December was a month full of celebrations. It just sucked that I got sick for most of the month. I was coughing so much that my muscles started aching. I'd feel it every time I got out of bed and every time I coughed. I couldn't attend one Christmas party 'cuz of it, and since being on Christmas holiday, I barely went out. I only went out once for Boxing Week and I was being driven around. Otherwise, I would have stayed home. I'm still sick as I'm blogging, but not coughing as much. My muscles still ache. I can't wait to get better.
Anywho, if you are curious about my thoughts on
anything, as always,
please go ahead and ask. :)
Outings/Events in December:
- Christmas parties/celebrations galore! - Company Christmas party - Company Team Christmas lunch party - Christmas party with friends - Christmas party with friends (well, I couldn't attend this one -- I was too sick) - House party with my sister and friend
- Played a prank on one of my team-mates on his last day. *sniffle* :(
- Celebrated a friend's birthday.
Exposures:
- (drink) Coffee! (mixed with Baileys and... rum?)
-- Yes, you read correctly. In all my years, I have never experienced coffee. I've had iced cappuccinos before but some don't consider that as real coffee. I've always joked with my co-workers and friends that the first coffee I have, I'm going to spike it with whiskey or Baileys. Well, it was spiked for me. I got this at a restaurant as a "pick me upper" from drinking so much champagne. I didn't realize what it was until after I drank it. It was very delicious! - (alcohol) Champagne (don't know what kind) -- This is light, smooth, and delicious. - (alcohol) Sambuca -- Strong licorice. Blah. I had a co-worker buddy light it on fire before I downed it. - (alcohol) Jägermeister (straight) -- I never realized how strong this was. I think I like it better mixed with cola.
- (food) Moffle -- This is awaffle made of mochi dough. The waffle itself doesn't have much taste, but the texture combined with whatever toppings you put on is yummy. - (restaurant) Coquine -- This is a French restaurant and it is really good. I might blog about this some day.
Finished...
Watching:
- (Movie): Lupin the III: Castle of Cagliostro -- This is an old anime that was sitting in my collection. It's really funny and worth watching at least once. - (Movie): Merry Christmas
- (Movie): Up -- I finally got to watch this. I'm glad I watched it by myself. I was crying so much -- almost went through an entire box of tissues. It's a great movie.
- (Movie): Twilight -- Well, my curiosity got the better of me and I watched this with my sister. I can sum this up in one word: awkward. I'm a little curious if the awkwardness was intentional (like... was it in the book?), or if the acting was just... horrible? I do like the idea of being wholeheartedly in love with somebody, though. I'm now curious about the rest of the series... >.>
Playing:
- (PS3): Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 -- I gotta say that since getting this game, I have not touched Campaign mode at all. However... I've spent over 100 hours in Multiplayer mode. I'm just gonna put this in my "Finished" list, and continue playing whenever I feel like it. - (PS3): Tokyo Jungle -- This is really fun and quirky.
- (PS2): Grim Grimoire -- I'm not the strongest in Real-Time Strategy games, but this was enjoyable. Just like in Odin Sphere, it was the story that really pulled me in.
Reading:
- Nothing this time.
Currently...
Playing (not all at once):
- (PS3): Record of Agarest War Zero(stopped, 'cuz the battles were driving me crazy. To be honest, I haven't continued this game since probably... March? Just thinking about continuing makes me shudder a little) - (PS3): Folklore - (PS3): Borderlands 2 - (PS3): Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale - (DS): Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja - (DS): Legacy of Ys: Book I & II - (PSP): Persona - (PSP): Hatsune Miku 2nd Diva - (Wii): Fortune Street - (PS2): Ape Escape 3 - (PS2): Samurai Western
Watching:
- (Anime): Yu Yu Hakusho
Reading:
- (Novel): JPod by Douglas Coupland (stopped 'cuz it's just not my kind of book. I think it tries a little too hard to be geeky and weird)
That's
it for December. Here are some random photos:
This is a Clue boardgame that my sister and I re-created and personalized. We played this during our house party.
A moffle with shoyu sauce.
