I have a strange schedule for now (it's hovering at 19 credit hours) and for my MCB class (which stands for molecular and cellular biology, or something like that) I COMPLETELY forgot that there is a discussion section that I'm supposed to show up for. I only realized this after the first exam when we were seated according to our section. Yeah...so anyways, I decided to drop in today, and it turns out that there is someone I know there from my Polish class. Yeah, he's nice. But I'm posting today for another reason, because...more importantly...there is this other guy there that looks a bit like Heath Ledger. OMG. I got so excited. I mean, it's not like I let out a fangirl "squee!" and jumped up and down in my seat, but I really wanted to.
Keep in mind that this guy just REMINDS me of Ledger. He only bears a resemblance and it got me going. Ha.
There is something WRONG with me and my unhealthy obsession with Ledger's performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight. I saw the movie twice, I have two posters of him (as the Joker), I have a bat cape (lolz), whenever I'm online I'm in forums discussing the Joker or looking for lulzy pictures (that's a new word in my vocabulary), and I bought red, black, and white paint creams as well as green hairspray. What am I going to do with it all? I...don't...know...I'm SICK I tell you.
Iron Man was my favorite movie for a while...suffice it to say, The Dark Knight blew it away quite easily.
My calculus professor (I don't know his name, so don't ask) has a fairly heavy accent, Russian from what I can tell based on his frequently rolled r's and misplaced word emphasis. It's fun to listen to him talk, but none of it sinks in (probably because it's calc, not because of his accent).
I just ordered the book today...hopefully it'll be here soon...
Instead of paying attention to the math stuff, I jot down amusing things he says. Like when he starts class he tells us to ask him questions, "but not about what I did night before." He was joking...I think.
There are some people that I can't stand because they ask questions on simple things, and I guess the professor noticed this problem. So one day he said "Before we starrt, let's recall algebra some." You just gotta say it out loud. It keeps me smiling early in the morning. Then, when someone else asked a question about a problem, he didn't understand why they were asking the question and answered "But I did you example 5."
Other fun quotes: "This is graph." *points at graph* "I choose even so if I make mistake you cannot get me," on why we do only even problems in class. "Read the section. Language in book better den mine."
I am also working on a song to express my feelings about calculus. I have the first verse: "F of x, you are the bane of my life..."
Note: Don't get me wrong, the professor is very capable of teaching calc, in fact he's quite smart. Good thing I can understand him, though, because other people seem to be having trouble.
I have never felt so punished. Whipped, you might say. The day has not been kind so far. I can't help but feel that it's to pay for hating calc class before even stepping into the classroom...
I began my summer class yesterday, so I'll be in class Monday through Thursday from 8am-10:30am for a few weeks. Yeah, I don't know why I do this to myself, either. I hate calculus. I don't hate the class, but I am extremely adverse to the idea of going during summer... Anyways, today we got out early at 9:30 and I was quite pleased. I put on my iPod and boarded the bus.
I didn't notice it was going the wrong direction until I was in Mt. Prospect. I was playing my DS, totally absorbed...I got off and went on the CORRECT bus going east and not west. As soon as I got home, it was past 11 o'clock (it took that long!!) and I realized that I didn't have my keys with me, either. *facepalm*
I called my mom, and 30 minutes later I was met with one angry woman and a spank on the butt. How embarrassing...as if I didn't feel bad enough, a neighbor witnessed it.
The delightful opportunity of getting off an hour early was shot down, to say the least.
Wouldn't it be fascinating to hold a living heart and feel it pumping in your hands? I've often thought about it and fantasized being a doctor in the OR and doing just that. The human heart can beat on its own for about 1 to 2 minutes after being removed, and when I say beat, I mean it in the most animated way. It's the most lively looking thing in the human body, and when it is severed for an organ donation, it sometimes happens that it is dropped because of it's vigor. In such a case, they just clean it up and put it in the cooler. 3 second rule! Good as new!
I've been reading about things like this in the novel Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers, by Mary Roach (what an unappealing name O.o) which I recommend to anyone who wants to know what happens to your body after your demise, whether you decide to donate it to science, cremate it, donate organs, or let it rot in the ground. It talks about dozens of experiments done with cadavers as well as animal and simulated substitutes, the topics ranging from crash testing to researching decay in body gardens (it's exactly what you think it is). I'm not surprised that people with these jobs don't exactly do it while humming happily to themselves, but I suppose it is satisfying and in certain cases necessary. Except for cutting through that first layer of fat (omg that stuff looks nasty) and withstanding the smell, I don't think I would mind doing autopsies. When you get down to it, we simply look like pieces of meat on the inside. I've seen some on T.V. and also on youtube. I'm surprised that they have that sort of thing on youtube, but I'm not gonna post anything here, I don't want anyone to be too grossed out...aw, what the hell. Don't watch it if you can't take it, and don't say I didn't warn you that it's graphic (dur...it's an autopsy). I found one where the coroner narrates what he's doing, which is nice.
