Trip to Concá

Pt. 1

So, I just went to a trip with my dad and my uncle. We went to a place called Concá which used to be an old sugar plantation. We took off at nine and arrived at six, it was a long and actually dangerous trip with old roads, many town-crossings and a LOT of curves. When we finally arrived the place was like a blessing. It’s not that big and it looks like the type of place you’d come to relax and have a good time. It has a pool and rather big gardens, but not as huge as I would expect. Maybe it’s because I haven’t fully taken a look around.
The buildings are very colonial and painted in a soft cream color with red. Sadly, this place doesn’t have a phone, and the TV is rather limited. (1 channel) Regardless, we just arrived, and we still have a couple of days to spend and find out just what makes this place so interesting so as to come all the way here.
Hopefully we’ll have time to have dinner now. Dad’s gone to bed, so if I don’t do something now he’ll fall asleep.

Pt. 2

Well, we ended up visiting the town next to the hotel (4 km off north-east) called, oh surprise, Concá!
It was in a word, depressing. A two street (literally) town with an old mission built by Franciscans as its only bit of interest. Other than the fact that certain indigenous groups called Paman (Indians, for lack of a word, since some people think that Native American only applies to anything past the Rio Grand to the North) are to be avoided lest violent –and often embarrassing- situations ensue. Well. We went there on the insistence of my dad and unlce and I already KNEW it would be like that, but, well, they’re paying for the trip. So, yeah. We stayed there, realized there was NOTHING to stay for after visiting the aforementioned mission and came back to the hotel’s restaurant.

The hotel, to be a little more descriptive, has several intricate gardens, which I’ll endevour to take a picture of, and it’s generally a nice place to stay. I could tell more, but, again, my two adventurous kin decided to visit the place in the night time when visibility is close to nothing. Besides that, we found a place called the “Fountain of Power” (Dun dun duuuuuuun!) which is a pretty impressive fountain with several natural rocks organized in their respective charka parallels and (to my annoyance) included also a “Meditation 101” little script next to the proclamation of purpose.
I can just imagine part time yogi’s or martial artist-wannabe’s that sit down there and follow the instructions and pretend later on that they know what the heck they are talking about. N00bs.
Don't get me wrong- the place is beautiful and there was some interesting things, like the 500 year old tree.
Anyway, I was supposed to write part of my Dystopian Fiction Essay now, but I can’t be bothered- too tired. Will do tomorrow.
So, that’s it for now.

Pt. 3
Next morning. Well, we woke up early, had a good breakfast and decided to go to the nearby town of Jalpan, where another mission stood. The town was much bigger than Concá. Much, much bigger. We walked through the market, along the plaza and inside the church, and I am afraid to say that other than the old church Jalpan doesn’t have anything else worth visiting or paying attention to, even if it is bigger than the one before. I will give them this, though: They keep the town clean.
The other problem that arose (besides the weight of boredom) was the arrival of more tourists in the hotel. So far they have made it much noisier in the 10 minutes since their arrival, and by the sounds of it, they’ll carry on. So much for peace and quiet.
My dad and my uncle went out to walk while I wrote. Frankly I don’t know where the heck they’ve been two for the last two hours, since there is not that much around here. Maybe they’re at the restaurant having a long talk and a few drinks. More likely than not, they’ll come back when least expected.

Pt. 4
Just like I said, they did turn up unexpectedly. Oh well. Turns out they were just talking outside the hotel. There wasn't much to do apparently. :p

We had dinner and went to sleep. The next day consisted basically of the looooong way back home. I had to drive back for a bit. Now, for those that have never been to the Sierra Gorda, here's some advice: Don't go there.

It's mostly nothing more than desert, dangerous curves up in the mountains next to cliffs, so one small mistake and you're a goner. Annoying to say the least. But we did good time and stopped at Tequizquiapan to eat. It was a good meal. I ate Arrachera, which is an Argentinian cut, if I am not mistaken.

We arrived at Mexico City at 6, but didn't get home until 8:30is, which should come as no surprise to those that live here.

It was all in all a generally fun trip. Despite the lack of places to visit, and I did get to eat a lor of food!

Anyway, I was also supposed to write about Koba's wedding, but I don't feel I can do it justice for now. I will write about it later though.

-Nya!

Didn't really feel like posting anything right now. Too tired from a long trip.
Tomorrow: Koba's Wedding! Trip to Concá!

In the meantime, Test:

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Second Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Extreme
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

Take the Dante's Inferno Test

Flying away....

So, I'm flying off to Mexico tomorrow morning at around 12, that means I have to wake up early, get in time to the train, and meet Ripton at Wimbeldon so he can give me and Stacey a ride to Heathrow Airport. Yay.

I'll be arriving in Mexico at around 11:00 PM so, if you guys wanna see me, you know where. :p

On the other hand, I'm free of Uni, but not of work. I'll have to send my finished essays and work by FedEx to Uni and hope they get in time!

Anyway, see you all later!

-Nya!

You should learn Japanese You should learn Japanese. You are very practical, and enjoy setting goals for yourself. You feel very rewarded when you accomplish something big.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Salvador Dali Salvador Dali should paint your portrait. You love to think about the world in a different way then everyone else. You are very ambitious, and you like strange things. You are curious about everything and love to learn. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Trips of all kinds

The "CW-D"

The trip to York started a bit later than expected. Fortunately, my ticket allowed me to go in whatever train I wanted, so I wasn't overly concerned, the problem was that here "light-time" does go pretty fast in Winter. By 5 its almost completely dark.

Anyway, long trip, watched a lot of things from the window that gave me story ideas. I even met an old lady at the York Train Station who'se nickname was the "4 Museum Granny" because she would tackle four of those a day whenever she went to London. (Basically because they are free).

My trip's final destination was a little town about 1 hour and a half from York called Knaresborough. The place is a placid little town with some interesting land-marks, such as an old Castle, a huge bridge and a legendary Witch with profetic powers known as Mother Shipton.
Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman used a character based on her on the book "Good Omens" apparently, she was very, very good at making predictions and most of her predictions have come true.

Sadly, "Mother Shipton's Cave" was closed. They used to keep it open all the time, but it has a new owner and the bastard closed it on september. ¬_¬

Regardless of that, the little town was pretty interesting. Not only did I actually found an alley called "Green Dragon" but they were in the middle of a Fair called the "Edwardian Fair" and people from the town and most shopkeepers would dress up in clothes appropiate for the times.

Bought a couple of things at the market and had some interesting chats. The trip ended by me going to Leeds and then taking a train back to London to Roleplay!

Roleplaying!

Finally, after so long I managed to roleplay a character of my own.

My PC, Akasha Sunhorn is a Tiefling Ranger/Cleric of Sif, and I rolled pretty high, so, doing good! Me and Sam finished a lvl 1 adventure with only two characters (his being a Chosen One, or something like that, named Lann) when we were only lvl 1 and I was only a Ranger (he is a Sorcerer now too) so we make a pretty good combination. Later on, Kiana and Ripton also got into the adventure as a Rogue and a Bard respectively.
The best thing was that it completely reminded me of the RPG sessions back home that would carry on for hours, all night until early morning (We managed a 9:30 PM meet to 8:00 AM break up) we had to finish earlier than expected because Ripton and Kiana wimped out on us (They were too tired, they said) so we were kicked out by Ripton. Kiana stayed, of course. Ripton being the Gentleman he is (honestly, he is) let Kiana stay over yet again.
I cannot yet decide if seeing Kiana curled up in a ball with her head covered by her scarf was: a) cute or b) really sad.
It was a night of good laughs, adventures, closed shops and impromptu dancing sessions for the benefit of the Roehampton Security Team.
I would post more details on the adventure, but Ross, who is the Dungeon Master, already has a website for it, which I will link to eventually that has Character Stats, Brief history of the world, info on the Wytchrocks and also summaries of the adventures.
Hopefully, Stacey and Becky (Ross’ friend) will join up soon.

