Shades of Aqua

Bandwagon Get

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:37:24 GMT

So after succumbing to gadget envy, I now own an iPhone 3G.

It is so freakin' neat. I could play with it all day.

Take that, productivity !

Gainful Employment

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:26:41 GMT

I just got a job ! And a fun one at that. I get to work at a computer/electronics store. I'm in geek heaven. :3

Year-End Post

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:38:21 GMT

So I managed an update before 2009. Who would've thought ?

Anyhow, things are going along okay, aside from some medical stuff. But I haven't spent much time dwelling on the downside of things. After all, not much sense in worrying about the stuff you can't change. One thing I can change, however, is that I'm going back for my Master's degree. I'm thinking Biomedical Sciences - it's a good in for medical school (or for a lab/research position if I don't get admitted to med school). For those of you who have gone the grad school route, did you find it easier or harder than undergrad education ?

Christmas this year was nice; I got to spend it with Kev's family. They're good people, and it was fun to have his little niece around. Reminds you of how much fun Christmas really is for kids. We had lots of fun too, and we traded presents at home on Christmas Day.

And that's how I got my new cell phone. :3
You guys can reach me again. I missed all the phone calls, drunk dials, and silly texts while my old phone was broken. It's got the same number as before (and if you don't have it, let me know and I'll send it your way).

Oh, and I finally released Burning Spirit. Here's a posterlinky -

Happy 2009, guys.

Nerd Glee

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:42:09 GMT

I spent my 4th of July at Nerdapalooza in Orlando this year. It's basically a huge multi-artist show with more than 35 nerdcore hip-hop artists, and the whole shindig was done for charity to boot. I couldn't really stay for both days' worth of events, but I did make it up on Friday in time to catch the evening acts.

The first set I really had a chance to listen to was from Schaffer the Darklord. If you dig the nerdcore, I highly recommend checking out his music. It was great stuff; I went right over and snagged his CD from the merch table afterwards. This'll be a nice addition to the beefy selection of nerdcore my 'pod is already sporting. There were a few acts on after STD, but they were more or less standard fare for the genre.

Then came the reason I made the trip; MC Frontalot took the stage. I've been a fan of the Front for a few years now, but he hardly ever hits the Southeast, so I haven't had much of a chance to see him live. This show was well worth the wait. Front rocked the hell out of that mic, and good times were had by all. It's amazing to see an audience full of geeks get so pumped about the scene. Plus, after the gig, he was nice enough to sign my copy of Nerdcore Rising for me. That was a hell of a show, I gotta say. Easily one of my favorites.

It was also cool to get to chill with all the other fans. From the guy sporting the dapper red hat to the chick with a tattoo of Tux right above her butt, the nerdcore fans are a lively bunch. This weekend was great times.

Better Late Then Never

Sun, 04 May 2008 14:17:46 GMT

Whoops, fell behind on the monthly update plan. The last couple months have been full of med school secondary applications, so I've been short on free time. Well, I'll try my best to cover the important bits, anyhow.

First off, bought my tickets for Acen. This'll be the first year I'm able to go, so I'm excited. Been wanting to meet some of the folks who can't seem to make it to AWA. Plus, I managed to finish my entry for the AMV contest in time, in a last-minute frenzy of editing. It's a sappy romance video that I made for my sweetheart. <3
(In b4 "Make more comedy, Aqua". I haven't done the romance video deal since 03, so I'm entitled. ;p )

Speaking of the bf, I miss him like crazy. Haven't seen him since I went on vacation, and I wouldn't have thought it was possible to miss somebody so much in just a few days. But I'm having fun up here, and it's relaxing to be able to sleep in for a change. Plus, I never pass up an opportunity to sink my money into the local mall economy. Between this vacation, Mother's Day, Aquaman's birthday, and Acen, I'm gonna be so broke that I'll be eating ramen until AWA. Well worth it, though.

Oh, and the week before I left, I got to see Epica live. They were playing down in Lauderdale with Symphony X and Into Eternity. I wasn't too impressed with IE, but Symphohy X was great and Epica was even better. The girl was a stand-in for the regular lead singer, but she was almost as good as the real deal, and she knew how to put on one heck of a show. Besides, you can't spell Epica without epic. :3

Anyhow, I think that should cover it for now. See some of you folks in a couple weeks. \o/

Jumping Ship

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:51:22 GMT

So I quit my job yesterday.

