea about how the hell you got there. No clues about who you are, what you are, or where you are. Devestation sets in, as you realise that your life up until that very moment is unknown, and your journey is just begginning.

The tale I am about to tell you isn't a work of fiction. Every word comes from the truth. It all comes from what happened to me those trying and fateful days, when everything was unexplainable. There may be times during my story that you as a reader will begin to question this tome, pouring doubt into whether I had actually taken this journey. Obviously, there is no way of convincing people like yourselves otherwise, so I'm not even going to try. You believe what you want to believe. It's your choice.

My name is Rick Swhartz, and I am a man that had an emotinal and spirtual experience that many of you couldn't possibly imagine. Imagine these things you must, because I have given you the privelage of experiencing everything that I have felt and seen. Through the better and the worst, I am your guide through the path that I myself had tread. You will follow me, whether it be through rain or shine, suffering and bliss. The path is under your feet, all you need to keep walking it, is to read on. Every page drawing you closer to the end, where lies the answers that you will so desperately seek. Think you're up for it?

Note: Wanna read more? Go to http://kalebnovel.blogspot.com/ to read more!

The Day of Terror

2006-08-22T13:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday will forever be known as "The Day of Teror". A day where people will look back on me, and say what a brave lad that Stewart was. In the face of almost certain doom, he turned on his iPod and carried on into the dragon's mouth! As the Rent Soundtrack swelled in his ears, he soon experienced incredible pain that no man should ever experience. Yeeeeaaaahhh... I went to the doctor yesterday.

Doctors are never this happy. Infact, I bet they photoshopped this picture. Yep, they probably had big ol' frowny faces before they started tinkering with it.

For the last couple weeks, the big toe on my left foot has been really sore. I just figured that I banged it on something and it'll be better in no time, but that wasn't the case. Mom finally found out about it when she accidentally dropped a massive, heavy, Godzilla sized painting right on my foot. I let out a high pitched scream (not unlike a little girl), and mom told me to buck up. I then explained that my toe had been sore for a couple of weeks, and now it felt like it was gonna explode all over the floor. Later on, I showed her my toe.... it didn't look pretty. I'll spare the details, but mom thought it might have been infected. Boy, did I feel stupid.

You get a bunch of random stuff when you type the word "Doctor" into Goggle. Doctor Who underpants? I'm not even that geeky!

I'll just say it right now, I hate going to see the doctor. You can just tell, the man loves to torture you with bad jokes. You'll be sitting there, and he'll just decide to crack some bad joke that comes right out of nowhere. You'll be bleeding and he goes "Oh yeah, the bleeding usually stops after an hour or so. Either that, or you'll run out of blood". I thought he was serious! It scared the heck out of me! Haha, just kidding doc, you know I love you.

I swear, my doctor looked just like that!! The fire and everything!

So anyways, the doc deduces that I have an ingrown toe-nail. I was thinking 'Well, that's great doc. Gimme the pills I need to take and we'll call it a day". But of course, the situation was much more serious then that. First, he had to stick this massive needle into my toe and inject some stuff to numb it up. THIS HURT ALOT!! When a doctor usually says you'll feel a little sting and a burning sensation, you figure that he'll just poke you and be done ub a few secounds. Of course, this wasn't the case. I'll just say this... OWWWWWWWWW!!

I'm sorry mam, but your son's swolen toe seemed to be more serious then we thought. As it turned out, your son had been infected by a retro-virus that turns ordinary people into brain-eating zomibes. He's stumbling about the halls as we speak.

After he poked my toe about six or seven times, I figured it was time to turn my iPod on. Trust me, this entire tramatic experience was made bearable through the magic of Rent. Next, he pulled out this huuuuugeee metal thingy (I don't know what to call it), stuck it under my toe nail, and lifted it up. The pain, the horrible pain!! And as if that wasn't enough, he seemed to take great joy in pulling out a jumbo sized pair of sizzors and cutting the nail in half. OUCH!

