Day 86 - Another Break...

I am again back with another update. I was planning to post a few days ago, but my computer shut down on me for updates halfway through... Anyways, I'm back now, trying to keep up with my schoolwork and stuff. It's the time of year where the work is just non-stop, so I've been working and working. I hope this ends soon, as I am sick and tired of relentless work.

I've been writing articles on www.gamingpirates.com instead of doing blog posts here. Maybe I needed another break off this thing to just experience other writing positions. I think it helped me out a bit, as it got the ball rolling at Gaming Pirates. So far, nothing great has happened on the site, but we are staying strong and constantly update it, regardless if people read it or not. Sponsorship is what we need right now, so we are currently writing proposals and cover letters. Wish us luck in the future with GP! Visit us and join the forums at www.gamingpirates.com! I know I have asked before, but every little bit of support counts.

Spare time is spent preparing myself for Super Street Fighter 4 coming out next Tuesday. My friends and I have been playing and practicing and I'm really excited to get my hands on the game. The bad thing is that there are so many things due when Super rolls along, so I won't have any time to play.

I'm hoping to mod a Street Fighter SE stick with custom art and premium Japanese parts. I think it will be a fun project to do, as I am getting into small hobbies to experience and learn various things that could benefit me in the future. I'm not 100% sure about what I'm going to do, but I was thinking about doing a Purple Pigeon SB stick, outfitted with purple on white buttons and a purple pigeon sitting in the background. That's only one of my ideas, but I'm still deciding which one to use. I'm hoping to get the parts shipped from amazon.ca and lizardlick.com.

Alright, time to read Hemingway's "The Old Man and The Sea", and attempt to write and edit a proposal letter for Gaming Pirates.

G'night.

Day 85 - Recovery

Back at this blog again after a break. I've been busy with a lot of Street Fighter matches. Decided that I would switch to Bison to get out of the Ryu/Ken fanbase. Thought it'd be more interesting and challenging to get a character with different fundamentals and basics and start from scratch, and so far, it's been pretty fun.

I finished off the whole Gokusen series, including the movie. After many hours spent glued to the screen, I have to say that I'm really going to miss this show. When I first saw Gokusen 1, I didn't think much of it. Without knowing all the stars in the cast, it felt like just a regular drama. After watching the whole series however, I find that the show offers a charm and aura that is unmatchable. I hope and plan to watch the first Gokusen over. I'm sure I'll enjoy it much more.

Anyways, I am currently writing articles and managing the small forums at www.gamingpirates.com. The website offers reviews, gaming news, and esports coverage. I co-founded it with my friends Andrew and Chris and we have been working hard to get it up and running. So far, we have many articles up, as well as interviews with some pro Counterstrike players. Go check us out, sign up on the forums, and tell your friends! Any support is welcome.

I'm feeling much better from before, but my sore throat hasn't gone away. I've been sitting at home most of the time watching DSP vids all day long... definitely time well spent.

Time for bed...

G'night.

Day 84 - SICK

I feel so bad right now. Coughing up a storm and feeling very fatigued. Either way, it's not preventing me from doing what I usually do on a normal day at home, so I'm still SF4ing and watching Gokusen 3 on my spare time. I actually felt pretty bad in the morning and had to skip the first half of the day, but I made it back for the afternoon.

My friend lent me a TE stick, so I have been playing A LOT of SF4 with it. I love it a lot, and I find that I am playing better. The links are coming out easier and there is less effort put in when pulling off combos. I'm still not that used to the loose tension of the stick itself, but I'm getting used to it. Currently, I'm practicing Bison and Sagat, but I'm still maining Ken.

Better get some extra sleep tonight, so I'm watching one more episode of Gokusen 3 and then heading to bed.

G'night.

Day 83 - Gokusen 2

Finished Gokusen 2 today after school. I really liked how this drama was paced, and even though it took me awhile to get used to the cast, I really liked them in the end. I didn't really know anyone in the class except for Koike Teppei, who was in Dragon Zakura, but now I have a bunch of actors/actresses that are in my good books.

Like the previous one, Gokusen 2 is funny and witty, but still has its serious side. Overall, it is a great experience to watch, and I encourage anyone to watch either Gokusen 1 or 2. There's actually a 3rd one that came out in 2008. I'm going to start it today and finally finish off this series by at least next week.

