BLOG -- My Trip to Japan V.3 -- PRELUDE (plane rides + hotels + timeline of each day in Japan + other thoughts)

So, finally... here is the Prelude of my 3rd adventure to Japan. As with my previous Prelude blogs, here I'll talk about the plane rides, hotels, some preparations, and my itinerary.

I didn't mean to put off my Japan blogs for so long. It's just that whenever I think about Japan, I get happy and then I just want to be back there... haha. *sigh* It's bittersweet. Even after a 3rd trip it's not enough.

For this trip, I actually wasn't sure when I would go. I mean, I knew I was going to Japan this year (I saved up enough), but I didn't know which month. Then in late February, my sister told me that she and her hubby were planning to go to Japan. I immediately jumped on it and made sure my trip dates lined up with theirs. I was even lucky enough to buy plane tickets with seats right next to theirs -- both ways. I thought -- yayyy, company! I won't be going [to Japan] by myself this time! 

Now, even though we went to Japan together, our itinerary didn't always match up. Sometimes we'd do our own separate things which was fine. I know there are certain places where I could spend hours in and wouldn't want to hold anybody up.

We mainly stuck around Shinjuku / Tokyo, similar to our first trip. We re-visited a lot of places, but we also explored some new ones, as you'll see in later blogs.

Below are links to my previous trips to Japan if you would like to check them out.

2016 trip
-Prelude
-Part 1: Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya
-Part 2: Laguna Ten Bosch
-Part 3: Akihabara, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku
-Part 4: Roppongi, Harajuku, Saitama, Tokyo
-Japan Eats (all the food I ate while there)
-Random Thoughts + Swag / Purchases

2014 trip
-Prelude 
-Part 1: Asakusa, Meguro, Odaiba
-Part 2: Akihabara, Ikebukuro 
-Part 3: Shibuya, Shinjuku
-Japan Eats (all the food I ate while there)
-Random Thoughts + Swag / Purchases
-Extra: Some of My Karaokings 


PRE-TRIP PREPARATIONS
Before the flight to Japan, there were some things I had to do. I mentioned a couple of these in earlier blogs:

1. Rent a pocket WiFi. As I've said before in earlier blogs, a pocket WiFi is really useful to have if you want reliable internet access. Since my sister, her hubby, and I would do our own things some of the days, we rented two pocket WiFis. This time I made sure to rent the pocket WiFi for all days of my trip, even the last day.

Since we were landing in Haneda airport instead of Narita, I had the pocket WiFi shipped to the hotel for pickup instead of the airport. The process was very smooth.

If anybody's curious, this is where I rent my pocket WiFi (hopefully the site will still be functional years from now): 
https://www.globaladvancedcomm.com/.

2. Book my hotel. I think at this point I am pretty much a pro at booking my hotel for Sunroute Higashi Shinjuku (the same hotel I've stayed at for the past three trips). 

3. Purchase tickets to the Ghibli Museum. So this was a little challenging. For somebody visiting Japan, there used to be only one way to get tickets to the Ghibli Museum and that was through certain ticket agencies before leaving for Japan. And you had to purchase up to four months before your actual trip. And only a limited number of tickets would be available for purchase. So unless you planned early or you are lucky to have friends in Japan who can book and hold the tickets for you until you arrive, the chances of buying a ticket for one of your trip days would be slim.

Thankfully, there is now an online option of ordering the tickets, but even then... you have to act fast. 

With online ordering, tickets go on sale at 10 AM JST on the 10th of every month for the next month. This means if your trip falls between, say June 15 to June 28, you have to order the ticket on or soon after 10 AM JST on May 10th (May 10th in Japan). I say this because tickets can go pretty fast. From my experience this year, tickets for May (the month we went to Japan) were sold out in less than 24 hours.

In order to make the ticket ordering process smoother, make sure to have these pieces of info nearby for the person ordering the ticket(s):

-Passport info
-Address while in Japan + phone number
-Credit card info (you can only purchase tickets online with a credit card)

PLANE RIDES
This time I took direct flights -- no stressful layovers. Thankfully the flights were uneventful and I was able to watch tons of movies both ways.


