Checkmate

Happy Hallowe'en!

It's been nearly a week since I posted and what a week it was! I got the Collector's Edition of City of Villains and basically went nuts once it started (for all us pre-orderers :P ). My friend and I even tried forcing ourselves to sleep just to get a head-start. *lol* Unfortunately for us, we had to rebuild our characters since another friend (yeah, I know I'm not using names - privacy reasons) played on another server. Oh well, low-levels make no difference and I'm reasonably patient. I should post screenshots sometime.

Anyway, the best part of the week was the weekend. Saturday night... fun party! Met lots of people and had a good time. I'm introverted so just going to a party like this is pretty amazing - even to myself. Although I mostly kept to myself, I'm glad some of the people there were willing to try and get me involved. ^_^ Next time, I'll work on mingling more. I guess, I'm just the shy type. We had some pretty fun moments though. There were the crispy-black beer burgers (grease fire + beer) and the cutting of a bush with a decorative wazakashi. Hehe.... Of course, there were also the sleight of hand card tricks, costumes, and all that fun stuff that Hallowe'en parties should have. Definitely an amazing night for me.

Sunday night was fun as well. My friends took me out to have a Korean BBQ dinner. Man, we ate a lot of meat. Who knew that getting burned by spraying oil would be a joke? :P After the dinner, we went to watch Saw II. Extremely gory! The movie was well done but the characters were imbeciles (as in, you wonder why they are so stupid - not the actors). I'd give this movie four out of five. I would give it a full five but there are gaping holes in the story because the characters are just so incredibly stupid. It will definitely make you think by the end. Can you figure out the moral? I won't spoil it for you. You may have realized by now that I generally don't give many details to my "reviews" of movies. I really don't want to spoil too much for any potential viewers and if you really wanted information, you could search for it elsewhere. That being the case... go watch it! ^_^

Finally, we get to today. What is today? Hallowe'en! It's a special day for me and this is the first time I've done so much for it. Could it be I'm breaking my habit? Heh. I am a bit curious as to how many people actually care or know about why today is special to me though. Oh well, at least today gives me advantages all over the world. *lol*

Cheers and have a happy Hallowe'en all!

What is Your World View? Nifty Quiz!

I found this while randomly surfing through the web:

You scored as Postmodernist. Postmodernism is the belief in complete open interpretation. You see the universe as a collection of information with varying ways of putting it together. There is no absolute truth for you; even the most hardened facts are open to interpretation. Meaning relies on context and even the language you use to describe things should be subject to analysis.

Postmodernist		69%
Cultural Creative		69%
Romanticist		63%
Materialist		56%
Existentialist		50%
Modernist		44%
Fundamentalist		38%
Idealist		25%

What is Your World View?

I'm going to start placing more quizzes I've done in my weblog. ^_^ Fun stuff and gives people something to do.

Doom

One movie down, a bunch to go. Just another short post this time.

Yes, I watched Doom today with a friend. It wasn't great but it wasn't terrible either. Seriously speaking, it's probably one of the better game to movie transitions ever made. I wouldn't suggest eating during the movie though... uh... I'm pretty sure you'll lose your appetite.

[Note: Spoilers ahead!]

Anyway, the movie had this one stretch where the soldiers have finally realized that all hell has broken lose. At that point, they form up into assault groups including one Asian guy who hasn't done anything since the beginning of the movie. Well, I leaned over to my friend and said this: "The Asian guy's going to die first and nobody's going to care." How true it was! *lol* Even later in the movie once they started counting bodies, the Asian dude isn't even mentioned. Can you say discrimination? I was able to predict that scenario due to the fact that many Hollywood movies including a minority always results in that minority being erased first. It's pretty pathetic if in a supposed horror/thriller film you can predict the order of deaths. Come on Hollywood! Surprise us once in a while. Stereotypes are too easily predicted.

That was basically the biggest rant I had with the movie. Too predictable. Don't worry though, if you want a decent action flick that will keep you on the edge of your seats, this movie will do it. I'd give it about 3/5 - just because I could enjoy it with a friend.

