The Lynxswift Zone

White on Rice

2010-11-05T01:08:00.002-04:00

This movie isn't great. But, I enjoyed it. It's on Netflix streaming. It has lots of awkward moments.

New York Comic Con/Anime Fest 2010

2010-10-14T00:19:00.001-04:00

Here's some video I took at the New York Comic Con/Anime Fest. I didn't get a lot of good footage because of the crowds, though.

The Assemblage of the Crystal Sphere: A D&D Story

2010-10-12T01:31:00.001-04:00

The Assemblage of the Crystal Sphere: A D&D Story is a pretty terrible D&D mockumentary :(. It's about a group of D&D gamers, playing out the last few months of sessions concluding a 5 year campaign. If there was any humor at all in it, it was very subtle. But, mostly it was a lot of awkward moments and interpersonal strife. Available on DVD from Netflix. But, not recommended :(.

Memoirs of a Secret Empire/The Bushido Blade - Fact and Fiction

2010-10-04T00:30:00.000-04:00

After watching the PBS documentary Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire on Netflix, it was weird to watch the 1981 movie, The Bushido Blade. Admiral Perry has apparently never heard of the Prime Directive :). In fact, this movie had the feel of the old school Star Trek series or a Western movie of the time. The movie was very not PC, with a black face performace on the US Navy ship and asian boobage every 20 minutes. There's also a lame deus ex earthquake during a pivotal sword fight :(. The only YouTube trailer I could find to show was in German, but the movie is in English on Netflix.

Here is Part 3 of the PBS documentary Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire. Mind you this is almost an hour long, but it is very interesting. Some of this is portrayed in the movie The Bushido Blade. Though, the movie adds a lot of unhistorical stuff and a lot of nonsense. The documentary is recommended. The movie is not, heheheh :).

The Dungeon Masters

2010-09-13T00:37:00.001-04:00

Watched the documentary, The Dungeon Masters, for the second time. I found it to be the most depressing documentary on RPG gamers ever :(.

Convergence Art Show NYC August 2010

2010-08-29T12:15:00.001-04:00

Here's video I took at the Convergence Art Show.

Honey and Clover

2010-07-14T22:20:00.000-04:00

Watched the live-action, movie version of Honey and Clover. I think I prefer the anime version, which I had seen both seasons of. The anime had more comedy, and the movie seemed to be all drama and awkward moments. The story revolves around art college students who are all friends and involved in several, unrequited, love triangles. It seems each character loves someone who loves someone else. What I found realistic in this was that unrequited love, remains unrequited, and everyone realizes they will all grow apart after graduating, but will always cherish their friendships. I was kinda amazed they found someone who could play Hagu-chan. Yu Aoi from Hula Girls, actually fits the role as well as can be expected, even more preferable than the original anime/manga version. I highly recommend the anime and the movie was a decent retelling. I will soon be watching the live-action, japanese, TV drama version.

Here is a fan-made, anime music video (AMV) of the series.

Hula Girls

2010-07-14T21:53:00.000-04:00

Watched the japanese movie, Hula Girls. It's based on a real-life story about a cold, northern, japanese, coal mining town. The town's mine is beig shut down and 2,000 miners will be put out of work. A Hawaiin themed tourist attraction is planned to save the town, and the coal miners' daughters all get together to form a Hula troupe with the help of an instructor from Tokyo. But, the local miner's union is against the project. It was decent and had a Footloose kinda feel to it.

Herb and Dorothy

2010-07-14T21:44:00.001-04:00

Saw an interesting documentary about an old couple who had been collecting art throughout their lives. The fascinating thing is they did this on their meager salaries as a librarian and postal worker, amassing a huge and varied collection in their small NYC apartment. Eventually they donated their collection to the National Gallery of Art where it can be shared with the public; never once selling a piece for profit.

The Taste of Tea

2010-06-26T18:16:00.002-04:00

Finished watching The Taste of Tea. The movie follows the surreal lives of the Haruno family. The movie is very mellow and lacks a strong unifying plot. Instead, we get a slice of life of each member of the family. Strange side characters get thrown in every now and then, just to add more weirdness, rather than adding to any plot. The slow pace of the movie had me falling asleep at times, and I ended up watching this in three separate sittings. Not bad, but not very good.

Love Com (Lovely Complex)

2010-06-09T20:15:00.003-04:00

Watched the Japanese movie Love Com (Lovely Complex.) It's about the tallest girl and shortest boy in school, who are best friends, but have feelings for each other. Unfortunately they keep their feelings to themselves due to anxiety because each was rejected in the past by other people due to their height. Was a fun and strange movie. The lead actress is awkwardly cute. She has the strangest expressions, gestures and hairstyles O.o'. Honestly though their height difference didn't seem that drastic, but it must be a cultural thing.

