Year in Review: 2009

February: drop calculus since I'm failing; begin to get ready to sell the house; see Coraline with Mom

March: find a group on YouTube called Light Hawk Force who parodies Tenchi; get back into the Tenchi universe; come up with another Tenchi/Dragonball crossover

April: change my major from biology to anthropology and drop general chemistry, effectively dropping out of the spring semester; see Dragonball: Evolution with Andrew

May: move to San Bernardino

June: turn 23 and spend time with family and friends (Mom gets me a cool Japanese ceramic jar at an antiques store, Grandmom gets me loads of hats, and Wyatt and Carri get me a poster and Zelda themed cupcakes); hang out with Wyatt, Carri, and her dad at the Wild Animal park the day after; hang out with Eric from work and go to LA

July: take two summer classes; apply to UCR

August: hang out with Jon for a day; visit Chino Hills State Park with the fam; visit La Brea Tar Pits and a famous dognut shop

September: accepted to UCR; five year Albertsons anniversary

November: adopt two stray kittens who have been living outside of our house

December: register at UCR; graduate from Chaffey

Firsts

CD: Bad Hair Day by Weird Al

Video game/system: Super Mario for the SNES

Car: Honda Civic DX 1995

Cell phone: Nokia on Tracfone

Alcoholic drink: Popov vodka and Hot Pockets (11th grade)

Job: Albertsons as a courtesy clerk

MP3 Player: Dell DJ

Computer: Acer

Best friend: Nancy Wu

Favorite band/group: Spice Girls

Anime: Pokemon

School: Windrows Elementary

Overnight trip (with family and without): Massachusetts age 3; sixth grade camping trip to a ranch and Dana Point

Wedding: half sister 2002

Baby shower: coworker 2005

Story written: Don't Look Back

Video game beaten: Link's Awakening

Serious injury: stitches from a broken glass liquor bottle age 1

Trance CD: Best of Trance 2

Plane ride: age 3 to Massachusetts with my grandma

Nickname from a friend: Trixy (Kong, 7th grade)

Zelda game: Ocarina of Time

Classes Winter 2010

Aussie scientists find coconut-carrying octopus

tool use in an invert

"The scientists filmed the veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, selecting halved coconut shells from the sea floor, emptying them out, carrying them under their bodies up to 65 feet (20 meters), and assembling two shells together to make a spherical hiding spot."

All kinds of awesome right there.

No surprise

Allegations of Inflated Production Estimates

The IEA has been criticized for allegedly inflating estimates of global oil reserves. Proponents of the Peak Oil hypothesis in particular have charged that the agency's published estimates are unrealistic and, in fact, they often have been subsequently revised downward. In November 2009, an unnamed "senior official" stated that the IEA consistently over-estimated global oil supply in response to pressure from the United States government.

source

Just doing a little bit of background on who the IEA is since I had to read an article for earth science. That last sentence from Wikipedia does not at all surprise me. IN fact, when I read that they had overestimated the amount of oil production, I had a feeling it had something to do with this country and our government. Sadly I was right.

Fight For You

--Morgan Page with Lissie

Meeting you here, the night’s alight with midnight cheer
Our dust still unsettled, I feel the plucking of our petals
I’m drawing circles don’t you know, protect the seed that wants to grow
To a garden, pardon my territory

Be friendly but cautious, you’re gonna have to count your losses
Easily attracted, but dangerous to get distracted
I’m drawing circles don’t you know, protect the seed that wants to grow
To a garden, pardon my territory

I’d fight for you
I never knew that I could feel this way
I’m right for you
This kinda love don’t happen everyday

I’d fight for you
I didn’t wanna have to raise my voice
I’m right for you
You really leave me with no choice

So what do you want and what are you thinking?
Isn’t it about time you stuck up for me?
But what you can’t see is we’re under siege
And I only fight because I believe
Not gonna share you no

I’d fight for you
I never knew that I could feel this way
I’m right for you
This kinda love don’t happen everyday

I’d fight for you
I didn’t wanna have to raise my voice
I’m right for you
You really leave me with no choice

Best Reviews on a Product Ever

Tuscan Whole Milk

All I can say is: read the reviews. I never realized there were so many creative people.

Space is the Place

A Brief History of the Sitcom

A Brief History of the Sitcom -- powered by Cracked.com

Hooray for random quizzes!

Christie,
your name's Secret Meaning is...
"Not from this World" my friend and I did think this for a while

What will your obituary say?

Suddenly at midnight, Christie died after muttering 'rosebud'.
Christie will be terribly missed by the Lollypop Kids.

Yarrrgh!
Your Pirate Name be ...
Chesty LaRue
You are the most intelligent of all pirates. Although your name is feared, you live a relatively normal life and let your lackeys to all the work for you. You know how to never be caught and live the life of luxury.

What award will you get at your High School Reunion?
The person who ...

Turned out to have the best life I can hope, right?

What is your Retro Lunchbox?
You got a
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Lunchbox! Totally true

Coincidence?

Right now, listening to "Girl on TV" by LFO (boy band from back when I was in high school) and browsing my MySpace pictures...an ad at the bottom was for Jennifer Love Hewitt, whom the song I'm listening to is about.

>_> Odd

The Obituary for our friend "Common Sense"

taken from here:

Obituary printed in the London Times........
Interesting and sadly rather true

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
* I Know My Rights
* I Want It Now
* Someone Else Is To Blame
* I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

DBE: some thoughts

So I was watching a YouTube a video review of Dragonball: Evolution when I started to think. As a movie based on Dragonball it sucked so hard you couldn't even really begin it to compare it to the original. But as an original, I did indeed manage to enjoy it as crazy as that sounds. The one thing I wish: that it was longer. I feel the whole Yamcha/Bulma thing could have been done waaaaay better. Also, Goku/Chi-Chi could have been a wee bit deeper but oh well. It was still cute. The plot could have been drawn out more to make more sense and be deeper, but I liked it. Many modern movies fail at all levels so the fact that this was barely above that should be telling enough. I still want the DVD just 'cause. I would also like to see a sequel. Granted this is not exactly "Dragonball", but crap. It was a decent movie, especially from Fox. I wasn't completely pissed that I paid money to see it, including my bro's ticket.

So yeah. That's all.

Stuff

I used to think Chaffey was decently sized for being a CCC. In fact, when I first started there, I thought it was pretty big. But yesterday I was walking up from the bookstore to the north parking lot and it seemed so small all of a sudden. Guess I am ready to leave.

Also, as I was walking some boys behind me did the whole "my friend likes you" to a random girl. She was pretty much like, "I'm sure." The one being teased said he liked her hair, and again, she only said thanks and kept going. I had this happen a couple of times in junior high, and it happened to some friends as well. Some boys never grow up, ya know?

Lastly, my new ringtone is a custom made clipped version of "Dragon Soul", the DB Kai intro theme. I got inspired by this guy in my archaeology class having Navi's "Hey, listen!" as what I think was his voicemail alert tone. I did the same thing (Zelda = awesome). While I was at it, I made me a new ringtone using Wavepad and Bitpim to put it on my phone with the media cable I bought from Verizon a few years ago (yeah, I've had my phone that long).

Studies

So not only do I get to transfer with IGETC certification to UCR in winter, my counselor also told me I could apply for an AA in university studies. So I did, and I was going over some stuff from the 09-10 school year on Chaffey's site, and it says you need to choose an area of study. I broke down my units and figured this out:

46 units in math and science
36 units in social and behavioral sciences

The application I filled out didn't say to pick an area, though... I also realized as I was putting my pink copy in my folder 10 minutes later that I checked fall instead of writing 09 there. Hope that it doesn't matter. She looked it over when I handed it in, and I did date it.

Can't say I'm not well-rounded, though.

Google is weird

As I sat there reading through something I wrote with the intention of editing it, I decided to do a Google search to answer something I have always had issues with remembering: when to use a comma.

However, this is what Google started to suggest: when to take a pregnancy test.

Um...thanks but no thanks. Yeah.

Odd.

Why you so hot, Mother Nature?

This Week

- Go to my old high school and get my transcripts for UCR and Chaffey

- Make a counseling appointment

- Mail off my FAFSA info to UCR

- (Possibly) mail my college and HS transcripts

- Go bowling

- Do well on my ESC 1 exam

- Do my archaeology HW

- Publish another chapter of both my Zelda and Triad stories on ff.net

Run-around

In light of me disliking most of my classes this semester and the poor prospects for what I wanted to be doing in the meantime after I finished said classes, I decided to drop the one I hate the most. But it wouldn't let me! I had a hold, you see. So I checked the hold section of my account. I owed $3 in materials fees FOR THE CLASS I WANTED TO DROP. So before I could drop it (and tomorrow is the last day to drop without a W), I had to pay the $3. Which I did. And now they owe me $3.

