So this is the last of the spoilerific info that SE is going to give us fans until the game releases next March in North America (December for Japan).

But HOLY CRAP, Cid has become like this!?


*insert EPIC WTF emoticon here*

I think I was stunned for a good 10 seconds. Go Google previous Cid incarnations and you'll see what I mean. It's CRIMINAL to look this good!!!!! WTF!? Now I want some FF spin-off involving THIS Cid. Or a laptop wallpaper.

On another note, Sazh + Chocobo = ♥♥♥

(Source: http://www.kotowari.org/)

My post about Hachimitsu to Kuroba reminded me of a piece of news I read about Umino Chika's latest manga, Sangatsu no Raion. Apparently Umino-sensei ♥ Suga Shikao as well, because he was chosen as the poster boy (man?) for the manga's poster campaign. This just shows how AWESOME Umino-sensei is, so support her good taste by buying her manga!

Not putting under cut because it's Suga Shikao. Everyone NEEDS to see his awesomeness sometime or other. ♥♥♥

(Source: http://f.hatena.ne.jp/images/fotolife/t/tsubara/20090804/20090804131111.jpg)

(Source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/3855471863_0e1db51efc_o.jpg)

(Source: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2424/3856260786_2388ef76b3_o.jpg)

Wish wish wish they sell these posters at CDJapan or HMV though. I'd buy all three! which is why it is a good thing they don't sell them I suppose

My favourites have got to be the 2nd and 3rd ones. The former because I love how Suga is looking away from the camera, and the latter because it provokes a really calm atmosphere. It's related to the manga though, because the lead character has an apartment with the river in view that Suga is near.

Being bored, I decided to try making a chocolate cheesecake! ♥ Boy, it was hard work though... I got flustered halfway through when I realised I ran out of vanilla essence, and had to ask my grandma to drive to the nearest store to buy it.


It looks sort of MEH, but it tasted awesome at least... Or so my family members and neighbours say. I didn't like it because I DEMAND FOR IT TO LOOK PRETTY FIRST! It's the OCD kicking in...（ ´,_ゝ`)

Goal #6607 I SHALL ENDEAVOUR TO MAKE A BETTER AND MORE AWESOME LOOKING CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE NEXT TIME!!!!!!!!!!

I'm officially free from college as of today!!!!!!!!!!
 
♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪

Although my exams ended last Thurday, somehow it still didnt really felt like freedom as I had to attend a college trip to Al-Jazeera International on Monday - it was really fun! and enlightening though.

To commemorate this freedom, Thash and I decided to go to 1 Utama to watch Jennifer's Body. It's been too freakin' long since we both went out for our buddy time!


The film was actually enjoyable because we went in there without any expectations. In fact, we expected it to be half-baked, but it turned out to be better than that crap they call Gamer. Putting Screen Text studies to use: this is clearly one of those pastiches characteristic of postmodernity, meant to poke fun at our perception of the media and societal relationships (boyfriends, girlfriends). The scares were pretty cliche, but they were well-executed. In fact, despite her lack of facial expressions, Megan Fox was very convincing as the man-eating b**** (literally!) and Amanda Seyfried as her best friend, Anita "Needy" Lesnicki. Cliches aside, one of the film's strong points was the occasionally witty dialogue and the deadpan treatment of the characters which provides it with a black comedic edge. Another was the rock soundtrack. It was not like the music was exceptionally good, but more of where you actually notice the music. There were other films with epic soundtracks released but half the time I'm in doubt whether the songs were actually in the film or not.

Overall, Jennifer's Body is a film that deserves a viewing because of how it wears its heart on its sleeve (some "deep" films plain make your head spin and you wonder if those "deep" meanings are not just tacked on by theorists) yet only deserves one viewing for that very reason.

Other than that, I have a new obsession!!!!!


(Source: http://www.pia.co.jp/cinema/interview/070913_kabeotoko/img/photo01.jpg)

堺雅人 (Sakai Masato) is just too adorkable to not obsess over.