You can check the game's webpage HERE

The RPG quote of the day goes to Sam and Ripton.
Sam (calculating damage)- “…13 minus 8… is…”
Ripton (Falling asleep, completely sarcastic) – “About five. Just about.”

Creative Date!

Well, I went on my "CW Date" this saturday. And it went great! I can't believe just the amount of things I noted, the amount of things I wrote, the new experiences and places!

I don't have much time now, but I'd like to thank Stacey for suggesting I go to Mother Shipton's Cave. It was a long trip, but it was extremelly interesting. I will transcribe some of the notes I made on the blog at a latter time.

-Nya!

Reading, Writing and Time Management

“How important is to read to be a good writer?” Is one of the questions Creative Writing Lecturers will ask almost at the beginning of the first Lecture. The answer is easy: EXTREMELY important. Curiously, most CW students here don’t read that much.

I do. But I used to read more. My normal quota of non-education-related books was above 50 per year, now it has dropped to around 30 to 40 at the most. The reason? Well, I’m tight with money at the moment and I have spent it unwisely. I have to admit, part of it is just the idea of getting back to Mexico with my 100+ books as it is and then adding more… but, should I let this stop me? I’m reading Neuromancer now. A book I started a month ago. That bad has it been these last weeks. But, as soon as I seat down to read a bit of it I felt invigorated to write. Hence my claim above as to the importance of reading to writing.

Most people don’t know –I haven’t seen ANYONE on MSN for months now- I have found myself in a kind of depression. My hours are too strange and I have developed a self-destructive passivity complex that distracts me. I sleep too much. Eat too little. Read too little. Write too little.

I have talked to my lecturers and Leone has helped a bit by proposing I create a “Writing” schedule for the next 6 Months of my existence. However I have found that to be most difficult –and it shouldn’t. I should talk to my parents about this, and make some kind of deal. I need a change of scenery HERE. I can’t wait until I go back to Mexico. I have to get my bearings BACK.

Let me tell all my dear friends back home… I have decided –formally- I’m going to Oxford for my Master in Arts. The last thing I will allow to stop me getting there is my own laziness. The almost-to-last test revealed that I was a Phoenix, according to the Mythical Test. While I think was over simplistic I guess it does reflect everyone’s personalities in some way. So, I will assume the mantle of the Phoenix this once. I will make Phoenix my Totem for now. Death- Change. Phoenix- Starting anew. I will grow with this new Totem before bidding it my thanks and goodbye, because I will not let myself fall again.

When Nostalgia hits me I remember all of my friends back home. Doing or having done their best at Uni and those that finished doing amazing efforts at time at work.

I think of Omar, who also has problems at times dealing with his own daemons, but if I know someone that has struggled with problems I would never want to face and not only survived, but endured, it’s him.

I think of P-chan and how he has always been willing to encourage me to do my best in Uni and even stuck his neck up for me to get me into LASCA when I asked for help.

Luis, splitting time between work and studying, but always quick to come to a friends’ help. (Well, mostly quick, unless he’s too busy :p) And all the times we have bored Elf out of her mind while reminiscing the good old days at Olinca.

I think of Elf, complaining, moaning and joking about her time in ULA, but still soldiering on to finish her work and have good grades.

I think of Koba, still studying and even with all the work, all the things coming together, he still has time to take serious relationships into his life.

Erick, who already finished, still holding on to his beloved Radio and Communications dream.

Pratt, picking everyone up at 5:00 AM the fist time I came here, taking me to the Hospital to visit my Mom and say goodbye and then driving all the way to the Airport, not to mention all the times I call him and *force* him to come have a Daiquiri with the gang despite having to work the next day.

5anto, back in Japan, calling me at 6 am to tell me he’s at Odaiba!

Damian waiting for the comic book and also with a job that takes him a couple of hours to get to; Kroup still studying at UNAM and I imagine still complaining a bit about it; Karla also finished (although I don’t know if she found a job yet); Chino (who’s actually from Korea) who I can always imagine either a) drunk, b) role playing with the best of them (sans me), c) engrossed in computer codes or d) flirting; Hikari in the states working at the Airport at ungodly times and being forced to be there over Christmas; Ghost with Computer Science, whom I haven’t heard from since I told him I STILL don’t have internet; Hector Haro, Lost In Space –the bastard-; Hector Garzidueñas, who last I heard was still working; Callejas whom I last spoke only on the phone; J.P. driving off to Toluca at the behest of his boss; Rosy, Helena and Marta, who have helped me through the years in several ways, and I have always known had the best of intentions in mind every time they cussed me.

Amilcar, Rafa, Vyaney, Aca, Fink, Jessica, Alejandra, Jocelyn, Armando, Agoran, Montoya…

Even Jose Luis Genel, Lawerence Dickens and Jesus Zurita, whom I haven’t seen much of in the last 5 to 7 years…

These are all my friends. And I still remember what some of them said aloud to me while others just gave me knowing glances: Don’t quit. This is your dream. And even if we still are your friends, if you give this one up and come back in defeat we will be very disappointed.

I have so many stories with each of these individuals. So many long conversations, unbelievable adventures, silly antics, parties, wrestling, sword fighting…

Monica Germana, my Lecturer in Gothic and Fantastic and Twentieth-Century Dystopian Fiction asked me last Friday what I would consider “Good” Nostalgia.

I would think the above is the best example. I know, that my friends hope the best for me, far away as I am, just as I hope the best for them. I know that they’ll be glad to see me back, but I know they will truly be happy for me when I finish my BA. I know some of them will complain half-heartedly about me staying here for my MA, but they will be happy for me just as I am happy for them despite the fact that I miss everyone.

Don’t get me wrong- friends like Stacey, Ripton, Emma, Mizuki, Kaori, Sam, Ross, Kiana… Leone, Peter, Monica, Mark and Sandy (from IT, not the girl) are not easily found and I consider myself lucky to have met them all. Jenny, Yukina, Erin, Michael and Shun, although away at this time are also very dear to my heart. But I could do with some of Amilcar’s Smart-Ass comments right now, or Omar’s stern but useful and honest advice, or even with P-chan showing off his latest acquisitions to name a few. ^_^

Heh, I feel better already, imagining the slapping, head-butting, punches and back-slaps I would receive along with the sarcasm, witty retorts and “brutally honest” opinions on my lazy-depression-stage.

Don’t let this stop you from making comments. ^_~ I haven’t heard from many of you in a looong time.

But, as it is, remembering you all, back in Mexico, Japan, UK and the rest of the world already has helped.

-Nya!

Ah, and before I forget;

The Quotes:

"It's not how many points you have, it's how you use them." -Ripton (While playing Vampire the Masquerade, and yes, talking about sex.)