Speaking of dead meat, my mom had a traumatic experience in her childhood where she went to the meat smoking room (where the family would smoke their own meat...er...did I have to explain that..? sorry) to find that some of the meat spoiled and there were hundreds of maggots everywhere, loudly munching on the meat. The novel describes the sound as that of rice krispies in a bowl of milk. I asked my mom if that's what she heard and she confirmed it. She watches shows like C.S.I. and likes them as much as I do, but she can barely stand it when they show maggots (or hacienda, as I like to now call them). What's most disgusting about these insects is that the eggs are laid at all the openings of the body they can get to--the mouth, eyes, genitals, bellybutton--because little hacienda can't bite through skin. And it's not just outside critters eating up the dead, they start to melt (er...decay) from the inside because the bacteria in the body is no longer kept in check by the immune system, which is shut down. The first organs to go are the lungs and everything in the digestive sytstem, since that's where most bacteria lives, but the brain goes early, too. This is because all the bacteria in the mouth eats up the soft palate and works its way up there rather quickly. After three weeks, a dead body is basically reduced to soup on the inside (chicken soup, to be specific).
I'm not yet through reading (right now I'm learning about how versatile feces, spittle, and mummy remains were in the medicine market), but I already wish that I had bought it like I meant to in the first place instead of just checking it out of the library like my mom urged me to. I think it'll be a handy book because it not only talks about the scientific and medical aspects of dead bodies, but it also touches on the history of how they've been used and treated to benefit the living.
I haven't blogged in a while...so...brace yourself...
I seem to have hit the job jackpot. I’ve needed a summer job since I got back for summer, and now I have 4 of them lined up, potentially. I had an interview yesterday at Old Navy, I will be babysitting for an entire week in July and possibly longer for a new family, I will be helping at a baby shower, plus I have my regular babysitting job every Saturday.
Here’s the thing: I hate work of any kind. I have yet to find a job I actually enjoy, though I should say that my weekend job is easy; I get there when the kids are asleep and I get paid for sitting around for a few hours, almost literally babysitting. But if anyone’s ever talked to me about my past jobs, they’ve heard me grumble and complain about that horrible department store, Kohl’s, as well as the ungodly amount of time wasted just traveling to my tutoring job at U of I. I try not to let anyone at my workplaces catch any trace of my discontent, which seems to work. I usually get comments like “You’re always so upbeat and positive. How can you continue working like this?” to which I reply “I dunno,” with a big, dumb smile on my face while on the inside I scream, “are you kidding me?! I’m such a phony!” It makes me sad that they can’t tell how unhappy I am working, but that’s not the kind of person that gets hired. Besides, I need the money. No use complaining to other people doing it for the money. Hopefully working at Old Navy will be better than at Kohl’s.
The day I went for the interview was strange. I couldn’t get to sleep until 3am the night before (er…morning of) because interviews always make me nervous. Waking up later on, I was put in a bad and bleary mood with the help of the pitter-patter on my window and angry, black clouds outside. Not a good day for an interview that I had to somehow manage traveling to. Not wanting to be soggy on top of groggy, I decided to take the bus. Which was 15 minutes late. It would only take 7 minutes to drive to Old Navy, but it was supposed to arrive 2:05, and my interview was at 2:30. So I’m standing there, in the rain and wind with my flimsy pink umbrella and some guy dressed in typical white-collar work clothes and funny, pointy-toed shoes, my watch (which no longer ticks too loudly, fyi) telling me that it is already 2:20. I called and rescheduled my appointment for 3:00, and as soon as I got off the phone, the stupid bus came in sight. I was upset, but also relieved since it meant I didn’t have to walk.
After that, the day seemed to completely turn around. I got to the store at exactly 2:30pm, to my chagrin, but I was glad. The hiring manager was ready to take me, anyway. My mood lightened, which made it easier to calm down for the interview. I hated the questions because they all asked me to talk about specific situations that exemplify such-and-such of a skill. I knew the only reason I was there was because I have previous retail experience, so I pulled some answers out of you-know-where since I really didn’t feel adequately experienced after working at Kohl’s.
I think it went well. I'll know by the end of this week.