Great system, Chaffey.

Pokemon

Pokemon on Cracked.com

Funny article, even from a semi-current but definitely former fangirl of the series.

Seasons of Music

Fall 1999 Shades of Purple by M2M

Spring 2000 Pokemon: 2BA Master by various

Summer/Fall 2000 Pokemon 2000 by various

Spring 2001 Evan and Jaron by Evan and Jaron

Summer 2001 Sarina Paris by Sarina Paris

Fall 2001 Digital Love by Daft Punk

Winter 2001 Now 8 by various

Spring 2002 Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits, Best of Trance Volume 2, Two Worlds by Barenaked Ladies and ATB

Summer 2002 Intuition by DJ Encore

Fall 2002 Complicated by Avril Lavigne

Spring 2003 200 km/h in the Wrong Direction by t.A.T.u.

Summer 2003 Trance Party Volume 3 by various

Fall 2003 Addicted to Music by ATB

Spring 2004 Fallen by Evanescence

Fall 2005 Dangerous and Moving, Humanity by t.A.T.u. and ATB

Spring 2005 No Silence by ATB

Spring 2007 Odyssey, Trilogy, The Best Damn Thing by Fischerspooner, ATB, and Avril Lavigne

Summer 2007 We Are Pilots by Shiny Toy Guns

Fall 2007 Heroes & Thieves by Vanessa Carlton

Spring 2008 Imagine by Armin van Buuren

Summer 2008 Elevate by Morgan Page

Spring 2009 Future Memories by ATB

Summer 2009 Party Around the World by Smile.dk

Blown Away

--Shiny Toy Guns

Days
I haven't seen days
Just solid water
Down my face

Days
I've missed so many days
In a world that has become an unfamiliar place
Now to you, I'm just an unfamiliar face

I'm losing myself again
You swore you'd be around this time

When revelation calls
And everything is blown away
When revelation calls
And everything is blown away
Blown Away

Will you still be there
With your heart boarded up
Nailed with my mistakes

Should I start giving up
Or am I too late

I'm losing myself again
Turning us into friends this time

When revelation calls
And everything is blown away
When revelation calls
And everything is blown away
Blown Away

Sheltered days, everybody wants more
And take it away, everybody wants yours
These sheltered days, everybody wants more
We never change

When revelation calls
And everything is blown away
When revelation calls
And everything is blown away
Blown Away

Me, apparently

Simply knowing you are there gives others a sense of security and continuity. You are a woman of few words and much wisdom, and the capacity to see beyond the surface that others are distracted by. However, you tend to find distractions for yourself to keep you from thinking about the bad times in your life. Try to solve your problems as soon as you can, so you can live life in genuine happiness.

Nothing Left to Lose

--Mat Kearney

Something's in the air tonight
The sky's alive with a burning light
You can mark my words something's about to break

And I found myself in a bitter fight
While I've held your hand through the darkest night
Don't know where you're coming from but you're coming soon

[bridge]
To a kid from Oregon by way of California
All of this is more than I've ever known or seen

[chorus]
Come on and we'll sing, like we were free
Push the pedal down watch the world around fly by us
Come on and we'll try, one last time
I'm off the floor one more time to find you
And here we go there's nothing left to choose
And here we go there's nothing left to lose

So I packed my car and I headed east
Where I felt your fire and a sweet release
There's a fire in these hills that's coming down
And I don't know much but I found you here
And I can not wait another year
Don't know where you're coming from but you're coming soon

[bridge]

[chorus]

I can still hear the trains out my window
From Hobart Street to here in Nashville
I can still smell the pomegranates grow
And I don't know how hard this wind will blow
Or where we'll go

[chorus]

The hell?

Two complaints tonight:

1. My bank (Wells Fargo) sucks. I signed up for overdraft protection when I opened my account there 5 years ago so it would pull from my savings to my checking in case I went over my limit and I wouldn't get charged. Now all of a sudden it costs ten bucks per transfer. Bastards. It's my money and my two accounts linked together like they were one. What the hell is the point if I get charged anyway? I think I'm going to close my account once I get a new one and set up my paycheck to auto deposit there. Greedy assholes. Sorry for so much language, but I'm angry and sick. Which brings me to my next point...

2. I got a cold the first week of school and haven't had a day off of work or school since last Thursday. Too long. And I only got 24 hours to boot. What's the point??? I hope I can find a job, any job dealing with kids or a school district. Plus being sick sucks because you can't do anything but be miserable and congested.

What a night

So yeah.

I was going to go to my friend's party tonight, but I ended up just going home straight from work. I usually never stay long at their parties anyway as I've never been much of a social person (read: I hate most people). Especially tonight after I got yelled at by this jackass of a scam artist and cussed at while no one did anything to help me. Yeah, we were crazy busy but still. Some back-up would have been nice. Plus I was running around all day like crazy (darned checkstand candy). At least they look nice again. *Proud*

I ate cold chili cheese fries for dinner, had some mango Absolut with Kerns mango juice, and went on YouTube. Now it's music time with my iPod and blogging since ff.net is still not letting me log in.

Peace.

"Fake" Eulogy

--commemorative speech about me, written in the third person from my sibling at my funeral with "hypothetical illustrations." Half of the stuff I hope to do, and the other half is stuff I think would be fun to do but probably never will.

From an early age my sister Christie was someone who knew what she liked to do and knew what she wanted. When asked as a child what she was going to be when she grew up, she said a teacher, and that never changed no matter what happened in her life. She also loved to write and started off by making simple stories on our family's computer with a storybook program. It evolved into making elaborate tales with her action figures until she was using pen and paper, and then it came full circle when she used whatever word processing program she had at the time. All of these things helped shape who she was and how she led her life.

Writing was always a part of her being. The same year her teacher recognized her talent and submitted her short story to a contest was the same year she met her first real friend. They made fun of me back then, but I know how close they were. They were two peas in a pod-they were so much alike it was scary sometimes. Together the two of them joined our middle school's newspaper in eighth grade, where both put their interest for writing into print. She started then what would become one of the biggest fanfiction series anyone could find. She was also a big fan of video games and Japanese animation, so it was natural to combine the two into one large set of stories that may never have concluded if it didn't have to. Her best friend would soon join in, and by the end of high school, just the last part to their series had reached over a thousand pages. I tried writing a story like theirs, even though I never really watched any of the shows it was based on. She told me it was funny, but I think she was just being nice. They both knew they could never publish it, but that didn't matter. It was the perfect creative outlet for them both, and with the fading away of that story, she had the chance to develop her own unique characters into yet another epic plot. It was her master work, but she never wanted it published, either. She just worked on finishing the series, and only those who were close enough to her were lucky to read it. Instead, she focused on getting through school to reach her most important goal.

She worked her way through college by remaining employed at our local supermarket. It was the same store our father used to love to shop at when we were kids, and she always thought it was funny how she ended up working for them for eight years. I would come up to annoy her so often that everyone there knew who I was. She loved her co-workers and enjoyed helping customers with what ever they needed. During this time she also worked as a tutor for high school students until she earned her education paraprofessional certificate from Chaffey College, at which point she became an instructional aide in a high school science class under Miss Kathleen Darina. She would become my sister's mentor and help her get to her goal of being a credentialed science teacher. She also earned her Associates Degree in Biology from Chaffey College before transferring to California State University at San Bernardino, where she majored in anthropology, completed her credentialing work, and earned a Masters in Education. She once told me all of the hard work it took to become a teacher was worth it and how grateful for she was to that one teacher in tenth grade who instilled in her a love for biology. She taught it for 34 years before retiring at age 60 and traveling the world like she always wanted to do.

Despite how she said she would like to move out of California one day, she never did. In fact, she ended up teaching at the very same high school she graduated from, wanting to help her alma mater become a good school once again. She never stopped writing, even when she was a full time teacher and helped co-author a series of very popular biology textbooks for high school students. It was hard to be taken seriously at first since her degree was in a different field of science, but her passion and knowledge helped her persevere. She also wrote and published a series of short, funny stories based on her time worked at the grocery store. She usually had something to say when she came home every day so it was fun to see them in print.

She loved to write, she loved to teach, and she loved to help people. My sister and I didn't always see eye to eye, but she was there if I needed help with anything. I know I was frustrating sometimes, but she believed in me until I finally found my place in the world. I never really said thank you, but I hope she knows, wherever she is, that not only will I miss her but so will her husband and all of the students she touched. Goodbye, sis.