THE HOTELS
So I stayed in my usual hotel while my sister and her hubby stayed in a different one.

Hotel Sunroute Higashi Shinjuku
Hotel Sunroute Higashi Shinjuku still continues to be my recommended hotel for Shinjuku. It's just so convenient, and the employees there are nice and courteous.

E-Hotel
Even though I didn't stay in this hotel, I can give my brief impression based on visiting my sister and her hubby's hotel room. We found out later that unregistered guests (i.e. me) weren't allowed up there... woops.

In any case, based on what I saw and what my sister and her hubby said, I wouldn't really recommend this hotel. They stayed in a double bedroom, but it was more cramped than my single bedroom at Sunroute. Also, the faucet is a swivel faucet, meaning that the faucet can act as a faucet for the sink OR as a faucet for the tub... but NOT as both at the same time. It... kinda sounds strange for a room that should hold two guests.

The only good point I could give it is its mini-refrigerator: it's better than Sunroute's mini-refrigerator.


LANDING IN HANEDA AIRPORT INSTEAD OF NARITA
One big difference from my previous trips to Japan was the airport. We landed in Haneda airport instead of Narita. That meant we had to look up how to get to Tokyo instead of our usual step of taking the Narita Express. 

I have to say... Haneda airport seems larger than Narita and the immigration process + luggage pickup went much faster. Also I think the commuting time to Shinjuku was quicker than from Narita. I wouldn't mind landing in Haneda for my next trips.

Here are a few photos that I took after landing in Japan:

Just to remind us that we are in Japan! 

A huge Rilakkuma. He looks so relaxed.

My hotel room. It's pretty small... but enough room for me.

Just like with my trip last time, I only brought one luggage instead of two

(I brought two on my first trip to Japan).

So below is an itinerary of my whole trip. This section is more for me to keep track of my days, so it may not be interesting to you. It does give you a peek at all the places and things I experienced, though. I should note that even though Breakfast isn't mentioned for some of the days, I'm pretty sure I had breakfast, considering all the time I had after waking up.

SUMMARY OF EACH DAY *ALL TIMES MENTIONED ARE APPROXIMATIONS*

DAY 1: SUN. MAY 6 / MON. MAY 7, 2018 (SUNNY-CLOUDY)
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM -- Reached Union Station
9:30 AM - 9:50 AM -- UP Express to Pearson Airport
9:50 AM - 10:20 AM -- Checked in got my boarding pass + checked by bag
1:40 PM - 3:35 AM (4:35 PM Japan time zone -- Mon. May 7) -- Flight to Haneda, Japan
4:35 PM - 5:50 PM -- Immigration line + Bag pick up + Picked up pocket WiFi
6:00 PM - 7:20 PM -- Transit to Higashi-Shinjuku station
7:23 PM - 7:45 PM -- Checking into the hotel + dropping my luggage
7:45 PM - 8:05 PM -- Dinner from 7-11
10:35 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 2: TUES. MAY 8, 2018 (CLOUDY-RAINY; 15 degrees Celsius)
2:45 AM -- Woke up
8:00 AM -- Breakfast -- Calorie Mate (Chocolate)
10:15 AM - 10:37 AM -- Transit to Shibuya
10:37 AM - 11:20 AM -- Roaming
11:20 AM - 12:10 PM -- Lunch at Matsuya
12:15 PM - 1:15 PM -- Karaoke at Karaoke-kan
1:15 PM - 2:25 PM -- Book-Off
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM -- Krispy Kreme
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM -- The Loft
4:37 PM - 5:00 PM -- Back to the hotel
6:30 PM - 7:00 PM -- Dinner from Circle K
9:05 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 3: WED. MAY 9, 2018 (CLOUDY-RAINY; 14 degrees Celsius)
5:00 AM -- Woke up
6:30 AM -- Breakfast -- Curry Cup Noodles
10:15 AM - 11:15 AM -- Transit to Mitaka station
11:15 AM - 11:38 AM -- Bus to Ghibli Museum
11:45 AM - 3:10 PM -- Ghibli Museum
3:10 PM - 3:30 PM -- Bus to Mitaka station
3:30 PM - 3:45 PM -- Transit to Nakano station
3:45 PM - 5:35 PM -- Nakano Broadway
6:00 PM - 6:05 PM -- Transit to Shinjuku JR
6:05 PM - 6:35 PM -- Shinjuku Post Office
6:35 PM - 7:00 PM -- Walk back to the hotel
7:15 PM -- Dinner from Coco Curry House
1:35 AM -- CRASHED

