Convenience is good...but not in TV

Sadly, I had high expectations for last night's episode of Smallville. "Hypnotic" involves a hypnotist (no kidding) who takes control over Clark, breaks up him and Lana, and tries to use Clark to kill Lex. Yay for...pointlessness. So why did I have high expectations? Because I read the synopsis wrong and I thought she wanted to use Clark to kill Milton Fine. Yea, that didn't work out.

The episode was too much filled with...nothing. Watching Smallville is like sitting down to a meal and discovering that all you're being served is water. There's no MEAT (or vegetables...whatever). And at the end of the meal you realize that you're still craving food. Well, no DUH, you just had a meal of water!

The show is sprinkled with some slight sense of plot. The Return of Milton Fine, for example, and his plans are slowly being unraveled. That's always interesting. But the rest of the show was pure crap! Craptacular crap!

Too much of this show is just too convenient - things are explained away noticeably. I mean, for example...when Clark uses his super strength on Lex, the show has Lex believe its a product of the hypnosis...which really makes no sense! Especially for Lex, someone who has been investigating Clark's supernatural abilities, it doesn't make sense that Lex would automatically assume Clark's strength was due to hypnosis. The writers wrote themselves into a hole with the whole scene and they used Lex's exclamation as a cheap and obvious attempt to keep Clark's secret.

And then, when Chloe and Lex are struggling for the gun, I love how they just happen to shoot the hypnosis crystal. How convenient. BLAH.

The return of Milton Fine, and Clark and Lana breaking up for good are the only significant events to happen last night; scenes that probably took up 5 minutes max. Where did the other 35 minutes go to? I don't know...I just don't know.

And give me a break, Clark and Simone totally did it. That's the only logical outcome. Yes.

Oblivion arrives, quality Lost returns, and my struggle to end boredom continues...

You may be under the impression that since I haven't blogged everyday during this break that I may have escaped my prison of boredom. Untrue. It only means that I am lazy.

This break hasn't been all bad though. I hung out with some high school friends, watched a few movies (V for Vendetta and Jet Li's new movie Fearless - some of his best work i'd say), and played card games. I had fun committing suicide in Mafia just to throw people off.

... I think they hate me now. :(

In other news, The Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion has been widely acclaimed as one of the most impressive games of the year and a definite contender for Game of the Year by several gaming sites (including gamespot.com, ign.com, and gamespy.com). Gamespot even goes so far as to say "[Oblivion] is simply one of the best role-playing games ever made."

Oblivion is the sequel to the 2002 Bethesda production Elderscrolls III: Morrowind. Along with impressive graphics and audio, the series features a unique roleplaying style where you don't get experience points. Instead, the more you do a certain type of activity, the better you get at it. For example, the more you fight enemies with swords, the better your "Blades" skill gets. The more you sneak around, the better your "Sneak" skill gets. Oblivion has improved and expanded upon this idea by setting tiers within each skill. When reached, each tier grants the player with new, more powerful abilities.

Featuring an impressive cast of characters (voices include Jean Luc Picard/Professor Xavier and Boromir from Lord of the Rings), Oblivion is also the first game in the series to feature full voice-overs for all dialogue (although, this is somewhat expected of a game of this type now, thanks to Bioware's KotOR and Jade Empire). The music is suitably epic - I already own the soundtrack and I haven't even played the game. Composed by Jeremy Soule, Oblivion's soundtrack alternates between sweeping melodies and heart-pounding scores.

Anyway, enough about that. How was last night's LOST. Did you see that? Because if you didn't and you plan to, you probably shouldn't read on. Because I'm going to ruin it. I'll ruin it good. Stay away.

...stop reading dammit!

Meet Henry, Lost's resident prisoner/beat-up guy.

In my opinion, last night's episode "Lockdown" was probably one of the season's best. Sharon's death was...not that tragic in my opinion, and for the most part this season has been full of filler. Even Claire's adventure into the jungle was kind of disappointing - nothing happened.

Finally, something's happening.

Last night's episode was another Locke-centric episode... maybe they should have called it "Locke-down" Haha. ha...ha. I have to admit I could barely stand to watch the flashback parts of this episode because SOOO much crap has happened to the poor guy already. Poor Locke. Poor, crazy, Locke.

