Godelsensei

I simply delete anything with "FW:" in front of it, unless some one has explicitly told me they are going to forward something of import to me. To be completely honest, I don't check my e-mail, period, unless some one has told me they are going to send something of import to me. (It's then that I delete all the superfluous crap, including chain-letters.) The worst are the ones telling you failing to forward the message in the next fifteen milliseconds to 5648957398457394857 people will end in the death of some innocent half-goat girl-child with a boob in the middle of her forehead. Aiya.

Prince. Of. Persia. Actually, the situation surrounding "The Sands of Time" has always seemed bizarre to me: it didn't sell well at all, yet everybody who plays video games seems to have played it and loved it. Maybe I'm just lucky enough to not end up communicating with lesser folks. (Any one who couldn't love Prince of Persia would have to be extraordinarily lesser.) It's a brilliant game, with a fun, story-book-like feel to it. The characters are appealing, if a tad predictable--The Prince, himself, is absolutely lovable. Even though the graphics have grown out-dated and whatnot, it's still extremely fun and rewarding to play. The only real complaints I had while playing it was that it was too short and the fighting was laid on too liberally. (I am just a big fan of puzzles, but I think a lot of people agree with me on this point.) Another is Voodoo Vince. As much as I "do not prefer" the Xbox, I found this game ridiculously cool. (It's also whimsical and cute.) The entire voodoo bit where you chuck yourself into peril takes a bit of getting used to (What kind of gamer jumps into a blender without thinking, after all?), but is original and refreshing. The graphics could be better, but hey: Xbox.

Interestingly, you're more likely to contract Mad Cow from Gummi Bears than a t-bone. I am not a big fan of candy: Nerds, Gobstoppers, chewing gum...eh. It's all kind of dull. However, I [b]adore[/b] chocolate. Just about any kind of chocolate, with anything in it, on it, or [i]whatever[/i]. I can't resist it. It's just so yummy and endorphin-releasing. That said, I guess I'm more into pastries than candy. Butter > marrow extract.

[quote name='Generic NPC #3']Most American grade schools do not offer other languages.[/quote] Really? And all this time I went thinking you guys were forced to learn Spanish from the age of eight. : / In Canada, French is mandatory. You usually start learning it in grade three, though I learned some in kindergarten. It's interesting to hear from one's parents how the curriculum has advanced. My mom tells me the stuff I'm learning now is beyond what she ever did in high school. Who knows? Maybe our school system will actually start producing bilingual people some day. -_-;; It's pretty important for kids to at least become used to the idea of learning new languages. After tacking one, after all, you know how to handle a third or fourth. It's such an important thing to be multi-lingual these days, what with globalization and all. Also, depending on what language you learn, it can broaden your understanding of your own tongue. So I'm pretty surprised.

Perhaps it's just a result of my obsession with grammar, but I have never found languages that daunting. I think through what I'm saying in English a lot and see it in a way that would probably seem bizarre to a lot of people, but it helps with my French. That said, I think a lot of the trouble people have with learning new languages stems from not thinking about how their own works. When I speak English, I'm unconscious of the grammar rules I am executing at that second, but I reflect on them pretty often. If you are learning French as a second language, having been brought up speaking English, you can simply exchange English words for French ones, without changing their order noticeably, in a lot of cases: [i]J'ai mis le livre sur le table.[/i] [i]I have put the book on the table.[/i] Same number of words, in the same order--they were simply exchanged for their English equivalents. A lot of people don't consider this sort of thing, for whatever reason. When learning an Asian language after speaking an Romantic one, you, obviously, can't apply this rule. However, having sporadically flirted with Japanese, I've learned to think of it in a very systematic way. It doesn't really flow like French or English do. It's more like a math equation to me, though it may seem strange. Consider Skip's custom title: [i]Anata wa soko ni imasu ka?[/i] [i]Are you there?[/i] The Japanese version is full of particles that seem pretty arbitrary to me, as an Anglophone. I can't really think of it in the same way as I could, [i]"Est-ce que tu y es?"[/i] That said, I have found Japanese to be a much more straightforward language than most romantic ones. (This could be a product of inexperience, I guess, but I think I've worked at it enough to develop a legitimate point of view.) It's less dynamic than French, in a lot of respects, at least to me. Regardless, languages are fun. Also, being able to order dinner in Montréal without being sneered at is nice.

