I’ve only slept for 5 hours and it’s 7:30am and I’m feeling funny and it’s laundry day, so I guess it’s time for an update. So. Time to list a few things I did during my week-long, post-exam break:

• Played Street Fighter IV. It was pretty spectacular. I would like to play it using an arcade stick or something.
• Went to see Valkyrie, liked it.
• Watched The Wicker Man (1973, not the one with Nicolas Cage), found it ridiculous, will probably enjoy the remake more.
• Read V for Vendetta in Greek, was kewl.
• Watched every single episode of Flight of the Conchords. Loved it!
• Played some Metroid Fusion.
• Played Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3.
• Listened to TONS of podcasts. It’s become a habit.

Time for another one of those posts where I jump from one thing to the next, ranting about meaningless, mostly personal matters that don’t interest you. Broken down in categories for your reading convenience!

Blog

First of all, I pushed the Zombie Week back a couple of weeks, because there was no way I could’ve written all those reviews in time. I haven’t even watched all those movies yet. I mean, I have watched each of them more than once before, but I haven’t watched all of them again for the purpose of reviewing them. I kind of like how this event will coincide with the release of Left 4 Dead.

Secondly, I have removed the tag cloud from the sidebar. As the number of tags rises, it becomes a hassle to browse them via a huge, messy cloud. I might start using sub-categories to make things a bit easier to find. The tags are still there, obviously. Just not accessible from the sidebar.

Getting older

I turned twenty a few days ago and I’d like to dedicate a few words to this. I don’t really mind birthdays; it’s one or two days before that it really dawns upon me that I’m getting old. This particular birthday came and went rather painlessly and I’m now in my 20s. Most of the people I expected to remember it, remembered. Some even surprised me by sending wishes I didn’t expect at all. So thanks! You’re awesome.

I also fed a stray dog that was sleeping on my doorstep in the evening of my 20th birthday. I felt better about myself and about the world.

Reading books or even manga

My reading list for the past week was birthday-themed. I read Birthday Stories, an anthology of short stories selected by none other than Haruki Murakami. I was a bit suspicious about this at first. I thought the inclusion of a popular novelist’s name was nothing more than a good way to sell more copies. But the selection is very interesting and Haruki contributes a foreword, as well as a short story. [Incidentally, that short story is about a girl turning twenty.]

Then I began reading 20th century boys, which I find oddly compelling. It’s your standard Japanese pop narrative: a bittersweet, melancholic story about growing up, which is, of course, mixed with a pretty ridiculous fantasy story about, erm, psychic powers and robots(?).

I don’t really know yet, because I haven’t read the whole thing (it’s huge!). I plan to, though. I haven’t really finished any manga series before, yet this seems to captivate my interest. Also, if it sounds dangerously similar to Evangelion, believe me, it’s not. This one has a human, personal quality to the narrative that Eva lacks. Not to mention that the ZOMG ROBOTS parts are, so far, much less pronounced.

Oh, and the image used in this post is from the manga.

Playing video games

Last week I finished Mother 3. It was awesome. In fact, I think I may have spent the exact moment I turned twenty playing the game.

The thing is so perfectly made and with such attention to detail, that I can’t think of anything I would remove from or add to the game to improve it. Or anything I’d change, for that matter. Itoi’s story ties together magnificently. Not a line of dialogue is wasted, out of place or otherwise unnecessary. The story sequences are fantastic. The graphics are beautiful and stunningly animated. The soundtrack is a worthy successor to that of EarthBound, which was one of the best SNES soundtracks (and that’s a real testament to its quality).

Yes, the game a bit short and more linear than the previous entries to the series, but I prefer it to both Mother 1 and 2 (or EarthBound Zero and EarthBound). If EB was a brilliant, deconstructivist take on the JRPG genre, this one is a much more standard JRPG and excels at it. One of the best games I’ve ever played! Give it a try, or disappoint every Mr. Saturn in existence.

After failing to run Corpse Killer (see previous post), I decided to play Snatcher instead. I’ve devoted some hours to Earthbound Zero as well. No time for huge games, so an adventure game and a primitive RPG will have to do.

Speaking or RPGs, I got a collector’s edition of Fallout 3, mainly because that Vault Boy bobblehead is so awesome. And looks great on my desk. It’s surprisingly well-made, too (I’m looking at you, Big Daddy statuette from Bioshock!). Keeps me company while studying. I’ll probably post my impressions of the game once I’ve actually played a bit of it.

Bonus content

For those of you who have read this far: I was walking to the bus stop yesterday morning, when I notice a van parked somewhere near my house with a radiation warning sign on it. I immediately went closer (ha!) and discovered it was a vehicle used for the transportation of radioactive material. I might have been irradiated.

That’s all.

So I watched two zombie films this week. The first was Fido, a comedic take on the zombie affair set in the idyllic 50s. Cute, but ultimately not satisfying. Also, not really a zombie movie, although technically it falls into the category.