Be very very quiet. I'm hunting patients. *insert Elmer Fudd laugh*

While the searing pain was nearly unbearable, our hero stood in triumph upon the procedure chair. No more would his toe ache in terror, no more would the evil doctor poke him with needles. He was a free man! Unfortuantelly, he had to wear a really clunky shoe that the doc gave him for while the toe healed. Much complaining ensued on the part of our hero.

A Message from the Blogger: While it was a truly grueling experience, I may have exaggerated just a little. Not very much mind you, because it was horrible. However, the tale you had just witnessed may have been double dipped in whinning and lies!

My Half-Life

2006-08-21T21:49:00.001-07:00

Half-Life 2... has consumed many valuable hours of my life. First it grips on with it's engaging story and dazzling graphics, but then it plants you straight into situations beyond your wildest imagination. Be warned, Half-Life 2 will take up about half your life. Without warning, you will become dependent on it's intense gunplay and trippy thrills to get through the day. Half-Life is more then a game... it's an addiction!

The Half-Life mod everyone has been waiting for.... "SNAKES ON A G-PLANE"!

Okay, enough of my stupid intro to what I've been doing for the last couple days. As you've probably already guessed, I've finally decided to buy Half-Life 2. A truly amazing game, that I can't seem to get away from. Even though I get stuck every ten minutes, even though the constant running and gunning gets repetive after a couple hours, Half-Life 2 packs a cinematic punch. For example, the teleporter scene early on in the game is one of the coolest scenes I've experienced in a game.. period. It had such a weird "What the Heck Am I Supposed to Do" feel that you can't help but get a little excited. Game presentation at it's finest.

Alyx doing her best Trinity impression.

The characters in the game are amazingly animated, and actually feel like real people instead of the usual broad stereo-types you get in most first-person shooters. My personal favorite character isn't much of a shocker for Half-Life 2 fans, Alyx. She just has sooo much personality, and she adds a lot more personality to a game that could have been all about shooting and blowing things up. The rest of the cast is just as fantastic, mostly consisting of quirky scientists and the totally creepy G-Man. I'm not very far into the game, but I'm sure I'll encounter him again.

Hey guys..... I'll give you a dollar if you don't kill me.

The only problem I've had with the game is the lack of guidance. You can tell that I haven't played many first-person shooters when I get lost in what seems to be a very simply constructed level. For example, the stage with the Hover Boat was quite frusturating because I couldn't find that GOSH DARN LEVER!! Ughhhhhhh, I hate passing over stupid stuff like that. Sooooo, I spent the next forty-five minutes trying to find the dumb lever, when someone just decides to kill me so I can start all over. Ughhh!

I'm sorry, I can't help you. The thing is.. I kinda saved my own butt by paying these weird alien dudes a dollar. Yeaaaaaaaahhhh... sucks to be you.

Besides my apparent lack of lever finding skill, the gameplay is quite intense and addictive (and violent, might I add). I'm currently stuck in the zombie infested town of Ravenholm, being stalked and attacked by many a zombie. This was when I came to realise just how much fun the games physics engine is. When I ran out of ammo, I just pulled out the Gravity Gun and started using random stuff around me. Furniture, televisions, soda cans, anything that I could find laying around the street. Firing said object at said zombie is always totally awesome (sorry, I can't think of a better way to describe it, even using proper grammar). I wish the game had a slow motion effect, so I could watch as that soda can bounces right off the zombie's head. Good times, good times!

Where's Tom Cruise when you need him?!!

I'm going to dedicate this paragraph to just how bad Gordon Freemen is. In the face of danger and almost certain death, Gordon stands tall (and says nothing). He doesn't crack under pressure, no matter the situation (and continues to say nothing). A really cute scientist chick could come up to him and start a conversation, and yet he continues to say nothing. Some really scary thingy could lurch out of the shadows, and Gordon will still continue to say nothing. I have one question for the developers..... HOW CAN YOU MAKE A CHARACTER WHO HAS A REALTIONSHIP WITH EVERYBODY IN THE GAME, AND YET HE DOENS'T SAY ANTYHING?!! EVERY!! Jeez, I thought it was silly when Jak (of Jak and Daxter fame) couldn't talk, but at least he grunted and moaned every now and again.

