27.12.07

Aria

ARIA DEFINES UTOPIA. PERIOD.


(Note: this viewer has not finished watching this animated series. Please consult this blog at another time in the future for further information regarding the opinion of this viewer on this animated series.)

14.12.07

Disregard this (Post #200 btw)

OMG MY PROFESSOR DIDN'T EMAIL MY GRADE TO MY ADVISOR FESIfvwonvFPCSEFNefip FNSIF I HOPE THIS FREAKIN GETS FIXED I DON'T WANT TO RUIN MYDAMNRECORDJUSTBECAUSE MYPROFESSORDIDN'TEMAILMYDIRECTEDRESEARCH GRADE OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMG AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARFGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sjFOSIDV soF isofiaof aifo asiS
I NEED
TO BASH
SOMETHINGGGG

12.12.07

A sense of humbleness

One of the things I was always raised with was to be compared to people. I don't know if that's really a good thing or a bad thing (most people seem to regard this as a bad thing) but typically my parents (and eventually, I myself) frequently refer to others like role models and the oh so famous line, "why can't you be like them". I think in regards to most people, eventually they started comparing themselves to worse people and saying "its a good thing I'm not like them" or to just stop comparing themselves. But as a person myself I still look to the skills and achievements of others, and at the same time realize the insignificance I am compared to many of these people. It's a dejecting feeling, to know that you haven't in the least accomplished as much as others have, even more so if they're about the same age as you; but musing it over it appears that it can't be helped. It's always a disappointing feeling for myself when I realize myself as "just average"; on the one hand it could be worse, but it could always be better. This is the scenario to be dealt with all the time, no matter how much I want to better or worse my life.
The obvious solution to this is, of course, stop being lazy, stop procrastinating, do more in life. In terms of procrastination, I attempt to do things a little at a time so it they don't build up, so despite my ADHD I'm not sure of that's a particular problem, however, it seems difficult to devote myself to work aside from school work (and more recently, lab work). I believe this will not fare well for me in the future and in real life, and indeed if I could overcome this problem, I can probably be more "achieved" in life like others I refer to. Stop playing games, do more work? maybe. That would change who I am though, although maybe a change is needed...

In an ideal situation I'd still be able to play games and work hard and achieve something. I think I'm reaching as an ideal situation as I can get, maintaining fairly nice grades, doing a decent amount of work in lab, and still going to anime club and playing RO. But it's always the inevitable feeling... when will the ideal situation end? When will I have to start achieving more and giving up what silly yet entertaining pleasures I have?

Life is never going to be so simple. I hope I can grow up without any problems...

7.12.07

Lucky Star

One of the big burning questions (ok, maybe not so big and burning) is why people would hold this show in such high regard for its, in many people's honest and decently logical opinion, mediocrity. It's artstyle isn't that great, the music is poppy and catchy but nothing truly emotion touching, and to inquire if there was any sort of plot would be futile. However, Lucky Star has, for me and for many other viewers, been a very decent show to watch that has proved to be more entertaining than the other "mediocre" shows out there, and there remains the mystery of why this is so.

This is most likely because it's the best anime-tized lifestyle one can relate to. Anime in general will frequently have references to cultural events or other facts here and there that one can say "hey I know what they're talking about", but Lucky star does that about every episode for the normal person, and every 2 minutes for the common otaku. This is why it has so much appeal; the joy of saying "I TOTALLY KNOW HOW THIS CHARACTER IS FEELING RIGHT NOW" or "I DEFINITELY KNOW HOW THAT FEELS" every so often, only you're seeing it in anime form with cute girls acting out your everyday quirks and actions. This is probably Lucky Star's greatest strengths, to relate to so many events that everyone has in their lives, especially in the common everyday life of an otaku. Not even a hardcore otaku, but also the casual otaku who, like Kagami, is interested in normal life just as much as the anime culture.

Speaking of Kagami, I'm not typically a fan of tsundere but Kagami is my second favorite character (in the main group) plainly because she's so funny and I can relate with her a ton of times. If anything, it feels like both the personality of Kagami and Konata are with me all the time, with the "Kagami" conscience always saying "why the hell are you doing that"... Kagami's wtf moments are the best scenes for laughing, as great as Tsukasa and Konota's cousin's bumbling moments are the best scenes for gushing...GUSHGUSHGUSH ok enough of that.

SPOILERS NOT LIKE ANYONE WHO'S READING THIS CARES OR IF THEY DO THEY PROBABLY FINISHED LUCKY STAR ALREADY. In terms of the scene where Konata's mother comes back as a ghost figure, I think that was probably, personally, the least realistic and relatable subject yet most fantasized situation of any otaku individual out there. To have a loved one (and a childhood friend at that!) presented as so easily "obtained" is most possibly the most ideal scenario any otaku would want... just like as if it had come out of a dating sim game. I bring this up because one person apparently was telling me how great it is and wanted me to finish up Lucky Star just so I can watch it. It's a decent scene, but nothing along the lines of AIR and Lucky Star just isn't an anime to be taken seriously, so it would be a bit out of place as well. I understand that there are some anime which can put in a real serious moment after so many scenes of happy and funness (see: Full Moon wo Sagashite), but Lucky Star isn't one of them: it's comedy and pure comedy and anything deviating from it would be illogical.

Or Kagami would say. :V

3.12.07

Neurobiologist's guide to Ragnarok Online

STR- actin filaments, muscle spindles, golgi tendons, neuromuscular junction activity
DEX- Motor neuron, motor cortex, procedural learning, cerebellum activity
AGI- Propeoception, somatosensory cortex, myelination
VIT- Increased endorphin release, Dorsal cell ganglion
INT- Hypothalamus and Temporal Lobe, Declarative Learning
LUK- ...:V