A good show for the emotionally-deficient

Seems like I'm 2 years behind time, but I thought this would be a good watch for those who have not been conscious of its existence.


Honey & Clover is an anime series which debuted in 2006. It follows the lives and relationships of and between five students in an art college as they realize and try to resolve their own agendas with themselves and each other. Now, while this is meant to be in the slice-of-life category, you will find abundant amounts humor and those little "awww..." moments which will dissolve the slab of stone you call a heart. To my pleasant surprise, this anime is produced by the same studio which brought you Toradora!, and it was apparently very well-received in its time.

For a moment, I almost couldn't tell the difference between this and the Toradora! series, but one of the key differences is that Honey & Clover serves up equal amounts of comedy and emotions in an episode. The transitions between the two phases can be so sudden, but that only serves to make it more unpredictable and enjoyable. Toradora!, one the other hand, gives you small doses of emotion along with a platter of laughter, but gradually unleashes copious amounts of it at key points in the story. Both fit well in my book, but it might be up to you which one you enjoy the most.

The series is not on TV anymore (2 years, what would you expect?), but you can find the full 24 episodes on youtube for the first season, and go on to the second after you're done. If you're feeling bored and devoid of love, have a serving of Honey & Clover, it will make your day!

Oh, and have a Happy New Year!

Call of Duty 6: The franchise continues...

So, Infinity Ward, the crew behind the fantastic Call of Duty 1, 2 and Modern Warfare games have announced on 8th December 2008 that they have started work on their newest title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. And I sit in front of my computer giving a WTF face thinking how generic that name can be. The game will be released sometime around September 2009

So, will we be expecting a return to Azerbaijan or the middle east? Or will a religious zealot or political despot threaten world peace again, causing another group of bad-ass brits to send their butts back to oblivion?

Now, as much as I'm glad to have Infinity Ward back to blow gamers away, (Call of Duty 3 was leaving a bad aftertaste) I was hoping for something more modern, something like: Call of Duty: FUTURISTIC warfare. Now THAT would be total win. Imagine, fighting with lasers and such, pew! pew! pew! It could be the perfect game if Infinity Ward manages to pull it off. I have never experienced a game where you actually fight alongside AI buddies in a futuristic setting and you're not the "True Hero" of the whole damn thing.

Too bad it's still the modern world...

A bit too much to ask for, I guess.


If they really wanna create a sequel to COD4, I'm hoping Cpt. Price makes his appearance again. He's seemingly impervious to the effects of time, seeing as he has survived from WWII all the way to the modern times, without even gaining a scratch or a wrinkle.

Spoiler for COD4 ending (Insider joke)...

Cpt. Price: Ugghh... I won't make it... Goodbye, cruel world...

Russian Soldier: (attempting to revive Price) Не действительно, Вы появляетесь в COD6...
Translation: (Not really, you're appearing in COD6...)

Cpt. Price: What? YEESSSS..... I live, AGAIN!!!

We've come to expect nothing short of brilliance and a hella time from Infinity Ward's titles; lets hope they don't disappoint us with their latest. Remember, folks, these are the industry's finest!

The conclusion of a story arc...

...will give rise to another. So is true for the Toradora! series of anime, which I have been faithfully following since it's creation. Episode 13 just came out like, 2 hours ago, and I have scrutinized it completely, even without subs. This episode is the conclusion to the current season, and JCstaff (the good people behind Toradora!) will be taking a well-deserved one week break before they continue on 14.

So, what a season it was. From what i've gathered, JCstaff apparently isn't your popular o'l anime studio; rather, it's projects have been racked with unsatisfactory series, so when the Toradora! anime came out, you can tell not many were expecting a hell of a time from it. So, when the series debuted, it blew away quite a few people who were expecting some half-assed show which featured a predictable and cliche-filled plot with characters that make you wanna puke evertime they mutter another nutty one-liner.

Fortunately, the staff there have given me (and the mojority of anime watchers) a reason to actually adore their newest creation. You will hear no complaints from me: the whole 13 episodes have been a joy-ride so far.

With the more than satisfactory closing episode for this season, I can safely say JCstaff have made a sucessful story arc (at least for now).

I think I won't survive two weeks without my shot of Toradora!, but for now, chrsitmas is upon us! Even fan art is taking a turn for a christmassy style:

Does it snow in Japan anyway?

Its christmas, and to everyone out there, have a good one!

The perfect L4D experience

I realized today that the local LAN shop has its rigs stocked with the new zombie survival shooter: Left 4 dead. Two hours in there with three other friends later, I step out, completely dazed by the awesomeness of the experience.

Two months ago I remembered wishing for Left 4 dead to be set up in that LAN shop. I predicted it would rival CS in terms of popularity over there. Presto, two months later, my wish came true. While I was there, everyone was playing it. A few other deviants were stubbornly sticking to their DOTA games, but the day was won by Left 4 Dead.

So then, I sit down and start the game. My friends on my flank are chattering like its -10 out. I can already here zombie blood being spilled by others around me. And then, the game (and the fun) starts. The next two hours were filled with pure win as we screamed at each other every 15secs and start breathing again every time we kill another tank or witch.

