The Amazing Nurse Nanako

Hey there. I tried to watch this series but found it pretty difficult to even get through the first episode. After reading reviews, I figured that I would enjoy a "comedic" series about the second coming of Christ. It started off with a pretty serious tone but I found Nanako to be too whiny and little on the unbearable side. I hoping that they'll develop her character a little more. I understand that she's supposed to be a little on the ditzy side but this is taking it well over the top. I also found myself fast forwarding the episode just to find out what happens at the end. I know that the majority of the stories start off slow and then pick up speed. I hope that is the case with this one. I'll try watching it again tomorrow. Later.

Insane

Hey there. Check this article out. Man is this just plain crazy or what? I don't know if the girl freaked out or what but how the hell can you give birth to a fetus and then toss it in a trashcan? Unbelievable.

Lakers

Goddamn Lakers. Another close one, but we came out on top over Washington tonight, despite the rookie, Nick Young, bombing 27 points on us. I swear they are going to give me a heart attack one of these days. lol

Anime Series

Hey there. I think I need a new series to watch. These past couple of months I quenched my anime fix with a couple of good series and a few movies. Now, I am at a loss as too what I should watch next.



I recently saw the movie, "I Love my Younger Sister". After checking out some reviews, I thought that it would be a good story. I was wrong. Visually, the movie was good, but the story just seemed a little blah to me. It's exactly what the title states. A bro discovers that he has feelings for his sister. And yes, friends, it's THOSE kinds of feelings. The story did have a few plot twists but nothing that wasn't expected. Overall, I give this one a 2 out of 5.

The thing that is intriguing about this flick is that it's about a taboo subject. You don't see much media in regards to the subject of incest so it's interesting that there is a whole movie out there on the subject. Guess my curiosity got the best of me on this one.



I also caught the Witchblade series. From what I hear, there are significant changes from the manga and anime. I thought the anime was great. Again, I'm a sucker for a good story and even though this anime is geared at attract attention with the eyes, there is definitely a good story behind the visuals.

I guess cause I'm a parent but the fact that a mother would do anything for thier child, really caught my attention early on in the series. Especially since the story starts with Masane and Riko running from the law. lol But only because they wanna be together and "the man" is trying to tear them apart.

Inbetween the many ass kicking battles with excons, a love triangle developes within Masane, Takayama, and Tozawa. Tozawa, the freelance photographer, has it for Masane even though the bastard wont admit it but because Masane spends so much time with Takayama (her boss) whom she ultimately falls for, he acts the cool guy and does not reveal his true feelings.

During all this, there's the story of Riko (Masane's daughter) and Masane. They have a strong bond and even though Riko acts more of a mother than Masane, Masane tries to have Riko's best interest at heart. She makes a difficult dicision when it turns out that Reina, Riko's real mother, comes into the picture and asks for her daughter.

As a parent, nothing would hurt more than to sit and tell your child that you're going to die. That's exactly what Masane tells Riko. Sitting in a grassy field, holding your daughter, telling her that she won't ever be alone, no matter what happened to her. Very touching.

Leaving out many details friends. This is just an overview. Go and watch the series. good stuff.

Oh and then I discovered these bad ass figurines from the series. Maybe I'll get one or two. Check em out. It's my understanding these are just the first few figures. There will be more to come to cover the other characters. Until then, later.

Shutter

Hey there. My wife and I just got back from watching the movie Shutter. I love scary flicks. I used to watch them all the time as a child. I love watching scary movies with my wife cause she scares easily so I love it when she jumps and holds me tight while she lets out a few small shrieks.

I won't give out much details, but I thought this movie was great. The story was good and while watching you will get chills. The "flashing" scene in the middle of the movie was great. It made the moment very suspenseful and I don't remember seeing anything like that in any other movie. The atmosphere at the theater was great too. lol There were a couple of screams from the ladies, a lot of shuffling, many people jumped from their seats, and there more than enough of, "Oh! What the fuck!" were let out by the guys. I don't think I've been to the theater and have seen and heard the audience be so into a movie. It just added that much more to the experience.

Anyways, I guess I've seen one too many scary movies cause half way through the flick, I whispered to my wife, "My scary movie intuition tells me that I know what happened to her." I would say that I was about 80% correct. lol



It turns out the movie is a remake of a Thai movie under the same name. I've read that the directors of the Thai film claim that they've caught a spirit on film when shooting the car accident scene. Turns out that there really was an accident on the road that was used during filming and they caught the spirit on film. Very intriguing. I may have to check that out sometime since that kinda stuff draws my curiosity.