A shot of the Company Christmas party. As you can see, my phone is very crappy. In this shot, from left to right, kinda slumped over each other ('cuz of the booze, I'm sure. It looked really cute to me): Ted, Jon, Brodie
The prank I did to my team-mate on his last day. Under each wrapping was a tiny gift. Under his chair was a whoopee cushion... that he sat on. XD
My Christmas stocking from my team-mate. <3
My Christmas gift to myself: DJMax Technika Tune Limited Edition.
Now I just need a PSVita and I'm allllllll set.
Thanks for reading! And Happy New Year!!!! May your days be filled with awesomeness and magic! :)
Well, the new year is quickly upon us; time to take a look back at all that's happened in 2012. But first, I'll list my New Year's Resolutions for 2013. New Year's Resolutions for 2013 - "Work out" at least once a week (not sure how I will define "work out" right now) - Save money - Work out a monthly budget - Sell more of my stuff (I have a lot of stuff on my "to-sell" pile; I need to take the initiative and sell them) - Read at least 100 pages of my Python textbook - Read at least 50 pages of one of my Japanese textbooks - Create a text-based game - Watch a play (if something good is on) - Watch a musical (if something good is on) - Write a story (short story, play, whatever) - Read a book (not manga) - Expose myself to at least 12 games that I physically own - Beat at least 5 games that I physically own - Beat at least 5 games that I digitally own - Reach Chapter 600 in One Piece manga so I can play One Piece: Pirate Warriors without worry about spoilers. This is pretty similar to the resolutions I had last year. And just like last year, I think this is pretty ambitious. If I can do all of this by the end of 2013, then I will reward myself with... something fancy and fun! Hahaha, I can't think of anything specific right now. 2012 in Review 2012 was a more stable year for me. Not too many new things happened, besides the somewhat frequent changing of staff at work (people coming; people going) -- those were some happy moments; some sad moments. February was a pretty significant month this year. It was the month I realized something kinda major, though I'm not going to say what (yes, even in this blog I still withhold some secrets).
"My theme song" this year: Bizarre Love Triangle by Frente. Since being exposed to this song (last year), it has become more and more prevalent as a song that hits my core. Throughout the year, I've sung it many times; in many different perspectives; thinking about many different things. At first I saw it as a break-up song; then a love song; then an indecisive love song; then a song about an internal conflict. Sometimes I'm singing with somebody in mind; sometimes to myself; sometimes to somebody I have yet to meet. There are just so many angles this song can take. And it speaks to me in those ways. And since I'm talking so much about it, here's an a cappella version of me singing Bizarre Love Triangle. If you find this a horrible rendition, my apologies.
Bizarre Love Triangle
(There is no video. Just sound. So hit "play" and do something else)
Notable/Significant Memories/Events in 2012 Learning how to tie a tie: This was a nice and useful memory. I've always wanted to learn how to tie a tie. Wearing ties seem like such fun.
Getting my hair coloured for the first time: My hair colour is still with me, though just barely now. It was also my first time getting my hair done professionally. I think if I ever colour my hair again, I'd want to colour it deep purple.
Getting drunk and passed out for the first time (and in front of my co-workers): This is not a pleasant memory. But I gotta remember it -- so I never do it again, lol.
Getting cake at work on my Birthday: One of my team-mates surprised me with cake and a gift on my birthday. It was pleasant and totally unexpected. Which makes me all the more appreciative of the gesture.
Going Karaoke with my Team-mates: I would say this is one of my highlights of the year. It was so fun and awesome. I love my team mates. They're so great. Spending time with my friends: I don't think I need to elaborate here.
Having friends over: My sister and I threw a party and we invited our friends. Well, only one showed up, lol. We still had an awesome time, though. We were dancing, playing video games, playing the Clue boardgame that my sister and I re-created and personalized. It was a lovely time!
Receiving my first Christmas stocking: One of my team-mates gave me my first ever Christmas stocking. What a surprise! It made me all warm and fuzzy. And happy, lol.
Top Whatevers in 2012 This is my top list of what was released in 2012 (that I also experienced). This list will be really short since I rarely live in the present (lol).