Since I'm now stuck at Chaffey

To take since I cannot transfer now for at least a year:

Anthro 1L (Spring probably)
Anthro 2 (Fall)
Bio 52 (Fall)
Bio 55 (Spring)
Ed 400 (Fall)
CDE 2 (Fall)
Stat 10 (Spring)

Question: Now what will all of those earn me?

Answer: An AS in biology, an AA in anthropology, and a level 1 education paraprofessional certificate.

Worth it?: Very much so.

Two Things

Newest favorite song: "Fireflies" by Owl City.

If there was another white judge up for nominee to the Supreme Court, they would not be pushing so hard about he or she being inclined toward favoring their own race. Sotomayor getting grilled in such a way is nonsense.

Next In Line

--Meese

You’re just so typical, I took you for original
Like all the other ones, like every other hit and run
Hard pressed for Hollywood reacting like the royalty would

C’mon and pack ‘em in. You pack ‘em in

Stop and rewind now I know what I’m leaving behind
And you’ll always be the next in line
Make a scene, make a scream like you’re losing your mind
And you’ll always be the next in line.

She likes the sound of it, I say there’s something wrong with it
I told you what you need. I told you everything

Stop and rewind now I know what I’m leaving behind
And you’ll always be the next in line
Make a scene, make a scream like you’re losing your mind
And you’ll always be the next in line

Mean what you say, kid. Before you waste it
Slam on the brakes now, before the breakdown
You’re so much older now
You’re holding out, you’re holding out
So c’mon pack ‘em in. You pack ‘em in.

Stop and rewind now I know what I’m leaving behind
And you’ll always be the next in line
Make a scene, make a scream like you’re losing your mind
And you’ll always be the next line.
Always be the next in line.

Pairings I like

From various anime or games:

Ash/Misty
Dawn/Zoe
Jessie/James
Link/Malon (Ocarina of Time)
Link/Ilia (Twilight Princess)
Link/Tetra (Wind Waker)
Giovanni/Delia Ketchum
Tenchi/Ryoko
Tenchi/Ryoko/Ayeka (Tenchi in Tokyo continuity only)
Ayeka/Ryoko (IF done right)
Achika/Nobuyuki (Tenchi Universe)
Trunks (DBZ)/Sasami (Tenchi)
Anju/Kafei (Majora's Mask)
Ganondorf/Nabooru (Ocarina of Time)
Aoshi/Misao
Kenshin/Kaoru
Keiichi/Belldandy
Keitaro /Naru
Gohan/Videl
Goten/Bra (fanon couple)
Domon/Rain


...someone needs a life

What got me into...

Anime: Pokemon

Electronic music: ATB's “Let U Go”

Video Games: Super Mario Bros. on SNES

Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the N64

Writing: Story Book Weaver for the PC and action figures

Fanfiction: my Zelda: OoT and Pokemon random crossover

Drawing: Someone in tenth grade history asking me to draw him SS Vegeta

Notes for a story never finished

Lost in Hyrule- Link meets Ash, Misty, and Tracey. They help him save Hyrule, following the same quest as Ocarina of Time. At the end, Zelda does not send anyone back in time. The Pokemon trainers remain in Hyrule. Neo is after Ash, and Exzavier is after Link. Link is “killed”, and somehow, the Pokemon peeps end up 1000 years in he future. Link is brought back to life, and they have an adventure in a really old house. They meet Stormy, Erika, Zoe (Tracey's gf from home), and Sabrina. Exzavier develops feelings for Erika (grass Pokemon trainer). They defeat Ganon finally, but Erika dies. They are then sent back into the past, only to find Malon is dead. Neo wants Ash to join him, and when he refuses, Neo kills Misty. The gang embarks on a journey to save their souls and bring them back to life. They meet Maximus, Stormy (again), and Krystle. Eventually they are successful, and the Pokemon trainers end up going back home finally. Link leaves Hyrule with Malon at some point before Exzavier can come back from the Shadow of Hyrule to kill him. Going forward in time does not create another timeline like going into the past does, meaning when Ash and company visit Hyrule's Shadow, nothing happens. Any timelines Exzavier creates here do not matter as nothing significant happens.

He begins looking through time to find Link and kill him. He finds the adult OoT timeline, but Link is not there since Zelda sent him into the past at the end of the adventure. He hops over to that time, finding Link embarked on another adventure but never returned. He is living in Termina, stuck there because Judas (ultimate evil bad dude descended from Guy) doesn't want him to ever meet the Chosen Ones. He goes back again, creating the final timeline where the Chosen Ones will eventually show up along with DBZ and Tenchi peeps. He also meets Ethios, who wants Link dead. They team up to destroy the hero for different reasons (Exzavier to avenge his lost love and Ethios because of his love, who is descended from Link). Link only comes home in the last timeline because Zelda is worried about Exzavier. X lets Link stay in Termina for a bit, forming a relationship and making his best friends so that it hurts more when he kills him. This also warps the time relationship between Hyrule and Termina, meaning only one years passes in Hyrule for every seven in Termina. Ethios originally wants to kill him early on, but he when he fails, he doesn't try again, his mind changed by the fact his love may have changed her mind. He is unaware that there are different timelines, unlike Exzavier. He thinks by eliminating Link now, his love will not exist when he returns to the future. He lets Link live, but then he finds out the truth and messes with Romani because he can, but he loses any intention of hurting her or Link. They also know from the same future Kazuki aka Yttriu. He knows all about the timelines and Judas, and this is why he convinces Link that he needs to return home (without telling him of course). Link goes home and eventually meets everyone else. They all battle against Judas to save this world. In the end they will win but at a great cost to many of them.

No new timelines are created unless there is a significant event that would cause the stream of time to be disrupted like Link meeting Ash or Exzavier showing himself to Zelda's father.

Weird

Coming home last night from work was strange. It's only a thirteen mile drive down the freeway, but there were six cars broken down on the side of the road. I've never seen so many all in one night. It isn't a very important fact, but I thought it odd. I saw one tonight almost right away and thought, "Here we go again." Luckily it was the only one.

It feels good to be back to work after vacation. Again, weird. Who wants to come back to work? Me, I guess. It was nice to be off for almost two weeks and to only worry about going to class for four days and not rushing to and from work. It was relaxing, but I was getting bored, too. At least I started writing in my story again, and I found the rest of my video games, which were packed away when we moved. Of course, now that I found them, I don't feel like playing anymore. Always the way, huh? I'd rather be writing in my story. I started it and finished the hand written version around Christmas 2001. I was a sophomore so the quality compared to how I write now was less than stellar. That's why I'm glad I waited to type it up and revise it. It's way more adult and better written than when I was a kid. The original had too many stupid jokes and exclamation points, and the characterization wasn't real. I made the main character really annoying and less likable than a supporting character, which was not my intent.

Well, that's all for now.

Current Favorite Songs

1. “Follow Me feat. Sound Around” by Kagami Seira, the intro song for Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari or Saint Knight's Tale in English. It is half English, half Japanese. I love the lyrics, the way it fits the opening credits for the show, and the way it makes me feel when I listen to it. For now I can only hear it online as part of the show so I hope they release it some time. This is a song I wouldn't mind paying more money for (since getting singles from Japan does cost a lot to import to the States). “When you're around / Something you have makes me strong / So come follow me now / I can be your shelter forever.” UPDATE: I just found this on iTunes of all places. Awesome.

2. “Never Gonna Happen” by Lily Allen. I just love the way she tells this guy in the song that nothing will ever happen between them and how she doesn't know why in the world he keeps trying. I just think it's a fun song, even if she is being mean by also admitting to leading him on and giving false hope. “How on Earth can I be anymore obvious? / It never really did and now it's never gonna happen with the two of us.”

3. “Yamerarenai Yamerarenai” by the Japanese voice actors for the animated series Tenchi in Tokyo. It has kind of a country twang to it, and I love how it features all of the original VAs together. Once I looked up the English translation of the lyrics, I loved it even more. It perfectly captures the spirit of the show, which is more fun and less sci-fi based like the first two Tenchi series. Overall a great song to listen to while driving to work.

4. “Gravity” by German DJ/producer ATB. I fell in love with this song from just a short sample he put out on MySpace to promote his album before its release. I don't have much to say as to why it is a current fav other than that it is a really great song. “Gravity, it takes a hold of me / Takes me unwillingly away from you.”

5. “The Creationist” by Kerli. The lyrics are positive and the music uplifting. Her voice is different and fresh. I bought her album a year ago but have started to really listen to it lately. Not bad for a girl from Estonia (I actually knew where that was before she became popular, believe it or not). “And I'll keep walking when skies are gray / What ever happens was meant that way.”

