Aches and Pains: Thanksgiving 2014 Update

Papers, papers, papers, binders, papers, papers, all-nighters, papers, presentations, journals, binders, powerpoints, carpal tunnel in both wrists, dead iPod every other day, papers, essays and more papers and papers. I hardly slipped online to edit posts because of all the last-minute semester scrambling, stressing, and hair-pulling. Analyzing my research data is time-consuming; it's not easy going through over 700 responses, especially the ones who stuck around for my survey and filled in the open-ended questions. I'll be needing a ton of caffeine-loaded soda to get all my stuff done. But the light from my laptop is starting to strain my eyes, and sitting is making my bum sore.

In other news, I'll be relaxing for Thanksgiving and play some Persona 4 Ultimax. I'm convinced Persona Q won't arrive until next week, much to my profound chagrin. Apparently my preorder will fall on my doorstep this week, so I'll cry if that doesn't happen. When I'm sick of MegaTen-related stuff (which might not happen b/c Ultimax and hopefully Q), I might play around with Mass Effect 3 to take some more last-second notes I may have forgotten about. Any other game I play will be a luxury.

Once winter break happens, I'll try to pump out a few posts to wrap up the year. I haven't done a music-related post in a while...

Eh... why the hell not? I haven't had the chance to talk about them anyway. Might have to pick up This Is War too for more context...

Anywho, everyone have a good week. Enjoy whatever you do to relax and be happy for a few days. If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I still wish you a healthy sanity. We all need it to function, y'know.

And may the people of Ferguson have peace. They need all the positive energy they can get so these tragedies are finally taken seriously and stopped for good.

Seriously, this is getting beyond obscene and lands dead in the territory of inexcusable. Whether you have a badge or not, whether you're an adult or kid, stop shooting everyone, America. You're making our whole country, even the sensible and responsible gun owners and collectors, look like incompetent trigger-happy vigilantes belonging perfectly in the twisted, despicable worlds of The Walking Dead or The Last of Us. PLEASE STOP SOLVING CONFUSING CONFRONTATIONS WITH PUTTING A BULLET IN SOMEONE. There is ALWAYS a third option. ALWAYS.

A Miserables Cup of Tea Isn't for Me

Joyful day.

I don't have a fond opinion of Les Miserables, but it hardly bothers me enough to get me worked up for the rest of my life about it. It's not the kind of fiction I've experienced that scarred me permanently. Yet this story has tried four times to stir a response from me, and I had a different reaction each time.

The musical version by far has the most inconsistent yet paradoxically consistent track record: it has always been a profoundly disappointing experience short of such infamous torture sessions as Gladiator and The Dark Knight. My high school's version of Les Miserables put me to sleep thanks to the lousy and chaotic sound production; the 25th anniversary had me mock a Jonas brother through the entire second act; and the 2012 film adaptation made me take out my iPod to play sudoku and alleviate my torment.

Just as I was ready to throw the towel and forever give up on Les Miserables, I found another film version to take a stab at on Netflix: the 1992 one with Liam Neeson. I was happy with the glorious absence of singing, and enjoyed it for being a decent movie. Unfortunately by November 1st, the movie is possibly gone forever for streaming. For shame.

Anywho. As a whole I can conclude from my experiences - as I presumed back in 2012 - that for me Les Miserables the musical has a competent source material that fails as a story adaptation.

I love you too. Spoilers ahoy.

Halloween 2014 Update

Hiya, guys! The worst month I've ever lived through is finally over. All I have is one exam today and I am free from the clutches of stress... for the most part.

Even though it's Halloween, I'm not really going to dress up today. Too much stuff going on and I'd probably prefer spending the evening sleeping or writing. Feels like I hardly get any sleep anymore... and I want to keep hacking at my fanfic.

I wanted to let you guys know that I'm working on a few posts that I want to get out as soon as possible. One is greatly overdue and another is something that I'm in the mood to rant about. Hopefully I can pump out something soon, as I'm tired of having chronic writer's block over silly things. One of the things I'm working on would theoretically recommend me to go home and test out a few things; then I realized I played the game so many times that there is no reason for me to hyper analyze it and take too many excessively pointless notes.

Speaking of games, earlier this month (on that one awful day in fact) I finally beat Persona 2 Innocent Sin. I'm halfway through the most overrated MegaTen series! It's likely I might have to play the game over again or watch a walkthrough before I can judge it properly. I will say, however, that the gameplay is so obnoxious and tedious I really see why the fanbase is divided the way it is. In spite of my complaints about a ton if things, the characters and story were far better than - ... yeah, I'm not bothering to finish that. You guys know me too well by this point.

Someday I'll finish Eternal Punishment, but for now, I might move onto Soul Hackers. I haven't felt so good about a game so quickly in a really long time. If it keeps up, it may end up being one of my favorites.

Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy trick-or-treating or throwing parties or stealing candy from kids b/c no one has money for anything anymore. Be sure to enjoy some scary movies too. Hmm... I might want to watch Carrie again...

Happy Halloween!

My Research Idea Revealed! Ethnography of MegaTen Fans

NOTE: as of November 12, I have closed my survey. Thanks to the 700+ participants who helped me with this project! :)

In my last post I mentioned that I am currently taking a research class, where I learn about methods in conducting research and where I start a project on my own. Because October was such a busy, nerve-wrecking month, I admittedly have fallen behind in gathering data. So to catch up, I'll just say it.

I'm doing online ethnographic research on the Megami Tensei fanbase. In plain man's speak, I'm studying the people who play games in the MegaTen franchise. What games do they generally enjoy playing? What do they enjoy about MegaTen? How did they get introduced to the franchise? Why is MegaTen's popularity growing outside of Japan? What games helped to spread MegaTen love and why?

If you say Persona 4 Dancing All Night as an answer to every single question, I'm gonna smack you.