Sorry for spamming your f-list. All not under cut because I'm just too tired/lazy.

The PV for Suga Shikao's awesome new single, [はじまりの日 feat. Mummy-D/Hajimari no Hi feat. Mummy-D] is finally out! ｷﾀﾜァ*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･゜(n‘∀‘)ηﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･* !!!!!



It's 4:42 minutes of PURE AWESOMENESS! I find this song and PV to be exceptionally good because I was put off by the colour fest and dancing bikini girls in the last one. Further, this song defines Suga. For some reason I think he does better at songs like this and ballads compared to the fast-paced ones.

As Kay had said in the Suga forum, the rap section is also wonderfully incorporated. The music beat kept going throughout the song to the end, which shows that the rap was inserted with effort and innovation instead of feeling like an afterthought. Moreover... nevermind, JUST.GO.WATCH.IT.

Life still sucks, but I realised after much ranting that I need to be positive despite all the unfairness... I'm sure everyone is tired of all my complaints and tears by now. I am even if you are not. Thank you everyone for being so patient and nice to me! I really think I don't deserve it... ;A;

I didn't dare to say it in person, but I owe a BIG apology to the person I complained about two posts back. He's still a jerk at times, but all in all, he's still really nice. Even if not to me. After all, he did take the trouble to bash me out of my funk. I was just too PISSED to even be emo anymore.

I know I'm an EPIC PHAIL for dealing with stress. I can't say I won't complain, but I'll try to stay positive no matter what. Self-mutilation and low self-esteem are the negativity that I have to fight.

I've experienced negativity and the count is now back to zero.

After zero, it can only be positive.

After the super-emo post (thanks to yume_mi  and others who were concerned), it's time for a happy post.

To anyone who has been following Hirai Ken, you would know that his 31st single is coming on 21st October, titled 僕は君に恋をする [Boku wa Kimi ni Koi wo Suru] for the movie Boku wa Hatsukoi Kimi wo Sasagu.

It's been a while since I last heard a ballad from him. His recent single, [Candy] was just too upbeat for me, so I really ♥ this. I really don't know why people love hating on him so much, I find his voice to be really awesome. It's so emotional and powerful at the same time, not like most idol singers where they don't emphasize on their singing since they have other jobs anyway. Besides, Hirai Ken is so good-looking so +100 score points!

Sure, some of his PVs have really raunchy themes, but you can just not watch it and listen to the song instead. And all that gossip about him being gay, well, WTH does it matter to you if he's gay or not!? I thought it's the music that counts!? I'm not saying that everyone has to like him or his style of music, but hating for those reasons is just stupid.

Anyway, here's the PV:

Emo!post so skip this is you want.

( Read more... )

Ok, this is super late but wth, I was busy with assignments = lazy to post.



OH. MY. GOD. DO. WANT.

No ships at the moment but I love seeing Hope and Lightning together. It gives me a Yoda-Luke feeling... X333

I'm more excited about Final Fantasy Versus XIII from the Fabula Nova Crystallis series though. SHIPPING Noctis/Stella SO BAD ever since I saw the new screens. Forbidden romance perhaps?

The title of this post says it all.

(´；ω；`)

I don't want to make any lame jokes in the vein of Demon's Souls (Demon's Souls is stealing my soul literally makes me LOL) but I need to put Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor away in order to survive my incoming assignments... (Lame, I know, but assignments are the DEVIL and I'm the SURVIVOR). That said, the game is friggin' AWSM.

So let's survive.

(´；ω；`)

The puzzle-solving duo are back again for another adventure! Layton's former mentor, Dr. Andrew Schrader has obtained the notorious Elysian Box, rumored to have killed all who opened it and fearing this, Andrew wrote a letter to Layton to continue his work should this happen. Sure enough, Layton and his assistant Luke arrived at Andrew's apartment only to find him dead and the Elysian box gone. Thus begins the duo's adventure across country to find the box and solve the mystery behind the rumor.