The Red Baron

2010-06-03T21:16:00.003-04:00

The recent German film, The Red Baron, is finally available in the US on DVD. It is also available streaming on Netflix. I had been awaiting this movie for awhile. The air combat scenes were amazing :). It is an idealized, mythic vision of WWI. But, it was such an epic spectacle to behold. I had never seen so many plan...es in the sky, even if they are just CGI :). The actual story dragged on quite a bit, and from what I've read, is full of historical inaccuracies. Also, it may feel uncomfortable to have the Germans as the hero protagonists :(. But, there is an apologetic message in the film. Overall, I recommend it for the air combat scenes alone :). For a US/French view of WWI air combat, I also recommend the film, Flyboys.

Couch Woes

2010-03-28T03:28:00.004-04:00

So, months ago my couch ripped. I had only used a stop-gap measure to fix it using duct tape slid into the interior of the rip, to stop it from getting any worse. Recently, my sister found a leather repair kit at Staples and the video below will show the results.

So, as you can see the results were less than perfect :(. But it will have to do. For anyone with a similar problem, I would suggest testing the color mix on some scrap before applying it to the couch :(.

AT-43 Karmans

2010-03-20T14:54:00.001-04:00

DC HeroClix: Batman

2010-03-20T14:52:00.002-04:00

Groo the Wanderer

2010-03-16T00:24:00.003-04:00

Back around 8th grade and my early days of high school. I used to be a fanatic of the comic book series, Groo the Wanderer by Sergio Aragones. You might remember his artwork from Mad Magazine and TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes. Well, one time I wrote him a fan letter and included a SASE asking for his autograph. Imagine my surprise when he mailed me back not only an autograph but a sketch of his character Groo the Wanderer and inscribed it to me!!! :)

D&D Miniatures - Savage Encounters

2009-12-29T02:39:00.001-05:00

D&D Miniatures - Legendary Evils

2009-12-29T02:29:00.001-05:00

New York Anime Festival 2009

2009-12-12T18:51:00.001-05:00

This was back in September.

Paint Table - Work in Progress - Vampire Counts

2009-12-12T18:49:00.001-05:00

Del Rey Manga 5th Anniversary Cake (Charm City Cakes)

2009-09-24T19:00:00.000-04:00

Here is video I took of the Del Rey Manga 5th Anniversary Cake done by Charm City Cakes. This was a publicity event held at the Times Square NYC Dave & Busters. It was sort of a Pre-Party for the New York Anime Festival.

Update: My video was featured on Lance Fensterman's MediumAtLarge.net blog :)!!!

http://www.mediumatlarge.net/2009/11/circle-is-complete-cake-update.html

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge

2009-09-15T19:56:00.003-04:00

I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival a few days ago. After the event, I decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan, rather than take the train. This was the first time I had crossed any of the bridges on foot :).

Disney EPCOT - Orlando, FL - August 25, 2009

2009-09-02T02:46:00.002-04:00

Mini Megacon - Orlando, FL - August 22-23, 2009

2009-08-29T13:22:00.003-04:00

A write up of the con, possibly soon, if I'm not too lazy O.o'?

Update: I was too lazy :(.

Star Wars Miniatures - Jedi Academy

2009-08-29T13:18:00.001-04:00

World of Warcraft Miniatures

2009-06-27T08:37:00.001-04:00

Star Wars Miniatures - Another Imperial Entanglements Unboxing

2009-06-12T21:27:00.001-04:00

D&D Miniatures - Dangerous Delves

2009-06-12T21:21:00.001-04:00

Pepsi-Cola Throwback

2009-05-05T01:23:00.006-04:00

Pepsi has now released for a limited time, Pepsi-Cola Throwback. It is a version of Pepsi made with natural sugar, like it originally was, rather than High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS.) Critics have long claimed that HFCS has detrimental effects including suppressing the sensation of fullness and also metabolizing in harmful ways in the body, which may lead to diabetes and fatty livers. Whether this is all true or not, I do not know. But, it is good to finally have an alternative.

With all that aside, how does it taste? Well, first off I have to state I prefer Pepsi over Coke. So, I am well acquainted with the product and how it tastes. I like Pepsi's crisp bite which is sweeter than Coke. My first sip of Pepsi-Cola Throwback was a bit odd to me. I had the weird throat feeling you get when you drink a sugar-free, diet soda. But, this quickly goes away as you continue to drink the beverage. But, I did notice the same sensation whenever I take the first sip of the stuff from a can, during subsequent meals. Another thing I noticed is that it does taste different. To my dismay, I actually find it tasting less sweet and more like Coke. It's carbonation to me is also less crisp and more of a syrupy bubble, and seems to not last as long as regular Pepsi. Something I also noticed, which is hard to describe, is that it "feels" less cold than regular Pepsi, even after being in the fridge for over 24 hours.

Now, what about that "sensation of fullness" thing I had read about? Well, normally during a meal I can easily down two cans of Pepsi and feel refreshed. Now, during a meal, after about half a can of Pepsi-Cola Throwback, my stomach starts to feel a bit heavy and bubbly. It's hard to describe.