New Link

Well, it was long overdue for me to post DJgotga's Blog link here, so I just did. To commemorate this momentous occation I have also taken YET another test from Elf's Blog due to lack of time to post something worthwhile of my own.

-Nya!



Morpheus


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

Just to avoid not posting anything...

So I stole it from Elf's Blog. ^_^


You're a phoenix. You can take anything from life
and emerge none the worse for wear. Others
admire you and are always chasing after you;
whether or not you pay attention depends on
your mood. Spontaneity is both a virtue and a
vice in you. Your alignment is neutral, leaning
slightly towards *good*.


What mythical beast are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Random Stuff

So, I haven't posted in a while.

This last couple of months have been a bit hectic, amusing and annoying, yet somehow squishy in the center despite the burnt outside. Like something Raven would cook and only Starfire would eat.

I built my 64bit PC, finally. It looks extremely cool and, while Gamera would probably kick its ass, it would still give a fight. Which is fine by me.
The most annoying thing of building the computer was that it had a hardware fault somewhere that wouldn't let me install ANY OS. Not even Linux. I ended up buying another HD just in case it was that. It wasn't. I checked everysingle piece of the computer... it was fine... turns out that the problem was the RAM. It worked properly, but it had conflicts with the installation process somehow. We changed the RAM with sticks from another PC and it worked perfectly there and the installation process worked out smoothly. ¬_¬ RAM... of all the stupid things.

As for the internet, well I WAS going to get an internet connection with Bulldog (8megs- no download limit) but while the front page said £30 the last count was about £60 per month. To give people back home an idea that is about 1200 - 1300 pesos. So I decided to forego that venue and try my luck with "bethere" which offers a 24Mb connection, no download limits and a reasonable price. Hopefully that will be the answer to my prayers since there's so much I'm missing already.

JCS has been going on despite a little wobbling from time to time, nothing serious and I won't point out with accusing fingers, but it could and should work better.

We are showing Nausicaa tonight (at 7) it's a great film and something that any Anime lover should see at least once. Especially those that want to at least trully understand what it [Anime] is about. I do understand the irony of this, Pratt, rest assured.

I have also managed to FINALLY gather a Role Playing Group here.

The cast:

"Reverend" Ross: Gangrel
Kiana: Brujah
Sam: Ravnos
Ripton (Part-timer): Ventrue

We're RPGing the story I had with Koba, Elf, Kroup, Damian, Kaput, Mario and Karla so all of you guys are making an appearance there in your respective characters. It gets a bit complicated because Ripton has missed a couple of game sesions and he's the one that knows THE ONE (no spoilers from those that have played my story or were guests in it before. You can make comments, but keep them obscure ^_^)

Also, it is CONFIRMED that I'm going back to Mexico in December, leaving here the 14th and comming back in January.

Going to other issues, there is this guy, Sentry-kun, who has an attitude and has been annoying one of the three people I trust the most. Sentry-kun, when I met him was a little bit reserved and I got the feeling he didn't like me. No biggie anyway, since we didn't become anything more than vague aquaintances. I did notice though that he is a wanna-be.

He wants to pretend he knows something about anime, and yet, as far as I know, his knowledge of it leaves much to be desired. He wants to brag that he knows about magic... I laughed really hard at that one. And he presumes to give advice and point out defects to people he trully does not understand, even pointing out publicly issues that are personal to "prove" that he's right (which he is not.)

Sentry-kun. there is one thing about wisdom and it is that the wise keep their mouths shut when it comes to actual advice unless they have something that is worth giving.
Wise people don't "flaunter" and brag how much they know.
They don't call people "young" in a derogatory form like "my young Elf" and expect them to take it at face-value unless they trully know that person and know that she/he won't take offense.
Combine that with KNOWING the wise guy* (you) in person and you get the type of response that ensued on that particular blog. If you were surprised by the general feel of hostility, well, there's the reason for it.

*Sentry-kun, since your grasp on English reminds me of a bulldog trying to chew through a titanium-alloy bar let me point out that "wise-guy" is a derogatory expression not to be confused with being called wise.
Derogatory is not good.

Anyway, having said that, I will leave you all for now. I hope to be able to make another post shortly. BTW if any of you guys reading this gets their hands on Final Fantasy 7: Last Order English SUBTITLES please let me know and/or send them to me. Thanks!

-Nya!

And yet another quicky...

News: My stuff is FINALLY HERE! I will have to play LEGO(tm) with the parts for a while, but I'll have it running smoothly tonight hehehehe...

In other news, my room turns into a SAUNA each night, and it's not because of me, honest. Apparently it is good at keeping moisture IN, so annoying.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Another Quicky

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'm still alive. As soon as my stuff gets here (hopefully soon) I will start updating my blog more often. I just don't feel comfortable doing this here at the LRC with so many people around all the time.

-Nya

Leaving Menzoberranzan

... or rather, Mexico City.

For those unfamiliar with Menzoberranzan it is the dreaded City of the Drow in the UNDERDARK... ooo.... anway. The only rule there is NOT to get caught doing something illegal. (Like murder) Even if people KNOW you did it, as long as there is no evidence left (such as survivors of noble birth) then its fair game, and if you were pretty impressive they will aplaude your efforts in being evil in such a... "civilized" manner. Just like Mexico city!

Here people can run-over several individuals on motorcylces and be free the next morning. Stage phony voting polls, get outvoted negatevly, but do it anyway.

Come to think of it, you can also get caught in camera shoving lots of money into a bag, then, when its full put it in their pockets. Get caught using government money for bets in Las Vegas... and be free!

Yes, this place is a seething pool of political corruption out of biblical proportions. But, the food is good and there are a few decent people and places still left. :p

Mexico City is a nice place anyway. I mean, I can always convince the police to ignore some minor crimes. Like drinking in public places. As long as Kaput is NOT THERE. Anyway, if he is there, then we need money. ^_^

Anyway, for all that it's worth, Mexico City is really great besides those tiny details, and I'll miss it as soon as I leave. Mostly my friends.

So, see ya all in London!

Your Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Score
Category	Your Score	Average
Hacklust	47% Will kill for XP	53.5%
Sensitive Roleplaying	26% All the game's your stage	54.6%
GM Experience	66% Ran a module once or twice	69.4%
Systems Knowledge	85% Played in a couple of campaigns	90.3%
Livin' La Vida Dorka	52% Has interesting conversations in public	63.2%
You are 59% pure Average Score: 68.8%
Take The Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Test and see how you match up!

During this crisis you failed us.

I don't need to point out the suffering and fear people from New Orleans have gone through these last few days. I think most everyone in the world knows about it by now. How is it that a government that has troops across the world in less than 24 hours cannot act to save their own?
You know what? Al Gore would have been there because he was not worried about looking messianic and ending up looking like a wimp. Figures it would have to be the self-proclaimed reincarnation of God, George Bush, who would still be in "power" to prove how helpless he STILL is against a crisis in his own doormat.

Anne Rice, NY Times OP-ED...

Now nature has done what the Civil War couldn't do. Nature has done what the labor riots of the 1920's couldn't do. Nature had done what "modern life" with its relentless pursuit of efficiency couldn't do. It has done what racism couldn't do, and what segregation couldn't do either. Nature has laid the city waste - with a scope that brings to mind the end of Pompeii.

[...]

But to my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us "Sin City," and turned your backs.