DAY 4: THURS. MAY 10, 2018 (RAINY-SUNNY; 16 degrees Celsius)
5:00 AM -- Woke up
7:00 AM -- Breakfast -- Crab-shaped bread x2 + Calorie Mate (Chocolate)
11:00 AM - 12:07 PM -- Transit to Daiba station
12:07 PM - 12:45 AM -- Diver City
1:00 PM - 1:05 PM -- Gundam transformation
1:05 PM - 2:30 PM -- Lunch at Diver City Food Court
2:30 PM - 2:40 PM -- WEGO
2:40 PM - 5:00 PM -- Daiso 100-yen shop
5:00 PM - 5:45 PM -- Looking for the Takoyaki Museum
6:00 PM - 6:30 PM -- Witnessing Junco singing
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM -- Dinner at Diver City Food Court
8:00 PM - 8:05 PM -- Gundam Light Show
8:30 PM - 9:23 PM -- Transit to Higashi-Shinjuku station
9:23 PM - 9:30 PM -- 7-11 shopping
9:30 PM - 9:35 PM-- Back to the hotel
11:45 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 5: FRI. MAY 11, 2018 (SUNNY; 22 degrees Celsius) **Not feeling well today**
4:15 AM -- Woke up
8:00 AM -- Breakfast -- Onigiri x2 + Melon Bread
8:30 AM - 12:30 PM -- Lounging around in the hotel
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM -- Lunch
1:30 PM - 4:45 PM -- Nap
4:45 PM - 7:00 PM -- Lounging around in the hotel
7:00 PM - 7:10 PM -- 7-11 shopping
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM -- Watching Music Station TV show
9:00 PM -- Dinner from 7-11 
1:30 AM -- CRASHED

DAY 6: SAT. MAY 12, 2018 (SUNNY; 25 degrees Celsius)
5:00 AM -- Woke up
7:30 AM -- Breakfast
8:50 AM - 9:46 AM -- Transit to Koshigaya-Laketown
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM -- Maruetsu
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM -- Lunch at Capcom Cafe + shopping at Capcom Cafe
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM -- Tower Records
2:25 PM - 3:39 PM -- Back to the hotel
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM -- Dinner at McDonald's
6:30 PM - 7:00 PM -- Artnia gift shop
7:00 PM - 7:20 PM -- Maruetsu
7:20 PM - 7:30 PM -- Back to the hotel
12:30 AM -- CRASHED