So, what does this all mean? Pepsi-Cola Throwback, does indeed taste and feel different to me. But, in a marginally inferior way. I would say I prefer the regular, current Pepsi. But, I figure I prefer a product that has less detrimental health effects in the long run. So, for now, I'll grudgingly choose Pepsi-Cola Throwback over regular Pepsi. But, of course, the smart thing to do would be to quit sodas all-together :(.

Star Wars Imperial Entanglements

2009-03-24T01:11:00.001-04:00

MegaCon 2009 - Orlando, FL

2009-03-14T04:41:00.000-04:00

The Clone Wars - Unboxing Boosters Again

2009-02-16T07:22:00.002-05:00

The Collection

2009-02-16T02:31:00.001-05:00

Here's just a random sampling of my collection of toys, models and stuff :).

NYCC 2009 D&D Demonweb Unboxing

2009-02-10T00:06:00.003-05:00

New York Comic Con 2009

2009-02-09T23:50:00.002-05:00

Monsterstuffleupagus

2009-02-03T02:28:00.001-05:00

Warhammer Fantasy Goblins Update 1

2009-01-22T15:38:00.001-05:00

D&D Miniatures - Another Demonweb Unboxing

2009-01-13T14:45:00.000-05:00

Monsterpocalypse - Monster Booster

2009-01-13T14:43:00.001-05:00

Heroscape

2008-12-31T05:01:00.004-05:00

I just got some Heroscape for Christmas :). It is a less serious wargame, with a multi-genre slant. It is an easy game for beginners with some simple game mechanics, and is a good introductory wargame for non-gamer friends. I really like the terrain pieces and miniatures that came with the game. Some of which I'll be incorporating into other games I play.

SNOW!!! :)!!!

2008-12-20T01:20:00.001-05:00

I wish everyone a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!!! :)!!!

Confrontation: The Age of the Rag'narok

2008-12-11T23:56:00.002-05:00

The Clone Wars - Scenario Pack Still Pics

2008-12-11T23:53:00.001-05:00

Monsterpocalypse

2008-12-11T23:50:00.001-05:00

Black Friday 2008

2008-11-30T07:23:00.001-05:00

Star Wars Miniatures - The Clone Wars

2008-11-30T07:20:00.001-05:00

D&D Miniatures - Demonweb

2008-11-30T07:19:00.001-05:00

Chaos Vindicator

2008-11-20T00:04:00.005-05:00

So, I'm going multi-media now and trying out posting videos. I figured I might as well put some of this technology available to use. It looks like I definitely need a better camera though :(.

So I painted up another Warhammer 40,000 tank last weekend. This one is a Chaos Space Marine Vindicator. This is the old version of the kit and has many metal plates and parts. It was very difficult to put together due to the parts not fitting together very well. The newer kit is all plastic and looks much simpler to build. I might get one for my Dark Angels army :). Anyways, here's some still pics for those that can't view the video.

Digital Copy - Read the Fine Print.

2008-10-29T23:35:00.003-04:00

Some months ago I bought the Family Guy: Blue Harvest DVD. It was the hilarious Star Wars spoof they did. This was a Fox DVD and was labeled as including a Digital Copy, which you can download to your computer and mobile devices. It was so cool :). It had several options. I was able to get a copy of the DVD through iTunes for my iPod and also download a WMV version for the computer, which I was also able to upload to my PSP. All of this was absolutely free and awesome. I thought this was how grand the future would be.

Then recently I bought the Warner Bros. DVD of the movie Mongol. On the package was labeled "Get a Digital Copy." Now based on my previous experience, I was overjoyed. I thought I'd have another movie for my mobile devices. So, I just tried to download this Warner Bros. branded "Digital Copy." Following the instructions I went to the WB website link, and it redirects me to a third party site I've never heard of, where to my surprise I'd have to pay $1.99 to download the "Digital Copy" :(. I had failed to read the very fine print on the packaging that said there were additional charges to get the "Digital Copy." I know $1.99 isn't really a lot of money for that convenience. But, after the freebie from the Family Guy DVD, it just seems lame to charge for the "digital copy." It seemed like such a cool reward and selling point for buying an official DVD. In any case, I'm going to be much more careful in reading the fine print on DVDs with "Digital Copy" labeled on them.

Hail to the Geek

2008-10-27T13:14:00.003-04:00

I really get a kick out of this song :).

Hail to the Geek by Deaf Pedestrians

(Note: Extended Lyrics)

I got a Spiderman t-shirt
I got Converse that are rotting off my feet
I got a bad mustache
A reoccurring rash
And not a lot of cash
I spend it on my stash
Man it's good to be a geek

Well it's good to be a geek
It's good to be a creep
It's good to draw my pictures
That no one will ever see.
It's good to be a geek
It's good to be unknown
It's good I'm never waiting
Right beside the telephone
Cuz no one ever...