The real meat of the episode occurrs on the island. A lockdown procedure is initiated without warning, trapping Locke and prisoner Henry Gale inside the hatch. Meanwhile, Jack and company manage to find not one, but two balloons. Sayid finds Henry's wife's grave and his balloon, just where Henry said it would be. But another balloon (was it a balloon? maybe it wasn't...) pops up out of nowhere with a bunch of food and supplies...how the heck did it get there? Who the heck sent it? More unsolved mysteries! Bah.

As Locke and Henry are trying to pry open the blast doors, Locke becomes trapped underneath one ( a relatively stupid move). Bad timing results in the computer alarm sounding. Locke is forced to ask Henry to push in the code. And then all we see is Locke trapped and him yelling "Henry!" Oh, that and a mysterious map apparently written by Desmond only visible under a blacklight on one of the doors. Yay...more...dangling...mystery...

...yay for suspense.

So it turns out Henry did push in the code, and comes back to rescue Locke. The lockdown is mysteriously deactivated, and Locke is freed. Yay! Happy ending.

Until Sayid and company march back into the hatch that is. Apparently Sayid dug up Henry's wife's grave (Oh Sayid...*pat pat*) and did not find Henry's wife in the grave. No, he found Henry. Henry Gale. Yea, he found him in the grave, dead and...black?

Maybe he went on that new "Black & White" show - you know, the one where people switch races o_O. And then went on "The Biggest Loser." And then went on "Survivor - Lost Island." You never know! That could be the case!

...yea. Finally something significant happens. Hurrah!

Looking back on what I wrote, if you havent been keeping up with Lost, then you'll have no idea what I'm talking about...and if you have...then you probably watched the episode already, and didn't need the episode summary. Yay for uselessness.

Ok, I'm bored now. Bye!

I blog during breaks

...because i have nothing better to do. how sad.

I've decided that wrecklessly spending 500 dollars on an xbox360 and oblivion isn't going to happen. Mostly because i don't have 500 dollars and see no way to acquire it. other than selling my body that is, and i'm tired of doing that...

yea, ok. I'm kidding by the way. KIDDING.

i hate you all.

And besides, even if i did have 500 dollars...apparently the xbox 360 is STILL sold out. All the sites i've checked are sold out of 360's...or if they're not they're selling them at ridiculous prices. RIDICULOUS. Admittedly, they're being bundled with games and accessories and whatnot, but I don't want that crap, and certainly I don't want that crap AND have to pay for it. I'd have to whore myself out for real. FIE!

So, I've decided to instead wait to buy a decent graphics card. Right now I'm looking at the GeForce 6800 GS...apparently it's a pretty decent card and it's under 200 bucks. That's...affordable. I've been meaning to get a better graphics card anyway...i'm still using the integrated graphics card that my computer came with o_O. Let's just say it's not the best card for running games.

Mmm...everybody's so sad lately. Feel better! Don't worry about it now, it's over and done with. Just sit back and enjoy break! Enjoy it, dam you!

From Boredom to Oblivion

So now that finals are over and I'm back in fremont for spring break...

...

...uh...

...

Yea, I'm bored. God help me. So bored in fact, I'm really tempted to go out and spend 500 dollars on an xbox 360 and Oblivion. How I'm going to get these 500 buckaroos I have no idea, but all i know is that I want to do it. badly.

Oh, and the Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion came out on monday, and so far it has been widely praised and critically acclaimed. Stellar graphics that take full advantage of the next-generation gaming power, plus a renovated combat system that feels like an action game, plus a compelling story, plus enchanting music from award-winning composer Jeremy Soule, plus a world that is actually ALIVE (or as alive as a dead artificial intelligence can be) equals impressiveness.

Yea, I really want to get this game. Just LOOK at the detail!

..and these are in-game graphics! Not cinematics, not art...actual in game graphics. LOOK at those TREES. My god man, it's prettier than real life. cuz in real life you know that church would be all stained and dirty from rain and whatnot, and that horse would be pooping all over the place.

Yea, so if you have 500 bucks to spare that you don't know what to do with, please, give it to me O:)

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Effortful

I feel so productive today. Not only did I get started on PIC hw, I finished all of my econ hw and successfully passed the VITA test that took me 5 hours to do. Yay for 74% passing.

I haven't talked about TV in a while...I might do that over break...too busy for much else right now.

Oh, and peter I still have your jacket.

Effortless

My pic homework was effortless this week. Why? Because I put no effort into it. Also meaning I didn't actually do it.

Hah. I tricked you.

Why am I doing this when I should be putting effort into pic? I don't know. I'm clueless too i guess.