This is an excerpt from a story I'm writing. Though it should be at least sort of obvious from reading the thing, it takes place in a video game. [center]***[/center] It was simple, really. While the thing was set to ?auto? all she really had to do was keep her foot on the gas pedal and try her best not to crash into anything. The wheel was smooth and slippery under her sweaty hands: despite the simplicity of it all, she was nervous. She wished she had a pair of those gloves the other drivers did. The ones that kept their hands from slipping. She leaned out the window before buckling herself in. ?Ninja? Doushite?? What was the matter? Why did he look like he was about to be sick? He looked at her, confused. She repeated what she had said, but he didn?t understand. He caught her drift, though, and forced himself to smile. He gave her the thumbs up and pulled his helmet over his head, signaling for her to do the same, which she did. It was uncomfortable and claustrophobic. She had to untie her hair to make it fit inside. Now, it was making her head itchy. Did they really have to do this? It seemed so out of their way. She closed her eyes and opened them again, just in time to hear the horn blow. She slammed her foot down on the gas. She was going to win. She had to. That was what she was afraid of: losing. Not crashing into a sheer face of rock or running off the track, into the water, or hitting another car and causing the gas in both their tanks to explode. That sort of thing just didn?t happen. So why had it even occurred to her? She spun the wheel, barely making the first turn. She was driving on the shoulder, now, which was slowing her down. She accelerated, managing to pass the car immediately in front of her without hitting it. Then, she realized it was Ninja?s car and her heart sank: he was a worse driver than she was. There were more turns coming up. Dango braced herself. She swerved around them, once bashing into the wall. She bounced off and kept going, only slightly shaken. But something was wrong. The jar had bashed her head against the inside of her helmet and she was beginning to feel woozy. She was not made for this kind of thing. But why did it hurt? Why was her heart pounding so furiously and why was her vision becoming blurry? She could not see where she was going. Whose car was in front of her? Who had she just rammed from behind? Who was spinning off the track with her, into a wall? Dango screamed and, instinctively, covered her face with her hands. She remembered to brake at the last second, but it was no good: she was moving too fast. Why had she taken her hands from the wheel? Why had she lost control? She was pinned between a hunk of smoking, flaming metal that had once been a car and a wall of rock. She thought, for certain, she had broken both legs. Shrieking in pain, she scrambled with her arms to open the door or window. Nothing worked. She wasn?t strong enough. She couldn?t do it. She could feel the heat from the flames and began to sob hysterically. Help! Help me! No one came. They wouldn?t have known what to do if they had, she thought. She was trapped in a flaming wreck of a racecar, with broken legs and bleeding fingers, with no way out. Then, there was screaming from outside the car. She could not see who it was, from her position, but thought she recognized the voice. What were they saying? It sounded important. The windshield shattered. Only one piece of it managed to cut her however, and she wouldn?t have cared if all of them had. Some one was pulling her out of the flaming wreck and talking to her very quickly. She couldn?t see whom, but she knew the voice now. It was Ninja. He had stopped and forfeited the race to pull her out of the car. ?I don?t think this sort of thing is supposed to happen,? she told him. He babbled back to her, but she didn?t understand. ?It was nice of you to come and get me. I thought I was really going to get hurt.?

[quote name='Sapphire Flare]Yeah... But I don't believe that [I]all[/I'] humans only use 10 percent of their brain, I believe that some can use... more... and that's what gives them knowlledge of things like that.[/quote] Every one uses every part of their brain, at some time or another. If you didn't use 90% of your brain it would turn to a lump of dead goo, in the same way an arm that has just come out of a cast looks disgusting and withered. It's a myth that was used to sell "intellect enhancing" products in the early 1900s.

I find it bizarre that any one would attack a genre of [b]pornography[/b] because there is something wrong with the [b]plot.[/b] That's like complaining the "articles" in Playboy aren't revolutionary enough. When it comes to slashy couples, the entire point is to force characters upon each other for no reason other than, "Wouldn't it be hot if..." That's why series like Gravitation, completely bereft of plot after the fifth volume, are popular: because it has boys kissing boys. (Even though Gravitation is abrasively softcore...)