I play Dungeons and Dragons
I got a 13th level halfling fighter thief
Got seven hit die on my backstab
Sometimes you know it's good to be a geek.
It's good to be a geek
It's good to play the freak
It's good to comb my mullet once every other week
As far as I can see
It's good to play the Wii
Then stay up painting miniatures 'til 2 or 3
Cuz no one ever...

Someday I'll learn to play guitar
Start up a band and be a star
And when you wind up pumping gas
Just fill 'er up and kiss my a$$...

I'm addicted to star trek
I'm a Klingon speaking Federation freak
I find I'm more inclined
To spend the bulk of my time
On the starship Enterprise
Than talking to girls I meet

Well I never get the girl
But I like to be alone
Cuz I can always m@sterb@te when there's no one home
It's good to have a plan
It's good to be the man
It's good to download p0rn0 from a website in Japan
Cuz no one ever...

Someday I'll learn to play guitar
Start up a band and be a star
And when you wind up pumping gas
Just fill 'er up and kiss my a$$...

Ninth grade is when I got the swirlie
Tenth grade is when I got the indian burn
Four years of continuous wedgies
Wore nine pairs of briefs so they could all get a turn
Someday I'll buy a fancy condo
Someday I'll drive a car that's more than your house
Someday you'll kiss my a$$

It's good to make some noise
It's good to scream outloud
It's good to feel immortal
Like your last name is MacLeod
It's good to be a geek
Its good to be unseen
Its good to watch The Wrath of Khan on a plasma screen
It's good to be a geek
It's good to be the man
It's good to download p0rn0 from a website in japan
It's good to be a geek
It's good to be unknown
It's good I'm never waiting
Right beside the telephone
Cuz no one ever...

I got a bad mustache
A reoccurring rash
And not a lot of cash
I spend it on my stash
Man it's good to be a geek
You know I've gone in debt
To look like Boba Fett
I got my Holland set
Although it makes me sweat
Man it's good to be a geek!

Some Fun with ANIMOTO

2008-10-26T14:49:00.003-04:00

So, I've been playing around with this ANIMOTO site, and am very impressed with the results. Basically ANIMOTO is a new way to make dynamic, slideshow videos set to music without any editing. Just upload your pics, pick a song from their list, and then the site mixes it up into a cool video. It amazes me actually. Unfortunately it only lets you make 30 second videos for free, about 12-15 pics. But you do get to make an unlimited amount. Longer videos you'll have to pay for. I believe $3 per video or $30 for a year's unlimited use. Not a bad deal, but for now I'll just play around with the free service.

Here are some videos I made of my Warhammer 40,000 collection. These are some of the models that I have built and painted :). It's really cool to see them this way :).

New York Anime Festival 2008

2008-10-03T22:56:00.021-04:00

Well last weekend (Fri-Sun,) I spent at the New York Anime Festival :). Was a great time, though I do wonder about the anime and manga industry. Compared to last year, there were fewer industry booths, but a lot more, smaller, merch venders. Noticeably missing this year were ADV, TokyoPOP and Viz. Also absent this year was any sort of video or table-top gaming at the con.

The companies that were present, had a few interesting offerings. Bandai Entertainment will be bringing out the Gundam 00 anime. Their booth seemed to be the most popular with a lot of swag giveaways and lots of Haruhi and Lucky Star dance lines :). There was even a NYAF Lucky Star dance contest video that is hilarious :) Del Rey Manga was there promoting a Dean Koontz manga, In Odd We Trust. They will also be putting out The Genshiken Official Book soon. Yen Press was new to the show promoting their Haruhi and Soul Eater manga. They also had free copies of their Yen Plus magazine.

I only went to a few panels at the con. At the Gaia Online panel they announced that their ZOMG MMO will be out by the end of the year. Robin Sevakis of Anime News Nina fame had a panel on making comics with Photoshop. I also attended a panel on the history of Gekiga, which is a genre of mature, dramatic comics from japan. Where Manga literally translates to "Whimsical Pictures," Gekiga literally translates to "Dramatic Pictures." One series brought up in the panel was the Sanctuary manga, which the lecturer said was out of print and took him over a year to find the entire series. I happily thought in my head how I bought and read the entire series around the time they were released ages ago :).

I attended the mc chris concert on friday night at the convention. One thing that bothers me is that the con charged $10 extra for tickets to the concert. At every con I've ever been to, the concerts had always been free, even at last year's New York Anime Festival. Last year's Unicorn Table concert was awesome. This time around the extra ticket price had the effect of low interest among the con goers. Only about 1/3 of the seats were filled. The mc chris performance also had so many sound and lighting technical difficulties. It was a real disappointment, but mc chris's performance and comedy pulled the show together as best as possible.