Things that annoy me but shouldn't

1. People using the term "theory" when referring to an idea in science. The correct term is hypothesis: hypo=below and thesis=theory. An idea below a theory, folks. This simple mistake is why a lot of people say, "Well, evolution is only a theory." WRONG.

2. When someone says that some biological process or body part has a "purpose." No, it has a function. Totally different.

3. When someone changes lanes and cuts in front of me without signaling.

4. People who merge onto the freeway at 50 mph.

5. People who bitch about being caught for doing something wrong. Don't do it in the first place and avoid the whole deal.

6. People who beg for reviews on a fanfiction or threaten readers with no updates. Total turn off, IMO.

7. People who are too easily offended thus wanting to infringe on other people's free speech just so they feel better.

I could go on and on.

Theory

So here I go again with yet more thoughts on my favorite anime. See what happens when I'm home all week with nothing to do?

Nine years ago I was introduced to a show called Tenchi Muyo!. I watched it religiously on Toonami and taped all of the (edited) episodes. I bought the movies. I started two fanfics (granted they were both crossovers, but I digress...). Then I forgot about it. For some random reason I started watching it on You Tube a few months back (I have the DVDs but they were in storage at the time). Then I started doing research and learned A LOT. So although I was always geared towards a certain pairing, K-sensei apparently was always intending for him to end up with all of the girls. Just look at his other series GXP and his various other works. Harem endings. In ep. 13 of TM!R, we are introduced to Ayeka and Sasami's mom, dad, and aunt Funaho, Yosho's mom. Funaho expresses to Washu that Jurai is worried about such a concentrated group of powerful beings living together. Mihoshi=granddaughter of the GP head marshal and apparently very lucky and indestructible. Ayeka=first princess of Jurai's most powerful royal house. Sasami=Tsunami and Ayeka's sister. Ryoko=Washu's daughter and the only one to ever successfully attack Jurai. Ryo-ohki=ship created by Washu and only one successful in attacking and destroying Jurai's defenses. Washu=Choushin, greatest genius in the universe, and the one who created Ryoko and Ryo-ohki. Tenchi=can create 3 Light Hawk Wings and use material conversion. Not hard to see why she was worried. With the addition of Noike (who I really don't like along with many English version fans) this makes them even more of a threat.

Since Jurai does allow the practice of a man taking many wives and since Tenchi marrying all of the girls (even the cabbit in human form hopefully at least) for political reasons would make a lot of people happy and assure Jurai is fairly safe as the ruling power, this outcomes seems plausible to me now. There is also the fact that Tenchi loves each of the girls and would never hurt or leave any one of them. They're a family, unconventional as it is. I still don't see the Tenchi from OVAs 1 and 2 wanting to be ruler of Jurai, but his character changes a lot by GXP. (Personally I like to ignore GXP and the 3rd OVA.) So say he does eventually become ruler and have relationships with the girls. The only confirmed kids in the future are his son and daughter, born in the same year. No mother is given, but there is a picture of his son, who looks very much like Washu (what ever you want to make out of that). Ryoko also has a daughter who looks somewhat like Tenchi, but (conveniently here too) no father is named.

Maybe he does marry all of the girls for political reasons. Marriage doesn't necessarily mean that kind of love. I mean, yeah, he loves them all, but it is almost explicitly stated that by the third OVA he still loves them all as family. It could change where he loves them all to be life partners, and they all accept that and don't mind. Or he could bow to politics and marry them all so as not to anger Jurai or split up his family. Either way, two kids are the result somewhere along the line.

My idea (which has nothing to do with anything official, I just thought of it on my own earlier) is that a political marriage makes sense given history and how he feels about everyone. At the same time, if he still does view any of the girls as family, it seems unlikely he would have a physical relationship with them. Sasami does eventually grow up and assimilate with Tsunami, but I feel the two have a more big brother/little sister relationship. Noike just sucks and shouldn't even be a competitor :-P I never knew what a Mary Sue was until she came along and I looked it up. So unless Washu used one of her "samples" from him with her cells (or even Ryoko since she's her mom and it would make sense genetically speaking if he inherited his looks from his grandma) for Tenchi's son and Ryoko was with someone else not Tenchi thus producing the girl shown with Ryo-ohki junior, then he was with at least one of the girls.

Wow, somewhere along the line my point got lost. Apologies.

Plot

So:

Tenchi and Gohan in the past are born with powers that make the Goddesses interested in them. They allow the boys to face the Triad hoping one or both will prove to be the power higher than them that they are looking for. They fail, however. Washu, in an attempt to seal away the Triad, has to also give up her powers. She turns into a humanoid and spends 20,000+ years in the third dimension, where she meets her husband, has a son, befriends Naja, clones Kagato, and creates Ryoko and Ryo-ohki. Her powers and essence are the gems that she gave Ryoko, but she can not use them fully, at least in her current state. Washu cannot use them either due to her becoming the entity we all come to know. When the time comes, Tokimi is able to release the seal on her sister since her powers are no longer holding the Triad prisoner. She had to wait to do this because she still wanted to find the beings. Her powers are basically split up between the three gems, holding the Triad in place, and Washu herself though the last one has the least amount of power. What about the gems? I don't know to be truthful. In the anime she is able to turn into her Choushin self and tells Tokimi to release her and Tsunami because they need to contain Tenchi before he rips the universe apart with the powers he is not ready for. Anyway, I'll just say they have her power, but they are not the sole source or container of it.

The boys are reborn thanks to Tokimi though she keeps this from Tsunami. Their powers eventually catch the Goddesses' eyes hence their interest in Tenchi and Gohan (from afar). The key to controlling their powers is being well-rounded (having all four virtues). They use this to beat the Triad finally. At the same time, their powers are not given to them by the Goddesses because they cannot create something more powerful than them. They cannot even beat the Triad. All they can do is contain the beings as explained, but this even fails eventually. So why do they have these powers if they are not the higher beings? A lot of fans have speculated on the real version of Tenchi being an avatar, a manifestation of the kami in this plane. I rather like that idea so I may hint at it. Maybe.

Oh yeah!

For the random daily photo, check out my other blog My World. It's full of awesome.

Just kidding.

But seriously. Go look.

Last week was...

pretty interesting.

Monday: my birthday. I hung out with my mom, and we went to an antique shop. Who knew it would be fun? I got this awesome Japanese vase/jar. Then we went to my grandma's (her b-day too). I got three hats and the money to buy the new Boom Blox game. Later that night Wyatt and Carrie came over. They made me cupcakes (yum) and got me a poster of Ayu drawn in Akira Toriyama's style. We went to Denny's, and I spent the night at their house.

Tuesday: Wild Animal Park with Wyatt, Carrie, and her dad. Too much fun and lots of animals and plants.

Wednesday: I got the Negima box set, the new Boom Blox game, and My Japanese Coach for the DS before my mom dropped me off at work and then picked me up at 8.

Thursday: Nothing special

Friday: This super friendly cat won't go away and even follows my bro in the house. We shoo her away anyway because of Charly.

Saturday; I hang out with someone from work, go to LA to the clinic for his "medication", and find out we moved in across the street from someone at the store. We're neighbors! Random. Also, the cat is hers.

Sunday: help with the liquor load (for real this time). I was off early, and vacation started! Yay.

Top of the Trees

Round and Round

Testing out the new camera

All right, so here we go. Following the precedent set by other bloggers, I am going to post random photos, hopefully everyday. I just got my new favorite toy, a Canon Powershot SD1200 IS. My bro has one, and I've always envied it. Someday I dream of getting a nice digital SLR. Until then, I bought myself this little beauty.

Above are random pics of my room and Tenchi Muyo! The Abridged Series on You Tube. Those guys make the Tenchi franchise even more awesome. Check 'em out if you're a fan (by LightHawkForce).

