Surprise surprise surprise. I actually got myself my 3rd gerbil from Petmart today O_o. I got him thinking that it'll be nice of the other 2 have a new friend... but I forgot they're all males... So I bought him despite the risk, hoping that perhaps in a few days everything will get better after they get used to one another. So far... the older 2 are still sorta bullying him. More like harassing actually, and would dominate everything else (even the new stuff I got for all 3 gerbils today), leaving him cowering in a small corner. >_<!

This new gerbil is entirely white, and with distinctive red eyes, much like a lab mouse really, with the exception of having hair on its tail =) I named him Alby, and he's a lot younger than Dante and Vergil (my other 2 gerbils), so he's very apparently smaller in size. He also seems very shy and timid. When the other 2 harass him he won't resist much or defend for himself. Fortunately I don't think the other 2 are biting him or anything. They're just being mean, but not nasty, not that I think so from what I've seen.

[Meet my 3rd gerbil Alby!! (Named after.... =P)]

And perhaps cos' Alby's new to the cage and environment, he's never actually tried to climb up the ladder to the 2nd floor where the food is placed. I actually had to hand feed him or he won't be eating anything tonight -_-" He's not tried drinking from the bottle himself too. He'd better know where to get water when he needs it. At the moment, since the other 2 won't let him join them in whatever they do, Alby unfortunately has to stay in one corner by himself, frequently getting harassed by especially Vergil (yellow gerbil). >_<! Hope things will improve in a few days...

Anyway, just about 3-4 days ago, I was so bored since the games I got online hadn't arrived, so I started playing Final Fantasy 10-2. It definitely ain't the most exciting game whatsoever but I thought, hey, if I can try and complete a full 100% in one game, why not, you know? So I followed the walkthrough real closely, making sure I didn't miss a thing... but after playing 7+ hrs and completing 20% of it, a friend sent me this other guide to the game for gamers to check if the % completed at that point is correct in order to complete the game a 100% in one try. Apparently, where I was at, I should have completed 21.6%, and I'm at 20%. So fuck. And guess what I did that gave me this result considering I followed everything tightly? .............Apparently I am not supposed to skip ANY cutscene in the entire game or I'll lose %. And the thing is, I've skipped a couple of cutscenes at the very beginning of the game since I've played the beginning once a while ago and don't want to rewatch them. So forget it!! I quit the game immediately and I'm never gonna continue it, ever again. What a dumbass game. There' s no replay value in this game at all. This whole % thing is there to 'force' gamers who couldn't attain a 100% in one try to replay the game again, thus 'increase' its value. Yeah right. What a waste. The game graphics are good, but this entire system is just too annoying to be bothered with.

My Jak II game arrived a few days ago, so yay~! I think I'm just gonna go ahead and play this one next =D It's been a long time since I've played any platform games. so this might be pretty refreshing. Hehehehe...My Onimusha 1 never arrived, as expected. I'm sure it got lost in the mail... but well, even after all the trouble, at least I still got a full refund back from that seller I really won't recommend, ever. He's honest and kind enough to refund me the money, but he's definitely not a responsible enough seller. He won't reply my emails no matter what. No other seller can annoy a buyer more than those who ignore the buyer's emails. Urggghh.

Oooh~ My mod kit for the PS2 arrived too~ Well, that's actually bout 5~6 days ago when it arrived =P But I finally installed it today, with the help of my sister =) I was so scared though, trying to open the PS2 carefully so as not to break it entirely and waste all that money. It was installed fine, but when I tested it to my disappointment, it actually doesn't seem to work, at least, it still won't play the pirated PS1 games that my brother left me. UURRGGHH!! WHHY!?!?! I don't have any Japanese ones or pirated PS2 ones to test it with so I'm stuck.. =.=" Dammit.