DAY 7: SUN. MAY 13, 2018 (CLOUDY-RAINY; 21 degree Celsius)
5:00 AM -- Woke up
8:10 AM - 8:30 AM -- Walk to Shinjuku
8:30 AM - 8:45 PM -- Don Quijote
8:45 AM - 9:10 AM -- Walk to Shinjuku Post Office
9:10 AM - 9:15 AM -- Shinjuku Post Office
9:15 AM - 10:00 AM -- Walk back to the hotel
11:02 AM - 11:11 AM -- Transit to Ikebukuro station
11:11 AM - 12:00 PM -- Arcade
12:25 PM - 1:00 PM -- Animate
1:20 PM - 3:40 PM -- Namco Namja Town
3:40 PM - 4:40 PM -- Pokemon Center
4:40 PM - 4:50 PM -- Daiso
5:07 PM - 5:16 PM -- Back to the hotel
7:15 PM -- Fell on my butt in the hotel while getting dressed *sniffle* ;____;
7:30 PM -- Dinner at Royal Host
10:00 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 8: MON. MAY 14, 2018 (SUNNY; 29 degrees Celsius)
4:40 AM -- Woke up
10:30 AM - 10:50 AM -- Walk to the post office to grab packing slips
10:50 AM - 11:10 AM -- Walk to the hotel
11:11 AM - 12:30 PM -- Transit to Daiba
12:45 PM - 1:30 PM -- Lunch at Takoyaki Museum + Takoyaki gift shop
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM -- Shooting gallery + Daiso
2:30 PM - 3:45 PM -- Arcade
4:10 PM - 5:15 PM -- Back to the hotel
7:36 PM - 8:30 PM -- Dinner at KFC
8:30 PM - 8:45 PM -- Back to the hotel
10:45 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 9: TUES. MAY 15, 2018 (SUNNY; 28 degrees Celsius)
5:55 AM -- Woke up
7:20 AM - 7:45 AM -- 7-11 shopping
7:45 AM -- Breakfast -- Onigiri x2
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM -- Sending out packages at the post office
10:28 AM - 10:58 AM -- Transit to Akihabara station
10:58 AM - 1:30 PM -- Exploring Akihabara
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM -- Lunch at Eorzea Cafe
4:30 PM - 4:55 PM -- Transit to Higashi-Shinjuku station
5:00 PM - 5:15 PM -- Maruetsu
5:15 PM - 5:30 PM -- Back to the hotel
8:00 PM -- Dinner from 7-11
11:30 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 10: WED. MAY 16, 2018 (SUNNY; 29 degrees Celsius)
6:15 AM -- Woke up
8:00 AM -- Breakfast
9:14 AM - 9:35 AM -- Transit the Jimbocho station
9:35 AM - 10:00 AM -- Roaming around Jimbocho
10:13 AM - 10:18 AM -- Transit to Iwamotocho station
10:18 AM - 10:28 AM -- Walk to Akihabara
10:28 AM - 11:00 AM -- Book-Off!
11:12 AM - 11:54 AM -- Back to the hotel
12:25 PM - 12:50 PM -- Transit to Akabanebashi station
1:00 PM - 6:30 PM -- One Piece Tokyo Tower + Mugiwara gift shop
6:30 PM - 7:22 PM -- Dinner at Cafe Mugiwara
7:37 PM - 8:05 PM -- Back to the hotel
11:15 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 11: THURS. MAY 17, 2018 (SUNNY; 28 degrees Celsius)
5:10 AM -- Woke up
9:00 AM -- Breakfast
10:18 AM - 10:28 AM -- Transit to Shibuya
11:22 AM - 2:22 PM -- Karaoke
3:10 PM - 3:13 PM -- Transit to Harajuku station
3:30 PM - 3:55 PM -- Calbee+
4:05 PM - 4:30 PM -- Back to the hotel
6:45 PM - 7:45 PM -- Dinner at Matsuya
7:45 PM - 7:55 PM -- Back to the hotel
10:30 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 12: FRI. MAY 18, 2018 (SUNNY-CLOUDY; 27 degrees Celsius)
5:30 AM -- Woke up
9:20 AM - 9:35 AM -- Sending out another package at the post office
10:38 AM - 11:01 AM -- Transit to Akabanebashi station
11:10 AM - 2:20 PM -- One Piece Tokyo Tower... again!
2:20 PM - 3:15 PM -- Lunch at Cafe Mugiwara
3:15 PM - 4:15 PM -- Mugiwara gift shop
4:48 PM - 5:00 PM -- Back to the hotel
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM -- Dinner at Matsuya
8:00 PM - 8:10 PM -- Back to the hotel
11:30 PM -- CRASHED

DAY 13: SAT. MAY 19, 2018 (CLOUDY; 26 degrees Celsius)
6:30 AM -- Woke up
7:30 AM - 7:45 AM -- 7-11 shopping
9:10 AM -- Mailed back the pocket WiFi *sniffle* ;__;
10:00 AM -- Checked out of the hotel
10:40 AM - 11:49 AM -- Transit to Haneda Airport