Well, we are a lot more than all that. And though we may seem the most exotic, the most atmospheric and, at times, the most downtrodden part of this land, we are still part of it. We are Americans. We are you.

I have seen and lived through Natural Disasters. Granted, I was just a kid back then. But, to those that accuse Mexico of being a third-world country with oh, so many faults, I'll say this: we are one of many, but we never, ever, fail to help each other out in a crisis like this.

My sincere hopes for the restoration of New Orleans and of their lives go to that nigh-magical city which I was only able to see through its literature and poems. And I know, it will be back, stronger... because magic isn't destroyed that easily.

-*-

And Bush says:

"We've got a lot of rebuilding to do ... The good news is — and it's hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house — he's lost his entire house — there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." (Laughter) —President Bush, touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005

-*-

And what was the President doing while all those people suffered? Wanna know?
CHECK IT OUT

Just Lucky

I just found out today the exact age of my personal Charles Dickens collection.... almost 106 Years!

Vultures

It never ceases to irritate me how certain groups of people (cough, hack, salvationarmyforinstance, cough) insist on hounding others when these particular individuals have left the group definately.

Stooping to such low ends as taking advantage of the feelings of people, they drag you in to their personal interpretations of the Bible or Quoran and feed you xenophobia, they foster alliumphobia, overexagerate and enforce daemonophobia with the promise of eternal evil ready to drag you down into the burning halls of HELL. Thinking of which, they enforce hadephobia and arsonphobia (to some degree) and most importantly, they cultivate hedonophobia with an over-enphazis of guilt. Yes, lots of Phobias here, but then again, most of these are completely based on the fear of the End of the World.

But they use that, fear of being left alone, fear of being punished, fear of death and fear of God to turn you to their ways. Of course they argue that it is in the end your choice. And so it is, half way. You might be seeking spiritual guidance, so yes, the intent there is yours, however, taking advantage of this situation and using psychological rape in the name of good to convince either the weak willed or the momentarily vulnerable to join your particular sect is the other half. They didn't choose. You took advantage of them and chose for them, keeping them and washing their minds with promises of friendship, a place in heaven and punishment of the wicked.

Personally, I wouldn't trust ANY Fundamentalist Christian group with LESS than 500 to 1000 years in existance. Why should I trust the words of a F.C. Pastor (for example) head of a "church" of 50 to 100 individuals, who just happens to interpret the Bible so, over the words of a proper Priest (and I don't mean catholics specifically) who comes from a school of thought and studies almost 2000 years old?

Some people just need time to think, not being dragged by these idiots.

The worst kind are those that keep up after you. Leaving snide remarks, or reminding you of "where you came from," or assuming that just because you put a reference to your beliefs that they happen to share you are on your way back to them.

I'm not saying that all individuals of those groups are like that. I have been fortunate enough to meet a few such individuals, but so far the faults of the masses outweight the merits of the few.

Thankfully this hasn't happened to me. All the religious fanatics I've known have either had the common sense of leaving me alone or have quit after finding out that unlike them, I HAVE read the Bible and/or the Quoran. And I'm not even from those religions. This rant, rather comes from something that came up on a friend's site.

Come on, Vultures. Get a grip, catch the jist of it. Leave him alone. Let him be. And get a real life.

Howl vs. Howl

I intended to write a post about this sooner, but several issues got in the way. In any case. While in LA I went with some friends to watch "Howl's Moving Castle" in the original Japanese with English subs. Having read the book around three years ago (or so,) I was surprised to find I thought the movie was good, but not brilliant. Entertaining, but not memorable. You get my drift.

However, uppon arrival to Mexico, and a few weeks after it was dubbed into Spanish I went to watch it again and to my surprise I really enjoyed it this time. I actually think, that for once in my life I really did like the dub better, and that is saying something after so long of finding it (if not mediocre) lacking. But curiously it was so. Don't get me wrong: I'm definately not complaining. I'm just surprised at the great job they did of adapting it to spanish and also getting through some things that just didn't get through properly in Japanese (and English) if you hadn't read the book.

The movie itself is enjoyable in either format, however, even for a Miyasaki adaptation... it takes too many liberties IMHO. Sullivan is... messed up. Even more than in the book. Heck Sullivan was a HE in the book and Howl's co-student.

Apparently, the importance of fairy-tale aspects were not so important to whoever adapted the text into the movie script. Possibly because they are not familiar with old bedside stories of Seven-League Boots, or being the first-born daughter out of three and how that applied to Fortune.

The Witch of the Waste changing into a kind old hag was an amusing change, but hardly worth the sacrifice of the secrets of Howl's origins, the fight with her, HER fire-demon, and the profecy. Not to mention that none of Sophie's powers made it into the movie. Or the fact that she had TWO sisters. Not one.

I was kind of disappointed with the adaptation, seeing how Mimi Wo Tsubaseba was adapted so well. (Also with some, but smaller, changes) The storytelling needed polishing, and I know they had some trouble with changing directors for the movie, but the problem was the adaptation, not the direction.

In any case, it IS worth watching, but typically, doesn't live up to the book.

Dumbledore Dies... and that's the only interesting thing in Book 6.

And that title is no lie. NOTHING much happens in the book that is remotely relevant. It is mostly plucks at trying to cover sad plotholes.

This place is called Dr. Dice's Rants. There is a reason for it, so you've been warned.

I have always said I dislike the Harry Potter series as a general rule (despite your insistence to the contrary, Ghost.) Why can I say that? Well, besides studying Literature AND Creative Writing, I have been reading books since I was 6 years old. I have read all kinds of literary genres; from fiction, to fantasy, to philosophical treaties, to National Geographic, to poetry, to science fiction (if you don't know the difference between "fiction" and "Science Fiction" you should find out. Soon. Especially if you want to keep reading.) I have never criticized any book that I haven't actually read. So, I have the knowledge, the background and the ARGUMENTS necessary to say that those books are crap.

ar.gu.ment (ärgy-mnt) n.

• A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood: presented a careful argument for extraterrestrial life.
• A fact or statement put forth as proof or evidence; a reason: The current low mortgage rates are an argument for buying a house now.
• A set of statements in which one follows logically as a conclusion from the others.

There are undoubtly some things that I appreciate and even find interesting or funny in those books. But I can list them and they are less than ten.

The Harry Potter series as a read is not even remotely close to deserving the popularity it got, except maybe for ADULT people that haven't read ANYTHING before it. And that speaks
worse of them than the book.

It is still surprising to me that some people (3 total, including Lurker and Ghost) I actually know for a fact have a much broader literary culture still defend HP as one of the best things they have ever read. It is not only dissapointing in a way, but also worrysome.

Recently, there has been some arguments over this letter sent by Terry Pratchet on regards to J.K. Rowling interview in "The Sunday Times" on July 25th, 2005.

From The Sunday Times - 31st July 2005

WHY IS it felt that the continued elevation of J K Rowling can only be achieved at the expense of other writers (Mistress of magic, News Review, last week)? Now we learn that prior to Harry Potter the world of fantasy was plagued with “knights and ladies morris-dancing to Greensleeves.”

In fact the best of it has always been edgy and inventive, with “the dark heart of the real world” being exactly what, underneath the top dressing, it is all about. Ever since The Lord of the Rings revitalised the genre, writers have played with it, reinvented it, subverted it and bent it to the times. It has also contained some of the very best, most accessible writing for children, by writers who seldom get the acknowledgement they deserve.