Gordon Freemen: The World's Least Interesting Leading Man

In conclusion, I'll probably make another blog update after I get the other half of my life back. Untill then, may the geek be with you!

Wako: The Rules of Engagement Review

2006-08-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Once in a while, a movie comes along that actually disturbs me. A film that not only keeps you engaged to the very end, but also shocks and disturbs. "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" is one of those films. A documentary about 1994's 51-day siege of the Branch Dividian compound in Waco, Texas, which resulted in the complete destruction of the compound and the deaths of many innocents. As "The Rules of Engagement" unfolds, the movie delves into facts not revealed to the public, and how portions of our own government straight out lied about the siege. What really happened at the compound is the stuff of nightmares.

A picture of the Branch Davidian compound burning to the ground.

Using footage from the actual siege, the senate investigation hearings, as well as interviews with experts and the survivors of the trajedy. This gives you a real sense of what the conflict must of been like, and the painful deaths most of the innocents inside the compound experienced. I'm not going to give anymore details for those not familiar with the subject matter; this is a movie you have to experience for yourself. Dark, unsettling, and one of the best movies I've seen for a long time. After seeing it, many will begin to question how our government and law enforcement could handle the situation in such an inhumane and grotesque way.

Classic YouTube Videos

2006-08-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'm really bored, so here's a bunch of links to videos that everyone should see at least once. These are "Kaleb Approved"!

Chad Vader- Day Shift Manager (Episode 1): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wGR4-SeuJ0&mode=related&search

Kaleb Review: This is the most orginal Star Wars fan film I've seen in a very long time! I don't wanna give anything away, so just watch it.

X3 Dub (X-Mandomn3ss): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaz5DPWxcDI

Kaleb Review: This one is far less popular, but I really don't understand why. This is a fantastic dub, especially if you've already seen the movie. Great stuff DyceVaruna!

MrNutz gets root on R2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKjBRdMFkS0

Kaleb Review: So stupid.... that it's almost beautiful.

Ask A Ninja Question 23 "Ninternships": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNWwsXQtJl8

Kaleb Review: The Ninja is one of the best things to happen to YouTube. Don't believe me? Watch this clip, then you'll understand.

Zipa Dee Doo Dah (from "Song of the South"): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFWvuycZ190

Kaleb Review: This movie has yet to be released on DVD (apparently because of Disney's belief that Uncle Remus being a slave might ofeend some people). I've seen the entire film, and it isn't offensive at all. Anyways, this is one of the best scenes from the movie.

Japanese Spider-Man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Oaki3Droo

Kaleb Review: Wow, this is really sad. I'm not sure whether this is Spider-Man or Transformers.

The Great Stoires

2006-08-13T19:05:00.001-07:00

Last night I was watching The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. I don't know why it was, but the movie really got me thinking about life and the way we lead it. I know, I'm sounding melodramatic, but I didn't even realise it until the last twenty minutes of the film. It was three o' clock in the morning when the movie ended, and one scene rang clearly in my mind while I went to sleep.

Nothing smells worse then a Balrog's gas.

It was the scene where Frodo is about to get snatched up by the Nazgul near the movie's conclusion. He's been completely taken over by the ring, so he doesn't have any choice but to stand in front of this wretched winged beast. But right at the last moment, when all hopes about to fade, Sam takes him away from it all.. and nearly gets himself stabbed by Frodo in the process. There's a long silence. Sam says, "It's me! It's your Sam! Don't you know your Sam?" Frodo falls to the ground and says in a gentle earnest voice, "I can't do this, Sam". Sam gets up, and gives what is in my opinion, what one of the best monolouges in movie history.

Crap!! I think I dropped something! That hobbit probably wasn't important anyways.

He starts telling Frodo about the great stories, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end, because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened! But in the end, it's only a passing thing. The shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stuck with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, I finally do understand now. Folks in those stories, had lots of chances of turing back only they didn't. They kept going, because they were holding on to something. Frodo looks at him and asks, "What are we holding on to, Sam?" Sam answers with one of my favorite moive quotes, "That there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."