Tomorrow, I have two hockey games to play. It's going to be hectic because there's also going to be a charity game between the two which I will have to attend. Three games in one day... I'm going to be so tired.

I'll post again tomorrow. I have a bunch of plans for the weekend.

G'night.

Day 82 - Uncharted 2

I finished Uncharted 2 today, and just like the first one, didn't disappoint. I really like the characters and how the ending turned out to be. It felt just like watching a good action movie without the crappy acting. A problem I had with the game was during the last few chapters, it was nonstop fighting, and it felt drawn out and repetitive after awhile. The fighting cut off at the right spot though, and it managed to end with a bang. I'd love to play it again.

Now that I have Uncharted 2 out of the way, I think I have to get back to FFXIII. Just like Uncharted 2, it seems like nonstop fighting at this part of the game, and it just feels repetitive and boring. I guess I needed a break from the game. Now after a week has passed, my hiatus has ended, and I will start playing once again.

That's it for today. Tired from hockey and SF4. I'll watch an episode of Gokusen 2 and go to bed. Good show so far.

G'night.

Songs of the day:

Reflection Eternal by Nujabes
Give it All by Rise Against

Day 81 - Study Hard

I'm back with another blog post. Unfortunately, I have been pretty busy with other things, mainly schoolwork and SF4. Seems like I have been slacking a little bit in school...and my marks show it. I definitely need to smarten up for the latter part of the semester, as I need to keep my 90% average intact to get my scholarship. I have a test and a quiz tomorrow, so we'll see how those go.

I finally hit the 2000 BP mark in SF4 online play, but my achievement was quickly swiped from my hands by the skills of much better players. I swiftly dropped to 1781 BP, and I'm pretty pissed at how I was playing a few moments ago. I guess I just wasn't feeling it at that moment. I can't wait for April 27th so I can snag a TE stick. I'm fed up with the dropped inputs and overall shoddy quality of my current fight stick. I know I mentioned this before, but it's been gradually annoying me ever since I tried better fight sticks. Upgrade ASAP.



How to Train your Dragon was an awesome movie. Saw it on Saturday at STC, and was pleasantly surprised. What turned out to be a last minute plan ended up becoming a great movie experience. The 3-D was great, but I could have left it out and it would have still been awesome. The visuals don't disappoint, and the underlying moral and theme is well played. 8.5/10



I also saw Gran Torino when I got home. Very good movie! The character Walt, played by Clint Eastwood, is intriguing, and unintentionally funny with his racist and rude remarks. The character progression in the movie seems fast, but works well and puts a smile on your face as you watch. Though the acting from some characters were just god-awful, the movie still manages to be enjoyable and inspiring. 9/10



Alright, that's about it for today. Had to cram in all weekend's shenanigan's in one post. Going to watch an episode of Gokusen 2 and head to bed.

G'night.

Day 80 - LAN

Went to another LAN today with my friends Andrew and Josh. This one was pretty fun, and faced a bunch of Seneca college students. There were a couple of very good players, but the rest were okay. With an entrance fee of only $2, it was totally worth going, as there was free pizza and drinks as well. Too bad there wasn't a proper scrim going, although pubbing is fun at times.

Anyways got home and practiced some SF4 and played until now. Gotta head to bed soon though, as I'm pretty exhausted and eye-sore from being in front of screens all day long.

BTW, this movie is awesome. Thanks Josh McGeown for letting me borrow it.



G'night.

Day 79 - SLACK

Wow! It's been more than a week since my last post. It's probably my longest hiatus since I started writing on this blog. Since school is starting up again, I think I should get back to my blog-writing habits once again. The March break has definitely been a busy one, and once again, I had a great time with friends and family.

I still haven't finished Final Fantasy, as I have either been away from home, or had company over. I'm about 20 or so hours into the game, and I am still loving how the story is progressing. I'll probably start playing more now, as I have some free time after school and whatnot. Sleeping habits from the break aren't helping though, and today I found myself way too tired to do anything after I got home.

Episodes of Japanese TV have stopped as well, due to the busy schedule, but I did start up Gokusen 2, and I'm determined to finish it, as well as the whole Gokusen series.

Alright time to play some FFXIII.

G'night.

Day 78 - Weekend

March break is finally here. My friends are over right now, so we're hanging out and playing SF4 and SSBM. Hoping to get some sets recorded.