Yeah, it was kinda sudden, but something occurred to me. Lately, things there had gone downhill to the point where I would just cringe at the thought of having to go in for my shifts. Most of my favorite co-workers had long since quit, the parent company made a decision to move to clothing for an "older demographic" (going from things I would wear to things my mother wouldn't even wear), and management was constantly jerking me around about my allotted time off (scheduling me on my off days and then demanding I find my own replacement to fix their scheduling errors). So basically, I was stuck calling up the entire employee list just about every other week trying to find somebody to fill in for my unavailable days. That's a routine I got tired of pretty quickly.

All in all, the pay was nowhere near worth the hassle. In fact, I think I want out of retail altogether for a while. I just want a job with steady hours, decent pay, and no need to constantly pressure customers to apply for store credit. Maybe a temp agency would be good in the meantime (have any of you guys used them before ?). Hopefully, I'll get accepted to med school this year and I can finally get going on my actual career path.

On the upside, Valentine's Day was a whole lot of fun. First, we went to a park for a nice lunch picnic with sushi and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Later, we had a nice dinner at a local steak/seafood restaurant and some truffles for dessert. He got me a little heart-shaped pendant, and I recorded a sappy song for him. It was all really nice and sweet. It's a nice change to have somebody special to share days like that with.

One thing I'm really looking forward to is the Renaissance Festival this weekend. It's always fun to go out and see all the neat stuff they have to offer. I'll try to remember to bring the camera along so I can post some pics afterward. Now, off I go to the classifieds.

New Year's Tidings

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:34:27 GMT

Ah, first post of the new year. It's got that new-post smell and everything. Well, let's see, celebrated the new year with a bunch of friends on the weekend, and stayed with my sweetie on New Year's Eve/Day. Of course, my chronically sleep-deprived self needed to be shaken awake a couple times so I wouldn't miss the countdown, but still, it was fun.

And, since my dad and I traditionally swap gifts in January, I finally got my present from him. It's a bright and shiny new Xbox 360. So far, I'm really digging it. With my Christmas cash from the family, I picked up some nifty games for a pretty good price. I snagged : Rock Band, Viva Piñata, Condemned: Criminal Origins, The Orange Box, Sneak King, and Beautiful Katamari. I am such a happy nerd right now. Rock Band has proven to be all kinds of win, and I'm just about to complete the Solo Tour on Vocals (medium difficulty). It's a whole lot of fun.

For those of you who have had a 360 for a while, any suggestions for good games ? I'm mostly into the adventure, survival horror, music, puzzle, and RPG genres. Also, I'll post up my gamercard. I don't exactly know how to add friends to my Xbox Live account yet, but if you post your gamertags, I'll try to add ya. Mine's EverAqua, because AquaSky was already taken. >:|

Oh, and Christmas was really nice. Thanks a bunch for the cards, Moonie and Tem. <3
I spent Christmas up in Daytona with the bf's family. They're pretty nice, though I still get kinda nervous around them. Mostly because I have to make sure I keep my sense of humor in check (those of you who know me well enough are already aware that most of my jokes are a little on the risqué side). But everything went well, and it was really nice; a perfect way to end the year.

Here's hoping '08 is even better for everyone.

AWA Aftermath

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:47:19 GMT

AWA ?
AWA.
This year was awesome, as usual. Ended up winning Best Horror in Expo for Veil Of Innocence, which was cool; didn't have anything entered in the other two contests though. My panel with Ryno and Todd was absolutely packed; I've never seen that many people attend a VAT creator panel before. I was definitely happy to see such a great turnout, and the three of us gave one pretty awesome showing. We even added in some of TJ's stuff, in his honor. And, of course, catching some of AMV Hell 4 and all of the Video Game Project 4 was a highlight.

Non-VAT-wise, spent a good amount of cash in the dealer's room this year. Picked up some really nifty shirts (my favorite has to be the "Silent Hill is for lovers" one) and a bit of other assorted merch, including some of Hirameki's newest visual novels. Dropped by anime karaoke on both nights and sang a bit as well. Didn't find much else in the way of general panels that piqued my interest.