That is basically the premise of Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, although there is the obligatory twist that comes near the end. So far, Professor Layton games have very simple plots, yet their charm lies in its execution and characters. At times the plot was slow because of the difficulty of the puzzles, especially the block-sliding ones. In addition, perfectionists will want to spend their time tapping every nook and cranny for hint coins, which further slows down the pace. However, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is certainly much more interesting and lengthier than the first, and the ending will certainly move one to tears, cliche as it may be. I especially love the increased number of animated cutscenes and voice acting - the EPIC scene near the end made me SQUEAL. I already love the pairing of Layton and Luke - Professor Layton is basically my type of protagonist like Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie. Basically you don't see them undergo any major character changes throughout, however, you do find out more about their little quirks - like Layton's ability to fence, his love of tea and adherence to gentlemanly mannerisms.

The gameplay is pretty much the same, although there are a few minor improvements in layout and interface such as new mini-games in the Professor's Trunk and Layton's Challenges. As the saying goes, if it isn't broken, why fix it? Professor Layton and the Curious Village brought something fresh and new to the table when it first appeared, subsituting MENSA puzzles in place of RPG battles and platformers, while retaining a moving plot. Although there really isn't much replayability after finishing the story and solving all the puzzles, it makes the whole experience memorable.

Background music in games like this are seldom noticed but I did this time around, which goes to show the improvements they've made, Some tracks are memorable and firmly establish their purpose (when you hear it you think of that senario). Of course, take too long to solve the puzzles or to read the conversations and the repeating music will grate on your ears, but nothing that mute volume can't solve. The theme song at the end is Salyu's [iris ~Shiawase no Hako~] and I have to say that their music box version is so much more AWESOME than the single itself.

As you can see, the Professor Layton series has remained one of my favourite series of all time ever since I played the first last year, and I can't wait for more to be localized in North America so I can import them. Apparently they are making it Star Wars style, with the 4th, 5th and 6th games coming out first to be followed by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Highly recommended if you have a DS and love a challenge.

It's been such a tiring week, physically and emotionally.

Presentations was non-stop for three days straight and I felt so utterly useless when I realized I still stutter and going like the Shinkansen EVERY FUCKING TIME.

Everything was supposed to end at 10:30 A.M today, but the bad news I received on Tuesday made me realize that I have some issues to address.

I tried to stamp down my feelings for so long and so far it's been going well because I seldom see him. Now he wants to come and make my life miserable.

And it's just one day.

For the life of me I can't fathom if it is possible to hate someone this much. Somewhere in my mind I think it's because of his betrayal - the moment he abandoned me for his friends, eventually sneaking behind my back and picking up habits that he knows I don't condone. On the other hand I realized that he may not have been like this had I not tried to cut him out of my life years ago.

Most people don't understand, and I don't blame them because it is natural to stereotype. Which adds to my hatred of him even more. To make things worse, we look the same, act about the same, yet he's still better than me. Talk about a blow to self-esteem.

Until now, I always wondered...

If I weren't born first, would everything have been different?

SEMI-IMPORTANT!

I removed some friends that I added because we seldom comment on each others' journals. If you want to be added back (though for the life of me I can't imagine why), please comment here.

My journal posts are still made public though because most of my readers are not from LJ.

I FINALLY FINISHED PLAYING PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE DIABOLICAL BOX!!!!! Well, only the story mode but who cares.

OMG I JUST CAN'T GET OVER THE @#(@Y*H(RG#GKB^%#!#$@! AWESOMENESS THAT IS PROFESSOR LAYTON. The game is so much more than I expected and the ending even made me cry a little...

Then I saw the trailer for the upcoming movie titled Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva on YouTube.


I'VE DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN.

No, seriously, no words can describe the sheer awesomeness of Professor Layton and my excitement. I don't even think I've ever been this excited about an animated movie before.

May write up a full review on the game after I've finished spazzing the extras.