Rowling says that she didn’t realise that the first Potter book was fantasy until after it was published. I’m not the world’s greatest expert, but I would have thought that the wizards, witches, trolls, unicorns, hidden worlds, jumping chocolate frogs, owl mail, magic food, ghosts, broomsticks and spells would have given her a clue?

Terry Pratchett
Salisbury, Wiltshire

Well. Most people didn't even read what the whole interview was about, and the fandom response by Potter fans (predictably) ranged on these type of comments:

L.a.m.b

08-09-2005 07:53 PM

---

That LOSER ON HER BIRTHDAY WHAT A CHEAP JERK HOW DARE HE ATTACK JO ROWLING I'M TOALLY DISGUSTED HE WANTS A CRY FOR PUBLICITY WHAT A SOUR GRAPE NOW REALLY . i CAN'T BELIEVE JO ROWLING HAD 2 PUT UP WITH THIS JERK! I WOULD GIVE THAT GUY A PIECE OF MY MIND IF I WERE JO!

That was taken from HERE. Most people, like this L.a.m.b troll (if he's a normal user he needs to work on his approach) mindlesly attack Pratchet for a well made point over Rowling's criticism of the Fantasy Genre in general and her honest stupidity with claims regarding her ignorance of the genre of what she was writing until the book was published. Other comments in the same place include saying that Pratchet is jealous of her. (heh)

They also tend to ignore the fact that Pratchet's letter was intended for the writer and publishers of the article, rather that Rowling herself. The small pun at the end is what got the idiots going.

Even more sadly, most of them admit to not having never read a Terry Pratchet book (some of them because they didn't like the covers) but they claim that he's not as good a writer (when he's actually better.)

Another sad truth is that the average Harry Potter fan is a complete git, who knows absolutely nothing about the Fantasy genre besides HP for the simple reason that they don't read anything else. Talk about lack of culture!

How can they defend someone that is asked THIS stupid question:

Cara McKenzie for Radio Forth - Every year since Harry has been to Hogwarts the defence against the dark arts teacher has left Hogwarts or died every year. Does that mean that something will stop Snape from being the defence against the dark arts in book 7?

Obviously, McKenzie hadn't even read the book, but Rowling goes and answers this:

JK Rowling: Yes. I really can't say more than that. That is because one of those questions that is a very good question and everyone would like to know the answer but it gives a lot away. There must obviously be a new one.

Eh... logic? Coherence? Hello?

From the interview:

The most popular living fantasy writer in the world doesn't even especially like fantasy novels. It wasn't until after Sorcerer's Stone was published that it even occurred to her that she had written one. "That's the honest truth," she says. "You know, the unicorns were in there. There was the castle, God knows. But I really had not thought that that's what I was doing. And I think maybe the reason that it didn't occur to me is that I'm not a huge fan of fantasy." Rowling has never finished The Lord of the Rings. She hasn't even read all of C.S. Lewis' Narnia novels, which her books get compared to a lot.

My dear Rowling... I think you just declared yourself stupid. Publicly. Not because you don't like fantasy; not because you didn't finish reading the Lord of the Rings; and certainly NOT because you dislike that idiot Lewis. In today's bookstores ANY book containing ANYTHING remotely similar to a story including wizards, dragons, unicorns and three-headed dogs (not to mention a school of magic users) is under the FANTASY Genre.

Another priceless paragraph from the interview is this one:

The genre tends to be deeply conservative--politically, culturally, psychologically. It looks backward to an idealized, romanticized, pseudofeudal world, where knights and ladies morris-dance to Greensleeves. Rowling's books aren't like that. They take place in the 1990s--not in some never-never Narnia but in modern-day Mugglish England, with cars, telephones and PlayStations. Rowling adapts an inherently conservative genre for her own progressive purposes.

Are we talking about the same Fantasy genre? Terry Pratchet, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman? (Just to name a few.) Lev Grossman, who wrote the article now reveals that he/she/it knows even LESS than Rowling about the Fantasy genre.

Rowling claims in the interview that:

"But I think I really planned the hell out of this one. I took three months and just sat there and went over and over and over the plan, really fine-tuned it, looked at it from every angle. I had learnt, maybe, from past mistakes."

Planned the hell out of this one? HAH! Does she even understand how much time a real writer dedicates to creating the "rules of the world" where he/she is working on alone? 3 Months? And she calls it planning the hell out of it? Amateur. No wonder HP has so many plotholes all through it and she has to cover them every time on the next book. She probably thinks a week planning is enough for most novels.

"I think I can say categorically that I will not write another fantasy after Harry," she says, making herself and her publicists, who hover nearby, visibly nervous. "Wait, now I'm panicking. Oh, my God! Yes, I'm sure I can say that. I think I will have exhausted the possibilities of that. For me."

Too bad it's just another fantasy and not another book. Fortunately, people will realize after just how much she lacks as a writer; when muggles and wizards cease to exist in her literature.

Although, I would bet that it won't take long for her to despair and return to the genre after she has finished the last HP book.

Anyway, I'll end this rant with two tests plucked (I feel like Rowling, plucking stuff from everywhere and putting it among my text) from Elf's webpage.

Fox Furry (actually, this pic is of a Dhole, but I
loved the facial expression so much that I had
to use it anyway). ART COPYRIGHT TO:
www.redpanda.com (Sara Palmer)


What Kind of Furry Are You? (with lovely images)
brought to you by Quizilla

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to good manners and elegance.

In love, you feel the most alive when everything is uncertain, one moment heaven... the next moment hell.

You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was ruthless, cold-blooded, and sarcastic.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Racism?

So, México...

I've been here for more than a month now and many things have happened since.

A week and a half after my arrival I ended up in Anaheim, CA, in the US for the internationally famous Anime Expo 2005. I should have posted about it earlier, but several... issues needed to be... resolved before hand. Suffice it to say that the repercusions of said events still linger over several individuals perception of right and wrong. But most of us have already began the road towards healing. Duuude. Peace.

Anyway. Afterwards I went camping. I love camping. I know several friends who would DIE if they attempted to survive in a few places we've camped before (I know some that have ended with broken bones... ^_^ accidental, of course.) but this time we tried... Tepoztlan.

Regardless of how cool and wild the place looks from the picture (click here it for more pictures of the place from the original owner), the truth is that we stayed in a designated camping area where we had the misfortune of having to share with: 1 Kids Camp (Complete with extremely dumb cheerleeders) 1 YMCA group and 1 group of priests. Fortunately, they didn't try to convert anyone (heh, would have liked to see them try...) but it was noisy and annoying and worst of all they have no manners whatsoever.

I spent the nights Storytelling for a Vampire: The Masquerade adventure. And don't even get me started on that crap "Requiem". White Wolf... if you want to control the "Power Players" then think of another way than messing such a cool game.

The following weeks will include a trip to Tampico (which is very far north), possibly a visit to Guanajuato (also north) for a Literature Congress and hopefully a trip to Chiapas (very, very far south, almost on the border with Guatemala). We shall see what transpires there.

Now, for the title of the present post... Racism.

Dictionary.com defines Racism:

rac·ism (rszm)
n.

1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.

Ok. We cool on that, right? Good.