As always, though, AWA is mostly about hanging out with people. Got to catch up with lots of folks I hadn't seen in a while (I'll spare the massive list), and talk to a few that I hadn't spent much time with in previous years (Vlad, Quu, Corran, jbone, illia sadri, Moon, Beo, Gina, aerialesque, and a couple others). As per the usual, I enjoyed the dinner on Thursday and the festivities on Friday and Saturday nights. I may even be tempted to hit Acen next year, if I've got the time and cash.

Now, I'm up in Tennessee visiting the family for a week, so I'm heading out for a bit. Later, guys.

Summer Update

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:27:31 GMT

Okay, I've been chided for not updating very frequently, so I'll make sure and get this one done on time.

Lately, things have been going well. It's been almost 6 months with my guy now, and they've been some of the happiest months of my life. I really can't imagine anything better than the connection we share. It makes me wonder why I even hesitated at all in the first place. I guess there was still some part of me back then that was self-conscious and unsure. Regardless, it seems that sometimes life gives you a second chance.

Along with that, I've got some great friends. Hanging out at AFO was a blast, and getting to catch up with everyone was fun. I don't get to see some of you guys as much as I'd like to, especially with my funky work schedule preventing me from hitting meetups. I was looking forward to chilling with some of the SF people at Yasumi, but I ended up having to work both days, so it just wasn't happening. Still, with DK's new Saturday night anime meetups, hopefully we'll be able to have most of the Ronin crew together again (except for Mike, who ran to Jacksonville, ya bastid ;P).

Speaking of work, it's not too shabby. Although working retail makes it easier to understand why people who do tend to get burned out on it. Some of the customers are friendly and polite, and others can be pretty surly (especially some of the rich ones, who seem to operate on the idea of the caste system). Still, it's good for the most part, and pulling in a decent paycheck is quite nice.

The main drawback, though, is that putting in more hours at work leaves me less editing time. Ryan, I promise ya, I'll get that VG4 track going. Jen, ditto with the Project FMV track. And I'm almost done with my Expo entry. No time for Pro or Masters this year, but I think that green jacket is gonna have Jay's name on it (and then maybe we'd get to see pero in it, because it'd probably be cuter on her anyhow :3 ). After all that, maybe I can have something ready for Janicon, at least. That'd be nice.

Anyhow, since it's my day off, I'll cut it here and open up Premiere. Later, folks.

Assorted Happenings

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:16:12 GMT

Wow, been a while since I updated. Well, let's see, where to start.

I finally graduated. Now that was good times. My dad, my brother and I all graduated at once, too. The whole family came out for it. It's definitely nice to have my little scrap of paper after these five years. I'm a Bachelor of Science. Awww, yeah.

My old computer bit the dust after several years of faithful service. So, for a graduation gift, I asked for a new one. It's a really nice system; should do well for both editing and gaming. Now all that's left is to hook it up and see how it runs. Couldn't get it with XP installed, so looks like I'll be learning Vista. Doesn't seem like it'll be too tricky to pick up, though.

As of this afternoon, I am gainfully employed. Applied at a local clothing shop a couple weeks ago, and they hired me on. I'm uber-happy. The place is like five minutes away, gives a really nice employee discount, and is surrounded by yummy (and healthy) restaurants for lunch. Can't wait to finally pull in a little cash. It's a part-time job to go along with my volunteer nursing gig, which I'll start as soon as I get my certification. This year'll definitely be busy.

Speaking of busy, con season is upon us once again. I'll be hitting AWA, AFO, Metrocon, Yasumicon, and possibly Janicon. For those of you going to Metro, be sure to catch my studio panel on Sunday, co-hosted by the awesome folks from AnimeBelle. It'll be a lot of fun.

I think that about does it for now. I'll update once I've got the new system up and running, maybe even with a few pics for good measure. And now, I'm off.

Wii GET

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 13:07:10 GMT

After a few months of looking, I finally have a Wii. Rock.
Wii number - 3846 7642 8617 3025

Drop me your numbers if you've got 'em, so I can add ya.
And send me your Miis for the growth of the great Mii army.

