Wednesday, August 5, 2009
A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore
I won "A Hint of Wicked" by Jennifer Haymore, from Gaby317's blog site "Starting Fresh" and tried reading it. Thank God it was something I won and not something I bought because I don't think I can go through the entire thing. I guess I'm just not so interested in themes involving one woman being in love with two men I am also no longer interested in reading soft porn with no plot. Then again, maybe I'm being unfair because I only read until the second chapter, but that is all I can stand right now. Thank you, Gaby317, and thank you Hatchett Books, for giving me the chance to read this. This is going on my paperbackswap books. I'm sure other people will find it more interesting than I did.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Persona 4
I ended up taking a longer break from blogging than I thought! It's not that I was busy with productive things. In fact, since I graduated from my master's degree last May, I hadn't been able to do the things I said I was going to do with my photography hobby.
I did manage to get my driver's license. I had also been busy trying to lose some weight. My weight loss efforts were, unfortunately, pushed aside for a couple of days after I started playing Persona 4. It is really terrible, how much time I have been spending playing that game.
It is such great fun though! What really impresses me about the game is the meticulous attention to detail. It reminds me so much of Japan, and the years I had lived there. The department stores have posters of "yakitori" and "ramen" in the foodcourt. The shopping carts are exactly the same (green baskets that you can put on top of pushcarts). The music, the jingles. The train station, the platform, the yellow bands along streets. It makes me all natsukashii.
I had been playing Final Fantasy 12, too. I find that, even if I had always been a Final Fantasy fan, in the end, the game got to be a bit tedious. I just didn't like the main character, Vaan, so much. There was no chemistry between the characters, and, yes, like other reviewers and bloggers, I really found Penelo silly. Especially her hairstyle! I got tired of having to run around the sprawling dungeons. It became more a pain than entertainment. On a positive note, however, the voice actors were the best I had ever heard for an RPG game. And the graphics! Just beautiful. But all in all, still, tedious! I don't know if I'm going to get back to that game. Maybe after Persona 4.
Persona 4, though, is like a breath of fresh air. The way the characters "mob" the downed enemies, with the "wham, thwack, etc" sound effects in cartoony letters, made me really smile. I kind of like the fact that the dungeons aren't so big or sprawling. Also, you can move from one place to another using the square button when in the real world. As for the story...it's a little formulaic and typical for someone who has seen as much anime and read as much manga as I have. I guess I'm getting a bit old for these kinds of things (that's an understatement!). Even then, the storyline makes me laugh a little. The characters are three dimensional(even if they're stereotypical). There's the delinquent biker gang dude, Kanji (but it made me laugh a little that his deepest fear is to be seen as gay); the girls who just want boyfriends (hey, this is a boy's game, still! at least, I think it is, since it has elements of a dating sim), the spoiled rich girl, the tomboyish girl next door type, the "idol", the quiet (cute) girl in class, they all just fit the same old formula. I say, I am getting a bit tired of that formula. But then, aren't romance novels the same in that sense? They follow that same old formula, and yet, they still hit all the bestseller lists! I guess it's because formulas are familiar. And, they don't require so much thinking (at least storywise!). I suppose that's why it's refreshing!
So, I dunno when I'm going to get back to finishing that Final Fantasy 12 game. Especially since I just bought a 2nd hand version of Persona 3!
I hope I don't turn Hikikomori from all this gaming!
I did manage to get my driver's license. I had also been busy trying to lose some weight. My weight loss efforts were, unfortunately, pushed aside for a couple of days after I started playing Persona 4. It is really terrible, how much time I have been spending playing that game.
It is such great fun though! What really impresses me about the game is the meticulous attention to detail. It reminds me so much of Japan, and the years I had lived there. The department stores have posters of "yakitori" and "ramen" in the foodcourt. The shopping carts are exactly the same (green baskets that you can put on top of pushcarts). The music, the jingles. The train station, the platform, the yellow bands along streets. It makes me all natsukashii.
I had been playing Final Fantasy 12, too. I find that, even if I had always been a Final Fantasy fan, in the end, the game got to be a bit tedious. I just didn't like the main character, Vaan, so much. There was no chemistry between the characters, and, yes, like other reviewers and bloggers, I really found Penelo silly. Especially her hairstyle! I got tired of having to run around the sprawling dungeons. It became more a pain than entertainment. On a positive note, however, the voice actors were the best I had ever heard for an RPG game. And the graphics! Just beautiful. But all in all, still, tedious! I don't know if I'm going to get back to that game. Maybe after Persona 4.