I walked out with a skip in my step (not literally, but I would have if people weren’t around) which is when I ran into my old debate partner from freshman year in high school! I just couldn’t believe it!
It turns out that she's been working there for about a year already. I hope I get the job now that I know I already have a friend there, but seriously, what are the chances? Then I stepped outside to catch the bus only to find the storm all cleared away and it looked like a totally new day. I decided to walk the mile or so home, it was so beautiful out. I walked down one main, busy street almost the whole way back, and although it was very busy, every time I had to cross the street, there weren't any cars around. It was very strange. It was as if the world was making up for the bad start I had earlier that day.
The only thing that could have made the day better was a rainbow. And maybe a free XBOX 360 with a copy of GTAIV, but I'm not complaining.
I'm sick of looking for a job, so I'm just going to chill and wait for responses from the places I applied.
In the meantime, I'm super bored. I've decided to make a trip to the library, but I don't like stepping into a huge building full of thousands of books without a plan or some sort of road map for myself. Therefore I have chosen a theme: what better way to suck up time and life than to pretend to be a med/pre-med student? I will start with microbiology, since I'm going to take that class next semester anyway, then some anatomy (perhaps do some drawing, to mix it up) and finally surgery. They actually have books in the library with step by step procedures accompanied by photos, which is what has me so excited and willing to go through with MCB and anatomy to have a deeper understanding.
You might be wondering what happened to my cello suite goal. Well, it turns out that I'm much more out of practice than I thought, and it's quite impossible to learn it without proper instruction. Playing the cello is quite different than reading and absorbing books...
I've been looking at other blogs to see what other people are writing about because I don't want to be boring. Is that strange? Well, it's entertaining nonetheless. I've found that a LOT of them are just picture blogs, usually of the bloggers kid(s), as well as a lot written in other languages I can't read, like Spanish and Japanese. I do, however, feel pretty cool when a French blog comes up. I get excited and read everything to see if I understand it all. I have yet to see a Polish blog. One blog had a whole bunch of pics of the elderly lady blogger that had no business being up for the public to view. Another was basically a mom's live journal of...well, a mom's life. Another just has posts of the person's practice architecture drawings. Another person blogs on Bollywood movies. In fact, they all seem to have a purpose or at least an overarching theme. Looking back at my posts, it is more like a live journal I suppose, but all over the place...Like this post. Hmmm.
Tonight I went a showing of Death Note at the movie theater. It was a bit overpriced, and of course it did not follow the plot line too well, but I thought that it was nice to experience it the way you would with any other movie instead of watching it online. It was dubbed, which had me very worried because I only hear bad things about dubs, but it turns out that they used the same voice actors as in the anime which I am pretty ok with. I don't see what all the fans complain about. You can tell that they did their best with the dub. I would say that they did an excellent job, in fact, what with matching the lip movements the best they could and translating. For example, in comparing the dubbed version and the subbed version, the translated dub "I would love to use your intelligence" is better than "Let us use your brain." The latter makes me think of zombies...
There was a really annoying guy sitting nearby, though. He kept telling his friend what was about to happen and then saying "See!" or "I told you so!" I fail to see the point in going to see a movie if you are going to act like that...it's pretty obvious that the only people that would show up for this movie are the ones that are fans of the manga series, so of course they would know what happens, aside from the scenes where the director decided to use some creative liberty.
So, aside from some script changes (Light having that girlfriend and killing her was soooo wrong) and the annoying guy, I have one more problem with the movie: Light and Misa are not blond. *pouting indignation* It's just not right! Light should at least have light brown hair! uuurgh.
They should be blond like this
And not dark haired like this
*sigh* They could have bleached their hair or worn wigs... At the end of the movie they showed extra content, like you would see on a dvd, and there WAS a blondish wig that Fugiwara (the actor playing Light) tried on. Apparently, it did not fit the director's vision of his character. XP
Yes, I should diet. I want to look good in my itty bitty navy striped bikini (no polka dots for me, thank you). I know I'm not technically overweight, but I have a little gut! A Buddha belly! Ick. Yes, the little Buddha laughs...
It's too bad that I don't find that extra pudge attractive. There are many versions and tales of Buddha, but in one Thailand tale he is such an attractive man that other men want to take him for a wife. Well, he couldn't have that, so he disguised himself as a fat monk. That'll keep the guys away. It's a good life lesson; moral of the story: to keep any sex away, gain weight. And join the clergy.
I haven't posted for a few days, so here goes. Something relevant (for me, anyways). Bear with me, I don't know where I'm going with this.