12:45 PM - 1:20 PM -- Lunch at Mos Cafe

2:50 PM - 3:20 PM -- Check-in luggage + security
3:20 PM - 4:20 PM -- Shopping in the airport
5:00 PM -- Boarded the plane

5:40 PM - 6:00 AM (5:00 PM same day Toronto time zone) -- Flight to Toronto

5:00 PM - 5:45 PM -- Customs + Baggage pick-up

6:00 PM - 6:30 PM -- UP Express to Union station

6:30 PM - 7:15 PM -- Transit back home... wahhhhhhhhh T________T

If you've read this far, thanks for reading!! :) 

I hope I can get the next blog out soon-ish but with everything that's happening these days (work... phone games... work...), I'm not sure when that will be.

Till next time. Take care!

BLOG -- Recap of May

May was horrible in the beginning, great in the middle, and back to horrible. I have so much work to do, bahhh. xP

Outings/Events in May:

- Hung out with friends overall x1

- A good co-worker friend was let go... =___=

- Visited Japan for 2 weeks. I'll be blogging about this in due time!

- Stayed over at my sister's place x0.


- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: 
-I re-subbed but haven't done much.

- Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius achievements / news: 
-My rank is currently 154 (yay I can leave the game alone for 13 hours 55 mins)
-I got my Liquid Metal Slime!
-I'm just waiting for the Valkyrie Profile banner... and possibly another Noctis banner if he comes along.

Exposures:

- (Video Game): Demetrios: The Big Cynical Adventure -- I wanted to like this game, but the writing and characterizations didn't grab me. I think it tried too hard to be "cynical".

- (Mobile): One Piece Treasure Cruise -- I tried this out while Brave Exvius was under maintenance. It's pretty interesting. I run out of character box space way too quickly, but I enjoy playing the story mode and trying to get and evolve units I like. Ahhh, Ace and Sanji... <3

- (Food): Sushi Burger -- This was a menu item from Sushi Shop. I tried the Salmon one and really liked it! At first glance it looks like a small burger, but it's actually quite filling, at least for me. I'd eat it again!

Finished...

Watching:

- (Movie): Rambo: First Blood -- I love Trautman's speech about Rambo. Great stuff.

- (Movie): Rambo: First Blood Part II -- This was good, but could have used more character development... and uhh... more romance, hehe.

- (Movie): Rambo Part III -- I liked seeing Trautman in the battle field but was so scared for his safety. This was okay.

- (Movie): Blade of the Immortal -- I watched this just 'cuz it was directed by Takashi Miike. The main character... is pretty bad with a sword... >__<

- (Movie): Maze Runner: Death Cure -- Forgettable.

- (Movie): Cook Up A Storm -- A little hokey at parts but more or less enjoyable. I would have loved more screen time on the food-making.

- (Movie): Permanent -- Very meh.

- (Movie): Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle -- Entertaining and funny. Recommended for at least one watching. 

Playing:

- (3DS): Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth -- I looooooooved this game!! Even though I was a bit nooby in terms of battle strategy, I loved everything about the game -- the mapmaking, the differing battle mechanics from other Persona games, the characters. I was a little sad when I beat it... but it'll just go on my re-play pile with other SMT / Persona games I've beaten. I mean -- I still gotta play it from P3's side, lol :3

Reading:

- Nothing this month. 

Currently... 