Finally, I finished Xenosaga II (not including the post-game side quests though)!!! Gosh... the 1st disc took only 10+ hrs but the 2nd disc drags on and on for another 20+ hrs. Still, though, that's ~15 hrs less than Xenosaga I, so I'm glad =P Really really love the 2nd episode LOTS!! The story's getting more and more complicated and interesting as new things are revealed and questions arise. I get so surprised and intrigued everytime they tell us something new that I've never thought of! However though, I don't know if I can get through the fact that.... T_T ... well... this will be spoilers for no one who actually even reads my blog knows what I'm talking about right? So I guess it doesn't really matter, right? Hahahaha.

Well in the end, I still can't believe... that Albedo dies. He's dead... already?! My goodness, that's real quick you know! Considering there're gonna be many more episodes to this game! >_<!! He's the source of my motivation to play this game!! Ah well... at least there was quite somefan service in the ending =P Rubedo, for the first time, was honest with his feelings and words and even cried but dammit... WHY DID ALBEDO HAVE TO DIE?!?!?! And honestly speaking, I don't understand why he dies. =P I'm really bad at understanding stories hahahaa! Or perhaps I just concentrate too much on other aspects. Tee hee hee. And ooh!! It's also showed that Albedo was really jealous of Sakura, the girl Rubedo really cares about in the past, because she was always 'flirting' with him. Mwahahaha!!! He hates Momo for the same reason too =P. Oh my my... =D

[Some screenshots from the ending]

The other cool thing that's been 'revealed' is the fact that Chaos really isn't human after all - he was shown standing on a spacecraft in space without a spacesuit. What's worse... At the very end of the ending, we see the arrival of a new Testament wearing white (White Testament?), and whose voice is by no doubt Chaos'. O_O!!! Oh my god... mysterious mysterious!!!

OK now I think I'm serious doomed. I got a video/audio project due on Monday and I've not started anything!! Literally NOTHING!! AAAHHH!! I have no motivation.. There's nothing I want to make about.. >_<!! I hate the audio part most of all too. AAaahh... T_T I need a miracle.

Phewz... Been rushing through Xenosaga II for 2 days consecutively!! Now I'm at 16+ hrs and I got a feeling this game's really short compared to Episode I and will probably end in a few more hours. In any case, I'm totally loving this game!! So many reasons why!! O_o!

1. Most of the characters are more mature and less deformed looking (especially Rubedo!!).
2. Cutscene graphics are much smoother and beautiful.
3. Gameplay is MUCH more engaging and fun =)
4. Storyline has a lot of emphasis on the past and relations between Rubedo and Albedo. (YAAAYY~~!!)

And man, I knew this would happen.... I'm really liking Rubedo lots and lots more!! It's gotta be the looks. Plus, he's less foul (he was excessively foul before) and behaves adorably sometimes. On the other hand, I grew to dislike Shion. She's definitely prettier, but at the same time she's become more of a bitch. I don't know if it's just me but I guess when a pretty lady talks and acts the way she does I just can't help but see her like a bitch, compared to Episode 1 where she still looks cute-sie and with glasses like some bookworm or nerd. (Look at comparison below)

[Left: Xenosaga I, Right: Xenosaga II]

[Left: Chaos        Right: Jin Uzuki]

It's 5.33am in the morning and yes!! I finally completed Xenosaga I!!! Phewz... That took 45 hrs 29 mins 26 seconds altogether (including cutscene watching time), and all 3 of my characters are at level 44 at the very end.

The funny thing is, I really never realized the real way to play during battles and for the first 37 hours of the game (I still can't believe I was that dumb), I didn't know I could have saved myself a lot of time, stress and trouble by simply changing the settings for the characters' tech attacks (their strongest attacks). I totally felt like a complete idiot. Hahaha.

This is really typical of me but even after playing through the whole game there's just sooo much I still don't understand!! O_o I know I'm poor at understanding to begin with but there's really just too much stuff going on in the story and so little revealed. I actually don't know what we're supposed to know at this point according to all that's been revealed/explained so far. Gosh.. wonder if it'll get any better once I start playing Xenosaga II after it arrives. Can't wait to see Albedo and Rubedo in Xenosaga II's style (not that Albedo looks any different). Wonder how many more loong hours it'll be before I get to where the flashback about Rubedo / Albedo / Nigredo's past. Hehehehe.. I bet it'll be interessssting....