I was not able to see the Rie Tanaka concert at the Masquerade event, which was free. The room they had it in was filled to capacity leaving many attendees to miss the event, another flub of the con organizers. I don't know how Reed Exhibitions could make these kinds of mistakes when they know from last year's con how popular these performances are. This year they did not provide adequate seating and space for most events.

So, what did I get at the con? Well, mostly manga. I needed to catch up on some series and there were many good deals on manga at the con. Pictured here is the stack that I got. I picked up some Negima, Genshiken, Welcome to the NHK, Megatokyo and others. I also got a Yotsuba Revoltech figure and the Yuki Nagato Figma figure :). Not pictured is the Final Fantasy VII Yuffie figure in the original costume and the Gundam: Char's Counter Attack DVD which I got.

Overall, the con was great, but with a few problems. The attendance is growing with enthusiastic crowds and cosplayers, but the con organizers and industry really slacked off this year and provided a less than stellar show. I don't know if it is due to the economy and lowered promotion budgets, but one thing is for sure, that the fans are willing to gather in great numbers and have fun even if they have to rely on themselves to party :).

Paint Table - Night Goblins

2008-09-13T11:46:00.005-04:00

Looks like the painting table is getting a bit messy :). Working on several projects at once is probably not a good idea :). I've taken a bit of a break from the Warmachine Cryx and am going to work on my very first Warhammer Fantasy Battle army. I'm normally a Warhammer 40,000 player, which is the science fiction version of the game.

Well, I've been painting away and have finally finished painting my first regiment of Night Goblins :). Goblins are way too small, and were quite difficult for me to paint. But, I think I'll get the hang of it and improve. After all, I've got about 100+ more goblins to paint :(.

Here are a couple of my Night Goblin Heroes. They will be commanding the army. The one on the left I'm thinking of naming Skrub and his pet squig I'll name Dub :). The figure on the right is a Night Goblin Shaman, which I'll probably name Skreech. Don't know if those names are taken anywhere, but at least now I have something to call them :).

Paint Table - The Start

2008-08-30T02:14:00.007-04:00

Hey folks, it's been a long time since I've painted any minis. When I was living back home with the parents, I had everything all set up in the basement with a paint table and even a nice wargames table with terrain. Now, living in a small apartment, it's hard to have any space at all to do this kinda stuff. Well anyways, I've broken out the painting table once again, to get back into the swing of things.

This is a Cryx Nightwretch Bonejack. Recently the game Warmachine has gotten my interest. It's quite different from Warhammer, and I liked the models. So, I am starting a Cryx army :).

I am still a bit rusty at painting minis, but I hope to get back up to speed and hopefully learn a few new tricks. You can look forward to more "Paint Table" posts in the future :).

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

2008-08-25T23:01:00.006-04:00

So, I was able to catch the new animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie last week. I didn't feel like spending the money to head into Manhattan. So, I decided to take a walk to the Kaufman UA theater in Astoria, despite childhood warnings never to go around that area. My parents had told me stories about how a friend of theirs was mugged and stabbed in the eye in that area. Whether the fear of walking around that area was irrational or not was questionable. I did have to walk through quite a desolate and crappy neighborhood to get there. The odd thing was that the theater itself was a nice, standard, suburban-style cineplex with an Uno's, Applebee's and a Panera Bread next to it. It reminded me of being back in the suburbs :).

So, How was The Clone Wars? Well it had a few problems. The first to stand out right away was there was no opening crawl of text. Instead we have this cheezy opening narration. The series is of course geared towards kids, but you figure they'd at least be able to read for a little bit at the opening of the cartoon.

The animation itself was nice, though not as smooth in some of the action scenes as I would have liked. But, somehow I think the stilted movements might have been intentional. The character style for me worked better in the previous 2-D Clone Wars animations than it does in 3-D. The battles were nice, but not as epic as I would have liked. They could have done a lot more. My main gripe was the canned animations of all the droid combatants. Also, I found it annoying for some of the ships and armor to be off-model from previous movies. Looking up things on Wookieepedia only brings the explanation/excuse of them being different ship and armor variants.

The story was a bit blah to me. I know this movie is just an introduction to an animated series coming this Fall. But, I would have liked a grander story focus for a feature film. The search for Jabba's son? Are they serious? I thought I would like the new character Ahsoka, but she ended up being a little too annoying at times.

All of this though is totally forgivable to me since I am such a total fan :). Just seeing another chapter of Star Wars on the big screen was enough to give me a grand, fun afternoon. Although, after dinner at the Panera, this lead to an after-movie walk to the Northern Blvd. Toys R Us and a Star Wars toy shopping spree :). Yes, I like to punish my wallet every now and again :).