(Movie): Wreck-It Ralph For anybody following this blog or those whom I interact with on a daily basis, I'm sure this is not a surprise. (Video Game): Call of Duty: Black Ops II [PS3] What can I say? It's a fun and addictive game. I also haven't experienced very many video games that were released in 2012. Just saying.
(Song): When Can I See You Again by Owl City This is the ending theme to Wreck-It Ralph. It's spectacular. It makes me want to sing. And dance.
Top Exposures in 2012 This is my top list of what I was exposed to this year, regardless of what year it really came out in. Any titles with two years indicate the original release date, then the English release date. (Anime): Tie between Black Lagoon (2006/2007) and Mushi-Shi (2005/2007) Black Lagoon is very kick-a**. I'd recommend this series to anybody. Lots of action; some dark subject matter; some relatable issues. Mushi-Shi is quite the opposite of Black Lagoon: often calm and serene, slightly horrific, but a lot of relatable issues. And very mysterious. You know what these two series have in common? A great soundtrack (Black Lagoon has rockish, electronic beats; Mushi-Shi has slow, beautiful, otherworldly tones) and fantastic English voice-acting. Sometimes I just do stuff while having one of these series playing in the background. (Movie): Wreck-It Ralph (2012) Still the top amongst all my movie exposures this year. (Video Game): Tie between Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA (2009) [PSP] and Persona 3: FES (2007/2008) [PS2] I like that Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA is a rhythm game that features different music genres. I like being exposed to different sorts of music. Miku also has a really nice voice, too. Persona 3: FES... I am aware that it needs some improvements. But I gotta applaud it for its characterizations. More than the dungeon-crawling, I would prefer to learn about the stories of each character. (Song - English): Nothin' on You by Bruno Mars + B.O.B. (2009) This song is awesome. And I have to thank my team-mate's iPod for it. Early in the year, I used to borrow my team-mate's iPod sometimes. I don't think I would have been exposed to this song in any other way. So I'm glad.
(Song - Japanese): Tie between Koi wa Sensou (Love is War) by Supercell (2009) and Yellow by Kz (2010) Both of these songs are sung by Hatsune Miku. Koi wa Sensou is dark and rockish. Yellow is bright and energetic. (Book): Shakugan no Shana: The Girl With Fire in Her Eyes by Yashichiro Takahashi (2002/2007) It's a light novel that is simple but pretty deep. (Manga): Gunslinger Girl (2002/2003) I've been reading this manga series on and off for the past few years. After no new release for a long time, I was ready to put this in my "to-sell" pile. Then close to the end of 2011, I saw a new volume on the shelves. And now I'm pulled back in with full force, eagerly waiting for the last volumes to be released. The storytelling and the artwork is great.
-----------------------------------
And that's that for my review of 2012. Phew, that was long. A few things/changes I anticipate in 2013 for me: - A better phone (I'm thinking some kind of Android, so I can create text-based games for it) - Possibly signing up for Netflix (once I get through all my physical media) - Getting a passport? (I'll need it if I'm gonna go to Japan one day) - Something (I just feel it. Something will greatly change in 2013 for me. I just don't know what) Anywho, if you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope 2013 will be a year filled with awesomeness and magic for you all. I will most likely say the same thing tomorrow, when I do my recap blog about December, lol.
Format Watched [Specific Edition, if any]: DVD[The "Spadina Special" version, as some would call it]
Approx. Runtime: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)
Language Watched: Cantonese with English Subtitles
Other Language(s) Available: Mandarin
DVD Extra Content? None
Type of Movie: Romantic Comedy
Overall Impression: This is a childhood favourite. I love it.
SPOILER ALERT WARNING!!
This
review will contain some spoilers -- or rather, there will be a
"Spoilers" section at the end of the review to go into further detail
about certain things. There may still be slight spoilers throughout the
review, but I've tried my best to keep them at a minimum.
PERSONAL STANDING (Pre-exposures, thoughts, etc.)
First off, I gotta say that Merry Christmas is an old movie. It came out around 1984.
The first time I watched Merry Christmas was when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. I watched it on Christmas day. Since then, I have tried to watched Merry Christmas every year on Christmas. There were some years where I didn't get to watch it, if it was lent out to relatives. But it's been a tradition for me -- and it's a tradition I enjoy.