Um... WTF... Again!?

Just a little over a year and a half from the last time I saw something like this in the news regarding my old high school... what the...?

St. Andrew's Director Faces Sex Assault Charges - By Martin Derbyshire

A director at one of Canada's oldest and largest all-boys boarding schools in Aurora has been charged with sexually assaulting a former student.

The student, now 37, came forward earlier this year, claiming he was sexually assaulted between the ages of 13 and 14 by the director of St. Andrew's College's middle school, who was a teacher at the school at the time.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between September 1981 and December 1982.

Police have been investigating the allegations for a number of months and laid charges against the director after he turned himself in to police Thursday, York Regional Police Det.-Const. Cecile Hammond said.

Michael Hanson, 49, is facing one count of indecent assault on a male and one count of gross indecency.

He is still employed by the school, which enrols both boarding and day students, but has been suspended.

Parents picking up their children outside the school Thursday were shocked by the allegations.

"He is the last person you would think of with something like this," said one woman, who wouldn't give her name and has a son at St. Andrew's . Two others who have graduated from the prestigious school, all of whom were taught by Mr. Hanson and his wife, who also teaches there.

"There is no way. Not him."

"All I can say is that he's innocent until proven guilty," added parent Wendy Davis, who said she has been through this kind of situation before when her child's doctor was charged with sexual assault, but her family never had any problems with him.

"He is a wonderful man and this is a wonderful school," one woman said, claiming she would never pull her kids out of St. Andrew's, even if the allegations are proven in court.

The school notified parents about the charges in a letter sent out Thursday.

Any allegations of abuse are being received with the utmost concern and the board and management at the school have promised to co-operate fully with the investigation, an official statement read.

"Mr. Hanson has been a member of the faculty of St. Andrew's College for 24 years. He is entitled to the presumption of innocence." the statement continues.

Founded in 1899, St. Andrew's has 265 boarders from 21 countries and 274 day students, all male, enrolled at its 110-acre campus in Aurora.

Tabula Rasa

This looks interesting! Tabula Rasa seems to be a more advanced version of PlanetSide (which wasn't that great). You can find the link to their main page here. One of my friends and I are looking forward to trying it. Hopefully, it won't be as woefully unbalanced as PlanetSide was. Don't get me wrong, PlanetSide was a huge breakthrough in online gaming (first of it's kind) but there were just too many issues to make it enjoyable. Interestingly enough though, Tabula Rasa is being developed by one of the creators of Ultima Online. Since that is the case, I do expect a better gameplay system than what PlanetSide has to offer. I mean, Ultima Online is still going after so many years - you'd have to expect something good from this! :P

Seriously though, I have reasonable hopes for Tabula Rasa. FPS + MMORPG just seems like a great idea if it's ever implemented well. I hope I can run it. *lol*

Anyway, I'm also getting my copy of F.E.A.R. Director's Edition later today (if FedEx or the security guard in my building isn't completely stupid). That should be fun... except I can't run it. Yeah, I haven't been able to play Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory yet either and I now own both of these games. Heh, I figure I might as well get them into my collection now since these games are rare gems nowadays. So, sometime between today and when I get a new laptop system (from WidowPC after Windows Vista is released next year - Yay!) I'll have to find a system to play those on; well, at least the F.E.A.R. Director's Edition. ^_^

Besides that, I'm just waiting on a few packages. The next big thing on my list would probably be the tablet I'll be searching for when I'm in Hong Kong/Taiwan later this year. After that, Kingdom Hearts 2, PlayStation 3, and of course, a new laptop system! Hehehe....

It's like dreaming of Christmas... before Christmas... and then dreaming of it some more after Christmas. Yes, I'm psyched about the upcoming technologies and stuff.

Well, that's all I've got for today. I'll post again soon and probably update the music. I wonder if anybody's noticed how often I've posted these couple weeks. Heh.

