It's time for me to get up on my soap box and rant about Final Fantasy. IMO, FFIX was THE best game in the series, but by far the most underrated game. VII and VIII developed an extremely large and devoted fan base. These games were based upon human and mechanical characteristics.  When FFIX was released, people were expecting bigger and better things, but Squaresoft decided to take a new direction and create a more fantasy-oriented Final Fantasy. Fans did not recieve this well. It's upsetting that people were so close-minded, expecting the same boring characteristics of VII (which was waaay overrated) and VIII (which is a hell of a lot more boring than IX (which isn't) ). Being a fan of the fantasy genre such as Tolkien and Dragonlance, this game was incredible to me. I think "hardcore fans" could be more accepting of one of the greatest, if not the greatest game in the series. They don't have to be absolutley stubborn about it, refusing to play and enjoy it. They're missing out on an excellent world in the Final Fantasy universe. 

On another FF note, Final Fantasy XII is a beautiful, highly  developed, and highly enjoyable game. Except the battle system is BORING. Sure, it's fun and addicting to set up complex gambits, but I like to FIGHT the battle, not set up attacks before it and sit there watching my charaters do stuff. Sure, it's convenient, but it just gets so damn boring after a while!! I want some action in my battle, I want to make some spontaneous decisions! This game would be close to perfect if they gave me the option to disable gambits during battle without having to switch the command list between characters EVERY SINGLE ACTION I EXECUTE!!!

 

And that's the end of my rant.  *huff*

ADDITION:  FFX-2 was a shocking game. As a female, I think I was able to tolerate it more, yet still at times it was scary to remember that Squaresoft created this game. Nevertheless, if you're able to suffer through the girly storyline, the battle system is very entertaining. The Grid Sphere system is innovative and fun. The other highlight of this game is the Via Infinito in Bevel. This is a challenging set of 100 cloisters you must go through to get 100% in the game, at least on your first run through. (Which is highly recommended, because if you don't get 100%, you get the worst ending ever.)  It's extremely hard; you're characters must be around level 80, with strong dress spheres mastered. It takes 2-4 hours to complete this sidequest. I highly recommend completing this, as the final battles on the 100th floor with Trema and Paragon are extremely worth it. Do it. get your money's worth our of this game.

I have just read the most depressing thing in my life. :( For all you manga lovers out there, I highly suggest you read The Demon Ororon series. There are only 4 books in the series, so you don’t have to worry about investing in over 30 books. *cough* naruto, inuyasha, bleach, DBZ, etc... *cough* 

Summary courtesy of  Wikipedia.com:

The Demon Ororon (???????, Akuma no Ororon^?) is a romantic tragedy manga series written by Hakase Mizuki. The series is published in English by Tokyopop.

This series follows the romance between Chiaki, a young half angel, half human girl, and Ororon, the King of Hell. An innocent promise made in gratitude opens the door for a world of hurt, as sadistic angels, bounty hunters, demon princes, and every denizen of the underworld appears, determined to destroy the King. But for love of his pacifist Chiaki, Ororon must also battle against his own bloodlust and murderous impulses.

When Chiaki meets a wounded young man on the street and offers to take him in, she has no idea that she’s just invited the King of Hell to move in with her. Out of gratitude for helping him, Ororon offers to grant Chiaki one wish. Chiaki, who lives a very lonely life, asks Ororon to stay with her forever. Remarking that "forever" is not the same for each of them, Ororon agrees, and the two of them quickly become attached to each other. Unfortunately, Chiaki soon realizes that falling in love with a demon has consequences. Ororon has abandoned his throne, causing renegade demons, bounty hunters, and his own brothers to come after him to take his crown. As Ororon fights to stay alive and protect the girl he loves, Chiaki is appalled by the violence surrounding her, and condemns Ororon as a murderer. Their relationship remains strained throughout the series as Ororon attempts to refrain from killing for Chiaki’s sake, leaving himself open for attack in the process. However, when her friends are threatened Chiaki herself displays a horrifying power. The powers her angelic father sealed within her level an entire city during a battle with three murderous angels, and Chiaki spends the rest of the series in agony over her hatred of what she and Ororon must do to survive.

END SUMMARY>

So there you have it. And just because it’s depressing, doesn’t mean that it’s bad. This is definitely the best manga I have ever read. It has amazing artwork that isn’t commonly seen in other manga. The author and artist Mizuki Hakase is incredible.  It pulls you in and you can’t stop reading, and before you know it, you’ve read the last page of the last book. It ends all too quickly and you’re left with a rather large void in your chest, so to speak.