STORY
The widowed father Karl is secretly in love with his neighbour Paula. When Paula tells Karl that she'll be moving to the US to get married (to a cousin she's only met once), Karl's children encourage him to express his feelings to her. When Paula's cousin suddenly arrives in Hong Kong to meet Paula and accompany her to the US, craziness ensues.
Plot-wise, the story is pretty generic. Situation-wise, I find that almost everything that happens in Merry Christmas is unique -- often funny, but sometimes touching.
Karl's family. Karl is the bald one reading the newspaper.
Paula telling Karl that she's getting married.
Paula's cousin introducing himself to Karl.
HUMOUR
The humour here tends to involve misunderstandings, accidental situations, plans / pranks that often go awry, and a bit of slapstick. It also pokes fun at Karl's bald head. Some of the humour is a little dated (this came out in the '80s) -- what used to be funny back then may be a bit offensive or politically incorrect these days.
Here's one example of dated humour:
A prank that's being played on Paula's cousin.
I'll mention some of my favourite funny moments in the "Spoilers" section.
ACTING/CHARACTERS
I like the acting in Merry Christmas. But this is a childhood favourite, so I'm probably very biased. Some of the acting is a little over the top. Some of it is very sincere and honest. Merry Christmas stars some very popular Asian actors like Danny Chan (rest his soul), Leslie Cheung (rest his soul as well), Karl Maka, Loletta Lee, and Paula Tsui.
CHARACTERS
I find it pretty funny that almost all the characters have the same name as the actors. In terms of characterization, there's not too much. The character personalities are pretty much set from the beginning.
Despite that, many of the characters are likeable and amusing to watch. My favourite is Karl's youngest son, Junior. He's so cute and such a delinquent.
MUSIC
The music fits with the movie. It's generally upbeat -- and pretty dated (very '80s). Danny Chan's song "Waiting" (等 in Chinese) is featured here, and it is a beautiful, beautiful piano ballad. Here, take a listen:
This is a duet version with Sally Yeh.
Merry Christmas features the solo version of the song.
When I first heard this song so many years ago, I thought it was a bright, happy, positive song. And I thought it was a sad juxtaposition to the current scene (a happy song being played during a sad time). Imagine my surprise when I actually read the English subtitles / lyrics and realized it was a very sad, melancholic piece -- further enhancing that scene. Here are the English subtitles / lyrics from Merry Christmas: Waiting, alone till night The night is getting colder The night is getting darker Don't say you're choosing You're being chosen, too Justice, it was fair
Bitterness, seeping slowly towards the heart Why complain, Of the one who has touched your heart? Kissing your beloved goodbye This foolishness, causing a life of tears Why, when there is such pain...
One must pretend to be happy You, tonight, are pitiful, Watching her go away Her footsteps Leave a permanent mark in your heart You will regret forever All your life, your heart will be full of sorrow
*music stuff*
Bitterness, seeping slowly towards the heart Why complain, Of the One who has touched your heart? Kissing your beloved goodbye This foolishness, causing a life of tears Why, when there is such pain...
One must pretend to be happy You, tonight, are pitiful, Watching her go away Her footsteps Leave a permanent mark in your heart You will regret forever All your life, your heart will be full of sorrow
CLOSING THOUGHTS
If Merry Christmas was widely available, I'd say to get yourself a copy and watch it. The only version that I see commercially available online is the VCD (you might be wondering, what's a VCD?). Thankfully, the whole movie is posted on Youtube in 15-minute parts. Here's the first part with English subtitles (just to give you some exposure if you want):
I love the office prank done here.
Even after so many years, I still laugh, cry, and enjoy Merry Christmas. Sweet, heartwarming, and very funny.
Thanks for reading! And Merry early Christmas!
I'll do the scrolly thing and the
"Spoilers" section will appear after that. Then I'll add some more
scrolly things after the "Spoilers" section in case anybody wants to
comment, but not see the spoilers.
- The office prank where Karl's co-worker pretends to be the hand statue in Karl's office.