*Brokeback Mountain music plays in background* I wish I knew how to quit you, Mr. Frodo!!

I had seen that scene a dozen times before, but that night it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a scene that's hard to come by these days, a scene where a character almost completely takes himself out of the situation and compares it to the stoires he was told as a child. Through all of the choas and violence, there's a scene of quiet discovery. I felt a tear go down my cheek, because for me at that moment, the scene represented a huge chunk of my life thus far.

Frodo during one of his "emo" phases.

As a kid, I always wanted to be Luke Skywalker. Let's face it, you probably wanted to be Luke Skywalker at one point during your childhood. I wanted the adventure and the excitement, but most of all, I actually wanted to be a great person like Luke was.

Stories have the power to effect us when we're very young. They have a way of speaking to us, even when we were too little to entirely understand the plot. We're thrilled by the adventures of Indiana Jones and his search for The Lost Ark, but we're also completely emotinally connected to the character. Here's a man who would risk it all to save the rest of us. Not many people would take the measures that Indiana Jones did, and that's why the movie spoke to audiences beyond it's action sequences.

This is what I used to look like! That was when I was still using the Bowflex.

The interesting thing is, as I grow older, the more and more I refer back to stories I knew as a kid. If I'm going through a tough situation, I just think back to a particular scene from one of my favorite movies, and think about what the characters had to go through. It makes my day to day life look incredibly easy! Those guys had to climb mountains, fight orcs, and throw some trinket into an active volcano! Now that's tough!

It sounds kinda silly when I put it out there like this, but it's something I think we all do to some extent. That's the entire point of great stories, to give you something to hold on to when you're going through a rough patch. I was sitting there, watching the movie, and all of this washed over me like a flood. The great hereos kept goin, because they were holding on to something. They were holding onto the fact that there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for. We all contribute to this world, even if the contribution is small and insignificant. Thanks, Sam! Thanks for the lesson, and the memories!

Rent Review

2006-08-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

Simply put, Rent is the best movie musical to come out in years. Based on the Broadway musical of the same name (which was a remake of an older play called La Boheme), Rent truly is a fun movie to watch and hear. More importantly, the film has a real heart and soul, something sorely missing from most Hollywood produced movies today. Rent will stay with you well after the ending credits roll.

Starring a cast of drag queens and drug addicts (but boy can they SING!!!).

I'm not saying that it's a perfect movie. Infact, it's far from perfection. There were a couple scenes in the movie I felt were entirely expendable, and hurt the flow of the story. For example, the scene with Maureen's protest could have been cut waaaaaayyy down, or even out of the movie. Another point to be made is that Rent has a few very campy moments, which I didn't mind, but I've read other critic reviews that disagree with me. Basically, it suffers from flaws that every musical does, the fact that some people think it's funny when people break out into song. I personally found it refreshing and electric, but I'm sure that there are many who won't.

And now time for something competely different.

Which leads me to the music. Oh sweet lord, I loooovvee the music! From "Seasons of Love" to the film's finale, Rent boasts an outstanding array of songs. Unlike films like Chicago, these songs are actually based on subjects you can relate to on a personal level, making the whole feel far more human then any recent musical fair.

In conclusion, it's a musical tour de force. If you can't stand musicals, you'll feel like jabbing your eyes out thirty minutes in. If you're like me, however, you're gonna enjoy yourself. It's not a great movie, it's not even a particularly well made movie, but it's an entertaining and touching one. In my opinion, IT WAS RENT-TASTIC!

Rating: B

Kaleb Approved Rent Clips
Life Support: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz-JI-SaCck
Seasons of Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3SBqnT5KP8
You'll See Boys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekdh0ZYfODw

DANCIN FOOL!!

2006-08-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'll just say that last night was a blast!! I went to this dance at the home school expo (I don't remember exactly what it was called). Woah... IT WAS AWESOME!! It was like awesome to the third power! No, it was even more awesome then that! It was like... SUPER AWESOME! Yeah, I'm a little hyper right now. *bounces off the walls*

Name: Russell
Age:16
Favorite Animal: Ninja Penguins with Chainsaws!
We Never: Want to See Russell with his Shirt Off Ever Again!!!