My wife's in bed now, with the lights on. I'm sure that once I join her, I'll be held tightly. We've seen our share of horror movies and our nights usually end up the same. Doors open, lights on, and my wife not letting me go. Even if her life depended on it. I love it.

Keep those cameras flashing. You'll never know what you'll capture on film. Until then, later.

Thoughts On... Elfen Lied

Hey there. What a series! This has to be one of the top short anime series ever. Despite it being some 13 episodes long, it was extremely entertaining and I didn't want to stop watching the series. Lucy was/is one bad mo'fo. For those of you who have not seen, I suggest you do so now before you continue reading. lol I thought the intro to the show was intriguing. I caught myself humming the tune on several occassions and the fact that it's sung in latin adds a mystique to it that suits real well. The opening 7 minutes just grabs you and does not let go. I could go without the nakedness but it difinitely made me go whoa... There are some spoilers below.  If you plan on watching it, go do that first and then come back!  Now, my thoughts on... Elfen Lied.

Drained

Hey. Ever get up feeling drained? What is up with that? It's as if all the energy was sucked out of you during sleep. I was under impression that sleep re-energized a body. Guess I was wrong. lol Kinda reminds me of this one movie that I can't remember the name of. It was about this one little creature/troll that was living in some hole in the wall and would come out and suck the energy out of the girl that was sleeping in the room. I don't remember if it was sucking out the energy or soul but it was there, sitting on her chest breathing in this mist emanating from the girls body. What the hell is the name of that movie???

I think I need to check for little holes in my walls... Until then, later.

The Clairvoyant

Hey. Was listening to The Clairvoyant by Iron Maiden this morning and there's this great line in the song that got me thinking.

"There's a time to live but isn't it strange that as soon as you're born you're dying."

I thought it was a great line and never thought about death in that sense. Most people are so preoccupied with extending life but in actually we're only delaying death. Life is not guaranteed, but death is. It also made me think of this one line I heard a few years back that I thought was pretty funny.

"Health nuts are going to feel stupid one day. Lying in their death beds, dying of nothing."

Both are great lines with a view on life. The first stating that death is coming regardless while the second states how some of us go to great lengths only to delay it as much as possible. Now, I'm not against "health nuts", if exercising and eating healthy and what not is your way of life, then handle your business. To each their own. I just find it odd how some people will eat healthy, exercise and what not and be miserable. It's not something they enjoy so why do it? I just think that instead of trying to delay death you should be out enjoying yourself. Why burden yourself with the thought of death? It's gonna happen so why worry yourself out of your mind? I'm not saying be a dumbass and go drive recklessly, do drugs, and shit like that because you're enjoying yourself. I'm not cool with that. People should be responsible for their actions and some actions cause harm to not only yourself but others as well.

That's my outlook on life. When the subject comes up, you'll always hear me say, "I'm not gonna die. I'm going to live my life the best I know how." Once you think of death, negativity comes from it. You start thinking about what's going to happen when you're gone, who's going to take care of the kids, how are you going to die, will I have enough money saved up for my surviving family? I'm not saying that you should ignore those questions. You should definitely be responsible and take the necessary precautions. For a man that's not going to die, I have a life insurance policy, savings account, and a 401K with the beneficiaries being my wife and kids in case god decided my reign on Earth is over. Again, death is inevitable, but why boggle myself down with it? Handle your business and do what you got to do for your family and then live your life. You've done the work by taking care of business, now it's time to play.

Until the maker decides to look for me, I'll catch ya around. Later.

Vacation Update

Hey. So we had our vacation last week. Man, was it great. Felt good to get away from work and just spend time with the kiddos and wife, you know. Like my good friend Jack said, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."