Haven't gotten a whole lot of games yet, but I do have Elebits, Super Swing Golf (much love for the Pangya), Trauma Center, Cooking Mama, & Rayman : Raving Rabbids. Now to acquire WarioWare and Super Paper Mario (when it comes out), and I'll be set.

If only I didn't have 28 pages of reports due by next week and 45 hours of volunteer work to do before May 1st. Cruel fate, tempting me with gaming goodness while I have research to do. But as soon as it's finished, I'm definitely getting in some quality gaming and editing time. I've got a special video planned for AFO, and if everything goes well, it will be a sight to behold.

Springtime for Aqua

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 14:58:50 GMT

So, yeah. Lots of good stuff lately makes me happy. First of all, about a month ago, started dating a guy that I really happen to like. It's kinda rare for me to find someone that I can feel completely at ease with, but that's exactly how it is. I'll spare going over the sappy stuff here; things are going well and I'm glad.

Oh, and I reached 125 pounds of weight loss last week. I'm really pumped about that. I feel so much better now than I did beforehand - it's like night and day. The happiness and the confidence are something that I wouldn't trade for the world. I only hope that I can keep going until I can lose about 55 more; that would put me at my goal.

Next, got my MCAT results back. Here's the breakdown :

Rock on. Getting an S for the essay is awesome. I knew Physical Sciences would be my weakest section, no surprise there. Just glad that the other three sections were pretty good. Would've liked to have had the cash to take something like the Kaplan course, but this score is pretty good as is. Hopefully, I'll be able to get into a good medical school by next fall.

Also, the semifinal round of the '07 VCAs has brought some good news. Here are the categories I'm up for -

Must Be Emo :
Best Comedy Video
Best Lip-Sync Video
Best Multi-Anime Video
Best Parody Video
Most Original Video

Panda-monium :
Best Comedy Video
Best Fun Video
Best Lip-Sync Video
Best Multi-Anime Video
Best Parody Video

Sweetest Betrayal :
Best Dramatic Video
Best Sentimental Video

I really appreciate everyone who nominated my videos; the support really means a lot to me. It gives me the drive to create, and knowing that people enjoy it makes it all worthwhile. Speaking of which, I'm hoping to have my new JACON entry done in time. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll have enough time before the deadline on that one.

That about covers most of the major stuff lately, I think. So now, time to enjoy my very last day of Spring Break.

First Post of '07

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 20:49:54 GMT

An update ? Why, yes.

First off, this Saturday, I take my MCAT. For those of you who don't know, it's the standardized test you take for medical school admission. It's uber-difficult, but I think I can handle it (the only part that really concerns me is Physics, which is my weak point). If I do well enough, I may be accepted to one of the med schools I'm applying to in Florida or Tennessee. Wish me luck, guys.

Most of my spare time is spent studying now, especially since I broke my PS2. Was playing Guitar Hero with Hill, when I accidentally pulled the guitar too far from the console, yanking it out of the wall unit and onto the tile floor. Crash. Now it only gives Disc Read Errors, so I'll have to send it to Sony. And I was just about to finish Rule of Rose, too. ;_;

Winter Gathering was fun this year, and it was nice to hang out with some of my out-of-town friends. Definitely looking forward to seeing everyone at Megacon.

To wrap up, I'll go ahead and hop on a meme taken from kusoyaro :
"Reply to this post, and I will tell you my favorite icon of yours. Then post this to your own journal using your own favorite icon."

End of year meme stolen from prodigi249

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 17:55:51 GMT

1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
Played paintball for the first time.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Surprisingly, this year I did keep them. I'll give it a go next year too.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My uncle, who was sorta close.

5. What countries did you visit?
Nothing new this year, unfortunately.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
My bachelor's degree.

7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
November 13 - The day I reached 100 lbs. of weight loss.
December 5 - The day I finally got the palate expander taken out (and regained the ability to talk normally).

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The aforementioned weight loss. Though winning Best Comedy for the third year in a row at AFO's AMV contest was pretty awesome too. Oh, and finally passing Physics II, which was a major pain.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Still not getting my CNA certification taken care of.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope, thankfully.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My iPod. I don't know how I managed without it before.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Everyone who contributed a segment to DTSEM. Now there's a worthy cause.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Nobody that I can think of offhand, aside from just about every driver on I-95.

