Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra

Well, I finally bring myself to type something here because... it's been more than a month.

Xenosaga Episode III is impressive, after the rather mediocre episode II. The battle system is a huge improvement from the previous game. The story, well... I don't know much of it cause it's Japanese. Just bits here and there. But judging from the cutscenes alone I guess it's good. Only thing that wasn't up to my standards was the music. The battle themes are okay, except maybe the E.S. ones. Some other themes were taken from the older themes in the last episode.

At this point I'm only done with disc 1, so I don't know how it'll progress yet, but from what I've seen so far, I dont' think disc 2 will disappoint.

I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest yesterday. Why I watched it, I don't know. I didn't even watch the first of the series.

Well then, dinner awaits...

In the Sky

Finally. Third day of the Conquer 'O's, and also the second last day. No more waking up early, at least for the next three weeks.

Been playing Grandia III for the past week. I only say it's good because the only other Grandia game I played was Xtreme, and it was kind of lacklustre. The only thing which compelled me to complete it was the amazing battle system. Yes, it was the only good thing about the game. And Xtreme is a dungeon-brawl more than anything else.

Well, enough of Xtreme. Grandia III started out rather strong, because I was really drawn into it for the most of the first disc. The initial party members were also very interesting. I'm talking about Miranda and Alonso here, haha.

But on the second disc, the story seemed to have less of an impact. And the final area didn't amaze me much. The villains weren't established properly. You don't even get to know his name until the last few cutscenes of the game.

Yet, above all, the battle system is really great. It is what makes Grandia III fun.

Helped Shadowwolf get some of his Blue Magic spells. Some were seriously a pain to get. I guess it all comes at a price. Since they're all free, SE can't make it easy to learn.

Oh yeah, for today's composition test, my mind was rather blank. Until I got an idea from the story of Grandia III. Heh, sometimes game ain't all that bad.

Right now, tired as hell. Night.

Er... Whatever

Day off yesterday, so I practically devoted the entire day to FFXI.

Woke at 7AM, and by 9 I was already in a TP Burn party. Shortly after it ended, I joined a Manaburn party. Got 74, and we disbanded. And then it was lag time in Besieged. Another one happened shortly after. 2 more TP Burns after that. By then it was exactly 12 midnight.

All that for a total of about 64,000 exp.

Good. It's the last day of school tomorrow. Minus the Conquer 'O's and whatnots, that is.

Verklempt... XD

Electrolysis is such a wonderful topic.

I mean, seriously, I don't understand a damn thing about it. As for the test, I can safely say that I'll get less than 5, over 25.

Today one of my friends was like... I'll ransack your bag since you're ransacking mine. Don't even ask why I was ransacking it. And he found the book I hadn't returned to him in months. All of a sudden he's like, WTF did you do to my book!? I stared at it for a while, and was thinking, "eh, it's just the bottom corner of the spine, you know, when you place it in your bag for too long and the edge starts crumbling a little..." So yeah, whatever. He just got mad, really mad. And exclaimed "You shall not be forgiven!", and left.

Right, I see...

No honestly, I don't get it. Like maybe he developed an emotional attachment to the book or something, I don't know. Whatever it is, right now, I don't give a damn. I just want to rant, and then forget about it. >.>

The new Digimon Savers looks pretty good. I like how the anime begins. It looks promising. Heh, it should be, after all the people did to make Bandai continue the production with Digimon. I signed the petition too.

Ah, just the other day I recall standing outside of the classroom during English lessons. Obviously, it's a punishment, but I liked it. It's more breezy and airy. And we don't have to sit in the dreadful room, listening to the teacher go on and on with a boring teaching method. But I doubt this so called punishment is any worse than what some of the others had had.

Right now, bored. Logging into FFXI in a while, I guess.

Later.

Nocturnal

I wanted to take a nap in the afternoon today after returning home from school, but I ended up sleeping...

Until 9P.M.

Bah, now I can't sleep.

I missed lunch, I almost missed dinner, and even then I didn't eat much.