Persona 4, though, is like a breath of fresh air. The way the characters "mob" the downed enemies, with the "wham, thwack, etc" sound effects in cartoony letters, made me really smile. I kind of like the fact that the dungeons aren't so big or sprawling. Also, you can move from one place to another using the square button when in the real world. As for the story...it's a little formulaic and typical for someone who has seen as much anime and read as much manga as I have. I guess I'm getting a bit old for these kinds of things (that's an understatement!). Even then, the storyline makes me laugh a little. The characters are three dimensional(even if they're stereotypical). There's the delinquent biker gang dude, Kanji (but it made me laugh a little that his deepest fear is to be seen as gay); the girls who just want boyfriends (hey, this is a boy's game, still! at least, I think it is, since it has elements of a dating sim), the spoiled rich girl, the tomboyish girl next door type, the "idol", the quiet (cute) girl in class, they all just fit the same old formula. I say, I am getting a bit tired of that formula. But then, aren't romance novels the same in that sense? They follow that same old formula, and yet, they still hit all the bestseller lists! I guess it's because formulas are familiar. And, they don't require so much thinking (at least storywise!). I suppose that's why it's refreshing!
So, I dunno when I'm going to get back to finishing that Final Fantasy 12 game. Especially since I just bought a 2nd hand version of Persona 3!
I hope I don't turn Hikikomori from all this gaming!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Getting Offline for a Few Days
My final exams are coming up, and I have been so distracted. The stress is finally getting to me. I can't seem to sleep well, and I've been reading and checking things online too much. I think my emotions have been going crazy. I'm graduating next month, this week is the last week of classes, I have one exam starting Monday, and family duties have been bogging me down. Put my own personal, self-diagnosed ADD into the pot, and one can see how little I'm actually studying! Consequently, I have been shopping even more (part as "revenge", and part because it makes me feel better)! I broke another rule to myself. I said that I would keep my D80 until I got better at taking photos. Then what did I do? I turned around and bought a D300 from Ebay! S is going to kill me. Seriously. It seemed like such a good deal. Actually, I think it is a good deal, but I have spent too much, and there are other things I need more urgently (like a car!). I shouldn't be getting more toys!
Since I can't seem to control myself when my stress level is high, I'm going to have S hold on to my account to stop me from spending. In the same way, I will get offline for a couple of weeks. I can't study well when I'm online anyway. I keep looking and looking for people I know, or thinking of photos, or reading reviews, and ending up spending money! Oh how horrible!
Oh..this all makes me sad! :(
Since I can't seem to control myself when my stress level is high, I'm going to have S hold on to my account to stop me from spending. In the same way, I will get offline for a couple of weeks. I can't study well when I'm online anyway. I keep looking and looking for people I know, or thinking of photos, or reading reviews, and ending up spending money! Oh how horrible!
Oh..this all makes me sad! :(
Monday, April 13, 2009
Unexpected Treasures
I saw a bird's nest in the tree right beside our house this morning. I was able to take a shot, and smiled happily all day because of it. I captured a picture of something so wonderful, so close by. I know it's not the perfect angled shot,with the leaves hiding part of the bird, but the fact that it occurred right here, right outside, made it all the more exciting. Special things are all around us, and sometimes, they appear right in your own backyard!
Later, when I looked out again, the nest was gone. Only some leftover twigs remained. I was sad that the bird felt that she had to transfer her nest, just because she had been discovered. She will never know that she had made someone very happy.
I love that I had been able to capture it, even if it was just for a moment. Spring must be the best season of the year!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Cherry Blossom Parade
Last Saturday, April 4, I dropped by to see the Cherry Blossom Parade. It was a lot of fun, and I was able to take a lot of pictures. Unfortunately, the high noon light just wasn't cooperating, and I didn't use my flash in most instances. Ah. we learn from our mistakes! Anyway, I will post some pictures when I have the time. School is almost over, and I really have to finally buckle down and study.