Playing (not all at once):

- (PS4): J-Stars Victory Vs+
- (PS4): Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
- (PS4): iDOLM@STER: Platinum Stars
- (PS4): Fez
- (PS4): Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
- (PS4): Nights of Azure
- (PS3): Borderlands 2
- (PS2): Chulip
- (Xbox 360): Magna Carta II
- (3DS): Story of Seasons
- (3DS): Culdcept Revolt
- (GBA): The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition   
- (PSP): Persona
- (Wii): Fortune Street 
- (PC): UnEpic  
- (PC): King's Bounty: The Legend
- (PC): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
- (Mobile): Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius

Watching:

- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 7)
- (TV Show): Orphan Black (Season 3)
- (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 11)
- (TV Show): Six Feet Under (Season 1 - Episode 3)
- (TV Show): X-Files (Season 11)
- (TV Show): The Strain (Season 2)
- (Anime): Log Horizon (episode 3)
- (Anime): Attack on Titan: Season 2 (episode 8)

Reading:

- (Manga): Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori (Volume 16)


That's it for May. Aside from my time in Japan, not too many of my photos were too interesting this month so here are a couple sneak peeks for those future Japan blogs, plus a YouTube video.

Oh, where could this be in Japan?
Do you see something in the far distance? :)

I don't think I'd be able to upload the video here, 
but this performance was something I watched
over and over while in Japan. I'm so glad I recorded it
while it was on TV!

So... which Pokemon would you choose? Lol.

Trautman's awesome speech about Rambo in Rambo First Blood.
I don't think it's spoilery, but this does happen about halfway through the movie.
I especially loved his line at around 1:04 and 1:36.

Thanks for reading!

As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free. :)

BLOG -- Recap of April

I have a concern... that I might be developing a taste for bad movies, hahaha. 

Similar to March, April was a movie-binge-watching month for me. I was also doing some planning, because -- I'm going to Japan next week, wooooooot!

I'll likely hit many of the same places I've been to before, but will also check out a few new places.

Outings/Events in April:

- Hung out with friends overall x2

- Worked on a Saturday again... along with almost all my team. =___=

- I got a new cellphone. Good-bye my S4! You were great while your battery lasted.

- Celebrated my sister's birthday with a friend.

- Stayed over at my sister's place x0.


- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: 
-Nothing. I should be re-subbing tomorrow so I can ensure my mansion isn't demolished, lol.

- Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius achievements / news: 
-My rank is currently 150 (yay I can leave the game alone for 13 hours 45 mins)
-I had the most wonderful pull a few weeks ago. A screenshot is at the end of the blog.
-I need a Liquid Metal Slime...

Exposures:

- (Food): Lemon Glazed Donut -- This was a limited donut at Krispy Kreme and I liked it.

Finished...

Watching:

- (Movie): A Quiet Place -- Not really scary but very suspenseful and good for the most part. A few days afterwards, I was questioning the plausibility of it all though, lol.

- (Movie): Unstoppable -- Kinda interesting, but also kinda meh. I liked the resolution.

- (Movie): Divergent: Insurgent -- It was okay.

- (Movie): Divergent: Allegiant -- I liked this better than Insurgent...

- (Movie): Skyfall -- I've never been a fan of Bond movies. Never cared that he'd always get the girl part, since it's like a different girl each movie (please correct me if I'm wrong).

- (Movie): Hangman's Curse -- Not the best, but I enjoyed some aspects of it.

- (Movie): Thr3e -- Predictable for some parts.

- (Movie): Beat Street -- Eh... it didn't grow on me very much.

- (Movie): Crazy Stupid Love -- Awkward -- just like Love. The best scenes were between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

- (Movie): Martha Marcy May Marlene -- Well done, but didn't like it.

- (Movie): Shakespeare in Love -- Well done, but pretty meh on it.

- (Movie): Fargo -- It's interesting.

- (Movie): The Transporter -- I enjoyed this.

- (Movie): Transporter 2 -- I enjoyed this less.

- (Movie): Red Dawn -- I never saw the original, but this was interesting.

- (Movie): The Book Thief -- It kept my attention most of the time. Geoffrey Rush is great.

- (Movie): Slumdog Millionaire -- I would probably never watch this again... but it's good.

- (Movie): Jem and the Holograms -- I've never watched the animated series... but I liked this. Some of the songs are nice and catchy.

- (Anime): Another -- This was more entertaining than I had expected. I liked it. 

Playing:

- (PS4): Shutshimi -- Short and sweet and random. And not too bad.