14. Where did most of your money go?
This year, mostly to clothes.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Picking up an AWA Expo award, making it to the final round of Online Iron Chef, and finishing Elite Beat Agents on Hard Rock mode. It's the little things in life.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
I. happier or sadder?
Much happier.
ii. thinner or fatter?
Definitely thinner.
iii. richer or poorer?
Tuition went up, so poorer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
MCAT prep, editing, and putting in my hospital volunteer hours.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastinating and being indecisive.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent it with the family in Tennessee.

21. What LJ users did you meet for the first time?
In person ? aesling304, aieli_ileia, decot, dykotez, fallchild42, khameleon808, kisanzi, nessephanie, pbtc_pero, and trythil.

22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
If I knew for sure, I'd tell ya. Honestly, that distinction can be hard for me to make.

23. How many one-night stands?
None. Not my bag.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
Don't usually watch a whole lot of TV, but I did get into Mythbusters.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate many people, only a very few, none of which were new to '06.

26. What was the best book you read?
The Count of Monte Cristo.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Epica, MC Frontalot, and Rasputina.

28. What did you want and get?
Materially speaking ? A laptop and a DS Lite.

29. What did you want and not get?
A new desktop rig and a Wii.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
I'd have to renounce my fandom if I didn't go with Silent Hill. But Clerks II is a close second.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Spent my 22nd birthday doing the dinner and movie thing with some of my friends.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Graduating. Looks like it'll have to wait until '07, though.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Not nearly as dark as last year's wardrobe. Actually wear clothes in just about every color now.

34. What kept you sane?
Setting aside a little time to relax, even during this semester's crammed schedule.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I'm not that big on celebrities, actually.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The debate over stem cell research.

37. Who did you miss?
Krat. Oh, besides that, the lack of Rut, TJ, and Farlo during con season.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Tough call. I'm going to cop out and say that there's just too many to pick from.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
If there's something you want, don't just hope it'll come to you.
Go for it with all you've got. To borrow a quote, "Do or do not. There is no try."

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"And I, I am fine. And I'll learn to take what's mine, and live without guilt." ~ Cinnamon Spider, by Jack Off Jill.

All in all, 2006 was pretty good to me. See you guys next year.

Winter Break

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:04:07 GMT

So, I'm up here in Tennessee for Christmas vacation. Now, I'm a native Floridian, so I'm just about freezing in this weather. Still, it's a nice place to be for the holidays. Spending a little time with the family and whatnot. I've been trying to find a Wii without much luck, but at least you know there'll be a million of them in stores after Christmas. Ah, well. Not much else to report at the moment, but here's a quiz I ganked from violetgerald :

You scored as White. White represents purity, calmness and innocence, and you fit all this. You are angelic to the core and would never dream of hurting anyone on purpose. The events of this world tend to shock you and you cannot wait to escape to a better place. You believe in the good of people. Your kind and loving nature makes you very hard to resist.

</td>

White

72%

Purple

67%

Pink

56%

Yellow

45%

Black

45%

Orange

44%

Green

39%

Red

33%

Blue

28%

Which Color Represents You???
created with QuizFarm.com

Okay, so I don't know about that whole innocent bit (well, more precisely, I couldn't read that part with a straight face), but the rest isn't too far off. That works for me.

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:02:06 GMT

Guys, I have seen the single most beautiful number in our system, and that's
100 !
Yep, I finally hit 100 pounds of weight loss last night. I've been on the program since January, and I gotta tell ya, I feel great. I've dropped seven clothing sizes and over eleven inches off my waist. I have my energy back (plus some), and it's been a big confidence boost as well. I just can't describe how much happier I am now. It's not my final goal; I'd still like to drop another 60-80 so that I can hit my ideal weight. Still, it's a big milestone, and the support of my friends and family has meant a lot to me. Thanks, guys.

Other than that, things have been going pretty well. Spent Halloween with some friends down at Moonfest, which was fun. chadect revived his "guy who passed out at the party" costume, complete with Sharpie for people to draw on him. My Mario costume seemed to go over pretty well; nice to see the love for old-school gaming is still around.