I finally got my Tokina 11-16mm 2.8. Hurrah! I will post some pictures soon! A friend of mine told me to visit the C&O canal this spring. I will definitely do that! And maybe the zoo, too. I will do my rounds of DC soon!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Wipe that Drool!
Instead of studying, I have spent the whole morning thinking and thinking of digital equipment. This is really very bad. I have never been so obsessed with something for a while now. Hmm..that's not quite true. I remember how I am always obsessed with something until I get it. It is such a human characteristic, this "greed." I remember obsessing over my PS3, and obsessing over the Wii. Now, I am obsessing over 4 lenses in particular. I am sure once I get those, I will be obsessing over a new camera (probably a D700). Woe is me. I have to stop doing this and think of something more productive, like making money!
What I should do is try to read more on photography and to take more pictures instead of trying to buy stuff all the time. Shopping and taking snazzy photos are 2 different things.
Incidentally, the other day, I was trying to take a picture of my university building at night, and the security guard stopped me. She said I am not allowed to take pictures, and only the school photographer is allowed! Where did that come from? There are 2 possible reasons why I am not allowed to take pictures. 1. It might be for security reasons. Am I a terrorist, looking for an entrance where I can plant an explosion for maximum bomb attention? That's a bit ridiculous since the school is not a military facility; or 2. It might be an intellectual property rights issue. I might start selling photos of my school as a postcard and make billions of dollars. Although the latter is more flattering, the truth is, I was only practicing and had gotten some very bad shots. Was my Nikon D80 that intimidating? I'll bet a point and shoot might even do better than the shots I took that night!
Oh well. Though the journey be rough, I will keep on going, as any aspiring artist must do! I should start posting more pictures to prove this, but I'm afraid once I start, I can't stop. That will all have to wait, then, for when school is over. It won't be too long now.
On the reading list: Scott Kelby's "Digital Photography" vol. 1 and vol. 2
What I should do is try to read more on photography and to take more pictures instead of trying to buy stuff all the time. Shopping and taking snazzy photos are 2 different things.
Incidentally, the other day, I was trying to take a picture of my university building at night, and the security guard stopped me. She said I am not allowed to take pictures, and only the school photographer is allowed! Where did that come from? There are 2 possible reasons why I am not allowed to take pictures. 1. It might be for security reasons. Am I a terrorist, looking for an entrance where I can plant an explosion for maximum bomb attention? That's a bit ridiculous since the school is not a military facility; or 2. It might be an intellectual property rights issue. I might start selling photos of my school as a postcard and make billions of dollars. Although the latter is more flattering, the truth is, I was only practicing and had gotten some very bad shots. Was my Nikon D80 that intimidating? I'll bet a point and shoot might even do better than the shots I took that night!
Oh well. Though the journey be rough, I will keep on going, as any aspiring artist must do! I should start posting more pictures to prove this, but I'm afraid once I start, I can't stop. That will all have to wait, then, for when school is over. It won't be too long now.
On the reading list: Scott Kelby's "Digital Photography" vol. 1 and vol. 2
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Book and Lens Swap
My father used to say that every place in the world is the same. There are good things and bad things; there are people who are polite or rude; kind neighbors and criminals; it really doesn't matter where you are. You can't expect to be happier somewhere else than where you're already at.
However, one thing I must say about the US that wasn't so apparent in other countries I have lived in, though, is that, they sure make it very easy for you to spend money! Especially with online shopping. I love Amazon. Ebay is okay, but you have to be careful because there are lots of scalpers in there, selling stuff without warranties for to much. I was hoping it would be one big garage sale, but people don't get online there to get rid of stuff.
However, it turns out that I am turning into such a lens junkie. The list of lenses I am drooling over has expanded to the 85 mm f/1.4, and of course, the 14-24mm f/2.8, the 24-70 mm f/2.8, and the 70-200 mm f/2.8. David Busch calls the last 3 the "magic three," and the 85 mm f/1.4 the best lens, a "legend" in portrait photography. All of those lenses together will set me back about US$4,000. I really don't have that much money, considering that I need to have a car yet, and I would, of course, need a car to get around for my photo shoots, right? Aside from the errands. Of course, I have to tell myself over and over, that all the photographers are right when they say that it's not the camera, but the man behind the camera who would take the best pictures. So, it really shouldn't matter what camera I have or lens. What I should do is going out there to develop my skill and my craft. Another option is to buy the lenses as cheap as I can find them, and if I don't like them (or don't use them), then sell them. In the same way, I should learn how to process photos, too. I suppose that I really can't expect the lens to do everything. I must say, I'm lazy. It's more fun to just shoot and shoot, than to sit behind a monitor correcting and editing a shot!