Another Friend

Just a short update today:

So yeah, I met up with a new friend today. Like I guessed, he's a pretty cool guy in person. ^_^ I was actually kind of nervous before meeting up with him since I'm generally not that social of a person but in the end, it worked out alright. Unlike me though, my friend's fursona is an anthropomorphic zebra (with a few cybernetic enhancements). We met up at the Eaton Center and walked around a little bit before having a late lunch. After that, we headed over to his place to hang-out for a while. This guy also has a kick-ass PC system - I have to wait until next year before I can get a new system though, heh. Anyway, we were just screwing around with Garry's Mod for Half-Life 2 most of the time. Thrusters and random objects make for a very funny time. :P

Well, that was basically my day. Hm... I seem to be bad at making a fun day sound fun. Meh, I'll just have to work on my narrative skills more. ^_^

FedEx so SLOW!

This is the third time in a row that FedEx has been slow on delivery. I've had packages shipped out to me on Priority and yet the supposed delivery time is never met. As an example, I had something shipped to me on October 13, 2005, but I don't expect to get it until October 17, 2005. The funny thing is, it was supposed to get to me on the morning of October 14, 2005. FedEx is just too damn lazy I guess, they decide to wait until the weekend is over before giving you your package. As far as I can tell, they only work Monday afternoons until Thursday mornings. Bloody lazy company if you ask me. >_<

Just a notice to all those who like multiple choice tests, how's this: 10 questions, -2.5 marks for each incorrect answer? Yes, I had to suffer through that. Sadistic I tell 'ya! ;P

In other news, I'm slightly in a financial hole until the end of next week or early next-next week. Heh, long story short - I was expecting money a cheque last month but they decided not to send it until last Friday and that's part of the reason I'm in the hole. Oh well, I can cover all my living expenses and stuff but I might be a little bit late. *sigh* At least I don't have another test for a week and a bit. After that test though, I have to go catch up on some movies (oldest first):

• Saw
• Unleashed
• Serenity
• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
• Doom
• The Legend of Zorro
• Saw II

In the meantime, I'm still awaiting word from a friend I've yet to meet to find out... well... where we're supposed to meet! He's just recently moved into downtown Toronto and seems like a cool guy. I'm an introvert though so I have no idea how that's going to work out. *lol* Ah well, I have habits that need to be changed and sociability is one of them. I'll let you guys know how that turns out.

One of these days, I'm going to wake up all alone and wonder if I ever had any real friends. Sometimes I just feel like I'm living in a fantasy world - a world that everyone else left long ago in search of jobs, money, family, etc. Where do I see myself in five years? Ten years? Twenty-five years? I have no idea. The thing is, I don't see myself anywhere. Regardless, life is short and meaningless. Life is what we make it, for better or for worse. Those I hate most are the ones who never question what's around them and attempt to force their ideals on to others. Is your life so insignificant that you will just follow those around you? Take control of your life! Do what you want, live the way you want... but always respect others. It's unfair for you to obtain your goals by stepping on others. You must always remember that everyone has or had a dream - just like you. Stepping on others to obtain your goal doesn't make you strong, it just shows how weak you are. There is no greater goal in life than to accomplish what you have set out to do - even if it's with the help of others. ^_^ Remember that. The worst way a person could live is to regret the past. My only regret when I die would be not knowing what the future would be like. That is how I want to live my life - even if it is full of mistakes.

Heh, as you know, as Halloween approaches, I tend to become even more of a recluse than usual. It's nothing personal, I just... don't find it appealing to be around during that time. You're welcome to try and find me though. ^_^

DDR... Killing my Legs...

Huzzah! I managed to convince my family to cover the costs of my purchases for DDR stuff (basically, it's my present for my upcoming birthday *lol*). I got the first package recently and have been going nuts on it. Unfortunately, since I'm not used to DDR yet, I've managed to effectively kill my legs. I woke up this morning unable to properly move my legs, heh. Oh well, I'll get used to it eventually. In the meantime, I'll just take it a bit easier.