Speaking of gaming, picked up a copy of Elite Beat Agents, which I'm loving. The song selection is just okay, but the gameplay mechanics are really fun. I might have to import Ouendan one of these days.

Anyhow, I'll wrap things up for now. Catch ya later.

Recent Stuff

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 13:05:08 GMT

Well, guess it's time to update the journal once again. Been really busy as of late, so I've kinda been procrastinating on it. Still, it's the good kind of busy (aside from midterms).

For one, I finally got to try out paintball. I headed up to Ocala with a few friends (including janxangel) for a 24-hour campaign, and it was lots of fun. I managed to only get killed twice, once by a shot to the goggles and the other by voluntarily taking a hit (meaning you don't get shot). I did take a few shots to the arm and neck at one point, but they bounced. And I got to barrel tag someone, which is more of a stealth kill. So, did pretty decent for my first time on the field. I definitely want to give it another go sometime.

Next, headed out a couple days ago to dinner/movies with some friends for my birthday. Since it was on a weekday, lots of people had to work instead, but we still gathered a small group together. Ended up seeing The Illusionist, which was surprisingly good.

Present-wise, got a black DS Lite and the permission to buy a laptop from the folks. I really like the screen on the Lite, though the speakers aren't as good. Also, the black ones smudge up really easily, so I may trade it in for pink or white instead. I just thought black would be less conspicuous in public. As for the laptop, I think I'll go with a custom HP, something at least good enough to edit on if need be. I've never owned a lappy before, so I'm looking forward to it.

AWA was great, of course. I have nowhere near enough time or inclination to write up a whole con report, so suffice to say that it was awesome. Headed up with chadect & the_finality, met a lot of editors (and chilled with some old friends again), and had a good time in general. As always, looking forward to next year.

So, until next time, guys. See ya.

Personality Test Meme

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 13:43:03 GMT

My Personality


Neuroticism	30
Extraversion	71
Openness To Experience	24
Agreeableness	47
Conscientiousness	24

Test Yourself Compare Yourself View Full Report

Yeah, that seems about right. Though it oversimplifies a little, it's mostly accurate.

Summer Update

Tue, 15 Aug 2006 13:14:40 GMT

Well, first of all, I just reached 75 pounds of weight loss yesterday. I'm so excited; I haven't felt this good in years. I've gone down four sizes now since January. I'm really grateful to everyone for their support, and I'm glad to have such awesome friends. Those of you who know me know that I don't frequently speak about something as personal as faith, but I often pray for the strength to see this through. From here, I hope I can reach my goal of losing 100 pounds before the end of the year.

Also, when I was up in Tennessee on vacation, I saw it for the first time. A brand-new DDR SuperNOVA machine. It was a sight to behold. I couldn't wait to try it out, and I got to play a few games (there was a line of about six people, so getting in those three games took me almost an hour and a half). A few songs I really liked were on there too, including Smile.dk - Golden Sky, Captain Jack - Centerfold, and Ceasars - Jerk It Out. Plus, it had You're Not Here and Your Rain (Rage Mix), from the Silent Hill 3 and 4 soundtracks, respectively. I was in fangirl heaven. I can't wait to play it again.

As for recent cons, AFO was lots of fun, as always. The computer they gave us for the AMV critique panel wouldn't play AVI files over the projector, so we had to cancel it. Hopefully by next year, I'll have my own laptop to bring instead. Other than that, things went well.

Yasumicon, on the other hand, was in an awful location this year. Smoke-filled casino/hotel with lots of congoers and very little ventilation. Guys, I take back my complaints about the spread-out college campus it used to be held at. Please, give me back the long walks between campus buildings; having fresh air again is worth it. May or may not go back next year, depending on where they decide to hold it.

So there's the Reader's Digest version of the past couple months. Right now, I'm looking forward to two things : AWA, and Snakes on a Plane. I expect to see the editors represent at AWA this year. Now, I'm off to enjoy my last week of freedom before the Fall semester begins. Later, guys.

New Gear

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 19:04:34 GMT

Well, seems like I've picked up some new gear as of the last couple weeks. First of all, I got my palate expander installed on Tuesday. The thing is a pain to talk with; I don't sound quite as bad today as I did yesterday, but pronouncing a long "e" is still a real hassle at this point. Apparently, I'll be needing this to stay in for eight months, so I guess I'll be getting used to it. At least it'll be worthwhile in the long run.