Recently I have found several instances of people claiming that "This or that or those is/are racist!" and I'm getting tired of hearing that crap. While in Los Angeles I watched the news where some American Media groups and political figues claimed that the Mémin Pinguín postal stamps were "racist" because the cartoon character (from a beloved comic book series dating back to the 1940's) was an exagerated black person. Seldom have I not read or heard crap from American Politics, but this is ridiculous. The character is so charming, so beloved, so envied and so creative that it completely nullifies the two defining points of what is considered Racism. (As a matter of fact, in the Phillipines, Memín Pinguín is an obligatory read for school students, as the educational system argued that it "puts a lot of value into respect for family and institutions.)

Another person claimed that One Piece (excelent Manga BTW) was also "kinda racist" because Luffy used an Afro during a boxing match. Furthermore, some people actually started arguing that it was because the Japanese and Asian people in general were Xenophobic and they did it to make fun of others...

Right. I won't deny that Japanese and Chinese are Xenophobic. It's true. It is a sad but undenyable truth. Specially with each other and the Koreans. But, it doesn't mean that if Luffy uses an Afro, or that Director Watanabe appears with afros in Excel Saga and Puny Puny Poemi it's to make fun of black people.

So, who are the ones insulted by this? Racists themselves. That's my conclusion. Censors are racist and people that find little tiny details that anyone with a brain would ignore but they hang on to as if their lives depended on it are also racist. At this point in time you will ONLY say something or another is racist if, and only if you are actually looking for excuses on a regular basis. What does basic psychology say about that?

Let me use an example. It is said that out of a group of 100 Homophobics, at least 85% will have homosexual tendencies or predispositions. Same goes for racism.

Racism exists only as long as people actively look for it. And, while a lot of people always get into fights over racism against blacks, let me point something out. MOST Black Stand Up Comedians make racist jokes about being black and/or how it makes whites get all racist.

The way I see it, doing that kind of crap indicates that the comedian himself (black, white, yellow or blue) is a racist to some level. Oh, you might argue that the fact that they make jokes about it means that they're not. To be fair, I will concede that a few, and very few of them might actually fall into that category. But why then bring it up again and again? By now it should be OLD. Why keep at it?

Like censors and elitist groups, they just keep fanning the flames... and as long as they keep it up, it won't dissappear.

But be warned: Being a racist or having something categorized as "racist" like in the comics mentioned above, just because a character has dark skin or an afro, is just an indication of how limited your view is, and therefore, how sad your miserable little existance will be.

Another thing that really bugs me is how people always see (and find) racism against black people, but ignore other forms that could be considered as such. Like that idiot Speedy Gonzalez. You want racism? There it is. It's a mouse. It's supposed to represent Mexicans in general. It dresses in a way that most mexicans (unless they live in very rural areas) don't dress like. It implies that all mexicans are simple minded like him. And do you get the Mexican government asking for Warner to remove it? No!

Bush Quote of Stupidity:

"I hope I stand for anti-bigotry, anti-Semitism, anti-racism. This is what drives me."

(Did someone explain to him what "Anti-Semitism" actually means? Or does he really hate Jews?)

I've spoken.

-Nya!

Take the Digipedia FunFic Personality Test!

Late post.

Well, I intended to make this post sooner, but several circumstances kept me from doing it... among them the connection here, which is worth nothing.

In any case...

I read this comic the other day... Commissioned Comic and I started to wonder... I agree completely with Oz that when someone takes YOUR special "Tool Of the Craft" you totally flip out and take it on the (often not-understanding) offender.

But, what are these "Tools Of the Craft" (TOCs) for different people? I know that artists and graffic Designers value their pencils and erasers over anything else. It's comlpete taboo to touch those. For a carpenter it would be a whole set of instruments vital to the proper success of their job. For us writers, the TOCs would be our special pens, or, in several cases including mine the computer.

While to many other people, like politicians, a computer is nothing more than a convenient tool to write reports or watch the news or check email, for a writer a computer is a REAL tool of the trade. Scores of stories and ideas are written down in otherwise inaccessible folders and files. While it is true that a cautious writer keeps several copies of their work in other media (print-outs, cds, flash-cards, 31/4 floppy disks) innevitably the most advanced copy is ALWAYS in the main hard-drive.

So, I know there are several people with completely different jobs and careers than mine, so tell me, which is your TOC?

Sad News...

A friend I haven't seen for a while, Fito, was hit by a car the other day while driving and a vein in his head burst. He is in intensive care right now, but chances are he won't make it. If my views of Death weren't so peculiar I would probably be a little bit more emotional about the whole thing, but I will only say the truth: He is a nice guy. Good to have around and good to talk to. Before the gap between us was created, he was a heavy drinker. And he cares for his friends. I don't yet know the whole story on how things happened, but, here's to him pulling through.

TEST

I took this one from Jenny's...

You Are a Hunter Soul

You are driven and ambitious - totally self motiviated to succeed Actively working to acheive what you want, you are skillful in many areas. You are a natural predator with strong instincts ... and more than a little demanding. You are creative, energetic, and an extremely powerful force. An outdoors person, you like animals and relate to them better than people. You tend to have an explosive personality, but also a good sense of humor. People sometimes see you as arrogant or a know it all. You tend to be a bit of a loner, though you hate to be alone. Souls you are most compatible with: Seeker Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Parcel

Ripton, I emailed you, talked to (or tried to and was ignored) by MSN since I asked you to tell me if you could check if the Amazon parcel destined to my place about two weeks ago had arrived or not. If you couldn't go, it's fine, but at least let me know so I can ask someone else to check. It's not my money on the line with that parcel, and there is a limit to how long the mail service will keep it if no-one picks it up. IF you found it just say yes and if you didn't and you tried then you could let me know.

In other news...

Some people might have felt offended or that I over reacted with what happened with Shun and the flat. Let me get some things clear.

1: I don't take kindly to threats. If you know I am your friend, then you should know I would not set you up to take the heat for me. How many times have I gone to apologize in person and talk things over rather than just ignore things?

2: My stuff is mine. If the situation was inversed I would just have dealt with it on my own and asked Shun for the money later when we talked again. I would NOT, I repeat, I WOULD NOT threaten to sell his computer to cover the costs. IF he didn't contact me I would mantain my faith in him as a FRIEND that there was some reason for him not to do so.

3: While I know Shun over-reacts sometimes, what really, really got to me were some people's Blogs saying there would be "Hell to pay", "Contact Shun ASAP or your computer is no more", etc. Read point 1 and consider the fact that:
a) you also know me and I have given you NO REASON to doubt me in such matters;
b) You would NOT like to be reminded like that of something that was a MISUNDERSTANDING;
c) Consider how fair is to be threatened with your own possessions at stake whether its a joke or not. IT IS NOT FUNNY.

I read some posts asking me to calm down. Well, I wont until this is settled. You have your peace and quiet again, Shun, yet no thank you email for getting things cleared out. Put yourself in my place and ask what you would like me to do.

I check Ripton's blog and read his kind reminder, yet, after two weeks of waiting for an answer to a favour asked, I still don't know anything about my parcel. Ripton, if I could do it myself I wouldn't have asked you to check, and if you didn't want to, you could just say no, but say it since the beginning. And if for some reason you couldn't do it, letting me know wouldn't make you my enemy or make me angry at you.