For the past few days I've been online every chance I get. Today I spent the entire day online. I'm not kidding. Since I woke up at 10am until now, I've been online. I ate exactly 2 cookies and a sandwich. I don't seem to have an appetite when I'm zombified by the warm glowing screen in front of me, lulled by the gentle tapping of the keyboard and melodies from my favorite songs. It's too easy to be hypnotized by sleek, comforting computers and the beckoning web pages and emails waiting to be read on the internet.
What's scary is that there are tons of sites that offer a social life. If you were really looking to get social, shouldn't the internet be the last place to look? It's a good resource to keep in touch with friends, but to make new ones? I suppose it is possible...sort of like having a pen pal, but as I play GaiaOnline I find that it can be creepy when people want to have a girlfriend or boyfriend with someone they never met. I find it impossible. It just...doesn't work. And I believe, I hope, that it is usually just a role playing game on such massive multiplayers. But what about other sites that are serious about matching up strangers looking for love? People, do it the natural, real way: in person. Take a tip from the prairie dogs and their social networking.
The internet is the ultimate tool in remaking yourself to be who you want to be in the other person's eyes. Let's admit it: we don't always act like ourselves on a first date. But at least we actually meet the person on a date. We want to present the best of ourselves and leave the little details of our flaws behind, if just to impress someone for a couple of dates, until those flaws eventually catch up. However, with instant messaging, online dating services, and games like GaiaOnline you can take your own image and morph it in any way you want. You could be misleading, or you could be blatantly honest since in either case you can reason that they are just strangers you are talking to, the kind you will probably never see; but either way, should you present this perfect you and expect to have a real relationship? Or bear your soul to a stranger on the monitor and expect the same in return? Besides the truth, what about an emotional or physical connection? The internet dashes it all away. Yes, someone can tell you that they are sad or happy or otherwise, but how can you know and why would you care if you are not there with them reading the expression on their face? And forget about hugs. The internet provides no way for physical contact.
Nothing can replace the human touch. Human touch is an important, integral part of human life. Why is it that there are so many rules against inappropriate touching? Because touch makes such a huge impact on us, which is why we need appropriate touching all the more. Everyone needs a hug once in a while. I mean it.
Of course, I don't mean that all relationships made online are contrived. I just hope that, every once in a while, such people take a step back from the screen, look at their pale tan from it's glow, and wonder when the last time they had real contact with their friends. Every time I do this, a wave of sadness rushes over me, because I miss my friends. At college, I wouldn't spend all my time online. I wouldn't forget to eat. I would have friends to remind me of everything I could be doing. I don't have that luxury at home. All I have is the nagging in the back of my mind, reminding me of what failure this summer promises to be. No job. A calculus class I'll probably fail like the rest of my classes. Little to no contact with friends busy with their productive lives. And now there is a pain in my tummy; I can't decide if it's from lack of food or lack of love, it's just that...sometimes...a *hug* on instant messenger is not enough.
What on earth is Gaia online? Seriously? Lemme tell you: it has nothing to do with the "gaia" of the gaia hypothesis or Final Fantasy. But it does have pretty clothing that you can buy with gold and therefore I now play it. It turns out that these people have their own real t-shirts that you can buy! AND they have, in the past, booked an entire Ironman screening especially for "Gaians"! I mean, they DO stuff. Wow. They MEET each other IN PERSON. Huh. I dunno, I'm fairly new to this massive online multiplayer thing, but I hope my current addiction now doesn't go that far...I check it more frequently than facebook now, and that is saying something.
The thing with facebook is that I normally use it more during the school year to keep in contact with some friends...kind of weird since you would think I would use it a lot more in the summer when I'm away from a lot of them. I find that less people check their facebook while at home, as well, so it's better to give them a call, which I certainly appreciate since it is much more personal. I like it better that way, I should use the phone more often!
Oh, I guess I'll show you what I do on Gaia, so here are some avies! This is what I want my avatar to look like (but its impossible because the game won't let me layer the socks and the fishnet stockings and some other stuff...): And here's Light! Just for fun...
Right now I have enough money saved up to buy the special edition of GTA IV and a 360, and goodness that is soooo tempting! But if I make the purchase, I will feel very broke and...well...spent. Plus I think I have plenty of things right now to keep me busy...er...ok not really. I would just feel guilty because I HAVE NO JOB. Thus I feel bummish. Yes that is now a word. Get up to speed.
I just can't stand the thought of going back to Kohl's. The management at the one I worked at sucked and the workers were all lazy...I felt like the only one willing to work for my wages there. I can be quite motivated when it comes to money. Anyhoo, I tried to get a pharmacy job for this summer two months before school ended, and nothing, nada at any of the several nearby Walgreens. I can't work at Osco or CVS because apparently I have to already be in pharm school. Pshhh. Now I'm looking into libraries...anything but clothing retail, especially a place like Kohl's. YUPYUP!