The expander isn't the exact same as mine, but it's as close of a model as I could find. The phone is mine, complete with new cover.

I also bought a new phone, after about four years with my last one. It's a Sony Ericsson z520a, and so far, I'm mostly liking it. It has a decent camera, really nice speakers, but has no expandable memory (16MB max). Still, my last phone had a black-and-white screen and couldn't download ringtones (you had to program them in with the composer), so this is a real step up.

Other than that, I'm mostly relaxing and editing. Been keeping busy finishing up my AMV for AFO (I've got about 15 seconds left). After that one's done, I'll try and get my AWA Pro entry ready in time. Once that's finished, I'll have some time to take it easy and finish up a pile of video games I'm working my way through. I'll be looking forward to that.

Two Observations

Sat, 13 May 2006 00:31:05 GMT

I've made a couple of realizations in the past few days.

#1 - Women's shoes are evil.

I bought this really cute pair of platform sandals last week (in a rare move; I almost never go shoe shopping unless I have to). I figured I should break them in by wearing them to the mall on Wednesday. This has turned out to be a bad idea.

I mean, it was a bit uncomfortable walking around in them, but I just ignored it and finished my errands. I expected a blister or two (which there were), but when I got home, I found out they'd also torn the skin off the top of my feet where the straps were. So that whole "not being able to walk" bit kinda ruined my plans to go to the park with Justin on Thursday. Fortunately, we hit the LAN center instead. Which brings me to the second realization.

#2 - I need to buy a decent video card for my PC.

At the LAN center, they had all sorts of nifty games loaded on their rigs. Lots of FPS and MMO games, all of which looked pretty nice. The one I ended up playing the most was F.E.A.R., which was indeed creepy and very slick. My PC could never run it, so I was stoked to finally get to play it. Nowadays, it seems that the factory-installed video cards just don't play as many of the games out there as they used to. I've got a perfectly good copy of Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines that I can't run either because of that issue. So for you hardware-savvy types, any suggestions on which brand gives quality and reliable performance without being uber-expensive would be more than welcome.

Tagged by: the_finality

Sun, 07 May 2006 15:01:43 GMT

I've been hit. :o
Once you are tagged you must write a blog about your 6 weirdest habits/things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next six people to be tagged and list their names.

1. I really dislike the texture of onions. I'm fine with the taste, like with onion powder, but if there are chopped onions in a meal, I'll sometimes go and pick them all out before eating.

2. I like games that are really sweet and cutesy, and ones that are really dark and violent. On my game shelf, I've got Magic Pengel sitting right on top of Manhunt. And the only two games I'm currently interested in on the Xbox 360 are Condemned: Criminal Origins and Viva Piñata.

3. I almost always wear long-sleeved shirts. I just don't think t-shirts look very good on me; I feel kinda tomboyish when I wear them.

4. I brush my hair at least every couple hours or so if I can. In fact, when I take bathroom breaks in public, it's usually just to redo my makeup and hair. I take really good care of it, so I want to keep it looking nice throughout the day.

5. On the road, my vocabulary can get especially inventive and colorful. When someone cuts me off or the like, I'll often end up saying things that would make the CEO of Rockstar blush.

6. I'll often use up most of my spending money in the first week or so of the month, and then have to scrape by on very little for the next few weeks. I'm not very good with budgeting; that's why I don't like conventions that are at the very end of the month.

So yeah, those are mine. Guess I'll go ahead and tag :
temaranight
nekoneko
aieli_ileia
nessephanie
phoenix_smasher
eternitat

Now, I'm going to go out and stock up on fruit juice and sherbet. Time to show this sore throat who's boss.