- When Karl is at Paula's place to pick up Junior, Karl is trying out his birthday cake, mentioning that he should do something different for his birthday. With her back to him, Paula asks what he wants to do. Then Junior comes up behind Paula and touches her butt. It's a little perverted, but the conversation that ensues is pretty funny.
- When Danny's gal friend shows up and Karl mistakes her as his masseuse.
- The pranks that Karl, his co-workers, and his children play on Paula's cousin to paint Paula's cousin in a bad light (to try to convince Paula not to leave with him). Here are a couple of the pranks:
Prank #1. So this is how it really is.
The "incriminating" photo.
Prank #2. The girl is standing about a foot in front of Paula's cousin.
The "incriminating" photo.
If you read my spoilers, thank for reading them!
Now to finish with more scrolly things. Feel free to comment :D
My parents and my brother were away last month, so my sister and I were tasked with "watching the house". In a way, it was like a simulation of living on my own with a roommate (that I already know I would get along with). Overall, the experience was interesting. While my behaviour / thoughts didn't change for the most part during that month, there were a ton of small things that I did that were different from my regular routine. The Absolute Same Old -Waking up at 6:30 AM every weekday for work. -Playing video games almost everyday.
I am glad both those routines above didn't change. I would go nuts if I had to wake up earlier and didn't have time to myself to play video games. The Minor / Subtle / Major Differences -Doing a bit more chores I think this goes without saying. I washed more dishes (though there was significantly less amount of dishes to wash each day.
'Cuz we don't go crazy making more dishes than we could eat). I checked
the mail if I got home before my sister. I did the laundry. Etc., etc. -Getting to work by myself I've felt spoiled here for a long time -- my father driving me to
the subway station so that I could go to work. My father is getting old
and I don't want to push him in any way. Well, I think this is a
positive change. And I'll try to stick to it so that he can get more
rest. -Discussing / Deciding what to eat for breakfast / dinner This was really different. My mother usually decides what I eat for breakfast and dinner. With her away, I always had to figure out what to eat in the morning, which were usually sandwiches. My sister and I would discuss what to eat for dinner if we're both eating at home.
This was something I wasn't really expecting: a lot of what we decided to eat for dinner were quick-fix options; stuff we can make quickly and easily. Of course, a lot of other people think the same way -- I just figured that since we didn't get much of a chance to cook at home, we would indulge. I could say (with relief) that we barely ate rice during that month. And we always enjoyed what we made.
-Going grocery-shopping for real Before when my sister and I grocery-shopped, it was often for snacks. Now, we grocery-shopped for that and to replenish other stuff like bread, meats, whatever we decided to eat for the week. We also ended up shopping more frequently -- 3 times in the month. We spent around $120 for groceries. -Watching what I eat I know if I just ate what I normally made for myself for the day (a sandwich and maybe something microwaveable and / or instant noodles), I wouldn't get all my nutrients (mainly my fiber). So I had to deliberately decide to buy some kind of greens or bananas when we grocery-shopped -- and eat them. This is embarrassing to say, but it was the first time I ever bought avocados (mmm... avocados...).
All and all, it was a really fun and enjoyable experience. It was also a little scary if I was ever the only one at home -- but that's because it's a pretty huge space for one person. If I could lessen the amount of stuff in my collections (anime, video game, manga, figures, DVDs), I could see myself out there somewhere, living on my own. Thanks for reading! :)
Life can be so fast-paced sometimes. We're doing this; we're doing that. As we get older, we're conditioned to think of being productive -- being of some use to somebody or something (or is that just my kind of thinking?). Sometimes it's great to just sit back and do nothing.
And that's what I'm going to do today. Absolutely "nothing" -- which means just doing whatever I want. No plans. No things on my "to-do" list. I'll just decide what to do -- whenever.
Just to be able to unwind, and find a day to "turn off" from the crazy world -- I hope you can all find a day like that. Thanks for reading! :)
So yesterday, my sister's fiance came over and he brought along Uncharted: The Board Game. It's a board game based off of the Uncharted game series on the PS3, PSVita, and PSP. My first thought was: how would they turn a video game into a board game? And make it fun? Well, we played one run of it yesterday.