Yeah, it was quite a night. The only real dissapointment was the fact that I wasn't made a posse leader by my friends (meaning that they all got cool canes, and I was stuck with the broken crappy cane). Yeeeaaahh, we're a very strange group. Strange in a strangely awesome strange way! They are all amazing, and we all have some great quirks (I love quirky people). Friends can make a great dance even more brilliant and electric. Especially when you keep bugging them randomly throughout the evening. While we're on the topic of bugging people, I would like to apoligise to James for my constantly annoying nature towards his person.

I think I've already mentioned that the dance was amazing, but did I mention that I danced like a somewhat retarded geek? Well, I did! It was brilliance in a can, and then some! They could have played less rap and hip-hop, but most of the music was pretty good.

Name: Christine
Age: 14
Least Favorite Song: You're Beautiful by James Blunt

Yeah, it was a fuuuunn night! Dancing with random people, singing along to "I Will Surive", and doing the "Spaz Attack" to dozens and dozens of songs! I danced till I couldn't dance anymore! Now my legs feel like logs, I slept till some ungodly hour, but I'm still dancing around the house like some kind of crazy person. SIGN ME UP FOR THE NEXT ONE!

Why Must Everything Be an Allegory?

2006-08-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

Just recently I was reading a review for "Superman Returns", in which the critic said that the Superman character has many similarties to Jesus Christ. For example, in the scene where he's floating in space and you can hear the voice of his father saying, "I've sent them you, my one and only son". That's all fine and dandy, if the reviewer didn't insist that that portion of the film was meant to be an allegory. Not all films have a deep religious theme to them (and how come it's always Jesus.. why not Budha).

Poor Sup! A man just can't be the world's savior without immediately being compared to Jesus.

I don't know why this bugs me so much. It's just that most of this guy's review was talking about all the intentional Christian ties (which I would call universal themes, that aren't tied down to any religion) instead of actually reviewing the movie. I guess it's because I've seen far too many critics analzye these movies for some piece of possible allegory (which often doesn't even exist) instead of watching the movie! It's silly! If I tried hard enough, I could come up with five reasons why Jack Sparrow represented Christ in the latest Pirates film. Which I wouldn't, because that would be dumb.

I can understand drawing comparsions, but when you say that there is no way that the director didn't intend for the piece to draw such comparisions, then people are just being silly. Unless it's something like "The Chronicles of Narnia", where the writer actually said straight out that it was an allegory, then it probably isn't an allegory.

So if Superman is supposedly the Christ figure of the story... does that mean that Lex Luthor represents Simon Cowell? ...... I don't think that came out right.

.
Yeaaaaahhh, I guess this is the topic I end up writing about when I spent my afternoon reading movie reviews. Honestly, the guys breathe way too much into these films. Not everything is meant to have this amazing christian theme to it. The themes represented in the movie are universal in many religions and stories. But of course, that means that they couldn't make a big deal about the entire "Superman represents Jesus" thing. IT'S A SUPER HERO MOVIE!

The Human Condition

2006-08-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it, I've been rather moody for the last couple days. What's weird is that I really don't know why I'm cranky, I just am. Maybe it's because I've limited most of my attention to the television instead of to things that could actually benefit myself and my lifestyle. Just because I don't have much to build towards for the next couple weeks doesn't mean that I should just sit in front of the computer all day.

I fell not unlike this dog. Of course, this is after I realise that I haven't achieved much that day.

Or maybe it's something more. Maybe it's because I set impossible personal goals for myself that I can't possibly live up too. No ones perfect, but I usually feel that I must be. Sometimes, I feel like I'm constantly being judged, like I'm a part of some insanely complicated game show. I feel this way not because of people's judgemental nature, but because of my own insecurity. I know everyon ehas these problems, and that's why I felt it would make a great topic. Everyone is conflicted with personal problems, even when they're at the highest point of their lives. So the real problem is that many of us just don't appreciate the things that we have.

Aren't you glad that you've got Bono with you wherever you go?