All We Are

the breaking light
sparks the human strain
and it is the dawn
relentless again

with endless arms
what holy light
radiates
and then it all begins

we are as one
and one is all we are

inhaling quick
when i see your being
can't define
the divine
and i'm born again

the limitless
is within my reach
particles passing through a microchasm
that is all we are

i can't define
it is divine

American Foreign Policy

--Fischerspooner

(Fischer/Spooner/Sontag/Harry)

We need a war
We need a war to show‘em
We need a war to show‘em that we can
We need a war to show‘em that we can do it
Whenever we say we need a war…

If they mess with us
If we think they might mess with us
If we say they might mess with us
If we think we need a war, we need war


We need a war
If we think we need a war
We need a war
If we think we need a war

A war to make us feel safe
A war to make‘em feel sorry
Whoever they are…

If they mess with us
If we think they might mess with us
If we say they might mess with us
If we think we need a war, we need war

We need a war
If we think we need a war
We need a war
If we think we need a war

Can we do it?
Sure we can

We need a war
We need a war
We need a war

One more thing

Not to be all nostalgic and stuff, but I've been thinking about this for a while. My old interests that were a staple when I described myself to anyone included anime and trance. I don't seek out much new anime, and I don't listen to much new trance. I think the reason is this: the 90's and early 00's were much better. I'm glad I grew up watching Toonami and Adult Swim (back when they aired anime more often than Saturday night 1-5 am). CN sucks now. They're even going into the live action business. What part of CARTOON Network did they go and forget? The only EDM producer who still has me interested in his new stuff is ATB. Everyone else is just blah. Overall the quality of entertainment in the whole world has taken a down turn, I think. I love my "Best of Trance" and "Trance Party" CDs, even if some of it is radio cheese. DBZ, Tenchi, Rurouini Kenshin, YuYu Hakusho...now what do we have? Naruto? XP. No thanks. Bleach is good, though (about the only thing).

That is all.

Broken Promise / Dreams

Humbling

Yesterday my family watched the shuttle Atlantis launch into space to go repair the Hubble Telescope. I've never really watched one before, and it was a sight indeed. What other country has the technology to do this? What other country has been mostly behind the technology that is continuously discovering things about our universe? Stuff we never would have guessed? Even if we could guess, we couldn't prove it. If there's one thing America is still good at and ahead of of the world in, it's this.

The Great Eye of Sauron-one of many amazing pics. Just go search Google.

Zombie Ants

from this page

By Bill Hanna, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Bill Hanna, Fort Worth Star-telegram Tue May 12, 2:09 pm ET

It sounds like something out of science fiction: zombie fire ants. But it's all too real.

Fire ants wander aimlessly away from the mound.

Eventually their heads fall off, and they die.

The strange part is that researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension Service say making "zombies" out of fire ants is a good thing.

"It's a tool — they're not going to completely wipe out the fire ant, but it's a way to control their population," said Scott Ludwig , an integrated pest management specialist with the AgriLife Extension Service in Overton , in East Texas .

The tool is the tiny phorid fly, native to a region of South America where the fire ants in Texas originated. Researchers have learned that there are as many as 23 phorid species along with pathogens that attack fire ants to keep their population and movements under control.

So far, four phorid species have been introduced in Texas .

The flies "dive-bomb" the fire ants and lay eggs. The maggot that hatches inside the ant eats away at the brain, and the ant starts exhibiting what some might say is zombie-like behavior.

"At some point, the ant gets up and starts wandering," said Rob Plowes, a research associate at UT.

The maggot eventually migrates into the ant's head, but Plowes said he "wouldn't use the word 'control' to describe what is happening. There is no brain left in the ant, and the ant just starts wandering aimlessly. This wandering stage goes on for about two weeks."

About a month after the egg is laid, the ant's head falls off and the fly emerges ready to attack any foraging ants away from the mound and lay eggs.

Plowes said fire ants are "very aware" of these tiny flies, and it only takes a few to cause the ants to modify their behavior.

"Just one or two flies can control movement or above-ground activity," Plowes said. "It's kind of like a medieval activity where you're putting a castle under siege."

Researchers began introducing phorid species in Texas in 1999. The first species has traveled all the way from Central and South Texas to the Oklahoma border. This year, UT researchers will add colonies south of the Metroplex at farms and ranches from Stephenville to Overton . It is the fourth species introduced in Texas .

Fire ants cost the Texas economy about $1 billion annually by damaging circuit breakers and other electrical equipment, according to a Texas A&M study. They can also threaten young calves.

Determining whether the phorid flies will work in Texas will take time, perhaps as long as a decade.

"These are very slow acting," Plowes said. "It's more like a cumulative impact measured across a time frame of years. It's not an immediate silver bullet impact."

The flies, which are USDA -approved, do not attack native ants or species and have been introduced in other Gulf Coast states, Plowes said. Despite initial concerns, farmers and ranchers have been willing to let researchers use their property to establish colonies. At the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association in Fort Worth in March, Plowes said they found plenty of volunteers.

Random information that needs to be sorted

Dragonball

1. Mr. Satan's real name is Mark
2. Gohan can go SS but doesn't need to, and transforming will not blow up the planet
3. Gohan is probably the strongest at the end of the Buu Saga before he settles down
4. None of the movies are considered canon

Tenchi Muyo!

1. Tenchi is possibly the kami the Chousin were looking for, even though he only has the ability to generate 3 Light Hawk Wings
2. The gems that are the source of Ryoko's power contain Washu's goddess powers as she sealed them up and turned herself into an infant to grow up and gain knowledge from scratch in her quest
3. In her current form, Ryoko cannot handle the gems' full power, but after she evolves past some point, she will be able to make Light Hawk Wings herself equal to the power of Tsunami.
4. Washu is oldest, then Tsunami, and then Tokimi
5. Tokimi is the most powerful goddess
6. Ryoko eventually has a daughter, and so does Ryo-ohki
7. Tenchi has a son and a daughter later on
8. Washu and Tsunami/Sasami care about Tenchi too much and thus don't care if he is who they were looking for for so long. They just want to stay with him and see what happens. He is only a possibility, and more can come along. Basically. stop and smell the roses.
9. Tenchi marries all of the girls and goes to Jurai to be emperor eventually
10. Kagato was a clone of Naja, Washu's BFF from the Academy. He expelled his girl part and eventually kidnapped Ryoko and trapped Washu in the ship she built, the Souja until Tenchi destroyed him.
11. Mihoshi is a descendant of Washu

Canon, my way

So here it is official and final: the canon of both Tenchi Muyo! and Dragonball Z for my epic crossover The Triad Saga

Dragonball Z

-Majin Buu saga happens as normal

-The Broly movies don't happen, even though Gohan made a joke about them in Triad: Revelations.

-Gohan is the legendary Super Saiyan, something not mentioned in the series as the Broly movies don't occur.

Tenchi Muyo!

-Tenchi Muyo! OVAs 1 and 2 happen, and Daughter of Darkness occurs not as an offshoot in a manga series based on OVA 1 alone but after the fight with Clay and the visit of Azusa and his wives.

-OVA 3 DOES NOT occur (since it wasn't out when I started, and it contradicts what I had in mind too much to be incorporated plus Kiyone is in my story, even though she is not a character in the OVA at all.

-Tenchi Muyo! in Love is not part of the continuity of Tenchi Universe and instead happens before Mayuka arrives (simply because I needed a bonding point namely time travel for the lead boys to relate over. This means his mother is Achika I guess and not Kiyone Masaki (not to be confused with Kiyone, the GP detective).


Both series are AU since they could not exist together in the same dimension, as I forced to be true. Also, the gangs keep in touch after the battle and stay friends. Plus Tenchi actually does choose one and not marry all of them as originally intended by K-sensei.

Just when you think the world can't get any stupider...

...it does.

So who's worried about the swine flu? I'm not really because all you can do is try and stay healthy and watch for any symptoms if you get any. Go see the doctor if you're worried enough, and don't go to Mexico. Pay attention to what's going on locally.

But! The conservatives are now trying to blame this on Mexicans crossing the border into the US illegally. Um...but wasn't it a group of Catholic schoolgirls who went there on vacation who brought it to NYC and caused the outbreak there? Yes. Yes, it was. Some audio clips I heard from real people (scary) saying these things:

It's a form of biological warfare
It's terrorism
The government is giving its citizens this illness and sending them across the border

Nowhere did they mention that it has come from tourists who went to Mexico and came back with the virus. It's apparently popped up in Scotland now. 'Cause those Mexicans are crossing the Atlantic to get into Europe. They're using this as a scare tactic against illegals. Now while I am in support of stricter border control and believe that ALL illegal immigrants regardless of country of origin need to be sent home so they can come here the legal way, this is still wrong. All it will do is freak people out more, which is too easy these days. It will promote racism as if we didn't have enough already. The conservatives who say these lies aloud are morons. They are being irresponsible and misrepresenting the facts.

No wonder Arlen Specter decided to leave the party.