I love spreading my joys (or sads) around. Misery loves company, as they say.. ;) And if I trust you enough, I might let you borrow them. :p just ask!

Pretty much the whole time I was reading, I was listening to Serj Tankian’s album, Elect the Dead. Particularly the song ’Beethoven’s C**t’.  It probably has to do with political stuff that I don’t understand, but somehow it also eerily fits the story and feelings of  "The Demon Ororon". 

Lyric’s for Beethoven’s C**t

I decided to adorn my myspace with Bill Kaulitz’s face. : )   He’s amazingly attractive. The most attractive guy I’ve ever seen. He’s German. He is the vocals of the band called Tokio Hotel (they don’t have anything really to do with japan, they just like they city Tokyo and want to go there some day). Half of the girls in gemany, France, and other countries in Europe, worship him. His twin, Tom, plays guitar in the band. Tom has a gangster style, compared to the rocker style of tom. How cute, haha. Their music is pretty good, and they’ve released an album in English, although they haven’t come over to tour yet. There are plans that they will tour in the US soon, though.  : )  Anyways, I recommend you visit their myspace and see if you like their music. It’s like pop rock, but as they get older, it’s more rock. I imagine their next album will be pretty much rock music.

Enjoy!!!

"Friends are the bacon bits in the salad bowl of life."
- Anon

"If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't jump with them, I would be at the bottom to catch them."
- Anon

"Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say."
- Anon

"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere."
-Tim McGraw

"Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher."
-Anon

"When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your best friend will be there."
-Anon

"Together forever, and never apart.  Maybe in distance, but never in heart."
-Anon

"Promise you won't forget me, because if I thought you would, I'd never leave."
~Winnie the Pooh~

"The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had."
-Anon

"One can't complain. I have my friends. Why, someone spoke to me only yesterday."
~Eeyore~

"A friend is someone who knows all about you... and loves you anyway."
-Anon

"I live for the nights that I won't remember with the friends I will never forget."
-Anon

"Friends are God's way of apologizing to us for our families."
-Anon

Leaving
by Robert Elliott
Open your arms to change, but please don't lose yourself
You are what makes you who you are in sickness and in health
A friendly atmosphere has made you who you are to be
Your character is in charge and will control your destiny

You'll go someplace you've never gone, you'll make your mark again,
You will reset your standards, and sure will make new friends
As soon as today is yesterday your heart will always give
I hope you won't regret today, cause your future longs to live

If our paths don't cross again, I won't forget this day
Cause I'm afraid of change, I'm scared to shift my ways
My eyes will see things they've never seen, but I've always been here
The time that counts your moments gone will teach me not to fear.

You'll look upon your life and see familiar grounds
You'll hear the call of memories and recognize the sound
All the lives you change will make stars disappear
And as you're settled down, you'll realize you've never left here. 

This is for my best friends, Kacie Mae Martell, Alexandra Dianne Hooper, Amanda Marie Stabile, and Jennifer Lynn Khim. No matter where we go, no matter where life takes us, I'll always hold you closest. I hope we get to share our lives together again someday. Until then, I want all of you to achieve your dreams and be the best people you can be. I know I will. ;) So no worries. See you all at Kacie's wedding! =)

we had to put dude down a couple days ago. he started going downhill ever since the fire. he lived longer than any of his family. i'll miss my duders. i'll miss his big sad eyes and the way he groans and growls, and how he wants to play even thought he hurts. aawww, buddy. :(

i know it's been several days, but i just wanted to post about my house fire and let everybody know the details. it was on thursday two weeks ago. it was only a small fire in the basement from old heating and electrical systems. it happened 2:30 in the morning. everybody got out ok and the firemen rescued our dog and put out the fire really fast before it spread. we're staying at my aunt dauna's house just down the road for now until things can be cleaned up. there's just smoke damage on everything not in the basement, so all of that can be cleaned up by proffesional cleaners, but it's going to take a while. i wanna thank everybody for their support and kindness through our third house fire. it seemed unfair at first, you  know, like, "what are the odds?" but then i learned a girl in my class had four house fires, so i consider myself lucky. in our case, it wasn't really by chance that we've had three fires, only stupidity of living in old, badly built houses that are expected to catch fire after 35 years. yet everyone is thankful that nobody is hurt. but the next time my house catches on fire, i'm going to save my iPod.

<3 sara