*chomp*

Meaningless

So i've been updating this blog very infrequently. Truth is, I am just lazy.

There, you know the terrible truth.

So I haven't gotten any internships...but I'm still going to apply to the mid-tier firms. Hopefully some of them will take pity on me and decide to offer me one.

Schoolwork is going to kill me though, PIC in particular. I'm seriously reconsidering this specialization. It seems like a lot more trouble than it's worth. Still, I'm already so far into it that I might as well finish. I only have 3 more classes.

Mmm...life is for the most part dull. And what's not dull is just annoying. Or maybe it is dull. Annoying and dull.

Battlestar Galactica season 2 finale is coming up this friday! wooooooooOOooOooOOOooo. I guess. The second part of season 2 has been surprisingly disappointing actually. Although it's been picking up. Smallville has been too I suppose...

I don't know...I feel kind of...blah. Not that I wasn't. I feel extra blah. Blah. Blah and stupid.

Incoherent and confused.

ill void YOU

somebody fix this function for me. It's supposed to play a skip-3 solitaire game. Basically you deal out cards one at a time in a row. if the card you just dealt has the same suit or rank as either the previous card or the card 3rd previous card, you take the card you just dealt and put it on top of the stack it is equal to.


void rowOfCards::consolidate()
{
node*p = data.begin();
p=p->next;
node*p3 = p;
while(p!=NULL)
{
if (data.size() > 3)
{
p3 = p->prev;
p3 = p->prev;
p3 = p->prev;
}
if (data.begin()->val == p->val)
{
p->val = data.begin()->val;
data.erase(p);
p=data.begin();
}
//else if(data.begin()->val == p3->val)
//{
// p3->val = data.begin()->val;
// data.erase(p3);
// p3=data.begin();
//}
p=p->next;
}
}

Deloitte does not want me. :(

...and professor riley won't respond to my request to extend the homework due date.

god help me...

...

I guess it's been a while since I've done this.

I'm starting to feel the pressure. Thank god I'm only taking 3 classes this quarter. What with accounting socials, accounting internship applications, accounting interviews which I probably won't get, and the accounting internship that I won't get either...um...I lost my train of thought.

You know, I'm strangely optimistic about getting an internship this summer. Even though my resume has nothing but my grades (which aren't that good) and BAY and VITA...both of which I have only been in for less than a year. Yes. Strangely optimistic. I keep telling myself that I won't get it...but for some reason I just feel like I will. Like the internship will fall magically out of the sky right into my lap.

I wonder how long I can be so self-confidently arrogant. Probably a few more weeks, until I realize all of my friends have internships and I still haven't got one. I'm thinking that's when it'll stop.

I've been calling people "liar" a lot recently. I wonder why. Maybe because I'm such a big slut. Seriously my fake relationships with everybody on the floor have become...very odd. I'm not sure if I'm crossing lines, or if I'm sending out weird signals or what. I dunno.

I miss the simplicity of high school. Everything was so black and white then...

Sigh

sigh.

<(*.*)>

You're UGLY! ...on the outside. But you'll go to heaven.

o_O

Apparently this little one-eyed monster reminds someone of me. I don't know if it's the one-eyedness or the extreme ugliness.

...damn, it's the ugliness.

This dog is alive. It really is. And the picture is copyright Jeffrey R. Werner. All Rights Reserved. Yes, I didn't mean to ruin your belief that I created all these images by myself. I apologize.

HAHAHAHAHAAHA]

Back to the Futurama...

Huzzah! Futurama, an animated comedy set 1000 years in the future and created by Matt Groening (You know who he is. The creator of Simpsons. See. You do know.), has a chance of being resurrected!

Like Family Guy, Futurama aired on the FOX network for several seasons (where it won 3 emmys) before it was axed and taken off the air. Strong dvd sales and rerun viewership have initiated talks to revive the comedy! Personally I think Futurama is better than Simpsons...maybe even better than Family Guy. But maybe that's just the sci-fi nerd in me talking.

Anyway...things look hopeful.

Oh, and happy birthday little bro!

Resolve...do i have it?

Resolutions!

1. Get into shape! For the first time in my life. maybe. hopefully. maybe.
2. To attain an overall gpa of at least 3.6 or higher. That's really all I can do now :/
3. Not be bogged down by past fears/worries.
4. To appreciate all my friends more.
5. To *gasp* eat less ramen.