Florida and Droids

2008-07-10T10:39:00.008-04:00

Well, I'm back from Florida. Had a great trip and totally geeked out with my myriad of cousins. We ended up playing Dungeons & Dragons for three nights :). Games of Chez Geek and Super Munchkin were also played to unexpected results. Our normally non-geek cousin Darwin ended up winning both games. I attribute this to him growing a goatee and therefore it must have been an alternate universe version of him that had won the games :). Later, my cousin Darwin set up some poker and black jack games for us on two nights using casino chips. Was an awesome time, and I'll even miss the annoying though often amusing antics of my little cousin Ryan :).

While in Florida, my cousin Ernest showed us some very cool stores. I was able to add 5 new astromech droids to my collection :). Three were found in Wal-Mart as part of the new Droid Factory line. The coolest finds though were two Star Tours droids found at the Acme Superstore, an amazing collector's paradise. The place has the biggest selection of hard to find Star Wars, Star Trek, G.I. Joe and Transformers toys and collectibles I have ever seen. We also visited Cool Stuff Games and Rhubarb Games to pick up some D&D stuff. Of course we also ended up checking the local Barnes & Nobles and Borders for some manga browsing :).

Here's some pics of the droids I picked up. The three in front are R4-H5, R2-T0 and R4-F5. The two in the back are the Star Tours droids R3-D3 and R4-M9.

Here's a line up of some of the astromech droids I have. I have ten more that aren't shown because they are still in the display packaging.

Thanks again to all my cousins. It was a really fun time, and way too short. Hopefully I can visit again soon or maybe you all can visit me up here in NYC sometime :).

The Happening

2008-06-25T22:16:00.006-04:00

I ended up watching M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening lately. The trailers had intrigued me, and for the most part I like his movies. The Happening starts off with an unexplained "gas" attack that breaks out in New York City's Central Park. The unexplained result is that people become disoriented and start committing suicide. News of this spreads and people quickly try to escape the city. Unfortunately the "attacks" spread to the rest of the US Northeast.

Wahlberg and Leguizamo play school teachers that try and get their families out of the area by train. The cast was convincingly quirky and kept my interest. Some have said that the inclusion of kids in the traumatic scenes were a bit disturbing. But, if this were a real incident, the kids would realistically be caught up in the mess. Adds to the drama.

I do have to say most of the shock scenes were adequate, but could have been done better. One scene in particular was poorly done and laughable. It was a scene in where people were viewing an iPhone video of someone being mauled by bears. It looked like a Saturday Night Live sketch filmed on a blue screen, completely fake looking. At times in the movie I felt I wasn't actually scared but startled by the loud music that punctuated every shock scene. I did like the situations that transpired though, as it seems to be similar in theme but the total opposite of a zombie horror flick.

In the end though, I left unsatisfied by the movie. The events that occur are poorly explained and purposely vague. I really wanted to see more of what was "Happening." I wanted to see more of what was going on in the major population centers, but was forced to follow the characters into the countryside. Then just as quickly as the "Happening" started, it just ends with the cop out explanation that things can happen in nature that we will never fully understand. This kind of ending works great on a TV show like The Twilight Zone or The X-Files, but for a feature film is hardly acceptable. M. Night Shyamalan's trademark twist ending fails this time around.

Mirrored

2008-06-24T15:52:00.004-04:00

Just to let you all know that I now have this blog mirrored on other sites.

http://lynxswift.blogspot.com/

http://www.xanga.com/lynxswift

http://www.myspace.com/lynxswift

At the moment the Xanga one is the most complete. But, I'm thinking the Blogger one will be my main blog from now on. I like all the customization that is possible.

Pasta Hut

2008-06-24T15:16:00.004-04:00

So I was doing some shopping and saw a Pizza Hut location while walking home. I had seen the commercials for the new Pizza Hut Tuscani Pastas. So, I decided to give it a try. Big mistake. First of all, I should have just gone home and ordered from there, because I was informed I'd have to wait 10-15 minutes for the order. The location was one of those bare bones Pizza Huts that only did deliveries. When did Pizza Hut stop doing actual restaurants? In any case by the time I got my order and walked several blocks home with an unwieldy tray of pasta on a hot, humid day, the pasta was kinda luke warm. How was it? Well, I had ordered the Meaty Marinara version, and I found the sauce to be too sour, but passable. The cheese was the usual crappy cheese that Pizza Hut uses. One thing I found odd though was that there were all these hard dry pieces of pasta all along the edges. It was kinda annoying. I don't think this was frozen, but maybe the pasta they are using is the kind that isn't boiled but cooks in the sauce?

You can only order the pasta in a 3 pound tray for $11.99. Depending on your appetite, you can get about 3-4 meals out of this tray. If you're single, you're going to be sick of the stuff by the third meal. At least that was my experience :(. In all honesty, you can buy a better quality, frozen, pasta meal at a Costco/Price Club or Sam's Club or BJ's Wholesale Club. I'm not sure if the Creamy Chicken Alfredo is any better, but three other people entered the place and ordered that instead of the Meaty Marinara. Maybe I just ordered the wrong one? In any case, I'm not going to be recommending these "Tuscani Pastas."