Now, what's annoying me is that my Onimusha 1 game from ebay still hasn't arrived!!! It's been 14 days for god's sake!! And the seller is from the US too! Don't tell me it got lost in the mail or something... I have Onimusha 3 with me but I don't wanna play it until I finish Onimusha 1, just to be in order and all you know. Dammit...

Since I'm running out of games, I looked around eBay and got myself an old PS1 game - Legend of Legaia. I remember it being a pretty cool game with the most original battle system I've seen, and with pretty good music too, so I decided to get it. Dude, they're such old games but they always cost a lot O_o. I got it for $14.50, which is nearly twice as much as how much I got Onimusha 1 for. Maybe I got just lucky with Onimusha... Well, my Xenosaga I is $15.50... and so is my Kingdom Hearts game that is USED, with its instructions manual looking horrible and case bad. Why didn't I just buy it from Costco at $16 for a freaking brand new one?! Urgh... Regrets....

I was also looking Chrono Cross, another quite old PS1 game by Square Soft, back then. I've played it for like 10 mins before, years ago, but that's as long as I've touched/seen it. Reviews say it's awesome, Gamespot even gives it a 10/10 rating!! Dude... are you serious... Well, a friend might have it so I might as well just borrow, so we shall see =)

During all that surfing though, I found out about this new game by Capcom and Disney... on the Nightmare Before Christmas!!! How cool is that?! Well, my liking for the Nightmare Before Christmas developed after I played Kingdom Hearts, so seeing there's an ACTION game on it I'm all excited again =D. The only Gamespot review says that it's so so and only worth renting due to lots of repetition in gameplay and stuff. Well, I remember being pretty stressed and annoyed at Kingdom Hearts and kept complaining about it but heck, in the end it was all good and I actually am glad I played and finished it =) So I think I'll have a go at this one as well. Hehehehe. Retail price is $39.99, and I'm still debating whether I should just get it later, soon or buy the pirated version on Ebay from this seller I found out about...

Thing is, I just decided to buy one of those PS2 mod kits that can modify your PS2 without hacking the inside of the PS2 itself. The kit cost me $42 with shipping, argh, and now I wonder why I even bought it really, but then I guess it's a good investment so long it works. Cos' then I don't have to 1) spend so much money buying expensive games 2) suffer impatience while waiting for the US version of a Japanese game comes out 3) complain about not being able to play a game only available in Japanese. Really hope it'll work... it'd BETTER!!

Anyway, this are some of the screenshots on the Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge PS2 game =D

[The environments are so similar to Halloween Town in Kingdom Hearts, it feels like an extension of the game.]

Haha, this is the first time I'm updating this blog at work =P Of course I'm not supposed to be doing this but I have no work to do! I gotta look for my boss but she's not around so I gotta wait till she's back so in the meanwhile why not I do something right? =)

Man, I've been rushing through Xenosaga like mad the past few days. Now I'm at 41 hours and the only thing remaining is the last section/mission of the game. Dunno how much longer it'll take before I get to finish the game but I hope it's not too far away... In any case, I don't think it'll be more than 5 hours so outta the game I'll go.... and then proceed to Xenosaga II once it arrives (got it from eBay). Hahaha.. what a marathon!

So what drove me to play Xenosaga anyway? Hehehehe... People who know me enough could probably have guessed. So lemme show you my reason. =P

[In order: Albedo, Rubedo (Jr.), Nigredo]

And there you go! =D My love is Albedo, tho' he's really just the world's biggest psycho lunatic. I'm not a big fan of Rubedo but since he's Albedo's only concern, he's pretty much the only one pairable with him, so uh.. hehehe.... those who know me well enough will know the rest =) Nigredo, as someone explained to me, is much like the sane and gentlemanly version of Albedo , and it's true. They share the same face, and Rubedo will too if he ever grows up. Oh by the way, these pictures are taken from Xenosaga II for those who don't know. While Albedo and Nigredo look no different, Rubedo looks ridiculously deformed/chibi in Xenosaga I. Just look at this... O_o

[Left: Xenosaga I, Center & Right: Xenosaga II]

He's sooooo much more better looking in II, no??? Compare those eyes dude!! Those goldfish eyes ---> O_O. In terms of yaoi this is complete shota and I really hate shota, but Rubedo in II looks lots better compared to I so I'll forgive him. =) Those expressions he's making the 2 pictures above are so deliciously good too =P If ONLY he'll grow older... which he can't since he doesn't age no matter what. Dammit...