Heh, can't be more excited when SquareEnix has officially announced Final Fantasy XIII for PS3. It's still a long way though.

Wanted to add a link to that, but this Blogger server doesn't seem to work well right now. Had to refresh 5 times to get to the sign in page, and another 10+ just to type this. Now I wonder if it'll even get through. >.>

Peace.

The Past and Pending

Been busy leveling Blue Mage lately, no time to get on here. Haven't gotten very far though. Still at 23, because it's hard to get a party with the shit loads of blue mages on the server. "Blue-burn" works, but I never liked to be the one who starts a party. But well, it's a fun job.

Partied with my bard for the first time in like 5 months. Kinda messed up the macros at the beginning, but gradually got the momentum. We camped at moon, but the EXP. wasn't too good. It was a nice for a start though; no deaths and all that.

Martin logged on for the first time in months. Was sure glad to see him. Too bad the new expansion is not released in Europe yet (according to him).

Biology test tomorrow, but I don't feel like studying. Just came back from piano masterclass, and my mood is just not there. >.> Actually, I don't even feel like doing anything. <.< Bah.

Off topic, The Past and Pending by The Shins is a really good song... =D

Sanctuary

Changed the lyrics. It's none other than Sanctuary by Utada Hikaru, used in the game Kingdom Hearts II.

Oh yeah, about the game, I finally completed it last week. Seriously though, I could've dragged on for two or more weeks, but I forced myself to just see the ending at least once before going back to complete all the optional stuff. Just a while back, I was finishing up on all the GummiShip routes. And thanks to the "doughnut ship", was able to defeat the final boss of "Assault of the Dreadnought" without much trouble.

Sephiroth is so much easier than in KH, at least for me. His defense has seemingly dropped. At least, Fenrir was worth it. Might I add, hooray for his clear pronounciation. Descend, Heartless Angel!

And I guess, in a way, I've decided not to entirely quit FFXI. It's not really because of the expansion, but more of a personal choice. Feels kind of wasteful to put it down now, even though it may be just as stupid to continue. Whatever.

Well, it's not long before the expansion is released. *Starts another countdown*

K for Kingdom, H for Hearts

Finally got the game four days after its original release date. I'm currently at the part before the 1000 heartless battle. Ah, 1000... that's a shitload, I must say. Still, with the nifty Reaction Commands, it'll make it faster.

Also, I got the guidebook today. Feels kinda like a waste of money, seeing how I managed to get this far without one. But, I just had to have it. The guidebook's extremely thick. I think it even surpasses Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.

The final thing to mention is that I finally watched V for Vendetta. Heh, it's a nice movie. Just look at that whole building go KABOOM while Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture(is it?) plays in the background.

Well, too tired to talk about anything else.

POTION

Ah, at last. I've finally decided to try out the new Final Fantasy XII POTION drink. According to some website, it's supposed to taste like Royal Jelly with some other herbs. Personally I've never taken Royal Jelly, so I don't know for sure. Though what it tasted like for me, was a "honey orangy lime" taste. (Ugh, don't really know how to say it, but meh whatever.) And yeah, there's a slight herbal taste to it. It's a little sour and bitter at first, but the aftertaste is kinda sweet. I guess the more important thing is the sweet, refreshing aftertaste, so the initial strange taste doesn't seem so bad after all.

Well, that was how it tasted, at least, for me. Unless my tastebuds are failing me or something.

Hope they'll sell the normal bottle here soon. Can't wait to drink more of it, heh.

5 more hours to the release date of Kingdom hearts 2! (Ignore the fact that shops don't open at midnight.) I don't think I can sleep tonight...

Shadow Hearts: From the New World

Ugh, stupid Purgatory. There I was at floor B6 preparing for the last boss before Envious Jealousy. Unequipped the Warning Device right before heading into the boss's room, and the moment I got out of the menu screen, boom, got an encounter - surrounded by the enemy. Naturally, the damn mobs double-comboed me to death. 3 hours worth of playtime gone just like that. Sigh, should've known better.