I have a test coming up this Friday and it's worth a freakish 25% of my final mark for this course and that's not the worst of it! It's all multiple choice! People who are or have been in university will understand exactly what I'm feeling here. I need to cram like a wolf approaching winter. Wish me luck. ^_^

Just a short post for today. I need to get back to studying. Good luck to everyone else suffering through mid-terms now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all you Canadians out there, I hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving. Remember, it's not who you spend Thanksgiving with, it's how much turkey you get from the people you spend it with. Turkey + Gravy = Yum! :P

Heh, I know you're all wondering why I haven't posted until now... well, I decided to leave the information about 0r0ch1 as the main post for as long as possible to show my respect. You rock 0r0ch1! ^_^

Anyway, this week will be briging me in a DDR Extreme 2 Bundle and Romancing Saga. I also have the original DDR stuff and some magazines I ordered coming in (I have no clue when they are going to get here though). Ah well, patience is a virtue.

Last time, I was speaking of purchasing openCanvas and I did! This program is amazing and I would recommend to artists if not just for the ability to play event files. What are event files you ask? Well, when an artist does a piece of work in openCanvas, they have the ability to save all the data of them creating it - essentially creating a demo for you to watch. This means I get to watch an artist draw from a blank canvas to a fully completed image. Amazing! On a side-note, I've begun practicing the fundamentals of drawing characters (ie. skeletal structure, muscle structure, etc). I will eventually need to find tutorials on how to do shading, background, colouring, clothing, poses, etc. I'm not intending to become a professional artist or anything but it'd be nice if I had the ability to draw my own characters. Having to rely on others all the time seems selfish. Heh, I did manage to convince my family to allow me to buy a Wacom Intuos3 6x8 (I would get the 9x12 model but I use a laptop and need portability) for this coming Christmas... so... yay!

I've also added my furry information to my profile (finally) since I figured there's nothing wrong with it. Well, there's not much else for me to say at the moment so I'll leave it at that.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Art Commissions... 0r0ch1!

Yay, I finally got the completed art commissions from 0r0ch1 (you can find a link to his deviantART page under "My Links" to the right)! The two pieces I had 0r0ch1 do for me are listed and linked to below:

• Something about the dusk
• Tsuki wo miru tabe omoidaze

[Note: The above are not full version images! Only 0r0ch1 and I have those. Also, the character belongs to me; however, the artwork belongs to 0r0ch1 - do NOT use these without permission!]

I've also updated the music, hope you guys enjoy it. ^_^

I'm still waiting for several things and I'll update you guys on them as soon as I start receiving them. My courses are starting to pick up speed (ie. becoming a pain in the ass) so expect to hear me complain more about my life in the coming weeks. Heh.... At least the weather's still nice around here.

Currently, I'm also considering purchasing a copy of openCanvas since it seems to be a very good program. Although, I'm practically a beginner artist, I'd rather have the tools available to be able to practice with.

On a side-note, I had a wild few moments last weekend. I needed to get the car out of my garage to go meet a friend but the bloody door wouldn't open when I used the remote. Remember the "tool kit" I talked about a while back? Well, I had to use that to get in to the garage. Took me twenty minutes to pull it off - got some stares from a couple neighbours, heh. Anyway, when I finally get in, it turns out there wasn't any power in the garage so I had to go flip the breaker switch. Huzzah! It worked. :P

Since a bunch of my friends have decided to post some "thoughts", I figured I should probably continue where I left off when I stated: "Crazy people rule the world." Consider this, are you the type of person who considers things to be impossible before trying or the type that tries things first before reaching such conclusions? My statement is merely based off this question. How do you define someone to be "crazy"? In general, it is someone who is considered mentally ill. If you look at it from this standpoint, many people would be considered crazy. They are doing things that you don't consider normal. Creativity is limited in this basis. How much can society handle before it is considered wrong? Most people do not often see the true vision of what someone is trying to create until either it fails or changes something. Until it has reached that point, there will always be somebody out there that will label the visionary "crazy"; but, is it really true? I'll let you decide. I've also left holes in my arguments to provoke you. Heh....

Well, that's all I've got to say for now. I'll post again soon... no, really... I swear! ^_^