Inevitably, my this year's yearbook has ended up covered in bizarre doodles, the word "YAOI" and people thanking me for teaching them about "healthy living". Then, there are the entries in Chinese/Japanese, which I cannot decipher for the life of me. I don't know what spurs people to write a long series of kanji in a white kid's yearbook. *eyebrow* Anyhow, most of the messages left in my yearbook are inside jokes, as per the norm. One guy did draw a picture of Gackt, though. Some interesting "entries", if you will: [b]Eating people is a pleasure. Watch your lawn! If you're not careful, I'll set up camp! By the by, thanks for teaching me about all sorts of wonnerful things, i.e. culture, politics, and pornography healthy living. The Buoyancy Force lives! Art class will be so boring now that you won't be there to rant about the stupidity of creationism with me.[/b] Maybe not the most amazing things ever, but I liked these entries. : ) Too bad they edited most of the homoeroticism out of the yearbook itself. Boo.

Boy bands aren't coming back because every one has learned to see them as more evil than Lucifer. They're worth laughing at, at best. And that's on a good day.

Ryan Malcolm sang at my cousin's wedding, which I shall always find amusing and kind of cool. Aside from that, I've met a few authors, mostly of children's books. There are always movies being made in this city, though, so I hope to see a star one of these days.

[quote name='Dagger']However, I do feel that Boogiepop Phantom is quite underrated. I like it a good bit better than Lain and Paranoia Agent and pretty much all the other shows of that type. It's just amazing how the story weaves together; I've never seen or read anything else constructed quite like it.[/quote] Really? From what I've seen thus far, I like Paranoia Agent better than Boogiepop, though it's mostly for artistic reasons. (The sepia irks me, for one.) I like Boogiepop, though--don't get me wrong. I think Lain is pretty overrated. It's supposed to be "weird" and "eerie", yes, but it takes it to a point where you have to force yourself to watch sometimes. (I couldn't really get into it, even after four or five episodes.) I can't say whether it makes sense or not, because I haven't seen all of it, but I think weirdness has too be taken in a more involving direction. FLCL was weirder than a great number of things, but was [i]really goddamn fun[/i]. The Cat Returns is overrated. Every one likes to go on about how it is "omgz so kul lolzorz", but it isn't at all magnificent. It was about as involving as any new Disney flick and a total waste of money, since I could have bought Mulan on DVD, instead, and been much happier. Also, the Gravitation anime. I don't know where to start. It just [i][b][u]SUCKS[/u].[/b][/i] The manga was wonderful, but there was nothing I could like about the animation. At all. It is just so [u]bad[/u]. In every single way. O_o

[quote name='dragonandante']For some reason, I can't view any comments at all... also when I go to customize my profile all I see is the html code... is that something new since I haven't been using myotaku for a while...[/quote] This same thing happens to me now and then. It goes back to okay after a while, but I'm not sure what causes it in the first place.

[quote name='Generic NPC #3']The funny thing is that if I thought in a "reasoned and logical manner" I'd disagree with that article in almost every way to begin with.[/quote] Basically. Perception [i]is[/i] everything, however there needs to be something to perceive. True, some organisms see mostly in shades of grey and some not at all, but that doesn't mean what they're perceiving doesn't exist. Also, I do not understand how this fellow or lady can go on about "real matter, if it exists", while maintaining that we are trapped in our brains. Our [i]brains[/i] exist. *eyebrow* This reminds me of the claim that "The Matrix" series were conceived to make us think living in a computer script is impossible.