I want these to come true so they will. Or will they?

No, they will.

Yes.

They will.

Happy New Year!

With a new year comes a fresh start. Happy new year everybody :)

Take this frighteningly accurate color quiz! It will tell you your darkest secrets and greatest shames! Ok no it won't, but it's still accurate.

www.colorquiz.com

color me impressed. and also somewhat frightened. at the accuracy. good god its the accuracy!

Boredom: The Year in Review (Part 2)

Hey, who's your daddy? Most Compelling: Veronica Mars

Despite the dad's rather disturbing inclination to spout that line off to Veronica as often as he can, Veronica Mars remains in my eyes the most endearing, enjoyable, and overall best show of 2005. With its stellar cast, impressive dialogue/writing, and a thoroughly good mystery, there is little that this show lacks. Every episode brings forth new character development, crazily clever antics, and development of the season's story arc. I haven't seen such good tv since Buffy! And Buffy was good.

And on that note, there have been a lot of comparisons of Veronica Mars to Buffy, both having strong and independent female leads. Not to mention Joss Whedon himself is a huge fan of Veronica. Still, there are some significant differences, most notably the fact that Veronica Mars is, at heart, still only a teenage girl. And she doesn't have any super powers. She has weaknesses (her "fight" with Aaron Echolls for example) and faults (I would hardly attribute her vengeful nature as something good. Entertaining though). And these really make her character believable and likable.

Season Two continues in the same fashion as season 1, except with even more veronica-y goodness. I can't wait till the next veronica mars marathon at sproul.

Runner-ups: Battlestar Galactica. As I'll mention soon, this show just manages to suck you in, no matter how much you might hate sci-fi. Ok fine, I don't know that for sure...

Who can resist sexy cylon #6?. Most Surprising Hit: Battlestar Galactica

BG may not have Star Trek's super-futuristic technology, or Star Wars' jedi force/lightsabers...but what it doesn't have it makes up with believable characters, a great plot, and ... something, I don't know what that keeps me coming back for more. Seriously, it's hard to pinpoint exactly why Battlestar Galactica is so captivating. I mean, other shows have the same qualities...what is it that sets BG apart?

Oh well. Let's just say it's the pretty people and move on.

Runner-up: Veronica Mars. Yes, even I was skeptical about how good a show about a teenage girl in high school could be. And I'm sure all of you out there still are. IT"S GOOD I TELL YOU. WATCH IT.

A Show that I know I should have watched earlier but stubbornly refused to and now regret doing so. Best Anime Series Ever: Full Metal Alchemist

I still fondly remember those lazy summer days where I had absolutely nothing to do and was dying of boredom. Suddenly, out of a haze of google websites came narutofan.com and with it all the episodes of Full Metal Alchemist. I've already reviewed it, so let's just say that Full Metal Alchemist will capture both your hearts and minds if you haven't seen it already. And if you have, I'm sure you feel the same as me...waiting for that distant day in the future when you come back to the old classics and stumble across this jewel of a show, turn it on, and relive the greatness.

Runner-up: Bleach. While Bleach has that more "cater-to-viewers-for-commercial-purposes" feel (FMA was an art...Bleach is less arty), this anime still manages to deliver a good combination of action and story. The current arc is almost riveting...I was right about the main villain, but that's not to say the show's not good.

One word: Shocking. Most Disturbing: Nip/Tuck

Yes, I've already raved about this show and only a week ago...still. Nip/Tuck takes this award hands-down. I have yet to see another show that manages to twist everything up so bad you actually start feeling bad for the characters...even the ones that you know you should hate. The show may not be perfect, but it definitely is disturbing. And the surgery part is perhaps the least squeamishness of the show. Sick relationships, startling character flaws, and of course the big mystery twists at the end of the season are all done well and believably. Disturbingly believably.

Runner-up: Speed Grapher. There are some rather dark and uh...not-so-pleasant scenes in this anime. But Speed Grapher wasn't nearly as good as Nip/Tuck...and the disturbing factor had more of a shallow quality. As in a lot of it was gore-related. Meh.

Still leaving us wanting more. Most Mysterious: Lost

Lost is such a tease. I almost hate it at times, but after watching almost the entire first season within 48 hours I'm addicted to it as I am to ramen. I just hope that it doesn't go the way of Smallville. It probably won't. Or at least that's what I tell myself.