Take me, for example. I live in a gorgeous house, and I have the most loving parents anyone could ever ask for. I'm sure millions of kids would die for the position that I'm in right now. Yet... I'm not always happy with it. Why is that?

I'll tell you what, whenever you're feeling down, take a good look around at where you are. You've got a home, a body that hasn't failed you yet, and that amazing known as "life". Truly, that's all you really need. The rest is up to you.

Some people are in far worse situations. Some have to deal with abusive lovers, the death of a loved one, and even the inevitability of dying from a disease you didn't deserve. However, only a small fraction of people are in such a horrid condition that there isn't any hope that things will get better. Remember the good, and try to get away from the bad. Everyone is capable of being happy, especially you!

See! Even this guy is happy. If only we were all like "what's his name".

Woah... I feel better already! Till next time.

Kingdom Hearts 2: A Serious Addiction

2006-08-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

Kingdom Hearts 2 is the best game to hit the PS2 since Final Fantasy X! The day it shipped, I remember racing over to my local Gamestop to receive my copy. It didn't dissapoint in the slightest.

For those of you who don't know, Kingdom Hearts is a fusing of Disney and Final Fantasy properties. For example, it isn't uncommon to see characters like Cloud and Auron (Final Fantasy characters) appear alongside the like of Hades or Malificent (if I need to tell you who these characters are, you need help). It's both quirky and and highly engaging, something many games wish they could be. Truly one of the best game game ideas of this console generation.

Guys, I think I've just ruined my good pair of pants. I'll be back in a minute. Don't DIE while I'm gone!

Here I am, a fifteen year old boy, playing a video game where two of the games strongest warriors are Donald and Goofy. Call me crazy, but I love every minute of it. Addiction has a new name, and it's "Kingdom Hearts". It's just soooo darn cute!

And over there is the "All You Can Eat Buffet"! We hope your stay at "Pala Casino and Resort" will be a pleasent one.

I've beaten the game three times, and am currently on my fourth playthrough (apparently I have nothing better to do). As if you didn't need further proof that I was a geek. Well, I could throw in the fact that I got kinda emotinal during the game's ending (which was beautiful, by the way). Whoops... too late!

Wow, that's quite a sword you've got there. What kind of polish do you use on that thing?

My favorite level has to be the "Pirates of the Carribean" world. Seriosuly, there is nothing cooler then kickin butt and takin names alongside Captain Jack Sparrow (who sounds more like some random guy pulled off the street then Johnny Depp). Now, if only real life was more like Kingdom Hearts. Then the world would be a better place!

I think we've got the coolest lawn ornement in the block! And you wanted to get a Garden Gnome!!

In conclusion, I'm still a huge geek. Till next time!

Kingdom Hearts 2 Gameplay Clips (from Japanese version)

1000 Heartless Battle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXMQfVXglwQ

Barbossa Boss Fight (Pirates): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFXlQw0YL1c

Hydra Boss Fight (Hercules): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZPvqvBRPNg

Rent: The Stargate Musical

2006-07-31T17:12:00.000-07:00

Sheppard using "The Worlds Most Advanced Toliet".

Speaking in the most basic terms that the human language allows: STARGATE IS THE BEST SCI-FI SHOW ON TELEVISION! Seriously, if you haven't at least given this show a chance, run to you Tivo and record an episode. You'll thank me later (even though Christine didn't.. she's still awesome though). It makes Star Trek look like "Godzilla vs. Megalon".

You put your left hand in, you put your left hand out! And you... no Daniel, you're not doing it right!

Anyways, every Friday night I prepare myself for another dose of Stargatin goodness, and this week delivered the goods! Not only was Atlantis awesome, but SG-1 was fantastic as well! I'll admit, I stopped watching SG-1 last season because of the complete lack of cast energy. I'll be honest, a pack of dead rotting rats has more energy then the characters last season. Which made this episode so surprising. IT DIDN'T BORE ME TO DEATH!

Alright! Who farted?!!