This kind of experience, you can never find online or with bots. Its frantic action out there, with your friends swearing at you after a friendly-fire incident or when YOU swear at them after they shoot you while you get jumped by a hunter. Communication is WAY easier, and you don't get maddeningly high ping.

Okay, we all got killed half a dozen times and there were a few TK incidents, but the whole thing was just SWEET. I can't explain it all in words, but do yourself a favor: Get three friends and go someplace where you can play Left 4 Dead over LAN. And let the fun begin...

Two words: Hella Cool

Feast your eyes on this baby:



THAT is a true masterpiece. Read more on http://www.brickgun.com/

A world-renown sub machine gun now in a high quality Lego model. What more could you possibly want for Christmas? It looks and handles just like the original HKmp5, from the trigger which can be toggled by the safety switch to the retractable stock.

Note the magazine. Each of those bullets are REAL Lego parts too. The word "awesome" doesn't even start to describe how good this Lego model is.

Of course, at a price of US$450, you will be hoping you get the bang for your buck with this. The package includes a limited edition gift box and instructions for building your own. Not that I'd give anyone this gun as a gift once my hands get a grip on it.

Its frighteningly expensive, but if there's one thing I would kill for this Christmas, it would be this slick and incredibly ass-kicking gun.

A misunderstood weapon

I present to you, the most wide-spread firearm in modern first-person shooters:

The M4A1 carbine.



Yes, folks, this is the gun any counter strike nut would instantly recognize, yet it's a shame some people do NOT know the real characteristics of this highly prolific weapon. I have friends who have played counter strike for ages, and when I tell them, "Hey, I think the M4 is better for you", they ask, "Huh, whats that?". That's just sad, thinking the gun is really called "carbine" If you are all hardcore over a game, why don't you learn something about it instead of just playing it?

Alrighty, here are some hard facts for the hard skulled...

-The m4a1 carbine has fully automatic and semi-auto firing modes, unlike the full-auto capabilities you often see.

-As you might already know, this weapon can be modified to incorporate a scope, grenade launcher or another attachment. This is a contrast to the plain jane m4s you commonly see.

-The gun is not called the "carbine". A carbine is a shortened and "nerfed" version of a main weapon. This gives it better maneuverability in the tight urban combat environments at the cost of power. The m4a1 carbine is a firearm designed from the late m16a2 assault rifle, which wasn't so hot as a weapon.

Hope this will bring awake our disillusioned trigger-happy friends.

A teaser for my story.

Progress on my post apocalyptic tale is going strongly, and I have decided to release a small teaser within my story. This is partly to raise a little awareness among friends, and to gather a bit of feedback. ^^ So, ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on this...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1145 hrs, July 5th 2018
San Diego, California
Interstate Highway 8

Throughout the journey from the Pacific beach till now, not a single word was uttered between the two. Fiona was shaken badly, and curled up in a featal position on the worn leather backseat. Having her legs retracted, she was in her own quiet, albeit moving, corner of the world. She tried to think. Had she not been so good at it? Why was her mind suddenly phased out? It was as though there was a party outside her head, and every single one of her brain cells were invited.

She had burrowed her head into the space between her knees and chest in quiet contemplation. Every once in a while curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked out the window. It was the same scene which scared her to no end: one of people desperately trying to get away, of untold atrocities done in the name of survival, of a world gone completely mad. Each time, she had hastily stuck her head back into the narrow space in denial. And every time she did that, hot tears came gushing from her eyes.

“I’m Clement,” came a hoarse voice which interrupted the noisy croaking of the engine, “you… are you okay?”

Fiona looked at the man with watery eyes. Although his eyes were on the road, every once in a while he would look back at her uneasily.

“No, I’m not okay. My mother is in New York, and I have no idea how to find her. For all I know, she could be, she… she could…” those was all the words Fiona could muster before her head collapsed into her knees and the dams in her eyes were opened again.




Clement stole a look at the pitiful creature. He was in a rough state, but still managed, although just barely, to keep his mind straight. He was always a survivor, not easily brought down by anything except the worst twists of fate. But this time, fate had thrown him a wild card.

He remembered the morning earlier. He recalled the wails that resounded across the neighborhood waking him up from his slumber. The panicked crowds he could see from his window. His radio suddenly cutting off the throaty voices of a singer, replacing it with an emergency message.

And yet, he managed to remain calm. Calm enough to notice old Mrs. Bailey drive through the streets on her red pickup towards the city just minutes before the commotion started. His mind was clear enough during the chaos to remember her granddaughter living with her. While fearing for his survival, an inner angel had so pleadingly asked him to save her. This time, his devil had nothing to say.

And now, here he was, with a brain-case in the back seat of his minivan. He wasn’t sure if she would compromise his chances of survival.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, here's a snippet of my writing! If you have an opinion on the quality of this teaser, please do post a comment!


Although this story is hardly near-completion, I am planning on a second story, maybe turning it into a series in a long story, or just a novel. I'm turning away from apocalyptic fiction, and trying the romantic comedy genre. Sounds weird, yea I'm aware of that. I'm getting a bit ahead of my abilities... heh heh.


But, stay tuned for more news on my stories!

(P.S.: Any similarity to real life persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental. Thank You!)