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

2008-06-02T05:36:00.006-04:00

Last night on the G4 channel, I saw the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. It's about the controversial, current contention for the world record high score on the Donkey Kong arcade game. I was fascinated by this glimpse into the classic, arcade, game subculture.

We are introduced to Billy Mitchell, named the Video Game Player of the Century, holding world records in several classic arcade games. He's arrogant and over-confident and has a solid clique of gamers on his side. Then comes Steve Wiebe, a soft-spoken, middle-school, science teacher who attempts to claim the new world record high score. Controversy ensues as claims of fraud force the players to meet at an official arcade location called Funspot. The tension and repressed animosity is unbelievable, and makes for a good story.

I know most people who are not into video games will make fun of this documentary. But, I really admire these gamers and am glad to see another geek subculture film akin to the Trekkies documentaries. It's at least a validation that there are other like minded geeks and nerds out there that take their hobbies seriously.

Exercise.

2008-05-30T23:40:00.004-04:00

So, let's talk about exercise. Being as it's summer. I decided to try and regularly work out everyday and try and get into shape. I've got an exercise bike, some dumbbells, some Tae Bo tapes, and exercise videos on my cable OnDemand system.

In the past, I've tried several times to regularly exercise, with several failed starts. With all the trouble I've had in the last year, I figured I really should make a change in my habits. After all, they say exercising gives you more energy, determination and makes you feel better. Well, after four days, I gotta say I disagree. All my muscles are sore, my shoulders and back hurt in weird ways, I'm exhausted and less motivated to move, and now tend to unexpectedly nap off for hours.

I'm gonna keep at it though. This post is mostly a reminder to myself. Best of luck to myself. Keep at it :)!!!

GTAIV - Virtually Real.

2008-05-04T17:29:00.003-04:00

Well, I've recently caught the flu somewhere and also allergy season has started up :(. So what better way to spend some indoor time than running around a virtual version of your very own city :)? In Grand Theft Auto IV you can run around a fictional version of NYC called Liberty City. The game is so detailed as to have several neighborhoods and landmarks approximated in the game. Imagine my surprise when I found my own neighborhood in the game :). I'm not very far into the game, so I'll have to review the game at a later date.

Here's what you missed.

2008-04-26T03:08:00.002-04:00

Well, the New York Comic Con was last weekend, and I've been looking up YouTube videos of some panels I might have missed. Found some very cool videos that show the great, fun atmosphere that was present at the show. The cosplayers were great fun :).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bVJv05B2ypg

http://youtube.com/watch?v=N9FOi8FugsM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_MYN_etpvh4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q0m8uzbOefg

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zQka6FqJDN8

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OePaBVNQpE8

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJ6BUTftsyU

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_XTW74o6Bi0

Of course there are many others up on YouTube, too many to list here :). Enjoy!!!

New York Comic Con 2008

2008-04-24T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hey folks, I was at the New York Comic Con last weekend. The convention was huge and I had a blast :). Lots to see, lots to buy and the cosplayers make the trip all the more fun.

Notably more present at this con were videogame companies. I got to try out some Warhammer Online by Mythic. I found the graphics to be fantastic. Way better than World of Warcraft. The only problem is the combat seemed dull and boring. Konami had Metal Gear Online available to play in linked multi-player. For a game of this type, it seemed very slow and unrealistic. After Call of Duty 4, the bar has been set very high for these types of games, and I might just have to skip this one. Bandai Namco was showing off the latest Naruto game. Looks very fun as usual, though I'm still waiting for a PS3 version. The people at the booth were nice enough to give me a Naruto Trading Figure pack which contained a Kakashi figure. Thanks :). Square Enix was also present, but did not have Final Fantasy XIII or any of their new games on display :(. Mostly they were there to sell some merch, of which I bought the Aerith Gainsborough figure, and a Shinra Electric Power Company business card holder :). New figures to be released soon are the original FFVII versions of Yuffie, Vincent and Red XIII with Cait Sith.

Notably absent from the con were anime companies ADV, Viz, and Central Park Media. In fact, anime seemed to be very underrepresented at the show, even with the small dealers. This might be due to the fact that New York now has the New York Anime Festival. Manga on the other hand seems to be in a boom. Several mainstream publishers now have manga offerings, including Tor. Even Stan Lee has a manga project in the works. These mainstream publishers really have to do their research and study how to sell to their audience. Most of their booths were quite dull. Tokyopop always gets it right though, since they've been in the game the longest, and Del Rey Manga has a fun group and a really good list of titles.

Table-top gaming has very much been in a decline. Absent this year were Rackham, Privateer Press, WizKids and Games Workshop. The Fantasy Flight Games booth did have the Rackham AT-43 Operation Damocles set, but nothing else in the series. The Wizards of the Coast gaming area had a very weak turnout compared to past years. The booth itself had demos for Star Wars and D&D miniatures, the Magic the Gathering and Maple Story CCGs, and the new Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edtion RPG. I demo'd the new 4th Edition rules and found them to have a radially different feel. Things seem more like videogame or anime powers. Especially the new Adrenaline Rush way of self healing. Too early to tell if this is a good or bad thing. In Star Wars gaming, it is confirmed that there will be miniatures based on the upcoming Clone Wars animation series :).