Uncharted: The Board Game
Playtime Length: About 90 minutes (should go faster next time) Instruction Learning Curve: Moderate Played As: Elena Played With: My sister and her fiance (I won, yay)
Brief Impression
Hmm... what to say... Well, to be brief, Uncharted: The Board Game is fun -- once you get how it's played. The instruction manual is about as thick as a video game manual -- i.e., the instructions are quite lengthy (and not all that organized). This is not a game that somebody would be able to just set down and play right away.
In Uncharted: The Board Game,
you get to play as a character from the video game series. The main aim
of this game is to get the most VP (victory points) and surviving the
last round. VP is gained by either discovering treasures or killing
baddies. Sounds simple enough. This is the most difficult part on the first run: the game flow. Yes, the whole game flow is a little hard to get. But once you get the hang of it, it can be really fun and strategic. Below I'll try to explain how the game works, hopefully in a way that's easier to get than the manual. I'd recommend this to those who enjoy an intense game. You don't need to be a fan of the game series. If you enjoy adventure and being strategic, you'll most likely enjoy this. Especially if you can get over the learning curve.
Gameplay
There are four different sets of cards: -Character cards -Adventure cards (divided by basic, normal, and special) -Action cards -Special Action cards Character cards: This is where you choose which character to play as. Each character has two sides: an easy side where everybody has the same amount of health; a difficult side where everybody has a different amount of health, and some character-specific abilities. Once a character loses all their health, the player is out of the game. Adventure cards: Adventure cards are made up of treasure and baddies. These are the cards you want to "win" to gain VP, either by discovering the treasure or killing the baddy. The player with the most search markers gain the VP. If there are an equal amount of search markers, those players all gain the VP. Treasure cards have an effect that either comes into play once it's discovered, or when somebody is currently searching for the treasure -- it only affects those who have a search marker on the treasure. Once a treasure or baddy card is "won", they will be replaced with a card from the Adventure card deck. Action cards: These are the main cards that the players use. These action cards can be played from the hand, and they each have a "casting cost", where cards from your hand have to be discarded. So if card "A" has a "casting cost" of two, two cards from your hand will be discarded to play card "A". Instead of playing them, action cards in the hand can also be discarded to evoke an ability that corresponds to the card's colour (red, blue, yellow, and green). Special action cards: These cards work the same as action cards, except that you can only pick up one of these if you kill a baddy. Now that that's out of the way, here is the gameplay flow: At the start of the game, everybody has a character card, six search markers, four basic cards, and three action cards. Now comes Round 1: A round is broken into three phases: Phase 1: Recovery Phase This is the start of the round. Any "rested" cards (or in Magic: The Gathering terms, "tapped" cards) are "standing" ("untapped"). Any special abilities that are round-specific happen here. Phase 2: Action Phase (aka the main meat of the game) The first player gets to make two of the following actions:
-Play a card -Discard a card and evoke the card colour's ability -Attack an enemy -Use a card's ability in the play area ("tapping" a card) The player can do two different actions or two of the same actions. Then it goes clockwise to the next player. And so on. When a player can't do any more actions, or if they just decide, they have to "pass". When a player "passes", they pick up an action card and place a search marker on a treasure. Then Phase 2 goes on with the rest of the players until everybody "passes". The last person to "pass" doesn't get an action card or place a search marker, but they get to start the next round. Phase 3: Enemy Phase If there are any enemies present, they attack all the players. Players can defend by "resting" ("tapping") cards in their play area, each "resting" ("tapped") card representing one DP (Defense Points). Then the next round starts. Once one deck runs out (action cards, special action cards, or adventure cards), that starts the last round.
The one who has the most VP while surviving the last round wins!
November was a really busy month for me. I need another vacation, hahaha. I've been trying to go through more of my video game collection, so I haven't beaten any this month. Anywho, if you are curious about my thoughts on anything, as always,
please go ahead and ask. :)
- Attended the One of a Kind show. - Went to a Movember party. - Celebrated two friend birthdays.