My latest creation

The beginning of my newest story that came to me one day during chem lecture. The only thing I miss about that class is the free time to write and brainstorm ^_^

Birds, singing sweetly, watched the world from their spots in the blooming cherry blossom trees. Morning was dawning again peaceful as ever in the quiet rural area of Okayama. Spring was in the air, and all of the animals nearby were acting as such. As the warming sunlight started hitting the royal log guardians, they started off their day the same as always from their post as watch trees for the Masaki household.
“Looks like it’s going to be another beautiful day,” the one with red markings, Kamidake, said hopefully.
“That it does,” his companion Azaka agreed simply. Of course, their peace was very soon interrupted by sounds from the home they were guarding. Since they were used to this, neither felt too ruffled by it. In fact, it helped add to the effect that the day was in fact beginning anew. Life here on Earth sure was different from that on planet Jurai, but that is part of the charm this place had on everyone. Of course, the charm of a certain Earth boy was stronger hence the reason for the return of all of the girls after the defeat of the imposter Kagato.
For a brief period of time, the boy had been alone the way he had been before the infamous space pirate showed up. Like a magnet, he attracted all of the strange alien females back to him, even the one who was most concerned with her career and promotion. Soon enough they faced an even bigger threat-his mother was the target of an A-Class criminal in the past. The gang was forced to go to 1970 and save not only her and Tenchi but themselves as well. Their history was now so entangled with his their entire present and future would be altered further than anyone of them would wish. Luckily that all turned out for the best, and the six girls and the one brought them together continued to live out the new version of normal. Despite it all, every single one was happy, even Kiyone who would complain about her partner nine times out of then when her name was mentioned.
Inside the Masaki residence, Tenchi was trying his hardest to evade detection on this Wednesday morning. His school had just started on their spring time break, leaving him stuck at home every second of the day with his gaggle of female suitors. Thankfully only two of them were really persistent. He imagined it could be much worse if Mihoshi and even Kiyone had the hots for him the way the princess and pirate did. Heck, even Sasami would more than he would want to handle. She was half his age anyway and would need to spend some time growing up before he would ever begin to see her as anything other than a little sister. The genius rogue scientist who only looked like a little girl could tease him enough, but she seemed more absorbed in her work than anything. She was also mostly forgiving if he was the one to enter her lab without permission. It seemed only he and Sasami could really get away with that. Kiyone probably would be in the clear as well, but she rarely had the time since she had to hold down a part time job and keep her duties of a Galaxy Police officer along with keeping her partner from getting them fired. Mihoshi seemed to better at that than finding any bad guys.
The young Masaki boy ducked down the stairs as quietly as he could, not wanting to alert Ayeka or Ryoko to his exact location. Sometimes he swore he got more exercise running away from them than he got training with his grandfather. He also had to concede that it was because of his training that he was able to hide so well. Their loud arguing over who got to sit next to him at breakfast could be heard upstairs clear as day, and he took the opportunity to use his good standing with Washu to duck into and hide in her lab. The door shut quietly and quickly behind him, and he took a moment to breathe before venturing any further into the vastness that was her other dimensional work place. The red head was quite amazing, he had to admit. She could do practically anything with her intellect and skills, including destroying the universe. Hence she was kicked out of the Academy not more than a month after being inducted and swearing to use her inventions for the pursuit of peace. Like all things too good to be true, this lasted not very long.
When the coast seemed to be clear enough, he took a few steps forward, somewhat hoping to find her. With no school to worry about attending for a few weeks, his homework load was almost nothing. His only distractions were training and the girls. At this point he needed a distraction from his distractions. A strange tank on his left caught his attention for it held some unknown creature definitely not from Earth. The small brown blobs floated freely, but their tank seemed too small for them. Tenchi, though, had never been a fan of keeping animals contained. He hated the zoo when he was kid. Of course, maybe that was partially influenced by the time he went with his mom and dad and an elephant stole his favorite hat right off his head, taunting him by dangling it above the three-year old with its trunk.
“I see the Mass have you interested, Tenchi,” a small voice startled him from behind. Spinning around, he saw the one he was looking for.
“Little Washu,” he started uneasily. She must have thought he was odd the way he was staring. She only stared thoughtfully at the animals.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of keeping these guys here forever. I was planning on moving them when I finished my latest invention.”
“Your latest invention?”
“Yes. I decided to take a break from building all-powerful galaxy destroying rays and focus on something more useful.” After that, she began to walk, probably heading back to her current project. He followed silently, curious as to what it was. Even she had a changed a little bit if she was making things that would actually be of help instead of threatening life across the stars. The large contraption made him stop dead in his tracks, memories of their time and space adventures flooding his mind. Her laugh echoed through the lab and destroyed that train of thought. “Don’t worry, Tenchi. This thing will be idiot proof when it’s done. Even Mihoshi couldn’t mess it up.”
“So what is it then?” he asked as he moved closer for inspection. In the center was a platform of sorts where one would stand. Above it looked like those transporter things from that American TV show Star Trek, and the machine branched out from there.
“This is an interdimensional transporter. It has the capability to transfer anyone into another dimension of their choosing.”
“But Washu, don’t you remember what happened last time we took a trip through dimensions?” he asked, alarm very clear on his face and in his voice.
“I already told you not to worry, didn’t I?” A keyboard popped up, and she began to type away. “Whoever uses this won’t have to worry about endlessly drifting though dimensions. It will latch onto their brain wave pattern and be able to bring them back no problem.”
“That sounds pretty neat, Little Washu.” Next thing he knew, her Washu dolls A and B were upon he shoulders, agreeing with him and cheering her on. All he could was sweatdrop.
“Just think, Tenchi. It isn’t enough to be able to explore this dimension and know everything there is to know here. Imagine what else could be out there existing parallel to our sense of reality. The possibilities are endless.” With a thoughtful expression, he let her words play in his mind as he studied her project.
“Tenchi, are you in here?” the voice of the space pirate suddenly echoed louder than the short one’s laugh. His expression dropped to one of horror.

More Triad Saga notes

So...recently I rewatched Tenchi Muyo! OVAs 1-3 and Tenchi Universe. I actually watched the first two OVAs twice and tried to watch the third again, but...the voice actress Funimation cast to dub Ryoko is awful. I guess there were reasons why the only VA to not return, Petrea Burchard, did not come back, even though that sucks. She was the English voice of Ryoko. Mona Marshall's lines all sound like she's plain reading from a piece of paper. She redubbed some lines in the flashback sequence in the first episode, and there was no feeling at all. I could watch in Japanese, but my DVDs are in storage and I was watching them all on YouTube. I'll have to wait to see the subs when I dig my hard copies out.

Anyway! Not my point. So what is it then as I tend to ramble quite a lot? I visited a website that had a forum and read a topic on OVA 3 and how fans believe that the creator, dubbed K-sensei by fans, ruined the show with his comics and the third OVA. Aside from the failed English dub, I liked the third. However, the direction he took it in was not something I was thinking hence my story. I have not read any of his comics as they are all Japanese and put out on small scale (the actual term starts with dou- but I cannot remember the rest). Those who have or who have found out from Japanese fans do not like those either. They were saying even Shin Tenchi Muyo was better (Tenchi in Tokyo- apparently his continuation of Muyo is that bad). Bring back those days of Tenchi.

I guess I kind of agree. I know it is his universe and everything he says only is canon, but I liked the freedom before things were resolved to such a point. Eventually Tenchi and the girls all go to Jurai. He becomes emperor. He marries all of them (harem anime is apparently K-sensei's specialty). He is the kami that Tokimi and her sisters were looking for (more than likely, even though they all take a liking to him and decide not to worry too much about that and just live with Tenchi for the time). He has a son and a daughter, whose mother(s) is/are not specified. Ryoko has a daughter, and so does Ryo-ohki. There's a lot more, but I don't have patience to sort everything I have learned out.

At the same time, I feel the original incarnations of the characters are better developed (at least in the first two OVAs) compared to Universe and Tokyo. They have far more back story, and it is interesting. I still like the other two because they present new situations plus Kiyone is there. The last Tenchi movie more than overtly hints that Universe Tenchi would choose Ryoko. The manga written after the fact I feel was purely fan service to the Tenchi/Sasami base, which is apparently large in Japan. I feel Tenchi marrying all of the girls in Muyo! is cheap. Either he picks one or he finds someone else. The girls will not leave him no matter anything else. They are all family. I just don't like the whole harem thing, I guess.

Besides, in Universe, he has the chance to be emperor of the most powerful planet in the galaxy, but he leaves it all to go home. He does not leave Ayeka or Sasami, just the life that was not meant for him. Ayeka even seems to dislike it herself hence her staying on extended vacation and then running away. In Universe it truly is a love triangle. In the last episode, he daydreams of seeing Ryo-ohki and then Ryoko. One could argue it was because they were the only ones he did not know the whereabouts of, but I like to think it was deeper. When she did reappear, what she said to him made me think she had matured a little bit, and he was clearly glad to have her leap into his arms. It was a cute scene. Then there's the last movie where he kept seeing her and drawing her. Everything else from his life was blocked, but his memories of her kept coming through, even above Ayeka. One would have to have strong feelings for that to happen. In Tenchi in Tokyo, they even go on a date. He says he's attracted to her, even though she is violent, crazy, and impulsive. The last scene of the show they practically kiss. That show seems geared toward a T/R pairing also. Yeah, I know, he fell in love with Sakuya. They dated and were very much in love. The way I see it is the same as Haruna from the third movie. He needed to have strong feelings for someone who was "normal." Haruna gave him a normal albeit fake life. Sakuya gave him love and affection and trust. She was a normal high school student despite her secret connection with Yugi. He needed to mature, and so did the girls by having to watch him grow up and accept that he was changing. So were they.