Silent Hill and DS Gaming

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:00:58 GMT

First of all, there aren't any spoilers here, so feel free to read even if you haven't seen the movie.
Okay, so I went with our group to see Silent Hill on Friday, and I gotta say, it was everything I'd hoped for and more. The monsters were done absolutely amazingly (with real actors in latex suits instead of purely CG), especially Pyramid Head. I was in fangirl heaven. The environments were duplicated almost perfectly from the game, and the music was soundtrack music from Silent Hill 1, 2, & 3 (don't think I heard anything from 4 in there). You can definitely tell how closely they worked with Konami and Team Silent; the mood is very close to the original series. They did take some liberties with the plot - namely making the villagers radical evangelicals instead of cultists like in the game. Still, it was the best video game movie I've seen by far. I'd definitely recommend it.

In other news, haven't been doing a whole lot lately, other than studying for finals and playing a little Tetris DS. I've been a Tetris player since the NES and Game Boy versions, so I couldn't pass this one up. Online really makes this one worthwhile; it gives you a stream of new opponents with different playing styles. All the different modes are nice too, since they keep things varied. The game has a tendency to disconnect while you're in the lobby, though. I'd thought it was just my Wi-Fi connector, but since so many other people have complained of the same problem, it appears to be an issue with their network. That aside, it's a fun little game.

Also got Brain Age (DS) the other day, and I'm liking that. It's got little exercises for your mind, and also has a lot of Sudoku puzzles included. I think my "brain age" is sitting at 31, last time I took the test, so it's not too shabby. If you're into trying to sharpen up your reflexes a little, it's a nice find.

Anyhow, have to head out now. I'll make sure and write up a post-Jacon update next week !

So Much Work, So Little Time

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 12:32:17 GMT

Okay, so I'm taking a breather from this work for a bit to write an update. All's still well with Aqua, albeit I haven't really had a moment's rest. I've got around 10 two-page reports, 12 one-page reports, 7 Physics lab handouts, and 40 hours of mandatory community service to do before May 1st (thanks to our college, which requires it from every student). And the more I think about all that, the more I want to put it off, which only makes it worse. Ah, it's a vicious cycle. I'm so ready for summer, let me tell ya.

On the plus side though, I found out that I've dropped two whole sizes. I went to go play DDR with my old jeans on last weekend, and I literally had to hold them up with one hand because they were falling off my waist when I moved. These are the same jeans that were tight in January. So I'm going to spring for a few new pairs today. Clothes shopping is always a lot more fun when you're buying them in a smaller size, that's for sure.

I'm definitely looking forward to JACON, too. While I may not have a video finished in time (thanks to the above-mentioned work), I can't wait to see my Orlando and Tampa buddies again. If they still have time open, I might even get to host a panel, which would be cool. With JACON falling on the weekend before finals, it will be some much needed rest and relaxation. Actually, knowing our group, rest may not be the right word, but it'll definitely be fun.

Well, guess I'd better head out for class. Thanks for reading my rushed little update; I'll try to do a proper one sometime soon.

Progress and excitement

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 13:23:11 GMT

Wow, I'm pretty excited this week. First of all, I finally reached 30 lbs. of weight loss. I look and feel much better - I can speed-walk, play more intense rounds of tennis, and climb stairs much more easily now. My clothes are fitting better, my complexion has cleared up some, and I have lots more energy. Hopefully, if I can keep this up, I could be in decent shape by next year. That would be nice; I've always wanted to know what it's like to have that kind of a life.

Also, I've won a couple AMV contests. Quid Pro Quo won Best Lip-Synch in the 2006 AnimeMusicVideos.org Viewer's Choice Awards, which is awesome. Back in 2003, when I joined the .org, I never even dreamed that I'd be able to become skilled enough to be on the level with the kind of people who made the VCA finals. It's just a great feeling to be able to compete at that level, and I'm very thankful to everyone who voted. Also, thanks to my friends who beta-test (the #amv users) and those who encourage me (especially Ronin, OA, and AnimeBelle folks). I appreciate it, guys.

I also got Best Comedy at Anime Express for my (kinda last-minute) entry, Hina Harem. Since it's pretty short and I haven't had time to really polish it much, I've decided not to put it on the .org just yet. So I've uploaded it to my server, if you'd like to see it. The contest was a blast, and I really liked Addiction's Field Trip Part Deux, as well as Magus' vid and the Belles' entries.

Speaking of AE, I'd like to write a full con report soon. If I do, I'll try and post it in the next couple days. Until then, time to get back to class and make up for all the work I had to put off last weekend.