- (PS4): Monster Hunter: World -- I saw the credits so I'm counting this! I'll likely still play this from time to time, though.

- (PS4): Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reigns -- So grindy, and all to reach a bleh ending, hah... unless you really enjoy Puzzle Quest and love Marvel I wouldn't really recommend this. My staple team was Iron Man (Model 35), Black Widow (Modern), and Storm (Modern).

- (PS4): Binding of Isaac: Rebirth -- The intro + the main theme music afterwards was very grabbing. The randomness is quite enjoyable when I get lucky. I'll probably play more of it in the future.

Reading:

- Nothing this month. 

Currently... 

Playing (not all at once):

- (PS4): J-Stars Victory Vs+
- (PS4): Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
- (PS4): iDOLM@STER: Platinum Stars
- (PS4): Fez
- (PS4): Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
- (PS3): Borderlands 2
- (PS2): Chulip
- (Xbox 360): Magna Carta II
- (3DS): Story of Seasons
- (3DS): Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
- (3DS): Culdcept Revolt
- (GBA): The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition   
- (PSP): Persona
- (Wii): Fortune Street 
- (PC): UnEpic  
- (PC): King's Bounty: The Legend
- (PC): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
- (Mobile): Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius

Watching:

- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 7)
- (TV Show): Orphan Black (Season 3)
- (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 11)
- (TV Show): Six Feet Under (Season 1 - Episode 3)
- (TV Show): X-Files (Season 11)
- (TV Show): The Strain (Season 2)
- (Anime): Log Horizon (episode 3)
- (Anime): Attack on Titan: Season 2 (episode 8)

Reading:

- (Manga): Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori (Volume 16)


That's it for April. Here are a couple screenshots (no pictures this time) I took this month plus a few YouTube videos.

My most wonderful pull from FFBE. Can you count the rainbows?
Hahaha... :)

Whee, I have Lotus Mage Fina!

"A Quiet Place Review" by YourMovieSucksDOTorg.
He touches upon several of the thoughts I had after watching the movie.
There are spoilers so check only if you've watched "A Quiet Place" or 
you don't mind spoilers.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth intro video. The volume is a bit quiet. 
I think the voice work is great.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth menu theme after the intro video.
The music is quite good overall for this game.

Thanks for reading!

As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free. :)

BLOG -- Recap of March

March was a movie binge-watching month for me. I guess I just got the urge to go through more of the stuff I bought back when HMV had its crazy store closing sales. I'm closer to being able to subscribe to Netflix or Crunchyroll this year! :3 

Outings/Events in March:

- Hung out with friends overall x2

- Had a couple spontaneous vacation days.

- Attended a send-off for a long-time co-worker at work. I wish him the best!

- Had a dentist appointment *sniffle*.

- Stayed over at my sister's place x2.


- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: 
-I did the Hatching Tide event before my subscription expired.
-This one's pretty big news for myself: my main character purchased a mansion! Now I'll be stuck re-subbing every other month or I'll lose the house, hahaha. Hopefully I'll get a chance to redecorate it when I re-sub in May. :3

- Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius achievements / news: 
-My rank is currently 147 (yay I can leave the game alone for 13 hours 35 mins)
-I got a number of rainbow units this month. I'm doing my best to save tickets for the Valkyrie Profile banner -- hopefully that comes to the GL version!

Exposures:

- (Food place): Uncle Tetsu's Angel Cafe -- I'd say this is a nice "hideout" for anime fans. The food was just okay, but the dessert -- at least the dessert I had -- yummmmy! I'd go there again.

Finished...

Watching:

- (Movie): Annihilation -- At first I was kinda meh about it, but it's slowly growing on me, some of the ideas and imagery. I am pretty much set, though, with my own interpretation of the ending.

- (Movie): Ready Player One -- This was fun and nostalgic. I'd like to experience the Oasis!

- (Movie): Whiteout -- Quite predictable and forgettable.

- (Movie): Moulin Rouge -- Some of the singing was nice and there were some nice moments, but the first 30 mins or so were super annoying.