The entire concpet behind the episode was actually quite clever. They merged elements from "Stargate Atlantis" into the show, making for some interesting interactions between the casts of both shows. One of my favorites being the conversation between Mitchell and Shepperd in the gateroom. It was one of those total geek moments that only Gaters (a term I use for Stargate fans) can fully appreicate. Awesome indeed!

This was where I had a Geek-Attack. It was soooo cool!

RODNEY MCKAY IS THE MAN! Seriously people, he's the best thing to hit television since that one Paris and Nicole reality show (which I can't remember the name of). Honeslty, he could be singing "La Via Boheme" from Rent, and it would be amazing! Woah.... what if they had an entire episode of Mckay singing showtunes. That would be awesome! I could see it now, "Stargate: The Musical"! Anyways, I should digress before I rise into "Geek Heaven" and never return.
Oh, what the heck. Let's go all the way with this concept!

*starts singing about Carter and Mckay* Seaaasssonnns of Looooovveee!

"STARGATE RENT" written by K.M. Stewart
How do you keep dialin the gate
When the gates electric bill is cauising millions to slip awwwaaaayyy!
Ori,Wraithi, they've all blown up minds. Now Earth has a deadline to the eeeeeennnnddd!
Gate!
.........

La Via Boheme! Dumdumdumdumdumdumdum! La Via Boheme! Come on guys! Sing along!

Yeah, that was pretty awful. Just pretend like you never read that, and tell NO ONE!! I really have no idea where I was going with this entry, so I'll just stop while I'm ahead. Have a great day, end of story, THE END!

The Next Generation of Playstation

2006-07-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

As many who know me are already aware, I've been saving up for a Playstation 3 for the last few months. I'm basically getting the system because I know some really excellent games are coming out next year, but I'm slightly dissapointed with the launch titles.

The only game I could really see myself paying a hefty sixty dollars for is "Resistance: Fall of Man". Now that game looks like it's going to kick a serious amount of butt!! Not only does developer "Insomniac Games" have a fantastic track record (Ratchet and Clank, Spyro the Dragon), but the game is also going to be Sony's killer-app as far as online play is concerned. I'll admit, "Fall of Man" looks much gritter then anything the company had done before, but I'm sure the final product will be outstanding.

A screenshot from "Resistance:FOM"

Now all the other games that are coming at launch... well, it all looks like every other system's launch line-up. A lot of merely average games trying to cash in on a new system's fire. The only game besides "Fall of Man" that I would even consider is the new "Sonic the Hedgehog" game, but we all know about the crap Sonic Team has produced lately. "Shadow the Hedgehog" anyone?

Hopefully this new Sonic won't
suck!!

I'm not saying that the PS3's future isn't bright, with such top notch titles just around the corner. "Assaian's Creed" looks amazing, and don't even get me started on the next batch of Final Fantasy games! I could hardly contain myself when I heard The Kingdom Hearts Team was making a Final Fantasy game. I WAS TOTALLY GEEKING OUT!!

Another Final Fantasy, another
fifty hours of my life flushed down
the toilet!

Needless to say, I'm going to be very happy when I get my new system. Plus, you can play it online the minute it's out of the box. NOW THAT'S AWESOME!!

Dead Man's Chest Review

2006-07-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, "Pirates of the Carribean" was the hit of the summer. I remember walking into my local movie theatre expecting to have all of my childhood memories of the ride imitated on the screen, nothing more. I was shocked to find that the movie wasn't just a cheap advertisement for the ride, but also stood on its own as a swash-buckling comedy classic.

"Pirates" is this generations "Raiders of the Lost Ark". If the orginal was Raiders, then "Dead Man's Chest" is the "Temple of Doom" of the franchise. Both films have moments of creative genius, but both failed at bringing a darker tone into the mix. In "Dead Man's Chest", the darker scenes not only make much of the film stumble about like a drunken sailor, but also makes the entire film feel like it's suffering from multiple personality disorder.

First, lets look at Davy Jones and his crew. While they're impressive works of CGI mastery, they just come across as lifeless pieces of computer wizardy. Davy Jones is quite an achievement, but we didn't fall in love with Gollum becasue of how much detail was put into his finger nails. Audiences loved Gollum because of the character under all the pixels and polygons, not just because he looked cool. Furthermore, Davy Jones is just downright dissapointing compared to the charismatic performance Rush gave as Captain Barbossa in "The Curse of the Black Pearl".