So blah. All I was intending to say was that I like the idea of forgetting everything else that came after OVA 2 and go back to what we knew in the day. That's where my story is rooted, after all. I won't touch anything that occurs after OVA episode 13 and Daughter of Darkness. Technically I already screwed up since DoD happens in an off shoot manga series after OVA 6, We Need Tenchi where he defeats Kagato and meets Washu. But oh well. Too late for that now. ^_^'

Wondering

Just a quick little thought I remembered right now.

I woke up this morning feeling kind of down (no money for stuff as usual...I spent all of my tax return on stuff or loaned it to my mom). For a moment I thought about school. I dropped all of my classes and changed my major. But was it the right choice? I love biology so much. I can't adequately put into words how much I do. But I just can't handle the extra crap needed to major in it. Calculus, organic chem, and college physics. I know all of that is important, but for me, I just do not care. I like biology, ecology, earth science, and stuff like that.

It was fleeting, but still. Did I make the right call? I hope so. I was going to look into seeing what a minor in bio would entail. Maybe if it doesn't require so much extra non bio stuff I'll do that.

But gods how I adore life science.

Waiting

1 May 2009. The eighth studio album from ATB will be released (in Germany and online at least). He posted a short sample of songs on his blog a few weeks ago, and it sounds so amazing. Comparatively the wait for Trilogy and anticipation was nothing. He's back to his old sound but still keeping it fresh. Plus he also brought back Roberta Carter Harrison and Tiff Lacey to write and sing some tunes. The ten minute sample does not do his album justice, I can already tell.


linky to sample

Dragonball: Evolution review

So I finally went and saw the movie today, a mere five days after its initial release (I wanted to see it on Friday but work sucks...). There were four other people there besides me and my brother. Guess I should have taken the hint. Just kidding. I liked it.

What was good

- the score
- the story idea
- the stuff from Dragonball as fan service
- "Rule" by Ayu
- the acting for the most part
- the special effects (ki blasts, Kamehameha, and Shenlong especially though Oozaru looked pretty good)

What should have been better

- the length of the movie

Only one gripe, huh? Well, it's a pretty big gripe. The whole plot felt very rushed. One minute Bulma (Emmy Rossum) was calling Yamcha (forgot the actor) names, then two scenes later they're talking and they almost kiss. Goku (Justin Chatwin) and Bulma barely have time to develop any sort of friendship, but they're magically close enough to care about each other. Goku and Chi Chi's (Jamie Chung) romance was better. They already knew each other from school, and it was obvious Goku had a huge secret crush on her. She seemed like she saw him, too, the same way his Grandpa Gohan did. So that was good there. I prefer this version of Chi Chi to the anime/manga one. Much less bitchy and spoiled, much nicer and gentler. And cool. And she was pretty cute. *Ahem* Anyway.

The climax of the movie didn't feel like a climax. It was over, and I thought to myself, oh they won didn't they? However, I did like the Oozaru idea, and I can see why they left questions about it open. Sequel potential anyone? Mai was pointless except to look good in her outfit and do some covert stuff Piccolo (James Marsters) could have done on his own if he wanted. Plus Roshi died too easily.

Emmy Rossum captured Bulma's attitude well. She felt like Bulma. Yamcha was okay. He was only missing his shyness of girls. I think he should have been a little nervous at least. I mean, he didn't have Puar so something else to make him feel like the bandit except that he was a bandit would have been good. Plus! Goku didn't say "I'm not ready for this." Fox listened to the fans on that too. Goku did still doubt himself, but it was much less than I thought. I mean, he was an angsty teenager who grew up with kids thinking he was different. In the manga he grew up alone with just Gohan. The first person he really met was Bulma so no one ever called him a freak or treated him badly. Being in high school around brats would make anyone unsure of themselves in my opinion. But he still had the general Goku attitude. And the hair (fan service). Roshi was almost perfect. He was a perv with a dirty magazine, he grabbed Bulma's ass twice, and his laugh was so Roshi. Plus his shirt was of a manga chick posing. When it came down to it, he got serious just like the manga/anime. When real danger is coming, Roshi does become serious.

Unresolved

Who was the original Oozaru?

Why did Mai take Chi Chi's blood (unless I missed it)?

What is Piccolo going to do now?

Overall, I liked the movie. It took things from Dragonball, turned it movie friendly, and put a new spin on the DB universe. It was a fresh spin, a what-if that was surprisingly better thought out than I imagined it would be. I hope they make a sequel because I'll see it. I'll probably end up owning the DVD when it comes out. If they could have slowed it down to allow for better character development, it would have been ever better. Even still, good job Hollywood. You didn't totally fuck up.

Easter and its pagan origins

Or: Just another pagan celebration the Christians tried to cover up with their less credible version

Easter, a Christian festival, embodies many pre-Christian traditions. The origin of its name is unknown. Scholars, however, accepting the derivation proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe it probably comes from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.

Such festivals, and the stories and legends that explain their origin, were common in ancient religions. A Greek legend tells of the return of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the earth, from the underworld to the light of day; her return symbolized to the ancient Greeks the resurrection of life in the spring after the desolation of winter. Many ancient peoples shared similar legends. The Phrygians believed that their omnipotent deity went to sleep at the time of the winter solstice, and they performed ceremonies with music and dancing at the spring equinox to awaken him.

The Christian festival of Easter probably embodies a number of converging traditions; most scholars emphasize the original relation of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach, from which is derived Pasch, another name for Easter. The early Christians, many of whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commemoration of the advent of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets.

An article from Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia. © 2005 World Almanac Education Group, A WRC Media Company

Sun Sign

"Your Sun Sign is a key part of an astrological chart, and represents your general temperament."

The Twins go everywhere together, hand-in-hand, symbolizing your dual nature. Our world comes in pairs: good and evil, male and female, in and out, yin and yang -- and you Geminis are living proof. Some might say you are an entanglement of paradoxes, but the truth is that you have an easy acceptance of opposites. Your world is one of duality. You can like this and that, one thing and its opposite. It's like you see your world through a radio and you can tune experiences and points of view in and out as your interests change.

Motto: "A rolling stone gathers no moss."
Greatest Strength: Your curiosity about a variety of interests
Possible Weakness: Distracting yourself from what is most important

Rising Sign

Your Rising Sign is an important part of your astrological chart, because it represents the way you project yourself outward, the way you're seen and perceived by the rest of the world and the general "impression" that you make on others.

Having said that...

Libra Rising is a sign of social skill, charm and grace. You approach the world with a distinct sense of harmony, seeking to create an environment in which others feel welcome. Your manner is likely to be quite attractive with a natural sense of style. You often put others first, setting aside own needs until theirs are met. While this is a delightful habit that most people appreciate, it can make it harder to stand up for yourself. Battling for others, for justice and fairness comes easily, but fighting for your own interests may be more difficult for you.

Motto: "Is everybody happy?"
Greatest Strength: Bringing harmony to your environment
Possible Weakness: Unwillingness to deal with confrontation

Pondering and Stuff

So I was thinking the other day and never put it down anywhere solid. We observe the universe and try to understand it with our brains and the limitations of said brains and senses. It is impossible that we are the only lifeforms out there in the vacuum that is space. I try and apply logic and science to concepts and even made up things like anime or TV or movies. But I am wrong in doing this. Imagine that there is something more out there that we cannot possibly understand. Or maybe we can someday but just haven't found it out or been shown it. Imagine there are beings across the universe way more advanced than us. What we think is impossible isn't. What we can observe and apply and understand may very well be shallow.

Did you ever think of that? It seems somewhat awe-inspiring and yet so simple at the same time. Kind of like how short and small our life is compared to the universe.

All of this is courtesy of Tenchi Muyo! and Washu to be even more specific.

I watch too much YouTube...

Young and Free

Perfect song for teenagers.