So I have planned to learn a new piece on the cello this summer since I don't have a job (yet...) and I've been so damn lazy I can't stand it. It is the Cello Suite #5 - Prelude by Bach. Here are two versions of it that I like but I will probably never be able to mimic:
Yea...very difficult. But if I get serious about it, it will certainly keep me busy. I like having high goals for that reason. Oh, and if anyone knows who it is that performs the version as played in the anime Blood+ by Hagi, please tell me? It's amazing.
On a fun side note: I can play this tune easily on the cello but it wouldn't be nearly as impressive as this guy playing the same tune. He's even using vibrato! Ok, well, yes, he should probably just eat his vegetables...but I'm still impressed.
My first day back and it's Mom's Day. Good thing I bought her present on my little shopping spree. Yaaay! I woke up this morning and mad mom pancakes, like every year, and I even made them in the shapes of M's as well as plain circles so that I could spell out mom...but this year I did something new and creative! I made smilie faces!! See? See? I'm rather proud. The only thing is, I took so much time to make them that the ones already made got cold and I had to microwave them for a few seconds...oh, well. I'll be faster next year.
We didn't do much else. I gave her the gift after rummaging through all the luggage and duffel bags and garbage bags for it (still haven't unpacked...I haven't even tried). Then I asked her where she wanted to go out for dinner since we usually go to a nice restaurant. My mom said, "You know, I honestly have a taste for a Philly cheesesteak," (lol) so I totally agreed. It's more affordable that way, and it's what she wants, I reasoned.
It was 5:55pm at the mall when my mom was gonna order. The place was closing down since 6pm was the closing time, but there were 5 minutes left, so she asked the guy working there to take her order and he said no! On Mother's Day! She pointed this out and still he said no! Gawd. What a jerk. So we went to Portillo's instead. And that's my Mother's Day for ya!
As humans we are symmetrical animals. But what's interesting is that we are not perfectly symmetrical. In fact, if you took one half of your face and "doubled" it to make a perfect match to the other half, you would look like a different person! Er, slightly...well, some more than others, I suppose.
Personally, I've noticed that the right corner of my lip naturally curves up in a little smirk while the other is sort of frowning down, all sad-Eeyore-like. I like the smirking side...it would be cool if I had that on both sides, though then I couldn't call it a smirk if both sides were upturned the same way.
Anyhoo, I've been playing around and I look a bit different using this photoshop technique. Interesting...
Oooooh by the way: I'm going home today! I still have to pack...and it's already 3am?? Last night I stayed up until 7am this morning...then woke up too late to do anything like return my books, turn in a job application, and work out some insurance stuff. Gaaah! I wasn't even doing anyting! Stupid Gaia Online...but that's for another post, another day. For now, I pack!
I mean that in the least dooms-dayish of attitudes. Although I am quite sad at the prospect of leaving U of I for the summer (and perhaps facing some dismal grades later), I am glad that finals are over. Next year I definitely want to stay here. My chem final was...well...it was. It's in the past. That's all that matters. I would have posted yesterday, but I was on a super fun shopping spree to blow all the money I so carefully penny-pinched this past year. Shopping is so fulfilling yet so emptying at the same time...
And THAT is my lame post for the day. I'm off to do laundry (yes at 2am; when do you do it?). RANDOM PICTURE!!
Just recently my watch has been ticking VERY loudly. No one else notices of course, it's sorda like when you feel like your heart is racing and seems like the loudest thing in the world but no one else can really hear it. Which makes me wonder if maybe something is wrong with me...? Captain Hook had a phobia of clocks (Chronomentrophobia) and their ticking, but he had good reason! The sound of ticking was usually accompanied by the crocodile that bit off his hand along with his watch! Funny how he was sensitive enough to the ticking that he heard it through the croc's tummy, eh? I wonder how he is originally portrayed in the book about Peter Pan...I've seen the Disney version, Hook (with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman), and the most recent Peter Pan.
Yes, I think I liked the live-action ones better, but I think in all of them I liked Hook the best as a character because as he points out in Hook, "What would the world be like without Captain Hook?" It would be a silly little fantasy story with no plot because there would be no baddie to fight and cause trouble.
One more thought: Hook is a depressed/depressing character. In Hook, he's got nothing to live for since Peter Pan is no longer a challenge and even attempts suicide (though too vain to go through with it). And in the recent live-action Peter Pan, he is unloved. He's got problems. And in any version, he gets eaten by the croc, symbolically consumed by his fears and shortcomings.