So now, I am going back to reading books again, to become that "photographer" behind the camera, through studying digital photography and practicing with my fancy camera (that is apparently, already obsolete, according to KR..sniff). It's sort of hard to read ebooks on digital photography because you can't really see what they mean when they compare one picture to another, using different camera settings. A real book will be better because the colors will be sharper. Of course, maybe it will be different if they make ebooks 1080p and you view it on a 1080p screen. But then, you can kiss portability goodbye!
I digress. Anyway, now, I am buying some books and, to cut down on the clutter, posting them on www.paperbackswap.org after I read them so that I can get credits and "order" books for free. I was hoping to save money that way, since I'm really so broke now. The idea behind the site is that, you should post 10 books to get 1 credit, and send out an ordered book for another credit. Apparently, you need 2 credits to order a book, but you only get 1 credit if someone were to order your books. I'm wondering if it is all worth it. I've had 2 out of the 3 books I posted ordered a few hours after I got them, and I can't even order a book yet. So that means I have to pay for postage first before I can get to borrow anything, and I'm not so sure people would post up their digital photography books. I can buy some used books, just from the postage cost, plus, I lose my books. The local library might have been a better option. I should go and pay it a visit soon.
However, one thing I must say about the US that wasn't so apparent in other countries I have lived in, though, is that, they sure make it very easy for you to spend money! Especially with online shopping. I love Amazon. Ebay is okay, but you have to be careful because there are lots of scalpers in there, selling stuff without warranties for to much. I was hoping it would be one big garage sale, but people don't get online there to get rid of stuff.
However, it turns out that I am turning into such a lens junkie. The list of lenses I am drooling over has expanded to the 85 mm f/1.4, and of course, the 14-24mm f/2.8, the 24-70 mm f/2.8, and the 70-200 mm f/2.8. David Busch calls the last 3 the "magic three," and the 85 mm f/1.4 the best lens, a "legend" in portrait photography. All of those lenses together will set me back about US$4,000. I really don't have that much money, considering that I need to have a car yet, and I would, of course, need a car to get around for my photo shoots, right? Aside from the errands. Of course, I have to tell myself over and over, that all the photographers are right when they say that it's not the camera, but the man behind the camera who would take the best pictures. So, it really shouldn't matter what camera I have or lens. What I should do is going out there to develop my skill and my craft. Another option is to buy the lenses as cheap as I can find them, and if I don't like them (or don't use them), then sell them. In the same way, I should learn how to process photos, too. I suppose that I really can't expect the lens to do everything. I must say, I'm lazy. It's more fun to just shoot and shoot, than to sit behind a monitor correcting and editing a shot!
So now, I am going back to reading books again, to become that "photographer" behind the camera, through studying digital photography and practicing with my fancy camera (that is apparently, already obsolete, according to KR..sniff). It's sort of hard to read ebooks on digital photography because you can't really see what they mean when they compare one picture to another, using different camera settings. A real book will be better because the colors will be sharper. Of course, maybe it will be different if they make ebooks 1080p and you view it on a 1080p screen. But then, you can kiss portability goodbye!
I digress. Anyway, now, I am buying some books and, to cut down on the clutter, posting them on www.paperbackswap.org after I read them so that I can get credits and "order" books for free. I was hoping to save money that way, since I'm really so broke now. The idea behind the site is that, you should post 10 books to get 1 credit, and send out an ordered book for another credit. Apparently, you need 2 credits to order a book, but you only get 1 credit if someone were to order your books. I'm wondering if it is all worth it. I've had 2 out of the 3 books I posted ordered a few hours after I got them, and I can't even order a book yet. So that means I have to pay for postage first before I can get to borrow anything, and I'm not so sure people would post up their digital photography books. I can buy some used books, just from the postage cost, plus, I lose my books. The local library might have been a better option. I should go and pay it a visit soon.
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