Monday


So on Monday, we took it easy. Spent some of the day at Chuck E. Cheese. Every kid on earth loves that place. Not to mention a few adults. Had us some pizza and enjoyed us some games. I challenged myself in that basketball game that they have. I saw the "jackpot score" of 60 and said to myself that I could beat that. I spent a good chunk of coins there... reaching for at least 61 but topped out at 58. Damn me and my competitiveness. lol



Afterwards, I dropped off my wife at her friend's place. A friend she hasn't seen in ages and recently had a baby. While she was there, I took the kiddos to buy some movie tickets. After picking up my wife awhile later, we caught Horton Hears a Who. I enjoyed it, thought it was a cool movie for the kiddos. Man, while there, I ordered the large popcorn and a large drink, thinking it was good enough for them and they fucked it up!!! And I refilled the popcorn and drink! lol I was like, whoa! These little ones sure can eat. lol

Tuesday

Day of fun at Disneyland. We did the standard stuff like the teacup ride and others that are in that general area. We jumped on a new one for us, which was the Winnie the Pooh ride, which the littlest one loved. We actually got on it twice. We also boarded the sub for the new Nemo ride. Waited almost an hour and a half for it, but the ride was worth it. Felt better afterwards cause I heard that it took some almost 3 hours of wait time just to get on. We had our lunch and went back to enjoy ourselves some more. Also got on this Buzz Lightyear one which we all thought was pretty cool since you get to shoot at shit and get points. The best part about it though is that they take your picture and you can Email it to yourself, for free! So that was pretty bad ass. Nice souvenir for free. We wanted to get on again, but couldn't since out littlest fell asleep. She missed the fireworks show, which was pretty good too. Afterwards, we did some shopping and off we went.

I know I forgot some stuff. As I remember, I'll edit. lmao

Wednesday

This was to be a "my wife and I" day, but we were soooo tired that we chilled for most of the day. We did spend some time alone, though. Dropped off the kids with their grandma and we took off shopping. Got us a new camera since ours was pretty much outdated. When your camera has just as much MPs than your phone, it's time to upgrade. lol So we got this cool 7MP cam which takes better pics and in way better focus too.

It was good to spend some alone time with my wife. Don't get much of that now a days, especially with the kids and house stuff to preoccupy ourselves with.

Thursday

Back in the car off to Disneyland again!!!! Not! Instead, we went to California Adventure. As we approach the park, there is this long line and everyone was asked to stay to the right. We're all like, what the hell. I joke around by saying that the early birds get special parking. Actually, it was free parking! But it was soooooooo far away and we had to walk! The price we paid for free walking... We were already tired before we even got there. lol

Disneyland has this "2fer" thing going on where if you go to one park, the other is free. We took advantage and went to other park. We've never been there so it was a new experience for us. We found it better than Disneyland, because the lines were shorter and the characters were more open for pics. We took a shit load of pics with all kinds of characters and then didn't just disappear on you without notice. They would say 10 mo mins or whatever so we thought that was cool. Also, they have this photo pass thing that I thought was great. The photographer hands you this card and each time you see a photographer, you give them your pass and they will take your picture with a specific background or character and you can view those pictures online, for free! Again, free souvenirs is always great.

We tested out our new cam, which was great. Took a shit load of pics. Don't know what the hell happened on one instance though. We had just switched the batteries so that we can have fresh ones for after lunch and it died in the middle of a pic. My wife was pissed cause she thought that I implied that it was her fault. She said that I told her it was cause she left it on. Maybe my words came out wrong (which is usually the case) but I think it was just a freak out from the cam cause even if she were to leave it on, it wouldn't have died after 15 mins or so... So it was just plain weird but... yeah, she was pissed cause it was a family photo that I took with that one princess ant and it was a nice pic too, I saw it before the cam died and when I switched the batteries again, the photo was not saved. Huge downer.

As far as the rides go, they were good. The Monsters Inc one was good. We also caught the 3D film of the Muppets which was good too. Our little one, experiencing 3D for the first time, got up off the chair on many occassions trying to grab the objects. lol The Bugs 3D included other senses as well so that one was great. I had a kick watching her trying to pop bubbles or catching bugs. lol We spent most of our day in the "Hollywood Blvd" and the Bugs Life area. We missed out on the Pier and the this forresty area. We'll catch those next time. You can't expect to do it all in one day.