I'm still playing FFXIII, and it's still just as good as when I started. I'm still spending a lot of time playing SF4 though, so it's slowing down my playthrough. Either way, I'll have lots of time to finish it, so it's really no rush.

Anyways, calling it quits on the blog for today. Just a quick update, as I haven't been on lately.

March Break here I come!

G'night.

Day 77 - Late

It's pretty late right now, and the only reason why I'm up is because I can't get my hands off my PS3 controller. FFXIII is getting much better then the start, as the characters are really starting to get better and better, and the Crystarium system is beginning to get more complex. I'm really enjoying it, and I hope it doesn't slow down anytime soon.

I'm going to download the new Pokemon game on my R4 DS for portable play when I'm out. I haven't "grown out" of the Pokemon games, and I don't know why I should. A good game is a good game, and these ones don't disappoint. There's always a certain charm in these games that bring me back to the past when I used to carry my Gameboy everywhere with me and play and trade with my friends. Nostalgia never gets old.



If you have read my previous posts, you would probably guess that my next big game pickup will be SSF4. I'm excited to see who I play good with and who I will main. I think I will try not to pick Ken again as a main, as everyone knows how to counter him. I'm hoping to get good with Dudley, Ibuki, Cody or Juri. I can't wait to get this game!!!

Time to go to sleep. Still got to wake up early tomorrow. The March break is almost here...

G'night.

Day 76 - AWESOME

FFXIII is awesome. I'm quickly getting used to the Paradigm Shifts, which I find really interesting and fun to use. I need a little more practice with it, but so far so good. The Crystarium level-up system is great, and brings back the great memories of the Sphere Grid of FFX. Very similar, but much more linear and simple to use. I think it'll get a bit more complex later, but I really don't mind.

The story starts out very confusing, but it's really starting to open up and reveal character histories and future plans. I know there's still one more character to be revealed, but I feel the cast is already fun to watch and play with.

In other news, Hakan has finally been revealed for SSF4. He looks like a mix between Darun, Zangief, Wario, and a gay Julius Caesar. He looks like a joke character, but I think he might be a fairly good fighter. He probably deals a bunch of damage and has a good mixup game, with his Blanka style slides, swift dodges, and an array of quirky grapples. I can't wait to try him out.

Time to go to bed. Almost done all the work this week has to offer. There's a test tomorrow, a project due Friday, and an annotated bibliography due Thursday. Definitely still a bunch of stuff to do, but it's almost over.

G'night.

Song of the Day:

If I'm James Dean, then you're Audrey Hepburn by Sleeping with Sirens

Day 75 - PUMPED + Kimi wa Petto

Tomorrow is the release of Final Fantasy XIII, and I'm very excited to finally get to play it. Hopefully it lives up to expectations and doesn't disappoint like XII did. Had a few games of SF4, but quickly got frustrated. I wasn't focusing on the game, so I decided to just practice Dictator for fun. Awesome to play, but block strings are much harder with charge characters. After, I headed over to Uncharted 2 in hopes of beating it before tomorrow, but that plan fell short when I realized I still had some homework to do.

For homework today, I'm reading a book by Ernest Hemingway and another written by John Steinbeck. Hopefully, both are going to be good reads. I need these books read soon for my English class, so I better get some done this week and during March break. Other work is piling up as well, and it never seems to end. I have multiple things due within the next few days, and they are important and take a long time to do. I think I also have a test later this week. It's getting hectic. I just hope I make it through to enjoy my break.

Finished Kimi wa Petto not too long ago. It was just what I needed. It wasn't serious and it had a nice amount of humour to set me in a good mood. A good show, and can possibly be one I might revisit in the future. I restarted Hana Kimi, but fell asleep. I'll catch up on the episode tomorrow or later tonight.

Anyways, heading to bed now. I think I'm almost done Uncharted 2, so maybe I'll finish that soon and return it to my friend by the end of week or March break the latest.

G'night.

Day 74 - Sets

Just got off my PS3 after lots of time on SF4 and Uncharted 2. I played a lengthy set with my friend Vince, and improved a lot during the matches. It's good to play someone around the same level of skill, so it's easy to improve and learn from one another. I ended up winning the most overall, but it was very casual. If anyone is interested in playing a few sets with me, add me on PSN. My username is maki__G. Note, that it is two underscores.