Which brings me back to my problem. Why am I hearing my watch so loudly?? I hope it's just because the organic chemistry final is so near (a few more hours now...at 8am...), otherwise I have no idea why this is happening. Plus I can't stop wearing my watch! Especially for the exam, I'll need it.
Hehe. The organic final is my crocodile. I hope I come out of it alive.
I am a master at this. Finals are scary, but not enough to scare the procrastination out of me. I'm hopeless! Watching South Park, playing GTA IV, or listening to musical soundtracks are all more fun...I mean, of course it's more fun, but I should focus on studying. Aaaarrrrrgg.
Speaking of GTA IV, I played it for the fist time at Joe's and I have to say...I'm so jealous. I NEED that game. I haven't played video games with such an interest for almost two years now, and GTAIV just gave me back that spark. Now I just have to find the means to get a 360 as well as the game...hmmm...anyone wanna get me an early birthday present?
I'm basically hoping to just hold on these last few days of finals. I've had two and I still have three left. It seems like a lot for this week...wish me luck! I'll be done at this time on Wednesday!
I went on a barbeque over at Sharon and Deo's house last night. I knew I wasn't going to get any studying done, either way, so it was a good break. I smell like FIRE! And I love it. It's been a long time since I've had that outdoors-y camping experience and it was good. I got to play with fire which is very good. And we played brawl and badminton! Yea!
That is why now I'm in the long haul! At least, for the short amount of time I have left before the final. I can't believe we have 3 exams AND a cumulative final. *headdesk* This is it. I am dedicating this day to chemistry.
F.I.N.A.L.S.
In other news, as I was looking for DMC pics of Dante and Vergil, I came across some cute ones like this And then I come across the ones with reference to Dante's Divine Comedy, particularly Inferno where those two show up. Yikes.
In this oil painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905), Dante, who wanders and loses his path, and the one leading him through hell (I guess you can say he's a guide), the ghost of the roman poet Vergil, are in the background. I would guess that this is the 7th ring of hell (see the demon in the background?), which houses the violent (that looks like an uncomfortable position...not to mention the biting). In most painting of Dante's Inferno, Dante and Vergil are clothed while hell's inhabitants are naked, exposed to the elements. So I honestly thought this was some erotic painting at first, but then I looked into it, and so...yea, its strictly symbolic.
If you are not familiar with Dante Alighieri's Inferno, it's basically an epic, amazing poem originally written in Italian where Dante writes about his travel through hell. In fact, it was such a convincing and shocking poem that, during his time, people actually thought that he had walked among the dead, suffering sinners of the underworld. Pretty cool.
I've been meaning to read it since I have a copy at home that I started. It can get pretty dense and confusing when he talks about politics of the times and whatnot, but hey, I guess that's what the extra notes in the back are for. There's even a full text online, but there are several English versions, so I don't know how this one compares. Oh, hey, but if you want to explore the nine rings of hell without reading all that, this site is a fun way to quickly explore hell(click on the key down below for an explanation of the objects). You can even find out which one you are most likely to end up in. Macabre, I know, but entertaining. But to get the most out of reading the actual thing, I found a nice university site with it all neatly explained and analyzed. Yay!
This is Devil May Cry 3, and perhaps your first encounter with it. I am happy to be introducing it to you, in that case. Behold and be schooled by its awesomeness. If you ever have the time, you can ask to watch my mad skills at this game. Speaking of time, don't read on if you don't have any, because I would prefer if you could watch EVERYTHING at once. The following are some opening scenes. Dude, this game got even my MOM hooked, it's that good. And if you are going to watch, please do them in order, including the ones I had to link instead of embed. If anything, watch mission one (scroll down...).
The original opening...I guess you can skip it, but it lays out some of the storyline for ya.
The prologue featuring Vergil is ~*here*~ and him being badass below. Again, not necessary to watch, but Vergil is soooo cool. Cold, I would even say.
THIS IS A MUST SEE!! It's the opening of the first mission. It was was actually quite intimidating for me, and a bit scary when I realized that I had to actually play as Dante and fight those baddies, but it all worked out ok...the aftermath below was fun to watch, and I could say that "hey, I played the part and kinda rocked at it, yea!"