Oh well. 2 more days to Kingdom Hearts 2...

Dead Fingers Talk

Yes, the battle theme for the first half of Shadow Hearts: From the New World. I hated it when I first heard it while watching some gameplay videos. But out of the game, on its own, it's really good. Definitely something which surpassed the last two games.

Final Fantasy XII actually got a perfect review score by Weekly Famitsu. Hmm... so it really is that good. Well, 6 more days to its release, so I'll wait till then.

18 more days... (I don't need to say what it's for anymore...)

Ah, finally. It's the weekend. Well, sort of. A mere week of pathetic holidays...

Time to hit the sack.

Keep Tryin' - Utada Hikaru

Nothing much has been going on lately. I wouldn't consider school as part of the "something new", I mean, it's the same routine everyday. For me, at least.

Okay, well, I changed the lyrics. This time it's the ending song of the main storyline in Tales of Legendia. Some people hate it. Sure it may be the typical love ballad found in RPGs, but I like it.
I just started on the Character Quests part of the game. Nerifes was really difficult. ><>< Oh well.

Oh, Final Fantasy XII will be released next Thusday. (Japanese one, duh) Frankly, I'm not that interested. I don't really like the new battle system, and it's not that I'm not used to it. Everyone could cast magic in the demo version. Where's the "every character is unique" factor? Seems like there would be weapon skills, but I prefer limit breaks or just a unique battle command. Hopefully it isn't like that in the game itself. Can't form any conclusions when the game hasn't even been released. I'm guessing that the story is a good one.

Sigh... Where's my Kingdom Hearts II... Argh, 21 more days!

Waiting , waiting...

What!? Final Fantasy XII is going to be the last of the series? Someone posted that in a forum... is it for real?

I doubt that, though...

Oh, and 27 more days to the release of Kingdom Hearts 2!

Blah blah blah

Approximately 31 days until the release of Kingdom Hearts II.

Grandia III seems nice, but I know I won't have time to complete it by the time KH2 is released.

Sigh. School is so hectic, nothing to say about it. Except maybe our class play, which turned out much better than I thought. Okay, well, looking at the script, it was quite okay, but the acting part is a totally different story. As in it was really good.

Right. I'm running out of things to say, so goodbye.

Tales of Legendia

Bought it last night.

So far, 10 hours into the game, it's not too bad. Overall story progression is okay, though some parts of the dialougue seem a little slow. Battle system is rather interesting, considering this is the first "Tales of" series for me.

And well, my cold developed (developed!?) into a fever for the weekend. Head's been heavy all day and nose is almost always blocked. Haha... And I could still play games in the state I was in...

Well anyway, now that I'm okay, I better start on the shitload of homework. Else I'm boned.

5 stars, maybe...

I Not Stupid Too is a really great movie.

It is something that us teenagers can relate to so much. Or should I say, Singaporean teenagers. The movie has its fair share of touching and funny moments. It's placed in a way like this - just when are you on the edge of tears, they throw in a funny part. And it happens in reverse. Still, they're quite well blended.

It's a movie with lots of lessons and positive-thinking values. Having a rotten people doesn't mean you have to throw it away; cut off the rotten part and it's still edible. (Well, something along the lines of that... It's not exactly how they said it.) There's also something about finding the key to the locked door in your life. It remains locked unless you bother to make an effort to find the key. And find more chances to look at the good side of a person, not always pinpointing the bad points. After all, no one in this world is wholly good or wholly bad.

I would recommend everyone to watch it; more so if you're a teacher or parent. (Heh heh...)

See red yet?

Yesterday and today are rather boring, I must say.

Second day of Chinese New Year was spent at my grandparents' place, and uncle's actually. Well they live just a few houses apart. So there was this lion dance troupe that they invited, and I sat so close to it that after it ended I was partially deaf. Yeah I was being stupid. And I didn't really know my cousins well, never really talked to them in my life, so I just sat in a corner. Under the sun, might I add, while they were in the house.