I've just come to realize that I didn't even blog about the upcoming Alice in Wonderland movie by Tim Burton due for release on March 5, 2010. So I decided to compile a list of upcoming movies I'm interested in with links to the trailers.

www.youtube.com/watch

This is basically a re-imagining of the Alice in Wonderland that we all know and love, this time depicting the book Through the Looking Glass as well. The story has been given a new gothic make-over trademark of Time Burton, and it is rendered in a combination of live-action and motion capture technology. Anyone who has been following this probably already knew that Johnny Depp has been cast as the Mad Hatter!

www.youtube.com/watch

Another MUST-WATCH movie by Disney! This is Disney back to its old-school roots of hand-drawn animation, and adaptation of an original fairy tale, The Princess and the Frog with a twist. Release date is set for December 11, 2009. Reason to watch: IT'S DISNEY AND IT'S A LOVE STORY!

www.youtube.com/watch

Ponyo on the Sea is not a new movie, but it has only been re-released recently in the U.S with an all-star cast English dub, with Disney handling the distribution rights. It's basically a loose adaption of Little Mermaid by Japan's acclaimed Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli. I watched this in Japanese already, and although it is by no means as awesome as Spirited Away was, it is still a wonderful, feel-good movie that should not be missed.

www.youtube.com/watch

Not only animations are awesome, musical shows like Nine are too if the trailer is anything to go by. With stars like Daniel Day-Lewis, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench and Nicole Kidman (I refuse to acknowledge Kate Hudson) it is bound to be epic.

www.youtube.com/watch

It is Sherlock Holmes. There's Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams. Just ignore who's directing. 'Nuff said.

www.youtube.com/watch

The Time Traveler's Wife has already been released in the U.S in August 14, 2009, although Malaysia only screens the film next month. I absolutely love the coupling of Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, but I don't hold high hopes for this movie since book adaptations tend to be crap (keyword: tend to, so don't start flaming me).

Lastly, here's the trailer for the movie Hachiko: A Dog's Story because it's so EPIC. The song, the setting... I cried everytime I watch the trailer. It's a story of a dog who remains loyal to his master (played by Richard Gere) even after his death, waiting at the spot by the clock for him everyday.

ｷﾀﾜァ*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･゜(n‘∀‘)ηﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･* !!!!!

The arrival of this email just made my day:


"Hi Elaine,
Your Play-Asia.com Order#15886588 was sent out today!"


Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is finally released today!!!!!!!!!! It was out in the U.S on the 24th but Play-Asia got their supplies slow for some reason and I ended up spending the whole week agonizing over it. I can't wait to receive my parcel but I think I'll RAGE if I see this in the local game stores...

Can't wait for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days to be out in September!

Yesterday Thash and I went to watch Up and it serves to show that Disney-Pixar hasn't lost their touch.


Up is a contemporary Disney-Pixar film, yet it managed to bring back all the nostalgic feelings present when watching some of Disney classics. This wasn't the case with Bolt although it was quite good, and I think it's mainly due to the wonderful soundtrack used for the movie. I can't help noticing because the music this time complements the scenes, as opposed to some Pixar movies where they play random theme songs for no reason at all. There is a short animation titled Partly Cloudy, before the main movie begins and it's equally touching as well. I compliment Pixar for their creativity in including these short films, they are really entertaining to watch.

For those who don't know, Up is a movie about an elderly man, Carl Fredricksen and a Wilderness Explorer boy, Russell, whom he meets and accidentally ends up following him on his flight to Paradise Falls. I love the way they started off the film with a story of Carl's childhood and his meeting with his future wife, and their life after marriage. It was really sweet, and you sympathize with Carl's actions thereafter because all he wants is to fulfill his promise to Ellie. Russell provides the perfect foil to Carl's crankiness and realism, and his motivations for his overeager and occasionally annoying behaviour is because he just wants to meet his divorced father again. The higlight of Pixar films have always been their wonderful characterization, instead of story (Disney films tend to follow the same formula every time) and Up receives that treament and more.