And of course, the brothers fight. Isn't that just fascinating? I dunno, just the idea of having twins be so alike yet so polar is fascinating to me. I guess that's why I bought that book or why I'm interested in Death Note (not for the twins thing but the whole being alike/opposite between the main characters thing). This ties into the original opening and I would suggest watching that first to let this have more meaning. :) The dialogue is a little lame, I'll admit, but whatever. Before the fight:
After the fight:
What's cool about these two is that they are always at it! You actually fight Vergil THREE times! You even get to fight WITH him once! So much Vergil, so much happiness. <3
By the way, if you are interested in seeing all of the cut scenes, they are available on youtube starting with ~*this one*~, though its not the best of quality. Also, it may seem long, but keep in mind that if you've gone through all the above, you've seen most of the first part, plus you can skip over the parts where there is actual gameplay. Sweeeeeet.
I don't have much to blog about since finals are up and coming and so my friend requested that I post some hot final fantasy guys...well...I found an ok youtube video, a quiz for you to take (yes, yes, you're studying, I know, but it will honestly take you less than a minute), and another video...for fun ;D There you have it!
I was at a French class barcrawl last night, which was pretty fun. We all wore our homemade Fabien t-shirts (lovely and artistically exquisite, all of them). I had nothing to do during the day and so that's when I made mine. I walked to Firehaus with Brian to meet up with everyone. It's too bad he got turned down at Legends so early on. And with Jennifer's boyfriend's ID! I hope neither one gets in any trouble. Allie came all pre-gamed and ready, snapping lots of in-your-face pictures with my camera, wearing Fabien's coat, braiding his hair, etc. We all found it strange how Fabien didn't really know how to smile for pictures. Oh well. Also, the French have a funny way of dancing. Or maybe it's just guys in general. Overall, it was a great experience just barhopping in French.
I think I'll leave this video up! I actually like a different song by Mathieu Chedid (or just -M-), but I like this video better, so...wait...why should I choose? I'll put them BOTH up! The second song is the one I like...but isn't he strange? Eyecatching, that's for sure. Is it in a good way? You decide.
I may be paranoid, but there is a book, Dance of Death, that has been following me for over a year now. I first saw it in a magazine on a page that I cut out to use as a bookmark. Then, after throwing it away and forgetting about it, I was surprised to find the same ad in that little ad space on yahoo email. As soon as I seemingly put it in the back of my mind, I would again see some sort of ad for it! I finally bought the book the first time I came across the actual thing one day this past January and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since. I feel a bit guilty for giving in to the promotions, but ever since I bought it, those encounters have stopped. Phew.
Well, I finally started reading it, and let me tell you, the inner cover is misleading. I thought it would be about a genius detective hunting down his evil genius twin, but noooooo. [SPOILER ALERT] The genius detective is dead. That’s how it starts out. And some schmuck of a lieutenant, an average Joe, gets the job of hunting down this elusive mastermind. I’m 6 chapters in and desperately hoping that Pendergast (genius detective) didn’t really die, just like his twin didn’t really die. If I wanted to read about realistic people, I wouldn’t. They are all around me. I want the fantastical.
And it just so happens that this book is the 2nd in a trilogy of Pendergast thriller/detective novels. Fantastic.
At this time, only a week away from the beginning of some grueling finals, I've dived back into my bad habit of Death Note obsessing. I spent 2 hours watching clips of it on adultswim, and they aren't even in order or anything! It's like I can't let go of it. Granted, I never watched the entire series, but I told myself after realizing how much time it was sucking out of my life by just reading the manga that I would stay away from the anime, and any other manga or anime that interested me for that matter. It's just not worth it. It made me spend a LOT of time on the internet for no reason, finding things related and unrelated, wasting time...even leading me to other obsessions. I made a neighborhood on my Sims 2 game and was the first on the internet to successfully post my L and Light Sims 2 renditions. It's a bit crazy looking back on that... Overall, it was a vampiristic experience, which much to my dismay needed to be ended. And now it is back with a vengeance, threatening to suck all my time once again. Anyone have the garlic equivalent for this kind of thing? Better yet, pray for me.
I went to my first large group, which happened to be the last one of the year, yesterday. At first my motivation was that I would get some good observations for my anthropology field project, but I also knew that it would be fun to hang out with the small group members that would be there. Large group and small group are gatherings where members of CFC (Covenant Fellowship Christians) study the Bible, sing, and listen to a sermon (sermons are only in large group). I'm glad I went. It seemed to be the right sermon for me to go to since it talked about what it means to be Christian. There was a video with testimonials of the graduating seniors, and those really spoke to me, especially when some of them reflected on how they were simply church-goers and not true Christians, which is how I feel that I am now. Being Christian or Catholic means more than going to church. It is through our actions and reflections in every day life that we are Christian. I've come to realize that I need to shape up spiritually, on top of trying to shape up physically. It's time to trim off all that lazy spiritual fat!