I haven't been updating as much because I've been really tired after school. I was planning on doing a post yesterday, but I got home from hockey at around midnight, and was too tired to do anything other then sit on my ass and fall asleep. Our team played well and won the playoff game 3-2. I ended up with one assist, and finally ended my little point drought.

Keeping this one short. Still not done Kimi wa Petto, so I'm going to watch a few episodes right now. Tomorrow is my uncle's birthday, so we're going to have a little family get-together. I'll keep posted and busy.

G'night.

Songs of the day:

Sailor's Mouth by Farewell Flight
男孩像你 by 薛凱琪

Day 73 - Back up.

PSN was back up when I got home, and I sneaked in a few SF4 matches. Having trouble against some veteran players, but I can take down way more challengers then when I first started online play. There has been some big progress, and I'm happy I stepped up my game before SSF4 comes out. I don't know if it was me or my cheap fight stick, but it seemed like a button input was dropped and I lost the match due to me giving up my guard and losing my ground. It's pretty frustrating when you know you have control, but it doesn't work out the way you want it. Sanwa, where are you?

How I Met Your Mother is a very funny show. Caught a few episodes at a friends today and I love the characters and the things that go on. I also think the narration and concept is interesting and unique. Neil Patrick Harris is also hilarious!

Alright, time to watch one more episode of Kimi wa Petto and head to bed. Oh I am also starting to write on the team FTN blog for my friend's CS 1.6 CEVO team. Find my posts at: http://teamftn.blogspot.com/

G'night.

Song of the Day:

With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear by Sleeping with Sirens

Day 72 - Freak Out

Seems like PSN is down for all "fat" PS3 owners. I haven't tried it personally, but now I don't want to risk hurting my PS3 by playing with it now. Damn, I really wanted to get started with my serious SF4 practice too. I guess it'll have to wait.

I want to get a new fighting stick so bad. Mine is doing its job, but it's not that responsive, and I felt that I played way better on the arcade cabinet at Pmall outfitted with all Japanese parts. I definitely want Sanwa buttons and ball top joystick. I was also contemplating possibly getting a "Fanta" joy stick, which is the Korean version of the baseball bat top. I'm really not sure if that's going to work, because then I would have to mod the stick all on my own, and that could be costly and risky. For Sanwa, I could just buy a tournament edition and be happy. I'll have to make my decision sooner or later, and I'm more towards the Sanwas at the moment.

I changed my mind again about which drama to start. Watched the first episode of Kimi wa Petto, and it's not bad so far. Matsumoto Jun co-stars and really puts on a show. He's one hell of an actor, even back in 2003 when this show was filmed.

Alright, time to sleep. Maybe one more episode...

Day 71 - GOLD!

YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!

I'm so happy for the Men's Canadian hockey team! Although we had a rough patch in the tournament, we managed to pick up the pieces and execute some sweet revenge. Looks like we have double hockey gold once again!

In other news, I finished Heavy Rain and watched all the endings on Youtube. It is EXTREMELY entertaining, and I can't stop talking about it. It's very sad and suspenseful, and I didn't really know what was going to happen and who the killer was. I was pleasantly surprised at how a video game delivered such a compelling and captivating storyline. The characters were very realistic and believable in every way possible. The reveal of the killer was in no means confusing or stupid, but it wasn't a blowout "WTF" moment. It was logical and left enough clues for the player or viewer to find, and I was okay with that. The endings are nothing short of amazing, and leave you chilled to the bone at how great the game was. Heck, I watched every bit of this game, and I still want to play it. That's how interesting it is... Play or watch the game unfold. You won't regret it!

Started the drama Kurosaki, but I don't know if I'm going to watch it all through. I might just leave this for later and just start up Gokusen 2, which is on my list of shows to watch. I'll make my verdict tomorrow.

That will be it for today. Still thinking about Heavy Rain...

G'night.

Day 70 - Bambino!

Finished up Bambino last night and loved it. It was very motivational and entertaining. Matsumoto Jun does it again and plays his role very well. I highly recommend this series!

Sorry for the lack of updates for whoever reads this blog. Lately I have been too lazy to write and post daily. I'm hoping to get back into the habit of posting everyday.