The writers owe me a SOUL!

Apparenlty, the writers don't understand the words tension and build up. For example, you not only see the Kraken slaughter an entire ship early on in the film, but you're also treated to another scene nearly identical to it later in the movie. YOU DON'T SHOW A CREATURES FULL POTENTIAL DURING THE FIRST HALF OF A FILM!! What made the movie "Jaws" such a success was because you didn't see the entire shark until much later in the movie (I think everyone invovled in the production should have taken notes from Lucas and Speilberg). Two words: huge dissapointment.

The Kraken is about one-tenth as creative as the above drawing.

Not only is there no tension throughout, but they also took my favorite characters in directions I felt to be degrading. I really didn't like the movies failed attempt at a love triangle (which are usually awful to begin with). The entire thing basically destroyed Keira Knightly's character, and felt completely out of place in a "Pirates" movie.

Another innocent victim of a "Love Triangle Attack". When will writers ever learn!

On the positive side, the first forty-five minutes of the movie were exactly what I wanted from a sequel to an outstanding swash-buckling comedy... more swash-buckling comedy. I felt the same way about the three way fight near the film's conclusion, exactly what I wanted from a "Pirates" movie. Of course, the ending that followed was completely forced and depressing, leaving me with that hollow feeling I get when I'm dissapointed by a movie. It happened with "King Kong", and it happened here too.
Needless to say, the sport of "Wheel Swordfighting" lasted about as long as the XFL.

In conclusion, watch the orginal instead. "Dead Man's Chest" is long, overstuffed, and dreary. If you're going to see a fantasy film this summer, see "Superman Returns". Now that's a movie!!

The Trouble with Podcasts

2006-07-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

I just bought a video iPod a couple weeks ago, and let me say that its been both a blessing and a curse. The blessing being that I'm constantly entertained no matter where I am, the curse being that the outside world completely fades away the moment I jack into its electronic goodness. I mean... THE THING IS AMAZING!!

First of all, no one ever prepared me for the addictive drug known only as "podcasts". Trust me, I have never been more informed about what's going on in the world at large. Apparently, Israel is attacking somebody, and that somebody is doing the same... or something like that. The news has never been more hip, and neither has medi-core G4 programming. The marginally entertaining television show X-Play is just downright awesome when it's on that itty bitty little screen. WITH GOD AS MY WITNESS, I'LL NEVER BE BORED IN THE CAR AGAIN!!

Not that I have any music on it. I've been too tied up in all of its video goodness to care. Although, I do have "The Star Wars Gangsta Rap," and that's all any man really needs.

I'm pretty weird, I know. In conclusion, I love my iPod, and I'm still a total geek. Until next time.

I Totally Agree with this Statement

2006-07-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Someone on Myspace posted a bulletin that truly spoke to me. I'll just say that I competely agree with what they were saying.

I know way too many really beautiful girls who think they don't look good... It hurts... because it's our fault, guys I mean. We make girls feel like they have to be perfect. You know what I mean, flat stomach, huge boobs, round booty, long legs, big lips, and on top of all that, they have to dress like a whore, and be onE as well... nobody can measure up to that... and its not fair... because nobody should have to. The little imperfections are what make people special. If everyone was perfect the world would be so boring, variety is what makes life interesting. So guys, stop making girls have to live up to your, I'm sorry, our... deluded fantasy visions of perfection. Stop acting like boys and start being men... realize that women don't exist to fufill our sexual desires. Stop talking to them solely to get with them, be nice to them because you want to be their friend, not because you want to hook up with them. Say nice things about them not to flatter them in hopes that you'll get some, but because you know they like to hear them. In short... we need to grow up and stop acting like freakin retarded little boys

This pretty much sums up my own ideas about how I feel women should be treated. Not as pieces of meat that we lust after, but as human beings with real thoughts and emotions (I'm not saying that everyone judges women this way, but far too many do). Who agrees with me?