- (Movie): The Rats -- It was meh.

- (Movie): Devil's Advocate -- This was a long movie, but quite interesting and entertaining.

- (Movie): The Debt -- Great acting. I feel for David and Rachel.

- (Movie): Dragonheart -- I really enjoyed this. Quite funny and original, in my opinion.

- (Movie): Dragonheart: A New Beginning -- Not bad for a sequel.

- (Movie): Creative Control -- Bleh.

- (Movie): Jumper -- The premise was interesting, but I would have liked more character development and resolutions.

- (Movie): U.S. Marshals -- This was interesting.

- (Movie): Ghost Rider -- Not the best Marvel movie I've seen.

- (Movie): The Fugitive -- This was good. I was surprised to see the same team from U.S. Marshals in this movie. I finally get to see the scene with Neil Flynn in it.

- (Movie): Stop-Loss -- The issue addressed was interesting, but the movie was kinda boring.

- (Movie): Breakin' -- Light, fun, and cheesy at times. I enjoyed it! I wish there was more romance.

- (Movie): Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo -- Much more cheesy than the first, but the dancing was good.

- (Movie): Along Came a Spider -- It's different from the novel, but was okay. I thought the child character was pretty smart.

- (Movie): Kiss the Girls -- It was okay.

- (Movie): Shawshank Redemption -- Very long, but a good watch.

- (Movie): The Gift -- I liked this.

- (Anime): Night Head Genesis -- This had potential, but got meh by the end.

- (Anime - Movie): Eden of the East: King of Eden -- I enjoyed it, but definitely have the next movie on hand.

- (Anime - Movie): Eden of the East: Paradise Lost -- This was a nice resolution to the series. Not enough romance, though, haha. 

Playing:

- (PSP): Corpse Party -- This was one creepy game. I advise saving in multiple slots at different points throughout the game. You never know if you've locked yourself in a bad ending.

Reading:

- Nothing this month. 

Currently... 

Playing (not all at once):

- (PS4): J-Stars Victory Vs+
- (PS4): Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
- (PS4): iDOLM@STER: Platinum Stars
- (PS4): Fez
- (PS4): Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
- (PS4): Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reigns
- (PS4): Monster Hunter World
- (PS3): Borderlands 2
- (PS2): Chulip
- (Xbox 360): Magna Carta II
- (3DS): Story of Seasons
- (3DS): Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
- (3DS): Culdcept Revolt
- (GBA): The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition   
- (PSP): Persona
- (Wii): Fortune Street 
- (PC): UnEpic  
- (PC): King's Bounty: The Legend
- (PC): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)
- (Mobile): Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius

Watching:

- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 7)
- (TV Show): Orphan Black (Season 3)
- (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 11)
- (TV Show): Six Feet Under (Season 1 - Episode 3)
- (TV Show): X-Files (Season 11)
- (TV Show): The Strain (Season 2)
- (Anime): Log Horizon (episode 3)
- (Anime): Attack on Titan: Season 2 (episode 8)

Reading:

- (Manga): Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori (Volume 16)


That's it for March. Here are some pics I took this month plus a YouTube video.

Angel hat cheesecake from Angel Cafe. This was so good!

Omurice from Angel Cafe. I got this meal just so the server could 
draw something on top. I asked for a mouse drawing and then 
she asked for a reference so I looked up Mickey Mouse. 
The dish itself was just okay.

Waffle-stuffed double down from KFC.
I split this with my sister and it was a good call.
The waffle and syrup got so sweet when I finished my half.
It was good in the beginning, though!

I pulled Prompto this month. Not sure when /if I would actually use him, though.

"Hikari" by Elisa -- the 1st ending theme to Nabari no Ou.
I've been listening to this track almost nonstop at work for the past few weeks.
I kinda think this makes a good theme song for David and Rachel from The Debt.

Thanks for reading!

For anybody celebrating Easter, Happy Easter! Also be careful of the possible jokes that might happen tomorrow.

As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free. :)