Today I headed with a friend to Pmall and played some Street Fighter 4 at the arcade. We both played pretty well and managed to stay there for hours with only $5 worth of tokens. There was a good turnout of Street Fighter 4 players and it was fun to win a few rounds here and there. I got my winning streak ended by a Honda. I have to practice against more of them, as I am not used to playing against them.

Took care of my cousin after dinner and practiced more SF4 on the PS3. I was working on some block strings and playing around with Balrog. Too bad there wasn't a proper internet connection for some online games...

Alright, time to sleep.

G'night.

Day 69 - CANADA!!! + Heavy Rain

Oh man... Canada played so well today. We played a great physical game and just played really smart hockey to shut down the Russians. Ovechkin was -2 and had no points, which was definitely a key part in our victory. Luongo played a really nice game, but the same could not be said to Nabokov, who let in 6 goals before getting pulled in the second period. Currently watching the Sweden vs. Slovakia game. The winner of this game decides who plays against Canada on Friday night. Let's bring home the gold!

Canadians did really well today in other Olympic sports as well. We acquired four medals in today's programs and increased our medal count to 15.

Today, I stumbled upon DSP's playthrough of Heavy Rain on Youtube, and I gotta say that I'm hooked. It's a mystery/drama/suspense that has this dark, mysterious atmosphere. It feels and looks like an interactive movie, and is nothing like any other game I have ever seen. The story is quite captivating, and follows many different characters on their journey in stopping a serial killer named the Origami Killer. Although I'm not going to buy the game, I still want to watch the whole walkthrough to witness the ending.

Going to watch more Heavy Rain stuff. I also watched a couple episodes of Bambino, and it's really starting to pick up. I'm excited to finish both series!

G'night.

Day 68 - Bambi!

MR.BRAIN turned out to be amazing. Even thought it had so many like qualities to it's American CSI counterpart, it still had this flair and personality that made me enjoy the show very much. I highly recommend anyone to watch this show. Very interesting!

I stayed on my schedule for shows, and I already started Bambino. In fact, I'm already five episodes in... So far it's been pretty intense, but quite enjoyable. The story follows a young man named Ban. He works in a restaurant in the country-side, but gets a request from his boss to work at a high end restaurant in Tokyo. Ban takes the offer, but quickly realizes how hard the work is in the city. Soon he learns the way of the chef and falls in love with the art of food. I'm hoping to finish this soon. It's been pretty good so far and stars some pretty good actors/actresses.

Anyways, congrats to my friends Eric, Jovon, and Andrew for starting fresh, new blogs. Check them out at:

Eric's - http://itsadreamorisitadream.blogspot.com/
Jovon's - http://www.yenjovon.blogspot.com/
Andrew's - http://teamftn.blogspot.com/

Also, congratulations to the Canada team for winning against Germany today! Let's beat the Russians! We're on home soil for the first time, so let's make it a memorable one. Go Canada Go!

Alright, time to catch some sleep. Going to keep it easy on the shows for today.

G'night.

In the Arms of Perdition by Despised Icon

Day 67.5 - Show Schedule

More of a note to self then anything. I'm hoping to abide by this schedule and finish these shows by at least the start of March Break.

Watching now: MR. BRAIN
Next:
1.) Bambino
2.) Gokusen 2
3.) Hana Kimi
4.) Great Teacher Onizuka
5.) Detective Conan

***

Today was quite a long day. Classes were a bore, but I made it out sane and relieved. After school, I caught up on a few episodes of MR.BRAIN. It's really getting interesting and there are many great guest appearances on the show, including Nakama Yukie and GACKT. Almost done the series.

Tomorrow I think Canada plays Germany in the quarter final. It seems that Luongo will get the start for the team, and I think that's a good choice made by the coaching staff. Brodeur just didn't play like himself last game, and it really cost us the loss. Hopefully Luongo leads the team back to their high scoring ways like when he first started versus Norway. I'm not losing hope just yet!
Go Canada Go!

I have been on a drumming hiatus for almost a week now, and I want to play really bad. I think it's needed for a musician to take some time off and regroup his inspirations and passion to play. If I force myself to play everyday, it becomes more of a chore then a hobby, and that's why I decided to stop for a bit. I need to get my noise-cancelers back! My ears hurt when I play now.

Alright, going to try to finish more episodes. Stay tuned tomorrow as I'll be talking about a new project I'm starting with a few friends. Let's hope it starts off well.

G'night.

Song of the day:

New World by l'Arc en Ciel