It's past 2 in the morning and it doesn't seem that I'll get any sleep.  It's not because I'm worried, or I have a big paper to write, or etc.  I've now discovered the great joy of... reading.  Ever since I watched the TV series of Ah! My Goddess I've plunged head first into that world.  I've been watching and reading anything that I can get my hands on related to Ah! My Goddess... except the disgusting and cheesy Doujinshi comics that destroy the image of Ah! My Goddess... in my opinion.  I've read all of the unflipped manga that Dark Horse comics has released, even though they relases them with huge gaps in the order of the volumes.  I've watched the first OVA's along with the recently made TV series... both seasons 1 and 2 along with the TV special called "Fighting Wings".  

The latest is the 1st Ah! My Goddess novel "First End".  This is the 1st novel I've read that didn't relate to school in anyway.  I read this because I have a deep desire to know everything there is to know about the Ah! My Goddess universe.  It's hard to blog about this without typing any spoilers, but I'll try my best.  Bottom line... I never enjoyed reading novels.  I always thought of novels as boring.  My imagination could never manifest itself so that I can "see" what I'm reading.  For this book, since I've watched the anime and read the manga, the images and sounds were in my head already... helping me to enjoy this novel to the max. 

The novel was excellent!  It started well, ended well, and had me crying at the end.  I can admit to it.  I'm old enough to admit that the story was written well enough to get me to cry.  Heh... remembering that story now is getting me all teary eyed again.  

I've never plunged into something so deeply before in my life.   

It makes me feel good that I'm making an effort to push past my usual routines and comfort zones.  I'm discovering the joys in these different things that I can't wait for the next.

Anyway the summer is coming up and if you've got a lot of extra time on your hands I suggest watching the Ah! My Goddess TV series on either youtube.com or on myspace.  I can vouch that you won't be disappointed.

I'll try to get some get some sleep now.

Good night.

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I watched the new Indiana Jones movie this past Saturday and well... it didn't really impress me.  I think that "The Last Cursade" was the best of the whole series.  I feel that the new one shouldn't have been made and just left it as a trilogy.  A 7 out of 10 at best.

Sunday I watched "Speed Racer" and I was plesantly surprised.  Even though I'm well versed with the japanese anime version, usually having me saying that the original is the best, I was plesantly surprised.  The movie told a really good story and I really enjoyed it.  I put aside what I watched from the anime and I was realy able to get into the movie.  A 9 out of 10 all the way.

I found myself looking up and watching several music videos on youtube.com of different singers and music groups that I listened to back from the 90's.  Artists like MC Hammer, Color Me Badd, Mariah Carey, Silk, Hi-Five, Celine Dion, etc.  Watching those videos reinforces my past blog here about how the music of today is really shallow, whereas back then music elicted more deeper feelings and really sings about things that people can really relate to.  I miss those songs.

Well I'm sleepy now.  More later.

Good night.

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I love the 80's and the 90's.  They had the best kind of music coming out of the works.  Music lately seems so shallow and material.  Rap guys making videos with loads of cash in their hands showing off their cars and women wearing less and less clothing.  Pop stars like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, etc. showing off their bodies and playing on the whole "sex sells" concept.  The 80's had songs that were about falling in love, breaking up, getting back together, and everlasting love.  The 90's had Boyz II Men singing "On Bended Knee", Mariah Carey sang songs like "Forever", Celine Dion sangs a song simply titled "I Love You", etc. adding soul and depth to love songs.  I miss those kinds of songs.  They're being written today but they don't get the same exposure as they did in the 80's and 90's.  I'm not going to forget about the 50's where it all began.  Buddy Holly, The Platters, Bobby Darin, etc.  I love their songs as well.

I guess Kuya Sandy from Comic Odyssey said it best when he told me, "Mario you have an old soul."  He's right, I have a love for the classics... especially in music.

My iPod is full of love songs and I'm starting to listen to them more and more than the other generes in my iPod. 

I wonder if the music industry will ever go back to its roots and bring back love songs in full force.  I that happens in my lifetime.

Good night.

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I'm now in love with watching Dancing With The Stars.  Watching it makes me feel excited and wanting to try dancing myself.  I can see the expression of their emotions and almost feel their emotions through the TV screen.  I've always said that martial arts is a great way to express your emotions but that's usually just a fighter's aggressive emotions and hardly ever any of the others.  After watching this season of the show a dancer can show a wide range of emotions and entertain the crowd at the same time.  The best eaxmple of that is watching Kristi Yamguchi dance and the scores that the judges are giving her really reflect that.  I was never much of a dancer and I was always the one on the sides refusing to go in the center of the circle and show a few moves.  Anyway I can't wait for the next season of the show.  GO Kristi!!!  She won!!!