Of course, one has to remember that this is an animation so as to allow room for disbelief. Some scenes like how a house can fly with the help of 10, 000 or so helium balloons is clearly meant to rekindle nostalgia of children's dreams, hence the nostalgic feelings present as mentioned earlier. There were also some over-the-top moments, but these scenes are eclipsed by the superb animation that it was a delight to just sit and watch the characters talk, unnecessary as they are. Overall, Up is a poetic and emotional film on finding one's purpose through a journey. Highly recommended!

http://kotaku.com/5339968/sony-announces-slim-ps3-+-it-lives-this-september

More links exist but this is sufficient. They finally announced the arrival of PS3 Slim along with PS3 price cuts...

ARE YOU HAPPY NOW THAT YOU MADE ME WASTE MY MONEY SONY?!!

What makes the whole thing worse is that it is launching in September THIS year... *cries*

Honestly, this has been such a bad year. Everyone is either having bouts of misfortunes, sick or dying. I seriously hope things will take a turn for the best soon...

What prompted this post is the fact that most of my friends are having fever, cough or flu and Sato Takeru cancelling his appearance at "The Game" event to be admitted to the hospital. I feel so sorry for Takeru-chan - his post sounds so regretful... I hope everyone mentioned recovers soon. I would be sad to hear news of anyone dying, yes, even the people I hate. Them falling into the drain is a much better alternative.

Credits for the news of Sato Takeru's blog post goes to 400days .

On a happier note, the trailer for BALLAD: Namonaki Koi no Uta is out! I dislike Aragaki Yui for some reason, but these types of stories never fails to hook me in so I will definitely be watching it. Forbidden love, time travel and a May-December romance! are EPIC WIN, except the Japanese are definitely going to butcher that May-December romance part... Heck, they can't even get kissing scenes right!

Edit: New TBS drama based on ayaka's song, [Mikazuki] is coming out! It revolves around the theme of distant love, and Narumi Riko and Tanimura Mitsuki are starring! I'm really excited for this as I love the song very much and Narumi Riko is such a talented actress ♥. Here's hoping that it won't become a sobfest.

☆ Classes are already shifting into 3nd gear, what with all the assignments and tutorial writing questions we have. Maybe it has something to do with it being early in the semester, but I'm seriously not feeling the drive to work. Most of my classmates aren't either, which is turning out to be a big annoyance as I need motivation. Thank god I have the Gossip Girls (Dharsh, Thash and PS) with me. We aren't exactly the studious type but at least we know how to prioritize work IN TIME to play.

☆ We have already been out since to watch Matthew McConaughey's new movie Ghosts of Girlfriends Past but it was pretty much so-so. I don't even feel motivated to write a review for it. I'm trying to finish the jdorama BOSS so I can move on to MR. BRAIN and hopefully Orange Days. Speaking of jdoramas, I'm horrified that they have chosen to adapt my favourite manga of all-time, My Girl into one with a Johnny. Personally I have nothing against them, but I do know that when Johnnys are involved in a drama, the story and characterization tends to take a backseat as opposed to "putting in as many high-profile actors and have them parade/running/crying to elicit viewers sympathy". Watching the Quiz Show 2 just proved that when Quiz Show 1 was filled with so many unknowns yet it was so MUCH better.

☆ I also have a slight throat infection and cough, hopefully it doesn't develop into Influenza A...

☆ I have rediscovered my whimsical hobby of watching games on YouTube. I think that is what happens when you are short on time and cash... Been considering getting a Nintendo Wii lately although the good games have yet to come. My list now consists of:
Arc Rise Fantasia
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
Tales of Symphonia 2: Dawn of the New World
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

yume_mi  mentioned the seemingly awesome Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen but too bad there won't be a North America release. The days of me reading Japanese have yet to come...

☆ Got a new mood theme for my blog. I've been wanting one since I saw people using personal mood themes but I have yet to find one I like till I saw this! It's Aoi Yuu! ♥ Credits go to spring  from the community papercherry.

Half the day has passed and it's now time to continue with my assignments.