New Year's Resolutions... Let's Keep 'Em This Time

Well, the end of 2008 is upon us. This year had its ups (release of Brawl, election of our first Black President, the year I became more open to my several fetishes), as well as its downs (shitty economy, celebrities dropping off like flies, my personal life), but it's kinda melancholic to see it go so quickly. It seemed like yesterday that the year began.

Anyway, many people make New Year's resolutions, comminting themselves to accomplishing whatever it is that they've been putting off. Well, most people don't keep them, for some reason.I intend to. I have a few of them that I will try my best to fulfill:

1. Practice my drawing skills. This is something that I've been wanting to do for a while, but never got around to doing. Especially since I have a story in my head that I might want to publish as a graphic novel (anime-like TV show and video game are two other options). I also want to draw some more one shot pictures relating to my... fetish. *ahem* >_>

2. Get my life together. Yep. I said that I would do that this year... and I tried, but it fell arart. This year, there will be no excuses. I'm already kinda enrolled in a school, I just need to do a few more things before it's finalized. I also need a job, because I'd love to have some money on me for once (something I've severely lacked all year)... and to pay off the debts I owe.

3. Actually get serious about learning how to drive. My current learner's permit is going to expire on the 6th of January... Not enough time for me to get some serious experience in and then get my license before that date. I guess I'll just have to use the bus and walk... until I shell out more money for another permit and then start driving lessons.

There. Those are the major ones I intend to keep this year.

Good-bye 2008. Bring it on, 2009.
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Christmas Cuties

Well, tomorrow is Christmas, and instead of ranting against some aspect of the jolly holiday, I'm going to instead post something you all might enjoy more.

...That's right. Cute women in Christmas-themed photos.

This was partly inspired by the Christmas contest on Really Cute Asians (and yay for me being a runner up! ♥ Yuko Ogura), but unlike there, I'm not going to solely focus on Asian women.

...That said, all but three of these pictures are of Asian models... Sorry, but while I do have a large collection of pictures of non-Asian pictures, I don't have much in the way of Christmas themed pics. A shame. I'd love to post some of Mila Kunis, Adriana Lima (and I'm pretty sure some of her exist, too), and Rihanna. Ah well...

And to give credit where it's due... I found most of these pictures over the web, but the Yumi Sugimoto, Nozomi Sasaki, and Hwang Mi Hee pics came from the old Really Cute Asians website. Gotta love that place. ;)




Alessandra Ambrosio is looking really sexy here. Can she be my Santa? I'd rather have her than an old, obese man.


My favorite glasses girl, Ami Tokiko, is giving a cute smile.


She opens some wine. ...Sorry, but I don't drink. ^_^


...Okay, one little sip can't hurt. ^_^


So, who here wants to unwrap Erika Sawajiri? Well... Unwrap her more than she already is...



Yumi Sugimoto is looking really cute here, and, of course, in the Christmas spirit.


Her smile is going to lighten up my Holidays.


Her present? She's giving out hugs. ...To inanimate objects.


Those lips make me want to go in for a taste. Can that be my present? XD


Hearts for all!!


Christina Milian visits a Christmas village. They're some lucky S.O.B.'s...

Yuko Ogura is looking cute as always. She would make a great elf. :3

You know what? I think I'd rather have Nozomi Sasaki here as my Santa instead of Alessandra. Sorry, but I can't pass her up. XD

Yep. She's my Santa. XD

...

Yes, I see it, Jun Natsukawa. But you should have worn a Santa suit... Oh well... I still love you. ^_^

And last, but not even remotely least, is Hwang Mi Hee, also joining in on the festive season.


...And giving some of her trademarked cute expressions. :D

She is such a cutie. Oh, and all three pictures of her were posted as a single pic. I broke them up, and thus, the "Merry Christmas" was cut. But that's not what matters here. :P

That's all. Have a Merry Christmas!

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Christmas Music? Sorry... I'd Rather Listen to The Rising Sun

If there's one thing I hate about the holidays, it's the god-awful Christmas music.

Yes, they're supposed to set the mood for the holidays, and that would be all fine... except that it seems that the people singing them have less originality than rap artists.

I used to work at a Salvation Army thrift store, and around this time of the year, my job would play the Christmas station all of the time (usually, it'd be on the smooth jazz station). I swear, I heard the same song like 5 times a day... and if that wasn't bad enough, I heard at least 3 different versions of that same song in the same day. Can these people think of any original songs? No... Instead, they decide to create their own spin on a song that already exists.

Not to mention that some of the singers, and songs, are frikkin annoying. That hippopotamus song? Yes, I know that it's a metaphor for her wanting a lot of stuff for Christmas, but I still hate the song. Also, the singer's voice is annoying. I also HAET "Little Drummer Boy." It sounds a bit too ominous for the season. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a decent song, but then you have like 500 versions of it that ruins what value it has. And the icing on the cake? This song where dogs barked "Jingle Bells." But believe me, there's more songs that I hate.

I can't wait for the Holidays to pass.

Oh, and "The Rising Sun" is the final battle music from Okami.

Good stuff. This is way better to listen to than that Christmas nonsense.
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People Whine About the Holidays

Well, Merry Christmas.