[quote name='rokas][color=sienna][font=comic sans ms][b][i]Look at old Romeo and Juliet and then look at the more modern Titanic charecters.[/color][/font][/b'][/i][/quote] I wont start on my feelings about Romeo and Juliet (really, it's far from a great work of, well, anything, if you think about it), but I can tell you that the stars of Titanic were Jack and Rose. Additionally, Shakespeare did not come up with the story of Romeo and Juliet. He simply took a well-known ballad and turned it into a play. That said, I find it very silly whenever some one claims old literature is the only literature. Every story follows a formula. You could argue that this means there are only two or three stories, in total. However, it is the interpretation that is key. Oscar Wilde, for instance, wrote things considered terribly risqué and, in some cases, downright inappropriate. However, were the same works to have been published first in this decade, no one would have much to say about them, as wonderful as they are. Stories that may have presented new or daring ideas a hundred or a thousand years ago have become outdated. To get some one to really care about a Romeo and Juliet-esque tale, to have them see it as insightful and fresh, you'd have to make Romeo a woman or find some other twist to make the story interesting. Basically, writing has to be up to date with modern taboos and mind-sets. Which brings me back to Romeo and Juliet: [i]-a couple of kids talk twice and decide to get married -their families hate each other[/i] Yawn. Sure, this kind of story helps lead to modern literature, but, really, it's not that special, in its own right. (Admittedly, Shakespeare's brilliance lay in the writing, not the story.) Also, this situation is highly unrealistic. No contemporary fourteen-year-old girl would marry some one after talking to them twice, unless they were a very dramatic exception. The Lovely Bones, depressing as it might be, is a brilliant, original, insightful book. The concept is not anything amazing or even unusual, but the execution is mostly breathtaking. It appeals to modern-day conflicts, taboos, and views on life. Had it been published fifty years ago, it would have been banned so hard it wouldn't have been able to see what hit it. Today, English teachers hand it to their students, telling them to read it for their own benefit. It's the kind of book that makes a big impact now, but probably wont be given an iota of thought twenty years from now, let alone 100. Many, many books were published many years ago. And nobody remembers most of them. There are a handful that really stood out, that were new, brilliant, fresh, and exciting. And now a lot of them will seem dry as dust to a lot of people. Years from now, there will be books published in this decade that every one will remember and make reference to a long time from now. However, most contemporary novels will go out of print and be forgotten. This doesn't mean they're not worth reading. It simply means they're not timeless, in the vaguest sense. Also, a lot of stories are remembered now because they were so publicized when they were first written. Shakespeare's works were famous then and earned him a very large house. Everybody had heard of him. Harry Potter has been given so much publicity in its short lifetime that any child you'll run into will have at least seen the films. When they have kids, they'll hand them their old books and say, "Read. For your own benefit." It's why six year olds know the words to songs by Elvis, despite his being long dead and his music being irrepressibly tame. It was new. [i]Once.[/i]

Actually, I've never heard of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I have a friend who probably has a few of their songs, though, so I'll be sure to check them out. I'm not sure who it's by, but A Chick From Korea is a great piece of modern instrumental, as is The Sinister Minister. However, to get back on topic (sort of), I am very fond of the use of classical pieces in movies with a contemporary setting (Beethoven's 9th in ROD, for instance), since it sets such an interesting mood. Perhaps it's because they're so well known--you suddenly find something familiar attributed to a setting or event you'd never associate it with, normally. I love the music from "Pirates". It's a soundtrack that I really ought to own, come to think of it. I find it funny how pirates have pretty much earned themselves their own genre, or at least scale.

[quote name='Jake of Bodom']Does TSO=Trans-Siberian Orchestra? That would be incredible! I LOVE the Trans-Siberian Orchestra! They actually helped create Symphonic Metal, by the way. Those guys are incredible, and if they were playing Star Wars, it would be musical nirvana.[/quote] Ahahaha. God, that is too funny. Sorry, I'm just used to using the acronym without people asking what it stands for. I mean the [u]T[/u]oronto [u]S[/u]ymphony [u]O[/u]rchestra. They're pretty cool, too, I guess.

[quote name='Jake of Bodom']Simple Plan and New Found Glory? Eeeeewwww. Sorry, that's just my opinion, but then again, I'm biased: I'm a fan of music that requires skill, passion, and creativity to play.[/quote] Haha, I like you, kid.^_~ Anyway, I hate Simple Plan because they are a disgrace to my culture, so I must vote for New Found Glory. Aside from that, I really don't know enough about any of the bands mentioned to have a fair say. (However, I will say Rammstein [i]is[/i] pretty cool, though their subject matter can be rather unnerving at times.)

[quote name='Jake of Bodom']Speaking of film scores, I think the Fellowship of the Ring score is incredible! The orchestration is really tight, and It covers everything from quiet and solemn to epic and full. I love it! Anyone else with me here?[/quote] Damn straight. Howard Shore, were he more prolific, would be almost up their with John Williams. But gods have to [i]produce[/i]. It's sad, actually, because I can think of a lot of movies he would probably have done wonders with the scores for. I have the Fellowship of the Ring piano book and playing the pieces is a lot of fun, too. I'm now reminded that the TSO is putting on a Star Wars concert towards the end of June (or was it July?). I'd really like to see that, since it's one of the coolest things I've gotten wind of in a while. That said, I love the Jurassic Park and Harry Potter scores Williams created. It's interesting, because you can tell he composed them from the octaves. (I'm not thoroughly schooled in theory, so I have to describe it in a primitive way. Boo.) Anyhow, if you listen to the famous low-note high-note from the Skywalker Symphony, you'll notice it's similar to the most memorable sections of the Main Themes from Harry Potter and Jurassic Park. Somebody, please, explain this better.^^;;