I need a way to express more of my emotions.  I do have a lot bottled up and I need an outlet for them.  I'd like to try it... take a dance class.  Hmm...

Or maybe I should become an anime voice actor.

Heh... Good night.

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I've recently watched the new movie Iron Man that came out and I was really impressed.  The end battle could've been more spectacular but the movie overall was great.  Especially the fact that the terrorists in the movie were all using a bunch of G36 variants... my preferred airsoft AEG.

I believe that I'm going through another personality change.  My last one was back about 2 or 3 years ago because of a broken heart.  This one isn't over something so serious... I just looked at myself in the mirror again started to think about my life and what I'm going to be doing in the future.  It's hard to explain and might even sound weird as I try.  When I'm watching something... especially anime... I tend to reach out and find consistencies between my life and what's happening on the screen.  Ah! My Goddess and Suzuka are the two animes constantly in my head as of now.  The romance plot of Suzuka really sucked me in and probably made me realize a few things about how I relate and act around those of the opposite sex.  If I see or read something that makes sense I usually keep in my mind until I need to use it. 

I don't think of myself as a perfectionist.  I see myself as a person that seeks and strives for complete balance.  I always look for the middle ground of everything and anything.  I truly believe that through balance a person will see what he/she is truly made of and will be able to adapt to whatever situation that presents itself.  Through the balance of mind, body, and for those who believes in it.. soul.. a person will reach the highest point of their life and will be set for life regardless of money or any other status.  In the construction of my Yu-Gi-Oh! decks... I built them to be balanced.  My airsoft rifles.. I chose the G36C because it's a balanced weapon that I can take and play CQB and then with some minor changes I can go straight into a field skirmish and perform well.  Everything that I do and have all revolve around being balanced. 

Anyway the changes that I'm making now are all about stepping out of my comfort zones as I mentioned in my previous post.  It's time to open myself up and experience the world the way the characters do in the anime I watch.  Maybe I'll even go as far as to open up my heart to someone else.  One step at a time though.

Well... the Borders at Plaza Bonita is now open.  Honestly it's like Best Buy... you've seen one... you've seen them all.  My attention was focused more at the Plaza Bonita Tilt.  It moved from the upper level to the bottom level where Macy's is.  The Initial D arcade that's there is in top working order and the volume is turned up.  I've gotten myself back to the level of driving I was doing before the Initial D arcade at Brunswick was taken out.  I can call myself the "King Of Akina" again and I'm running solid 3:07 time on Akina's downhill.  Heh... an accomplishment that only I can appreciate.

Ah!  It felt good to get that off my chest.

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Ever since I watched the Ah! My Goddess TV series I've made it a point to break out of my routines and take a step out of my comfort zomes.  I've gotten rid of a lot of old stuff that I thought I would need later but have never gotten around to doing anything with them.  My bedroom is much more spacious because of it.  I had a lot of Dragonball Z posters as well as various other anime posters all over my wall which have since been taken down.  I put up 4 wall scrolls of Belldandy around my bed.  After doing so I've noticed that I'm getting a more rested sleep every night.  I want to say that it's because I stopped going to sleep right after I ate something but maybe Belldan... hehehe. 

Well for better or for worse I'm getting excited about watching anime again.  I picled up this anime titled "Suzuka" and the story is very realistic and I'm sure that many people can relate to the story.  I'd explain it here but I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone.  Then again I'm easily entertained so maybe my suggestion to watch this anime doesn't have much weight behind it.  I'll still say that this has a great storyline and from episode 1 I was hooked.  It was like I was addicted to drugs and Suzuka was my fix.  I seriously watched all 26 episodes in one night.  I was a machine and didn't feel sleepy one bit.  I admit that I did the same thing to Ah! My Goddess and that was two seasons worth... totaling 50 episodes in one night.  Anyway Suzuka in my opinion has a great storyline and is very much worth watching.

I'm more determined to go to a public university now.  National University has a weird atmosphere and I think that I need the atmosphere of the SDSU or UCSD campus.  Plus I need to break out of my shell more.  Watching so much romance anime has got me wanting to find that someone for me.  I don't want to meet her at some club or party that's serving drinks.  I don't want to meet someone that's only talking to me because she's some carefree buzzed party girl.  Someone that enjoys a walk on a nice day where we just talk about anything and truthfully enjoys spending time with me like that.  Someone once told me to never settle and go for what you want.  I'm not some uber otaku that shells himself at home and does nothing but watch anime and read manga.  Using her as a metaphor I really want to find my Belldandy.  Someone that will always show me her wonderful smile, has complete faith in me, hug me when I need one, and will always stay by my side forever. 

(To know more about what I'm talking about the Ah! My Goddess episodes are all on MySpaceTV!!!)

Later.

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