Oh wait... Happy Holidays.

Huh? Is it Season's Greetings?

Who cares?! Lately, people have been getting their panties in a twist over the proper holiday greeting for this time of year. Like, if you tell someone "Merry Christmas," they go all balistic on you.

Now, to be fair, this IS a free country, which means that people can practice whatever religion they want, so that means that, of course, they may not celebrate Christmas. But, c'mon... How are the greeters supposed to know what religion you are? ...I guess that's why most stores are advocating their employees to say "Happy Holidays." Better safe than sorry, right?

But when we're outside of stores, people throw fits when someone, in their good nature, tells them "Merry Christmas." These people went out of their way to bless you a good time during the holidays, and then they get all pissy because "it's offensive." Here's an idea: Shut your mouth, smile back, thank them, return the greeting, and go on your way. If you don't celebrate Christmas, that's fine, but don't give those people a hard time.

Also, like it or not, this IS a Christian country (even if it has no official religion), so most people WILL be saying Merry Christmas. It's just something you just have to deal with.

Now, Merry Christmas. ...Wait... It's still three days away. Ah well... Happy Holidays, then.
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Shoeball

Well, the whole world knows by now what happened to Bush in Iraq a few days ago. As he was giving a farewell speech, some guy stood up and threw both of his shoes at him. Luckily for Bush, he dodged them, and the man was taken away.

Now... Is it wrong that I wish that at least one of those shoes hit Bush? I mean, I don't like Bush. In fact, I can't wait for him to get out of office. Seeing him get hit by one of the shoes would have been funny, and the highlight of his Presidency.

Though, I'm not stupid. If that DID happen, you can bet that the U.S. would get pissed off at it, especially the conservatives and Republicans. Tensions in Iraq, which weren't exactly stable to begin with, will reignite and explode. The "war" would become even more bloody.

It may even be the spark needed to start World War 3.

Ah well... It'd be worth it. ;D

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Okami

Nowadays, many game companies do not try anything new with the industry. They just pop out the same cut-and-paste concepts that the people seem to want, and then make sequels to that if it sells well, changing little from the original game.

However, Japanese studio Clover tried something different. Thus, Okami was born. Released in 2006 on the Playstation 2, and then ported to the Wii earlier this year, this truly innovative title tried something new. Of course, it did not achieve the success in a market dominated by God of War, Madden, Grand Theft Auto, and Halo, and to those people I say, you are truly missing out. Okami is one of the best games I have ever played.

This story places you in control of Okami Amaterasu, a wolf incarnation of the Sun Goddess. Ammy, as she is called often, must go through the land of Nippon and rid the world of evil. The story is set in three parts, each one with its own antagonist. From a deadly 8-headed dragon to a nine-tailed fox, the enemies in this game are creative, if not a bit zany.

Of course, what sets this game apart from the rest is Ammy's ability to use the Celestial Brush technique. Yep, with a press of a button, the environment becomes a painting canvas, and you can use a kind of ink to paint on the environment. Depending on what shapes you make, or how you paint, this can have several effects; from making flowers sprout, to reviving dead trees and revitalizing dead soil, to controling the elements, and even creating objects out of thin air.

You learn more Celestial Brush techniques when you find Constellations. Each constellation corresponded to an animal of the Chinese zodiac, and they will teach Ammy a new technique. There are 13 in all (though all three of the water techniques count as one, according to Ammy's partner Issun).

The game sort of plays like a Legend of Zelda game. There are dungeons, with keys and puzzles, and the big boss at the end. Though, it should be noted that, while I love Zelda, I had more fun with this game. Also, like many Zelda games, many of the constallations are found inside dungeons, effectively serving as the "treasures."

The music is beautiful Traditional Japanese music, which fits in with the overall tone of the game. The graphics and art direction is also beautiful. The game has a watercolor-style that makes it resemble old Japanese paintings. Still screenshots do not do this game justice. You have to see it in motion to see how beautiful it is. There's no voice acting, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

There's a lot more to the game than what I described here, but I think I've covered most of the basics. If you have a PS2 or Wii (preferably the PS2, as I've heard that that version is better), and love action-adventure games, you owe it to yourself to get this game. This is one game that you should NOT miss out on.

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Wah, Wah... You Can't Criticize Islam!!

So... This is old news, but it seems that some people are trying to make it a law so that the religion of Islam cannot be criticized by any form of media. I'd provide a link... if I had one on me.

So, my response is this: Are you kidding me?!

I'm pretty tolerant/accepting of all religions (except Satanism, but I consider that more of a cult), but I don't think that any one of them should be banned from criticism.

This is basically like a kid in a school playground who is teased constantly, so he tells the teacher, and she (yeah, I know that teachers can be male, but work with me here) tells the other kids to stop taunting him.

Of course, the other kids are still going to tease him. Probably even more now, as now he's a "crybaby snitch." The same with Islam and this... movement.

Making a law that bans criticism of a religion (a large one at that) goes against out constitutional right of free speech and freedom of the press. Therefore, it shouldn't be done.

People criticize Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions, and there hasn't been a law that bans anyone from doing so. Why should Islam get that benefit?

If you're going to ban Islam from being criticized in the media, you might as well do it for every other religion.
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