That's right. It's a real condition. PED has afflicted me! I thought I studied enough today...I suppose.
I was finished with classes at 11am and so I ate and went to get some tickets for a Sinfonia de Camera performance this weekend that I'll go to with Amy, because I know she'll appreciate it as much as I will. I even printed out and mailed my transcript request! I was being so productive, but being productive makes Kathy sleepy. So of course I took a long nap, after which I furiously crammed. It was to no avail: I failed. And I know it. I probably got the lowest score in class, because I know that this time everyone was well prepared. It wasn't difficult...I just didn't practice or take the online quizzes seriously. I felt just as broken as after exam II. I wandered a bit. My mood was very much...anywhere the wind blows.
The weather is great, so I walked around the engineering quad and stopped in Grainger. I've never been there before. And to think that in my entire 2 semesters here I've never step foot in this awesome library. I'm definitely studying there for finals. It's not like the main or undergrad libraries, it really has that study study study vibe and its easier to concentrate...maybe because it is in the engineering district?
After about a half hour of wandering, I felt better. I guess.
Yea, so the barcrawl didn't really happen. I still didn't get any studying done, but at least I know now that I can get some sleep and that I won't have a hangover for tomorrow. I went over to my friend's apartment where a big group of us played some card/drinking games, watched Tila Tequila, and ate puppy chow. The last time I had eaten was before work, which was around 1pm, and I got there around 8pm, so I guess it wasn't a good idea to start drinking, but that's all that we had...so I drank until I started feeling tipsy after 4 beers. By then we finally went out to eat and planned to hit some bars, too, and I was thankful because I needed some food in mah belly!
We went to Jimmy John's and once I downed a turkey sub I sobered up instantly. It was already 11pm once we got to talking and we realized that we ALL had some sort of test/job/early morning class tomorrow (er...later today) to be awake and sober for! So...yea...plans have been moved to this weekend when we all have some time.
One thing I will take out of tonight's experience is a newfound love for AC/DC. I mean, my mom loves the band and I grew up listening to them, but playing Thunderstruck and really listening to it...well...there's something special about the guitar opening solo and the voice of the lead singer that really had me hooked. And I was listening VERY closely since I had a very loooong part of the song to have to drink to. I finished one entire can because of that part. One minute may not seem like a long time (check it out at about 29:40), but not when you are trying your best to chug slooooowly.
But we had fun anyways. At least we played some games. Today wasn't a bad day overall besides my constant anxiety over chem. It was a beautiful day and my class once again went outside for French. We can all tell that Fabien, our graduate professor, is winding down, what with all the outdoor talks, movie watching, and him bringing in friends just to chat. It's awesome, but I gotta remember to wear sunscreen! I'm frying out there, even if we were out for less than an hour. Today we played les loups-garous (werewolves) which is pretty much like maffia, only we obviously had to speak in French. So it was like this only during the day, outside and without the beer. I think I spoke more French today than the entire past two semesters because I was one of the werewolves and people were actually very suspicious of me, so...that was interesting.
I worry about orgo eating me alive. And being kicked out of James Scholar...because I'm teetering on the borderline as it is. I worry that every nice, cute boy that I meet and like will be gay. And I also worry about the state of the education system in the district I work in. And now, I worry about not having anything to blog about. Gaaaah!
I've done nothing much...I feel like I had SO much time this weekend but it is now all spent, wasted away. At least these guys wasted their time being productive with SOMETHING. All I can do now is get some sleep and hope that tomorrow (er...later today) I will buckle down and get some studying done.
Hmmm...methinks my blog looks rather boyish...but I LOVE DMC so it'll have to stay for now. :)
So I'm not sure what to blog about...I should really be studying for my orgo exam on Wednesday since I won't have time on Tuesday...
OH! I'll blog about how excited I am about Tuesday. I have a buuuusy day: I work in the morning (tutoring at an elementary school), then classes, then work again until about 6pm, and after that I'm going to my first barcrawl! I'm excited. I'm going with a club with people that I actually enjoy spending time with.
On a side note: I am hopelessly addicted to stumbleupon. and now I make a blog? *headdesk* I'm never gonna get anything done.
Hi there. My name is Kathy, and yes, despite the look of my blog, I am a girl. I am a college student doing Pre-Pharm, a chemistry major and a French minor (I've finally settled!) and I like Devil May Cry as well as a million other video game, novel series, anime/manga, and t.v. show fandoms. Welcome to my life and do read the random thoughts posted to the right.