The ride of the night, though, was definitely the "Tower of Terror". We had to "ride switch" that one because our little one wasn't allowed on. I went first with my boy, which he was already shittin' it before we even got on. Had to explain that it was just a ride and that everything around him was just there for show and that he shouldn't be scared. Once on the ride, and you catch that first glimsp of the outside and you're like, whoa, we're pretty high up. The view was awesome. You're up some 20 stories or so and you can see the outside before you drop. Definitely recommend it. After our boy and I "survived" it, my wife got on our daughter and they both "survived" it as well. lol I was receiving texts from her saying she was scared and I assured that all would be well and to just hold on tight. lol

Afterwards, we were tired. ALL OF US. Instead of eating dinner at the park, we decided to grab something on the way back. We all dreaded the walk back. Felt like it would take forever to ger there. Damn free parking. lol

Friday

Why can I not remember Friday? Oh yeah, we took a day of rest on Friday. It was my comadre's B day. She was throwing herself a BBQ but we stayed home because our little one got the stomach bug and wasn't feeling all that great. Some kid must've sneezed on her or something while at California Adventure. She started to throw up in the morning and couldn't really keep anything down. Soon after, she started getting the runs and late night, had a fever. She kept saying that she was sick and held her lil tummy. It worried my wife some, but I know our little one is a toughie. We gave her some meds and the fever was soon gone and she slept well.

Sometime during the day, I snuck out and got my wife some pearls. She's been asking for them since forever but I never seem to remember to get them for her during a special occassion. So while it was fresh on my mind, I took off and got her a set of pearls, just because, which she absolutely loves. Brownie points for me. lol


That's it for our week long vacation. Not bad, right? Later!

Guitar Hero Update

Hey. Just to give an update, I finally got through One in Hard mode and after many failed attempts, defeated Lou to advance into Expert Mode. Was all proud of myself cause that mo'fo was difficult to overcome. I feel a little better today knowing that I'm not the only one that struggled tremendously with those solos at the end of One. After speaking with a friend, her cuz that is "really good" still cannot get through those and he's been at it for about a month.

I'll most likely try to at least 4 star all the songs on Hard before I move on to Expert. I was doing that in Easy Mode but I was using those songs as a warm up. Funny how at first those songs seemed difficult and now I'm breezing through them "easily" getting 5 stars if not the 5 golden stars. I'm going to start using the Medium Mode as a warm up now. I have about 6 songs there that I need to 5 star.

I also had my best score on Through the Fire and Flames and I still did not 5 star the damn thing. Don't know the exact number but I jumped it from 218K to about 248K. I thought for sure I'd nail it, but... it wasn't to be. Maybe next time.

I hooked up our PS2 (yes it's a PS2, read my gas price blog below... lol) online so I now am hooked up to play against the world. It's a shame that they forgot to include GH3 for PS2 online play. It's available for PS3, but I don't have one of those. lol Was hoping to challenge myself with other players out there but it didn't happen.

Until then, later.

Vacation!

Hey there. First day of vacation, HELL YEAH! Felt good not having to get up at 5:40 am, dragging my ass out of bed and on to work. Woke up feeling pretty good. I probably won't have time to post during the week, but I'll try to put in a word or two. Until then, later on.

Grave of the Fireflies

"Why do fireflies have to die so young?"

I watched Grave of the Fireflies last night and man, was that one sad flick. I've heard for many years that it was a great movie but never had the chance to experience the film first hand. Finally had that chance during dinner last night.



War is never a pleasurable experience, but when innocence is caught in the middle of all the mayhem, it just shows how much more ruthless and senseless it can be. I feel like a I have a loss for words to describe this masterpiece, it was that moving.

The Masters of Metal

Hey. 2 of the "4 songs of death" are completed. I didn't have much of an issue with Cliffs of Dover. I got through it alright. I failed the intro to The Number of Beast many times before breaking through and surviving the rest of the song.

The 2 songs from the masters of metal completely kicked my ass. I could not get through the rush of notes on Raining Blood. I even practiced it on slow more than enough times and I still could not get through it.

One completely discouraged me. I play that on guitar all the time and that solo near the end of the song completely kicked my ass. Remember my RPG analogy? Yup, kicking ass, kicking ass, BAM! Sudden death. I didnt even bother to practice that. Felt all dejected. My boy dubbed those, "the new triplets of death." lol I called it a session and said hell with it. I'll give it a shot later.

On a side note, my boy is battling Lou on Medium. The boy is on his way to rock star status. Later.