Gaia Online was there at the con. DJ Helsing ran into me on the show floor and remembered me from last years Today Show meetup :). Went to their panel and seems the MMO is soon to be a reality. Looks very interesting. Also, got to meet Lanzer and get his autograph.

The dealers area was greatly expanded from last year. Though I do wish they would have widened the aisles in some areas. The crowding at some points was unbearable :(. Lots of cool deals and oddities were to be found. I was able to get several Star Wars comics trade paperbacks at $5 each. Not bad since they are normally $18. I found three more Star Wars astromech droids for my collection :).

In other news, there seems to be an Andromeda Strain TV series coming to A&E. Zuda comics looks like the place to be for new artists. Iron Man is going to be awesome. Upper Deck has a Call of Duty CCG coming out. The TMR concert was loud and not really my thing. The Unicorn Table concert at the New York Anime Festival was much better. Though it is really good to see the NYCC doing concerts like other conventions. Makes for a very fun atmosphere. I'm sure there is a lot more I'm forgetting but there was so much to see over three days of the con :).

Well, thus concludes another New York Comic Con and I hope to see everyone at the New York Anime Festival in September :).

Fortune Cookies.

2008-04-05T01:35:00.000-04:00

Just another listing of fortunes I've gotten lately in fortune cookies.

"You will enjoy good health; that is your form of wealth."

"A healthy way of living is be good to your health."

"Spring has sprung. Life is blooming."

"Treasure what you have."

"If it is meant to be, who are you to challenge that? It's time to believe it."

The Battle of Hoth.

2008-02-26T03:41:00.001-05:00

Me and some friends got together to play the Star Wars Miniatures game and recreate The Battle of Hoth. Here's a picture of the game in progress. I photoshopped this picture for some fun :).

Snow.

2008-02-22T07:17:00.000-05:00

Snow. Enjoy :).

Tanks.

2008-01-31T15:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally bought an air compressor for the airbrush I never used. Tested it out on a Basilisk, Warhammer 40k, tank kit I was working on. Really nothing to see, cause I rushed it and it turned out messy :(. But, eventually I'll get the hang of it. The zoom of the camera and the flash really make all the little mistakes stand out :(. But, it's been awhile since I worked on any kits. It was fun to get back into it again. Next up I'll be working on a Demolisher tank.

Surveying 2007.

2008-01-20T04:10:00.003-05:00

Here's a year-end, recap survey. Thanks to Christina :).

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Make friends with a Japanese girl :).

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Not really, though I had many obstacles in the way this year :(.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, an old high school friend and his wife had a kid this year :). Congratulations :).

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my Grandfather :(. May he rest in peace.

5. What countries did you visit?
None :(.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A career.

7.What date(s) from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory?
The months of January and May/June :(. Also, July 4 :(. It was a bad year :(.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Completing my NYU Book Publishing Certificate.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Succumbing to depression and not persevering :(.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes :(.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I honestly don't know. Unless you count my PS3. But, that was a gift :).

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My sister for advancing her career :). Congratulations :).

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
A number of people. But, it's all not worth mentioning :(.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Trying to make myself happy with material things :(.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Completing my NYU Book Publishing Certificate :).

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Sorry by Our Lady Peace.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Sadder :(.

ii. thinner or fatter?
Fatter :(.

iii. richer or poorer?
Not sure, depends on how you look at it.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Went out with friends more often.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being depressed :(.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Family get together party :).

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Not really :(.

22. How many one night stands?
None.

23. What was your favourite TV program?
The Office.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Not really.

26. What was the best book you read?
Spook Country by William Gibson.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Jonathan Coulton :).

28. What did you want and get?
A PS3 :).

29. What did you want and not get?
A career :(.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Superbad :).

31. What did you do on your birthday?
Went out to eat with family and go shopping :).

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I just want good health and not have any health problems :(.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Black.

34. What kept you sane?
The internet.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Olivia Munn :).

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The war :(.

37. Who did you miss?
My Grandfather :(.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Kaori, a classmate of mine who is from Japan :).

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
That life doesn't last forever and can end at anytime. So, make the best of your time on Earth while you can :(.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Today's a reason for living
Today's the blood from a stone
Today's a light from a candle
Helping us to find our way home
Today we carry each other
Today the past is a freak
Today's a time for forgiveness
You were never that good to me
(Welcome to this world)..."
Sorry by Our Lady Peace

Older Posts.

2008-01-11T01:11:00.001-05:00

For older posts, pre-2008, please check out my other blog on Xanga.com.

http://www.xanga.com/lynxswift