By a German group called the Hitmen

Stupid words, every day
Again and again I hear them say
Leave me alone, can't take anymore
I'm not the saint you're looking for

You'll never chain me to your head
I'm not your dog, I don't play dead
I'll never let you get me down

Don't tell me
I can't have another drink
Don't tell me
Who to hang around with
Now I am
Tired of your misery
Leave me alone
You better leave me alone

We are young, we are free
We are your catastrophy
And your ordinary Sunday
Is our neverending funday

We are young, we are free
And change the world's philosophy
And your ordinary Sunday
Is our neverending funday

Got my hair, cut to the brain
But look mum and dad I'm still the same
Don't you see, I'm not like you
And all your polititians too

You'll never chain me to your head
I'm not your dog, I don't play that
I'll never let you get me down

Don't tell me
I can't have another drink
Don't tell me
Who to hang around with
Now I am
Tired of your misery
Leave me alone
You better leave me alone

We are young, we are free
We are your catastrophy
And your ordinary Sunday
Is our neverending funday

We are young, we are free
And change the world's philosophy
And your ordinary Sunday
Is our neverending funday

I've been trying to gather my thoughts on this for a while

So what happens when you start something and then come back to finish it seven years later? It defies your original plans but for the better. You grow older, you read more, you learn more. You become better at what you are doing.

I started a story back in 2001. In those days my love was for two shows currently on Toonami, Cartoon Network's anime block on weekday afternoons. My best friend Jon told me of some commercials advertising some guy walking up steps holding an umbrella as snow fell. It was from a movie he saw when he was younger. It was Tenchi Muyo! However, it was severely edited. As I watch it now in its uncut form, it is so much more hilarious. Tea means sake, and a certain space pirate has no qualms about fighting the princess in the buff. Also, said princess is actually a very likable character even though I used to hate her for no reason (maybe because I've always been a Tenchi/Ryoko fan).

I also started watching Dragonball Z after making fun of the show with Jon, calling it Dragonballz. I started mid Namek Saga when Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan set off for the planet. I still remember Chi-Chi fretting over her son and Krillin making fun of Gohan's bowl cut. I remember Goku transforming for the first time and Vegeta's tears over the life that was stolen from him by Frieza.

Then over this past summer, I stayed at UCR for my internship. I've always been slow to make new friends and more of a quiet person than someone to go out clubbing and drinking (though karaoke night was fun even if I didn't sing or drink anything but soda). I usually spent the nights in my room watching YouTube videos of Gohan and Videl. Don't know why so much but I did. My long dormant DBZ fan reawoke, and I started buying DVDs left and right. Now I nearly have all of DBZ and half of DBGT plus about half of the movies. I've been online reading more and more, finding out I knew nothing (such is life as you grow older, I guess).

Then recently for some curious reason I started to watch Tenchi again. Not really to my surprise, I remembered very little of the actual OVA storyline. I own all of the Tenchi stuff, even GXP and the Mihoshi special, but since they're all in storage, I watched the OVA on...you guessed it, YouTube. I also grabbed Tenchi Forever and Manatsu no Eve from the "shed." So I've been reading up on Tenchi lately and damn, I really knew nothing of the series. I don't even remember the third OVA, which came out here in 2005. I bought it and watched it all. There are three series, three movies, and a spin-off. There are many novels and manga though the mange is not considered canon. There are also four versions of canon between everything. Tenchi in Tokyo, the final series, is its own canon. Tenchi Universe, the second series and the movies Tenchi Muyo! in Love and Tenchi Forever are another canon. Once it was my second favorite series, but now I think it's my fav. They make Ayeka more snooty and annoying, which I don't like, but overall it wins me over. Plus it also has going for it the fact Tenchi actually does choose (if not in words) one of the girls, my favorite character.

When it comes to the OVA, there are two versions of canon. One is the original creator. It includes OVA 1, 2, and 3, GXP, and the Mihoshi Special. The other is by the woman who wrote the first OVA. Hers includes OVA 1 (and 2 according to one site), her novels, and Manatsu no Eve aka Daughter of Darkness (based on one of her novels). She does not include the Mihoshi special, and she is the one who designed the characters of Kiyone Makibi, Mihoshi's partner and Achika Masaki, Tenchi's mom, both of whom are from the universe series.

So confused yet? Me too. The OVA world is more intricate and has much more back story. Apparently the creator had been thinking of his Tenchi universe since he was in high school. I know how he feels then as my own original creation is not exactly simple. I started my original story the same time I started writing fanfiction, so it took a backseat for a while. This is precisely when I started the story I opened with.

Now why have I spent so much time talking about Tenchi? Simple. Because I knew none of the above when I started. All I knew was Tenchi was royal and hella powerful. Washu was a goddess with sisters Tokimi (who was interested in Tenchi) and Tsunami, who had merged with Sasami. Yosho was really Katsuhito, Tenchi's gramps and the princesses' half-bother. Ryoko was Washu's daughter, and episode 13 left us all going what next? So I made stuff up. I also turned Gohan from DBZ into the Legendary Super Saiyan, even though many consider Broly, the three movies of him, and that idea to be non-canon. Also, it kind of seems evident by the last episode before the time skip to ten years later that he and Videl were probably a couple at that point (or just really friendly). But my story went onward anyway.

I made up my own canon for Tenchi (this is what I wanted to get to most). I liked certain elements from all of Tenchi-verse so I combined stuff. My canon, the one used in the Legend of the Triad series, is as follows:

-OVAs 1 and 2 happen (3 wasn't even out in Japan at that point)
-Tenchi Universe happens but the character backgrounds stay the same so no new intros to them except Kiyone, who comes looking for her former partner and is coupled with her again (poor Kiyone :O( )
-Tenchi Muyo! in Love happens
-Daughter of Darkness happens
-Triad Saga happens and they all meet the Dragonball peeps

Looking back, I wish I hadn't included Mayuka from DoD, but she's important in her own way now and I couldn't remove her just as I couldn't remove Mirai Pan and Mirai Trunks. Granted this makes Tenchi older than Gohan...but I'll ignore that because it isn't a core fact here. They have to face each other, their feelings, and save the universe...again. Their ages are of least concern, I think.

I also created several own characters and made up the background of Kiyone. She needed one, man. Next to Ryoko, she's my fav Tenchi girl. It explains why she is career driven and not infatuated with Tenchi (without her liking Mihoshi that way, which is cool and all but...no).

So yeah. I have spent so much time on this planning since August. I'm glad I waited to finish it because now it will what I wanted. It will be my master work of fanfiction. I will be proud when it's all over. I can't wait for that.

Silent Mind

By me back in 12th grade. It made it into our school's lit magazine. I was proud. :-D

A boy sits in the darkness of his attic domicile. Not a single sound echoes in the room but the constant pitter-patter of rain on the window. No light is on, and the clouds in the sky allow very little light to enter. In the corner he sits, not moving a muscle and just simply staring blankly ahead. An empty house is all that would greet him if he dared to venture downstairs. No one is home, including the cat. Even in the rain, Furball remains away, though it’s quite possible the small feline is huddled in a bush somewhere in a desperate attempt to keep dry and warm. It hasn’t been that long, maybe fifteen minutes…or is it an hour now? For him, it’s so hard to tell. The rhythmic ticking of the clock he eventually blocked out. Suddenly, the small stereo in the corner of the raised abode turns on and plays from its speakers a soft yet steadily flowing melody that seems to be in sync with the droplets hitting the pane. No expression is made in response to this as his face remains as cold as the atmosphere outside. No children play on a rainy day, so there’s no laughter rising from the streets below. There are no balls being thrown or bikes being ridden. There’s just the street being pounded with precipitation. Maybe the phone will ring and save him from the suffocating silence. Maybe the doorbell will sound, and the one who he said good-bye to not more than those couple of hours ago will be here with a smile on her face. Maybe she never really left him to move across country. But maybes mean nothing to him. All that matters now is his empty house and the melodic mix of a sad song and time passing him by.

My Moon Sign

What is a moon sign?
Answer: Your Moon Sign represents your "inner" or "emotional" self, or the way you handle your emotions and the way you truly feel, whether you reveal it or not.

Cancer is the home sign of the Moon, which indicates that you are a very lunar or feeling-oriented person. These strong emotional instincts tend to make you protective of those close to you, expressing a maternal quality of care and concern. Preserving traditions tends to be more appealing than heading into uncharted territory, and this can make you slow to accept changes in your routine. You tend to be cautious about coming out of your shell, but you're also a builder who can slowly and carefully nurture a new business or organization. Because you feel so strongly, it can be hard to step back and take an objective look at your situation and discover alternatives to the position you're holding onto so tightly.

Motto: "Everything is personal."
Greatest Strength: Loyalty to those close to you
Possible Weakness: Allowing emotions to overcome logic