Secondly and much more importantly, I watched Diary of the Dead, Romero’s brand new flick and it was a blast. It was, I quote from somewhere on IMDB, somewhat of a return to form. By all means better than the don’t-want-to-admit-it’s-terrible Land of the Dead and a fresh start (the word “reboot” is very appropriate given the theme of this film) for the zombie mythos. As is always the case with the Romero films, this is a social commentary wrapped in a bloody zombie cover. This time, it’s an exploration of the particular kind of voyeurism that develops in the person that holds a camera and its manifestation in today’s internet-based world. A very interesting subject, a cleverly written film and, as with most Romero films, actors that aren’t quite as good as the script demands.

Expect reviews of both movies soon, and the beginning of a new section dedicated to reviews of zombie films. Part 2 of the Doom 3 review is still coming in early May. I’ve also added a new widget in the sidebar that displays what music I’m currently listening to. I might keep that there or I might not. I like it for the time being.

It’s Easter time for the Orthodox Church, which means that when this post is up I will be home enjoying a couple of weeks off of school. I hope I’ve scheduled it properly. The second part of my Doom 3 review should be coming in early May, as promised. I’m also thinking of starting a new and epic (and fun!) feature where I will review zombie movies ever fortnight or so. I’ve watched a few and I think recording my experience on this blog will give me the incentive to discover even more. Not to mention satisfy my bloodlust. Just kidding about that last one. I don’t need zombie flicks for that, stray puppies will do.

On a different note, I’ve been listening to the Beatles a lot these days. I must’ve listened to Abbey Road at least five to six times today and the damn thing will soon be imprinted on my brain. It’s great. I also gave The White Album a spin (oh this paragraph is so full of puns, isn’t it?) and will hopefully soon get some more albums. Specifically Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour, 1 and Love.

I’ve also just finished Carrie (by Stephen King of course) and am about to go through Cell (also by King) and Neuromancer (that’s by William Gibson). Future reading material includes Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman and After Dark, both by Haruki Murakami.

Finally, I’m considering playing Earthbound sometime this summer, only this time around I’ll do it seriously and with the intention of actually finishing it. What an amazing creation that game is. I might even give the original Mother a go.

See you in the next post.

For some strange reason, I’ve decided to start blogging once again. Only this time I’ll make it less frequently and hopefully with more (and better!) content in each post. I have a series of posts coming up that will probably take me a long time to compose, since they’re in the planning stage. So if anyone still reads this blog, you can expect a post at the end of this month or in early May.

I am also in the process or cleaning up the blog. I will not delete the old entries, but I will change the theme, remove some dead links, update some pages and generally trim things down to the necessary. I will probably go for a simpler and maybe wider theme. I might or might not rename the blog as well.

That’s all for now. If by any chance you’re reading this, please leave a comment telling me so.

Edit: I have a new theme, updated layout and a kick-ass River City header. That was a pun right there.

And much like the Spanish inquisition, my blog posts are not expected either. Predictably, I failed to post an entry on December 7th, no matter what I had promised in my entry of the previous day. Seeing as how I have some time to kill, I think I will make an attempt at reducing two and a half months of life to a mere blog entry. Now isn’t that practical.

Shortly after my entry of  October the 2nd (a few hours after that, really), I got on a plane full of tourists and smartly-dressed young businessmen and within 30 minutes of flying above the Aegean, I found myself in a huge (for my standards) city known for quite some time now as Athens. All I can remember from that day is how long the ride with the bus from the airport to my house proved. Thankfully, I only had one piece of luggage.

Fast-forward two months and a couple of weeks and here I am, now not a highschool (or whatever you call it where you’re from) graduate, but a university student. Things that have changed (in almost random order):

• (This is kinda obvious, but establishing it once again will only add to the drama of everyday life as a uni student.) I live in a different house. All alone. In Athens.
• I have to pay my bills out of my monthly allowance. (Which isn’t that big of a problem.)
• I am now an adult (since Oct. 30th actually).
• I don’t have a TV…
• …but I do have a DSL connection. I can finally play Half-Life 2!!! (Goddamn Steam!)
• I can now cook some things, so I don’t starve to death.

Things that haven’t changed:

• I can only cook three or four different stuff, so I find myself in fast-food restaurants and similar places quite often.
• I still have my computer.
• I’m still looking for a good DSLR.
• I still have two arms and that peg leg.

There’s more, but I can’t bother to think of any right now, since it’s 2:08 in the AM and I’m not really in the mood for that.

Warning: What follows is a small paragraph that consists of random sentences linked together for the sake of saving space. Proceed at your own risk.

Needless to say, I’ve been seeing new places and meeting new people and trying to study new subjects, but be it places or people or subjects, they aren’t all pleasant. Too bad. Oh, I also noticed that ModBlog (does anyone remember that place anymore?) went down for good some weeks ago, so the link to my previous blog was removed from my blogroll. Um, this entry would have been way longer if I had written it five or six hours ago, but… well, I didn’t.

Till next time!

PS: Half-Life 2 (Episode One included) rocks. It’s shaping out to be my favourite FPS game of all time. I don’t think I need to mention that I was a huge fan of the first one, too. But then again, who isn’t?

PS the 2nd: I seem to be getting worst and worst at this whole blogging thingie. Should I stop?

I have this sudden wish to write and post an unbelievably long blog entry, but it’s 2:22 in the AM. I think I’ll do that tomorrow instead. Maybe.