Exposures:
- (alcohol) Jägermeister
-- I took this with cola. It's good! I'm not a fan of eating licorice-tasting foods (aka licorice), but drinking licorice-tasting things seem fine. - (alcohol) Sangria -- This is really yummy. - (alcohol) Alexander Keith's -- This is bitter, but light. - (alcohol) Kronenbourg 1664 -- This is a little too bitter for me. - (restaurant) Insomnia -- The food here is really good and the atmosphere is really nice.
Finished...
Watching:
- (Anime): Corpse Princess -- This had a lot of potential, but I think it was too... "emo". It was just trying too hard to be a dreary, sad anime. - (Movie): Wreck-It Ralph (x3)
- (Movie): Looper -- This was really good, despite my issue with it.
Playing:
- Nothing this time.
Reading:
- Nothing this time.
Currently...
Playing (not all at once):
- (PS3): Record of Agarest War Zero - (PS3): Folklore - (PS3): Borderlands 2 - (PS3): Tokyo Jungle - (PS3): Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - (PS3): Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale - (DS): Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja - (DS): Mazes of Fate (stopped 'cuz I could be playing something similar... but done better) - (PSP): Persona - (PSP): Hatsune Miku 2nd Diva - (Wii): Fortune Street - (PS2): Ape Escape 3
Watching:
- (Anime): Yu Yu Hakusho
Reading:
- (Novel): JPod by Douglas Coupland
That's
it for November. Here are some random photos:
Me sharing a pitcher of Sangria with an awesome friend.
A match with my sister, her fiance, and a friend for Playstation All-Stars Battle.
First off, Happy Thanksgiving to those in the US. Okay, now on to my blog.
Before I go on, I must say: this entry will spoil the movies Looper and The Terminator. If you haven't watched either of these two movies and don't want to be spoiled, don't read this blog.
Having that said, this entry makes the assumption that you've watched both movies. I won't fully explain the plot for either one -- just enough to make point of my issue with them.
*************************************************
Okay, so... I have an issue with time travel stories. Whenever I watch anything involving time travel, unless parallel timelines are brought up, I tend to assume there is only one linear timeline (as in if the past gets affected, the future gets affected and adjusts itself to those past events). That's when I ask myself: does this story make sense? Does it still make sense when future elements are in the past, interacting with it? When it doesn't, I have a problem.
Here is the issue I have with time traveling stories: When the driving reason for the future to collide with the past originated from some kind of interaction with the future and past. When that happens, I wonder: what drove the future elements to go into the past in the first place? It just doesn't make sense to me. Now this issue happens with Looper and The Terminator. First, I gotta say that these movies are very good and enjoyable. Just so you know I'm not bashing them because I just don't like them. But this issue... it doesn't make sense.
In Looper, Joe from the future (let's call him Future Joe) goes to the past with the aim to kill a boy (Cid) who would grow up to become the "Rainmaker". The "Rainmaker" is responsible for closing all loops (loopers getting sent to the past to be killed by their past self). Later on, we find out that the driving reason for Cid's hatred of loopers comes from Future Joe being in the past, killing Cid's mother (who was killed trying to protect Cid from Future Joe). Now, I'm confused. Thoughts and questions fly through my mind: So, Cid won't develop a hatred of loopers if his mother wasn't killed... And his mother wouldn't be killed if Future Joe wasn't back in the past... and Future Joe wouldn't be in the past in the first place if Cid didn't have a hatred of loopers... but Cid wouldn't have a hatred of loopers if his mother wasn't killed... Aggg, my head hurts! This same issue happens in The Terminator. A cyborg assassin from the future is sent to the past to kill Sarah, the woman who would give birth to John, the savior for humanity in the future. Kyle also gets sent back to the past, but to protect Sarah. Later on, it's revealed that John is the result of a union between Sarah and Kyle. Sarah and Kyle... some guy from the future. So... how was John conceived in the first place? Kyle went back to the past to protect Sarah, because... why? John would have never existed in the first place. Because in the first place, Kyle would never have had a reason to be in the past.
So, there is my issue. I don't mind it so much when it's in cheesy movies like Bill and Ted. And I can still enjoy time travel stories. But if it does happens, I just go *facepalm*, become confused, and complain about it later.
If this issue could be explained logically and somehow I'm just missing something, please let me know. I want to understand! Thanks for reading! :)