Rest of the morning and late afternoon was dedicated to TV-watching. MTV Asia, AXN, StarWorld. I was constantly switching between them and pausing when something was of interest.

Well for today I rounded up my money and set off for the game shop. I just had to buy something. Stared at the japanese version of Kingdom Hearts 2, priced at s$102! The shopkeeper reccomended the new Dragon Quest, but I didn't like the characters in there, so I averted my view towards Tales of Legendia for awhile, but dang, it's japanese too. Finally I set my mind on Final Fantasy IV Advance. It's definitely not the best among those, but well, I haven't even played it before, it wouldn't hurt.

Maybe I should have waited a little longer. Within the next few months, it'll be the arrival of a whole bunch of games... Ugh, I almost forgot I'm still paying for FFXI. It's driving me bankrupt.

Gonna have "Chinese New Year withdrawal syndrome", as termed by a friend of mine. XD

Corsair

Ah, it's Chinese New Year's Eve.

SquareEnix has revealed another job in the new expansion, Treasures of Aht Urhgan. It's the Corsair, who wields a "6-barrel gun" and apparantly has luck-based abilities. Looks cool, but I'm still more interested in the Blue Mage. Don't know if I'll still be playing when that time comes, though...

Temporarily out of games at home... So damn bored.

Oh well, looking forward to the dinner tonight.

Just Another Rambling

The Math test didn't turn out so bad. At least I didn't fail.

Flag day was... Bad. I mean, after all these events involving NKF, who would want to donate? People avoided, pretended to be on the phone, fumbling with their bags, or looked away entirely, like I wasn't there. I can't blame them though, but, sigh... Us students were made to do it. It's not like we had a choice.

Yet there were still exceptionally generous people on that day. I remember the Caucasian who winded down his car window to pass me $4 while stopping at the traffic light. No, don't get me wrong, I did NOT go tapping at cars, asking for donations. Rather, he did it voluntarily. There, a perfect example of a kind heart. I couldn't help but smile as I placed the notes into my seemingly empty tin. The two notes were all that were needed to make the tin heavy, heavy enough.

Naturally, with it being so light, it was sure to be rejected. I told them I had already tried my best, as should every other student tell them that. Well as long as you really have, and you know it, who cares? Of course I said that there were notes in there. She greatly doubted me, and asked another helper to check with the torchlight.

Yet, even with the notes, she still asked me to go for another round. I had had enough. This isn't supposed to be forced voluntarism or donations for that matter. I said, "If you all really need the money, I'll whip up $10", looking straight into her eyes. For a moment there, she seemed stunned, but then again, they couldn't possibly accept my money at that time, I guess. She gave a slight nod, signaling approval of the tin. Booya!

Of course they would want more money in the tins... they earn more commision, don't they? I'm not exactly sure, correct me if I'm wrong. And donations... it's entirely up to the person whether they want to donate, you can't force them or anything.

I guess the worst part of it was when my friend came across two elderly women, who walked right past him without donating, and said loudly in Hokkien, "Cheat people one lah". Oh well...

This is how the society is. If it was perfect, there would be no need for this; people would come forward by themselves to donate. Welcome to the real world. Hmph.

A 15 Minute Ride

Bro spent 7 days in the hospital.

Mom stayed with him, all the while. Day and night.

House was managed by me, kinda. I didn't do much, but I won't say I didn't do anything either.

To the hospital and back from it - everyday. Pains me to see someone as young as him in this state.

And now, my 'rents are sick.

You ask me why I failed my math test - how could I possibly concentrate?

You don't understand the current situation.

Can't study for the test. House is in a mess.

Is a life or a test more important?

Don't blame me if I fail. I'm not sacrificing a life for high marks in a mere test.

Heartless fools. People are sick here, and there you complain, criticize. Aggravate the matter; add on the pressure.

Say you don't know me. Don't fucking care if I die. Become non-existant. Invisible, ignored.

Fine. I'll mark your words.

And the source of all problems is back.

Can't possibly go on like this...