The first season was brilliant. A fresh and original series that relies heavily on both character development AND storyline plot is definitely a good thing. The second season has been heavily character-based however, with a lot less main plot going on...at least so far. The latest episode gave a little more of a hint to the secret base on the island, but not enough! I want more and I want it now! Yes, I'm spoiled.

Runner-up: Veronica Mars. I totally could not predict the ending to the first season of VM. And it was good. And what's good about it is that Veronica Mars actually had a resolution...perhaps why it's less mysterious than Lost. Which in my opinion, isn't a bad thing.

Boredom: The Year in Review

So, another year comes to a close, and my endless journey to escape from boredom comes one year closer to its inevitable outcome. Which is, of course, death. I mean, what could be more boring than death?

I guess that's subjective.

Anyway, here are my awards to the the entertainment's industry most notable products this year. I'll start off with the more dubious ones because I like to end on a good note.

Dreams are for crushing. Biggest Disappointment: Smallville

Oh Smallville, you had such promise. But as the seasons go on, I've started to realize that this show about Superman really has none of what Superman should actually be about. And that is? Violence! Combat! Beating helpless mortals into little piles of pulp, leaking all sorts of bodily fluids in all directions. Ok maybe not that much, but COME ON. Smallville is about SUPERMAN, and yet the most fighting I've seen is Clark and Brainiac duking it out for...about 30 seconds. And there wasn't much to it. Blasting each other with eye beams. Huzzah. Not to mention the tired and repetitive breaking-up and reunion of Clark and Lex. God, turn EVIL already.

The pretty people just aren't enough to cut it anymore, Smallville. Unfortunately I've already become addicted to you like you are - dare i say it - RAMEN. So I can't stop watching. Damn.

Sliding down a muddy hill. Most Dramatic Decline in Quality: Naruto

Dattebayo! Damn the fillers. Everything about this show has gone to ABSOLUTE CRAP. I can understand wanting to wait awhile for the manga, but inserting shoddily made meaningless drivel is not the way to go. Up until about may, this show was fantastic. Great fights, interesting characters, a compelling story...

Now it's the exact opposite. Story? What story? Naruto's storylines now are pointless, filled with characters acting completely out of character, plotholes, and general waste-of-timeness. And even worse, the fights have dramatically decreased in quality. The animation is dreadful, especially when compared to such excellent choreography as those of the naruto-sasuke battle. Bah...We can only hope the new year will bring an end to the filler.

The average of average Joe. Most Unremarkable: Basilisk

There were several other shows that I considered for this category, including Trinity Blood and Speed Grapher. Several things distinguish those shows from simple mediocrity however (Trinity Blood I would classify more as annoying than unremarkable, and Speed Grapher was at least innovative in its combat). Basilisk takes home this award with its protracted and now dull storyline, and its characters who have a tendency to die before any connection can be made.

Sure, the combat is interesting, but it's nothing special if you've already seen the better episodes of Naruto. And I have yet to see an actual conclusion, while both Trinity Blood and Speed Grapher were kind of disappointing. So I guess it still has a chance to redeem itself. Just not this year.

Acting that makes soap operas look like epics. Most Dubious Performance: Anakin Skywalker

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was in my opinion, one of the best movies of this year in terms of storyline, but it was marred by the all-together unimpressive performance of the lead actor, whose name I do not know and am too lazy to find out. Admittedly, it may not all be the actor's fault, as a serious transition to the dark side is undoubtedly hard, especially when the entire change is limited to 3 hours. Coupled with some cheesy dialogue, and you have a potential disaster, but they did well with what they had I guess.

And that about wraps up the less honorable honors. I don't feel like there was anything worth mentioning as the crappiest of crap, but feel free to suggest something.

Endings that aren't endings. Most Angering Resolution: Halo 2

The original Halo was perhaps the perfect game in its genre. A singleplayer story mode that combined great action with a engaging story, and a multiplayer mode that let you link up to 16 players at once in team battles or free-for-all mayhem. Still, what I found most surprising was Halo's presentation and execution of the story, which was probably one of my first experiences with a good story outside RPGs. Needless to say, hopes were high for an equally well-done tale in Halo 2.

I was not let down...until the end that is. Because...the game ends right in the middle. There's this huge cliffhanger right when you should be fighting the climactic battle. WTF (f for fudge). What a sad and pitiful excuse for what should have been another epic ending. I can understand the developers wanting to milk the franchise or whatever, but it's sorely disappointing. Halo 3 better be good. Or I'll be angry.