I quote: "We know you having fun, but £££ is £££ and £££ is very important. Especially when £££ involves friends. Carlos, if you want to see your computer alive, esp with your porn movies saved, and if you want to call Shun- your eternal friend- then you better read Shun’s email OK?"

Well, let me tell you something, precisely because it involves friends it shouldn't come down to several Blogs asking me to pay as if I had just ran away and let Shun to his luck.

If there is any doubt about just *why* I got angry at this situation, then re-read this. I don't consider any of the involved idiots, but I did think you had a little bit more faith in me.
I consider your actions as bad taste, lack of trust and blattantly insulting. If you do or don't agree with me, well you are always welcome to post, but don't pretend there is no limit to my patience.

Like Erin rightfully said: "I found that people who are normally surprised about someone else's lack of niceness, often doesn't realize that a person was being nice in the first place. Those who recognize what others do for them will not have a problem of shock if a nice person's personality suddenly changes." I realize this goes both ways, but at least I have the decency to admit it to the face of those I have wronged.

Cowardly Century

I find it extremely amusing how terrorist groups decide to take "responsibility" for bombings from safe places out of sight and dare claim that they "Fight" for a cause.

They destroy and attack civilians rather than the army, how brave is that?

I just hope none of my friends was hurt, since none of them are online right now, I really don't know... I'll check on later.

Well, I did check... thanks Erin for letting me know that everyone is okay.

2:36 AM. I just arrived from LA where I was unable to use internet and the first thing I find are problems with BOTH family and friends.

I was going to make a post about AX2005, but issues just follow me around.

Not only do some of my friends apparently think I set Shun up to pay rent for me and actually threatened to sell my computer to get the money (you'd be sooooooooooooooo dead friend or not and THAT is no threat) they actually left posts on their blogs hinting that I actually did it on purpose.

It turns up it was a mix up of Trevor's where he missunderstood how the payments were to be done. I talk to him for 5 minutes and it's fixed. Then, I call Shun and assure him that, yes, it's fine, he doesn't need to worry about paying. Then, a little more calm, I go check the blogs.

Ah. Angst comes back.

Certain people that haven't deigned to contact me on other matters now put posts that remind me to pay up, because apparently... I simply didn't want to do it and I'm such a lowlife that I enjoy getting Shun desperate about money. Yeah. Right. I love it so much that it's the sweet bread and honey that await my return home from the obviously boring and dull trip to LA.

Out of Internet

Well, I managed to bring down Tiscali's servers. Again. The wankers decided to cancel my account on the basis of a CHANGED CONTRACT that now limits the account to 30GB transfer... if they had before said that it was UNLIMITED ACCESS then IT SHOULD BE! Never, ever, use Tiscali.

Anyway, it's not likely that I'll do any new posts until the 21st of June from Mexico. So I'll just say that my stand up comedy ruled. ^_^

Note: hopefully the font size is back to normal.

The Hawk, the Party, and the Massage Parlour

I should've made an earlier post, I admit. I just didn't have much time. Awake, that is, and then mostly from when I woke up to early morning the next day I would be out. And here's the story...

This last week everyone somehow synchronized to my normal day/night hours and ended up staying all night doing all sorts of things. From cheering Yukina from outside her building to finish her essay (which she did) to finding out there was a guy with a Harris Hawk walking about on Whitelands.

Nights were normally spent either watching movies or "Family Guy" and talking about nonsense and/or splitting bottles in half with a swift stroke of a knife! Finding a mystical stone of the Sith that decides the fates of universal quadrants was also kind of interesting. Trips to ASDA to keep us with healthy (ha!) food, lots of drinks (non-alcoholic) and even a massage parlor. I have to admit, Ripton's technique, as brief as I experienced it was extremely good. When I switched places with Yukina she was in extasy I could tell, but she needed it more than I did. So I ended up with Jenny doing me a massage and then we switched places. Cool.

Later we met with the Hawk guy and we went around Uni watching that extremely cool bird flying around and managed to get the glove on our hands to have it come over. Sadly, we didn't have a camera with us, or I would post pictures here, but next time we will! And with TWO hawks! How cool is that?

Now, yesterday (friday) was the International Graduation Party, and let me tell you, the ladies were dressed to kill! Yukina, Erin and Jenny, all three of them looked incredible! Free food, lots of champagne, red wine (cheap stuff, but not that bad really) and a delicious chocolate cake with strawberries! Ah! And the place! Templeton is a victorian house with a huge garden and it looked like what England should always look like. Cool and sophisticated. It's cool to be able to go to those parties, especially because a lot of my friends are going back home at the end of this year... I will miss you guys!

Oh, yeah... almost forgot the anime rant. Silly me. Ghost, pay attention.

Tsubasa Chronicle differed a bit from the manga in a little more noticeable way than in previous episodes. That in itself is not surprising, but it brought into context just how a little 3 to 5 minutes change can add a lot more about Sakura's personality and character.

Contrast with: Naruto: the Filler Episodes, which haven't showed ANYTHING remotely necesary for the character advancement of either Naruto OR Sakura. Two episodes into it and we can guess what will happen:
1; That new chick's brother was absorbed by Orochimaru. Predictable. (If they're smart, they will also kill the girl so no plotholes are left.)
2; Naruto fails at YET another promise (this one pretty useless)
3; They go back to Konoha, and the original plot resumes with Sakura staying and Naruto going to train with Ero-sennin and these episodes are NEVER mentioned again. Like the previous fillers.

THAT is a useless batch of fillers, further proving my point that the manga is better.

Bush quote:

"I'd rather have them sacrificing on behalf of our nation than, you know, endless hours of testimony on congressional hill." -George W. Bush, Fort Meade, Maryland, June 4, 2002

Patriot Fries? Or should it be the French Fried?

Bush Quote of the Day:

"When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world, and you knew exactly who they were. It was us versus them, and it was clear who them was. Today we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there." -George W. Bush, Jan. 2000

France!

Ah, the French. It is always the French.

First they criticized the UK for not joining the European Union and now...

"The victory for the no vote - 55 percent to 45 percent - came in a nationwide referendum on the European Union constitution after a bruising campaign that divided France and alarmed Europe."
-New York Times, May 30, 2005

Figures.

And now they want Jacques Chirac to abdicate... if they insisted that they didn't have anything to do with Europe in general, then why should he do so? He is the FRENCH President, NOT the EUROPEAN UNION REP!

Sigh...

The wonders and consequences of Alcohol

So, it has come to pass that we had a "Get Drunk Party" at Ripton's on Friday. It was fun, but damn it took me around 6 hours of drinking to get me slightly tipsy. Ripton, the Iron Man, managed not to drink anything at all. (Well, Alcoholic, I mean.) and our two light-weights, Darth Stupid and Darth Bastard (Bastard being more than Stupid) passed out for a few hours.

They call it "Sleep" and say it's different from being psychologically and physically overwhelmed by the effects of too much Vodka (In Stupid's case) or a glass of wine (Bastard). It doesn't matter what you might say though. The fact is, being asleep is NOT being conscious and it DOES count as being knocked out because everyone else WASN'T!

(According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, Sleep is:
1 : the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored.)

Anyway, eventually I found myself sprouting tidbits of wisdom to any that would hear and got a lot of free bread from one of the delivery guys who was leaving some on the stores in the area. (I didn't steal anything it was perfectly legal.) And eventually met Ripton again before arriving home and we had one of those amazingly profound discussions where the sober guy understands what the not-so-sober-guy is going on about.