Guitar Hero

Hey. I was playing Guitar Hero III last night and man did I struggle with it. I'm currently on Hard mode and I just could not get through that one song, 3's and 7's I think it's called, and that one song from Knights of Cydonia. I must've spent like 45 mins on each song, if not longer. My boy was watchin', keeping an eye on the rock meter and ever few seconds you hear, "dad, you're slipping". lol I'm not a fan of "Queenwhatever" so I am not familiar with that 3's and 7's song. I failed miserably on it many times and I didn't just get through the song... I survived it.

Different story with the Knights song. I've heard that one before and am pretty familiar with it. My boy loves to play that song as his warm up so I've heard more than enough times. I was frustrated with the fact that I could not get through the triplets. As soon as they came out, seconds later, I was booed off staged. I swear Lou was staring at me telling me that I suck and that he's ashamed that I am using him as my character. "Dude, I'm the devil! I don't fail!" lmao

In the middle of my "shits" and "fucks", my wife looks over to me and says, "Chill man, it's just a game." lol I laughed. I simply said that the game got pretty difficult. What I didn't tell her is that it wasn't just the game, that I was frustrated at. For all you RPG fans out there, you know the felling of kicking ass in a dungeon and then all of sudden meeting certain death. It fuckin' sucks! Especially when you didn't save! It felt the same way with Knights. I was able to get through the intro, the bridge, the chorus and what not with out any issues, but once I got to the triplets... BAM!!! Certain death. It's was as if I was playing a Final Fantasy XII. You got through the mazes, you climbed over cliffs, you killed the shit out of beasts, and you finally confront the Esper. You're like, "Hell Yeah!", then you realize... you're no match for it and within a minute it's got your ass on a plate. Then the kicker... YOU FORGOT TO SAVE!!!! lol It's basically a rookie move cause if you're a Final Fantasy fan you know damn well you best be saving whenever you can but admit it friends, IT'S HAPPENED TO YOU! We live and we learn. lol

My boy made me laugh. After explaining to him what triplets are, he muttered... "They should call those the triplets of death." I use that phrase often, ... "of death". Like croutons... I hate those damn things so I call them "The little cubes of death". lol Just thought it was kinda cool that my boy started using that phrase too.

Anyways, after a few practice sessions, I finally got through the song. Then, guess what... the goddamn game froze right when Lou was acknowledging the crowd. Inside, I was screaming. Lou was mocking me, yet again... My boy expressed his emotions more freely by dropping to his knees, letting out a "Nooooooooooo! It froze!!!!" lol I did the inevitable and restarted the game. After cleaning the disc, of course. But yeah, that hurt...

After a few more tries, and many practice sessions later, I got through the song... with the minimum 3 stars. Well.... at least I think that's the minimum. I haven't gotten anything less than that. So now I go on to the "4 songs of death" which I know fairly well but considering that the game is kicking my ass in hard... I know I'll have a lot of practice sessions and Lou, glancing over at me... hanging his head in shame. Later!

Starting Off

Hey there. Post #1. Hope to start this off right and show the world what kind of shit goes through my mind. It's funny how things and ideas just pop into your head. Whether it be driving, walking, or working, a random thought crosses your mind and makes you wonder. Other times, it's just a sign you see or something you hear. I'm going to be discussing those thoughts here and hope that everyone else voices their opinions. I want to know who out there shares my views and who does not. Am I really in tune with other people or am I way out there? Looks like we'll find out soon. Not like it matters, but curiosity always gets the best of me.

I was driving home the other day, and as we passed by a gas station, it hit me... Why the hell would anyone sell gas where the price ends in "9/10"ths of a cent??? I mentioned it to my wife to see what she thought and she quipped that long ago, people would dig through their pockets for a "9/10"ths coin. I laughed. I thought it was funny, then I thought about the Simpsons where that one gas station was a "discount" gas station selling gas ending in "8/10"ths of a cent... lol But, really it made me wonder why the gas companies would end their prices with that. They are thieves as it is, with gas hitting close to $4 a gallon, I don't wanna pay the bastards more than I have to. I don't want to round up my last cent to pay them more. They make millions, if not billions already. I read online (can't remember where) that gas companies do that because that extra "1/10"th per gallon generates an "extra" $140 Million a year. $140 Million!!! And then the government bitches about why the economy is slow and us American's don't buy shit. We kill all our money on gas! If they stepped in and regulated gas prices, then maybe I'd have the money to go out there and buy a PS3 or whatever. Until then, I'll be handling Guitar Hero III on my old PS2. Later!