[quote name='Retribution][SIZE=1]Same thing goes for those tampon/sanitary pad commericals. Only those are worse. Because they never, ever say anything about menstruation or periods or what not. They rarely have the pad, but [I]if you're lucky[/I'], they'll show you the tampon.[/SIZE][/quote] "If you're lucky." Ahahaha. I adore the PSP commercials, even though whenever I say so, my cousin is there to say, "Too bad it's a faulty product. If I have to listen to one more customer complain at me about their dead pixels..." The one of all the people looking down on the screen is, frankly, one of the best adds I have ever seen. Truly taking the art of advertising and keeping it that way: an [i]art[/i]. I actually forget what it was an add for by this point, but there used to be this one where a guy got into a conversation with a police officer or hospital worker or some one telling a bunch of kids on a field-trip about the cars. He read the word "AMBULENCE" backwards, like it's written on the ambulences, themselves. "ECNELUBMA." He yelled it, too. It was just funny, in a weird way. I hate Christine McGee and her Sleep Country ads with a passion, however. Her voice is simply fingernails-on-chalkboard-esque. "IF WE STACKED THEM IT WOULD BE THREE CN TOWERS HAHA LOLZORZ!!!!111one" *shudder* They used to have those shampoo commercials for L'Auriel (I probably spelt this horrendously, but hey.) Kids. I always thought they were yelling, "We like hamburgers, too!" It made no sense to my seven year old mind, until I realized they were actually saying, "We're worth it, too." Go figure.

While it is a well-known fact that bands from Montréal are consistently awesome (barring a couple that shall go unnamed), I have never been a real [i]fan[/i] of any of them until now. As in I would actually freak out at the chance of seeing them live. I picked up Funeral, their first album, released last September, and have absolutely no complaints, whatsoever. The art is somehow charming, if a tad depressing, and the music itself...breathtaking. I had heard one of their songs, Wake Up, previously, via [i]someone[/i], and liked it enough to give their album a try, but I wasn't expecting what I got: a collection of songs so amazing, every one who walked into the house while I was playing them said, "What is that? It's great!" The fact that they sing partially in French makes it all that much cooler, along with their having a song entitled "Laika". [i]Laika[/i]. That's just too awesome for words. My favourite songs on the album would have to be Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) and Haiti.

I picked up Demon Days yesterday, with barely any past knowledge of the Gorillaz, however I was not disappointed in my purchase at all. (It doesn't stand up to The Arcade Fire I bought the day before, of course, but hey: nothing does.) I guess I was drawn in by how utterly adorable the art on the cover is. The art inside the book is highly cute, as well, for the most part. : ) My favourite track would probably be "Don't Get Lost in Heaven", but the whole album is fun and unusually diverse. (I had always thought there had been three separate songs in the orange iPod commercial, until I listened to "Feel Good Inc.", at which point my head might have exploded if it weren't for my having heard Plastilina Mosh in the past.)

All I really have to say is this: [i]count the chords[/i].

I'll just take for granted that, by classical, you are referring to "old, instrumental music". That said, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, [b]Vivaldi[/b], Mozart. Amazing. Sheer brilliance. Utter genius. I like classical music because it is something you really have to [i]listen[/i] to. Things like Winter, anything from Carmen, or even Peter and the Wolf. The music tells a story, is full of nuances, is so ingrained in our culture, it is considered artistic to re-adapt them. There are so many instruments in most classical pieces, so many chords. It is far superior, technically, than any new music you'll hear. Any one can create a catchy tune, but it takes [i]skill[/i] and [i]genius[/i] to create the kind of music that would have met past eras' standards.

[quote name='SadBlue']-In some hockey games, they use a broadcasting tool called a "Fox-puck" It's a puck that has special sensors so that it glows neon-orange on film. This is, of course, so that people can keep track of the puck. This is such an exasprating task... seeing as how the ice is white and the puck is black... Thank god TSN never sold out to somthing that stupid...[/quote] Oh god. Stupidest. Thing. [i]Ever.[/i] *shakes head in disbelief* There's this Christian couple who come on TV once a week or something to sell people video tapes/mugs/t-shirts that will keep them safe when Judgment Day happens. They also spend a lot of time accusing other Christians of being "lukewarm" and "woman-pleasing". Which is funny, seeing as one of them is a woman. I've actually been tempted to call in and say something logical, but there's a toll.