Ookay, so you haven’t seen (read?) a new post on this blog for a long time. There’s a perfectly reasonable excuse for that, though: I am moving out. That’s right, the day we’ve all been waiting for is here. As of tomorrow, I’ll be living in Athens.

I’ve officially been a uni student since the 22nd of September, but classes begin sometime next week, so I didn’t have to move until now. I wasn’t really in the mood of updating my blog, but I am planning to begin posting regularly (at least once a week!) as soon as I have an internet connection. That might take a while, as I have to get a DSL line installed and subscribe to an ISP, but worry not: I will make it back online. Oh, and it’ll probably be a late October or early November comeback.

That’s about everything for now. I’ll go and get some sleep. I have some packing to do tomorrow. Wish me luck.

PS: Fast food restaurants in Athens, here I come!

PS2: No, I can’t cook for myself, okay?

So I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m going on a family trip to the south side of this island to have some fun in the sun and spend some time away from the big small city. I’m looking forward to it, as it’ll be the last family vacation before uni and the first in five or six years.

I will be back by Sunday afternoon. That, my dear readers, means two things. One: this trip is far too short. Two: you won’t be hearing from me until Monday. Rejoice! I’ll catch up with any posts on your blogs after I return.

On other news, my computer finally arrived today. I’ll post the specs just for the heck of it:

• MB: ASUS M2N32 SLI Deluxe
• CPU: AMD Athlon X2 4600+ M2
• VGA: NVidia GeForce 7900GTX (Asus EN7900GTX 512MB RAM)
• Sound Card: Creative SB X-Fi FATAL1TY FPS
• RAM: Two gigs (2×1GB DDR2 533MHz)

As you can probably guess, I won’t have another PC for at least a decade. Other, less noteworthy parts, include a 500GB disk, optical drives, et cetera. I haven’t thoroughly tested my computer yet. I tend to avoid benchmarks (I’m not that obsessed with performance) and go for the in-game feel instead. The only “new” game I’ve tested so far is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which runs great with just about everything (from shadows to filters to other things they use to make you buy new VGAs) turned on. I’ll rant about my computer on a future post and definitely expect an Oblivion review sometime next week.

Comment while I’m gone and have a great rest of the week!

So I headed out to the shops today and here’s what I got:

Games

My new computer’s arriving any day now, so I got two games I wanted to play but couldn’t due to crappy hardware and a collection of games of sentimental value.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas You know this game. For those who don’t (are there any such people out there?), this page can prove quite helpful. Now, before you ask, no I haven’t played San Andreas yet. Well, I’ve played five or six hours on a PS2, but that’s nothing, right? The game’s so huge I’ll be playing it for months. I am a big fan of Vice City (that would be the previous installment in the GTA series, for those who do not know so) to the point where I’ve played through it five or six times. After waiting so long to play San Andreas, I think I’ll be more than happy to finally get my hands on it.

Half-Life 2: Episode One All I’ve read/heard about this expansion is that it’s tiny, but great. I’ll also play Half-Life 2 along with this, since I never could on my previous computer. So I think I’ll be satisfied. Here’s a link to learn what this is about.
Baldur’s Gate Boxset Computer RPG players know this. Heck, any gamer should know this. One of the greatest RPG series ever made and Black Isle’s finest work, after maybe Planescape: Torment. I do own Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II along with its expansion, Throne of Bhaal. What I couldn’t find, though, no matter how hard I searched for it, was the original expansion, Tales of the Sword Coast. When I saw that boxset lying on the shelf, I knew I had to get it. It cost about 15 euros, which is not bad at all for two games and two expansions. This set ought to keep me company in the cold winter nights, aka some months from now.

Books

I do some reading, too, although this summer I’ve stayed away from it, mainly because I wanted a rest after school. These days I’m reading the complete short stories of Ernest Hemingway and today I also got these two books:

Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski Anyone who hasn’t read any Bukowski go to a bookstore and grab a book right now! I will not comment on the writer himself, as that would be unnecessary; I’ll only mention that this book is a collection of articles published in Open City, an underground LA newspaper of the late 60s. Therefore, this book is also of historical value. Seriously, though, you’re missing a lot if you haven’t read any Bukowski.

In Search of Lost Time, Book 2 by Marcel Proust A masterpiece of 20th century fiction and one of the longest works of fiction ever published. This book is as monumental to literature as the Bible is to Christianity. Okay, maybe not quite, but you get the general idea. I have only read half the first book, but I happened to have some extra money on me, so I got part 2. This is a masterpiece, but a long one at that, so be prepared to devote two or three months of your life if you’re planning to read it. It’ll be worth it, in my opinion.

Music

Minimum – Maximum by Kraftwerk Apparently the group’s first live album. I can’t say I know a whole lot about electronic music. As a matter of fact, this is my first album of Kraftwerk. I haven’t even listened through this once, so I might come back to this 2-CD live album in a future post.

This is pretty much all. Do note that this isn’t what I’d regularly get when going out. This was a rare occasion: I happened to have the money and I was lucky enough to find certain items I was interested in. So, uh, any thoughts?