Oooh.. so I finally updated my blog in the DAY. Hahaha. It's 4.36pm and I just woke up about 20 minutes ago... And hey, someone bought another item from me on Ebay! Yay~~! SO goodbye to my Trigun anthologies! Ohohohoho! Been trying to sell that since ages but it never got sold so I gave up.

And I guess as some, I guess, could have figured, I'm now playing Xenosaga Episode 1. Dude, this game has practically the LONGEST cutscenes of any game I've ever seen in my entire life!!! One time I finished a boss battle and the cutscene that comes up after was 30 freaking minutes!!! I was like "Uh.. when is this ever gonna end...?" Well, the cutscenes are cool, really, but sometimes I do wanna get my hands back on the actual gameplay and I think 30 minutes is pretty ridiculous considering it's not the ending.

The very first opening CG cutscene was also pretty cool. So far it's the only cutscene that has graphics quality that looks different from the rest of the cutscenes. And so it was all looking good... until the title sequence came. I was pretty much "....". Along with such cool cutscenes come damn boring and plain titles with a font that ANYONE can recognize - Times New Roman, and in bold. I mean really, are they out of fonts or what... There's no other effects or anything to enhance it too, besides maybe a little wave-like effect behind the names of the creators/producers that show up in the opening credits. I've taken many digital art classes where the teachers preach a lot about how important title sequences, type faces and effects that suit the mood are. So I've grown to not be able to ignore such things when I watch anything now.. Haha.

If I remember correctly, I think the walkthrough I'm following says there're a total of 15 missions in the game and I'm now right about at the start of mission 5. Haha. so that's less than 33% there. So far I've spent I think 9+ hours on the game, and I can't remmeber how many hours are actual gameplay vs cutscenes. Hahaha! Won't it be cool to know? Haha! I got a feeling it may actually be about the ratio 6+ : 3+ (gameplay : cutscenes) Mwahahaha!!

Oooh... that's right. I gotta link from this blog to the one-paged webpage that I made with the list of all the manga and anthologies that I'm wanting to sell -- Manga Sale List.

Woohoo! I'm actually selling stuff on ebay again! It's Sunday 12.17am but I'm really talking about what happened 'yesterday' since I always update my blogs EARLY in the 'morning'.

My comic shelf is really just getting TOO full even tho' I've not been buying anymore comics the past few months. Well, not the yaoi ones. And when I look at the shelf I can't help but remember so many of those Prince Of Tennis anthologies I have suck so bad. They take up space on the shelf too, so I thought maybe I should sell them. I stopped selling on ebay since the price for listing increased and all those fees really take away a big portion of your earnings, and the moment I think of it I usually give up the idea of selling.

However this time I took my chances anyway, and oh my god, in within 3 hrs after I listed the items up for auction, I already was able to sell 3 out of 4 of them!! (2 of them are a lot of 3 anthologies) O_o!! Man I'm so lucky this time!! Then I got happy, and ended up listing 4 more items. Mwahahaha!

These Prince of Tennis yaoi anthologies that I have rarely have my favorite pairing anyway... (Inui x Kaidou) How can they miss out on that?! Then there's an overload of Fuji x Tezuka/Tezuka x Fuji. God... That's like the most boring pair ever in the history of yaoi!! Soon enough I'm going to sell my King of Fighters yaoi anthologies (The Technical Fighters series) and some older One Piece ones. Aaah.. first things first. I hope those on auction right now sell... (Btw, my Ebay ID is t0shiki)