Honestly, though. Some people need to learn how to drink, or at least remain concious! What is the use of a get-drunk party if you quit halfway through the night and wake up half an hour before the end? Or leave early? O_o'

It doesn't mean it wasn't fun, don't get me wrong. It was! But it could have lasted longer...

It is a test of stamina as well as of willpower! A test won, hands down, by Iron-I-only-want-water-Man Ripton, who put up with everyone. Cheers!

Bush Quote of the Day:

"If you're worried about caribou, take a look at the arguments that were used about the pipeline. They'd say the caribou would be extinct. You've got to shake them away with a stick. They're all making love lying up against the pipeline and you got thousands of caribou up there." -George Bush Sr., speaking in 1991 about the Alaskan pipeline
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." -George W. Bush, in Sept. 2000

Edit: Some people take things too seriously.

A more informative post

Like Father, Like Son

"We're enjoying sluggish times, and not enjoying them very much." -George Bush Sr., in 1992

"A tax cut is really one of the anecdotes to coming out of an economic illness." -George W. Bush, in Sept. 2000

Anime

• Guu Final

Finally, the last two episodes of “Guu Final” are out in subs! It was a long wait, and I can’t honestly say worth it, but they were fun, to be fair. Let’s see what they cook up next.

• Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles

The music, the animation, the characters! Ah, such a great anime and manga! Amazing! Next episode we get to see Demonair again! She was such a cool character from the second season of Magic Knight Rayearth anime. No-one as cool as dear Nova, though.

• Naruto

So, again we come to the release of pointless Filler Eps. I know, I know, Ghost. You want to pretend that they are somehow relevant to the story, but honestly? I have been watching the anime and the previous filler episodes don’t come up AT ALL. They were completely irrelevant, like I told you they would be. They didn’t change ANYTHING. And if any influence of those is seen at all it will be in these fillers that have nothing to do with the story. I just watched episode 136, and it was as I feared. There is absolutely nothing NEW to the characters, it’s just a waste of time with Naruto and Jiraiya working at kindergarten levels. That is just one of the reasons the Manga is better. Deal with it, my friend.

• Zipang

Yay! Episode 5 of Zipang! Almost a MONTH late. What are you doing, Depth?! Your subs were really great! But you stopped, and when you retake the project you take so long that other groups do the translation!

Comics & Manga

• Tsubasa Manga

Damn you, BWYS! What the f-u-c-k is your problem? Take chapters 56 & 57 out of the “IRC ONLY” section and put them in the webpage or just send them over to Directmanga!

• Inane vs Shannaro

Shannaro. Why? Faster, still reliable, and they don’t have the shitty attitude Inane came out with.

Movies

• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Definitely the best of the last three movies, no doubt about it. So, it’s been a week, but I already watched the film again and got a free Yoda Poster! It’s good that the first tickets were paid by card or we wouldn’t have had any chance of getting the poster.

Regardless, the movie rocks! If you haven’t seen it, do so!

• The Godfather Trilogy

So, Ripton hasn’t watched the Godfather Trilogy. Shame on you, Ripton! Shame on you! With the new PS2 game coming out I ended up watching the whole thing again a week or so ago, but man! I just didn’t remember how cool this movie trilogy is. I couldn’t get the theme out of my head, but I’m not complaining.

University Life

• Stand Up Comedy

I’m doing Stand-Up Comedy at the Laughing Horse on the seventh of June. I think it’s a great experience, but I get all nervous just thinking about it. I can’t actually go to sleep without thinking of jokes of some type or another. I’m working on my script, but nothing is certain until it’s done!

• Essays

Ah, essays. Yes, the wine and bread of university life as it applies to life here. I have a shitload of work to do. But I’m doing it. Enough breaks give me time to think and enough work gives me time to finish.

• Parties

There are a few parties coming up. On Friday the 3rd there is the International Graduation Party, which I am attending, even if I’m not graduating yet. Seems to be good fun if a certain someone doesn’t show up and dampens the mood.

Life In General

• World of Fanfics: Naruto replaces Ranma

Sad but true, Ranma used to be the original Anime MacGyver. You could use him with ANYTHING. Sailor Moon, Dragonball, Akira… you name it. Now, Naruto is taking over and starting to replace Ranma as hordes of newbies rush to write crappy fanfiction about this new series. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with it. It just manages to point out how many fics out there could have done without Ranma on them.

• Events

Anime Expo is coming up, and I’ll try to get there, I guess. There’s still time.

• Friends

These last few weeks I haven’t been able to see many of my other friends, but some of them are getting a little angsty with the whole S-Situation. Sandy, face it. It’s over, and it wasn’t going to work since the very beginning.

On another note, I will have people visiting from Mexico in a few days. We’ll see what happens next.

• Internet (Webpage)

If you take a look at my Webpage, you will notice a 404 message there. I’m redesigning the whole thing since people told me my latest attempt at design sucked. So I’m making another one.

Tests

A new batch of tests...

What Witch Hunter Robin Character Are You?


Hosted by theOtaku.com: Anime. Done right.


(Maybe I should watch the anime and find out if getting that is good or bad.)





What FF7: Advent Children Character Are You?


Hosted by theOtaku.com: Anime. Done right.


(Damn, I wanted to be Vincent)





What Tsubasa Character Are You?


Hosted by theOtaku.com: Anime. Done right.


(predictable)





What DragonBall Guy Are You?


Hosted by theOtaku.com: Anime. Done right.


(I wouldn't want to be ANYONE ELSE from DB)





What Chobits Character Are You?


Hosted by theOtaku.com: Anime. Done right.


(Oh, well)

A quick one

So, the other day I went to watch xXx 2: The Next Level (as it is called here in the UK)

I know that you are not supposed to look for plot, story or even a smart line in this type of movie. But hey, when Gibbons goes: "We need MORE attitude" shift scene to: Ice Cube scowling like mad... I just HAD to laugh. I think this movie is a joke, bad lines, cliches, the works and Ice Cube with a frozen (hah! A gag!) scowl that NEVER dissappears which they call having attitude. I mean, both him and Vin Diesel are horrible actors, but I would believe Vin is more of a bad ass than him.

Also, apparently the xXx films are going for the "Politically Correct" approach. I mean, first movie: basically white guys, second movie, basically black guys, and (rumor has it) that the third will include Jet Lee as the main character (him? Attitude? I think he does the "Rutheless Bastard" without peer... but attitude? WHAT ATTITUDE?) so we can expect LOTS of asian people with a black/white minority.

Tests! Again!

Here are a couple of tests I snatched from Elf's blog.

You're a Bishonen Catboy!!! You're so pretty...you
put catgirls to shame. *_* You tend to be
sorta quiet and timid, but with people staring
at you all the time, you have reason to be.
^_^;


What Kind of Catboy are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I am the mission.

You're a mecha pilot!

You might be a sub-category of bishounen, but this hardly matters since you don't notice anything that didn't feature in the last edition of Guns'n'Ammo magazine. You have been trained since an unfeasibly early age to be a machine of death and destruction. If you've noticed an annoying girl following you around and repeatedly getting into danger and requiring rescue recently, run like hell - she's probably your love interest.

Which generic anime character are you