Uirusufura no Densetsu: Light and Fire Intertwined

My 2010 Hypes: Gaming, Part Two

2010-06-10T18:57:00.013-04:00

E3 2010 is soon upon us and the hype is over more present. What better time to update my 2010 hypes of this year with new games that I might have forgotten back in March or that was added with the forthcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo. Like Mario would say: "Here we GO!".

Final Fantasy XIV
PS3, PC

What better than a major Final Fantasy release set this year? How about two!?! Indeed, a rare sight it is, but the truth. Already in alpha testing, this new online iteration is set to replace the aging Final Fantasy XI and will boost a new gameplay mechanic that promises to be more engaging than its predecessor.

Developed using the same in-house engine as the 13th game of the series, the Crystal Tools engine, its creators have elaborated a rich aesthetic world that blends sci-fi and classic fantasy elements. It was also revealed that the entire soundtrack will be composed by none other than the legendary Nobuo Uematsu. Due for a simultaneous worldwide release in 2010, I will for now dream of the many ventures to come in the land of Hydaelyn.

The Last Story
Wii

As much as I love the Wii, there's one thing that's missing to make my day... RPGs. So, when it was revealed that Nintendo and Mistwalker partnered up to bring a full fledged RPG series to the Wii, I must confess that I was drooling all over my keyboard :D .

The Last Story looks like Hironobu Sakaguchi at his best. I can not help but recall some old memories from the glorious SNES era, back when RPG and adventure games were very popular and in abundance. Even one must admit that the logo of The Last Story has a Final Fantasy vibe to it. Even its name is suggest that. It is an attempt from Nintendo to spawn a new series on its console to rival the like of Final Fantasy? Who knows!?!? But one thing is certain, this one looks like a winner!

Tales of Graces
Wii

12th mothership title and the newest generation in the Tales series, Tales of Graces follows lead character Asbel Lhant, who desires to obtain greater strength. Remaining faithful to tradition, the battle system was again augmented and is now called "Style Shift Linear Motion Battle System" (SS-LMBS), which enables the characters to have two different fighting styles to choose from.

Launch on December 10, 2009 in Japan, exclusively for the Wii, Tales of Graces received a 36/40 (9/9/9/9) from Famitsu magazine and sold 113,000 copies during its first day. We still have yet to know if Namco Bandai will release it in North America, but after the success of both Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Vesperia, it wouldn't make sense if they didn't. I would be thrilled if an announcement was made at this year E3, as I love Tales of Symphonia back when it was released on the Nintendo GameCube.

My 2010 Hypes: Gaming, Part One

2010-03-08T01:55:00.024-05:00

A decade went by, seeing a lot of great game systems and awesome games for them. The PS2 is the crowned king in terms of console sales and games, and even thought I'm a Nintendo Fanboy, I just loved all those great JRPGs that came out an the PS2. However, Nintendo have slowly gaining on the champion with the Wii. Will it beat the best selling console of all time or will the motion controllers of Microsoft and Sony be its downfall? It is an all new decade and a lot of hypes is going around.

Two months already went by, and we have yet to see the astonishing games announced back in 2008-2009. Nintendo is ever more secretive about their projects, Sony has everything to prove, and Microsoft is betting a lot on their Project Natal. Lets not forget all the 3rd Parties out there working hard to take a piece of the action. If 2009 was quiet, 2010 will be packed with big releases and news. Here's some of the games that I'm really looking forward too.

Alan Wake
Xbox 360

In production for quite some time now, in fact since its debut at the 2005 E3, Alan Wake is a "psychological action thriller" inspired by the works of Stephen King. Being developed by Remedy Entertainment, the plot of the game is centered around Alan Wake, a bestselling writer who has not written anything in over two years.

His wife, Alice, brings him to the idyllic small town of Bright Falls to recover his creative flow. When she vanishes without a trace, Wake finds himself trapped in a nightmare. Word by word, his latest work—a thriller he cannot even remember writing—is coming true before his eyes. He then tries to find pages of the book, getting most mainly from a man named Rusty. Looks like I will have to finally buy a Xbox 360.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
PS3, Xbox 360

The Castlevania series has been around since the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), and we've saw many iterations in the last years, some good, some bad. One have my all time favorite is Super Castlevania IV for the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), which I've played all night long when I've received my SNES for my 11th birthday. If the game is anything like the trailer shown in that 2009 Gamescon, then it will be as much have.

Final Fantasy XIII
PS3, Xbox 360

Oh... The never ending Final Fantasy! It graced so many system and it spawned numerous variations that I've stopped counting them. Nevertheless, I've always loved this series. In fact, I've started playing JRPG with Final Fantasy II, which is the fourth one back in Japan. Some will say that it is more of a big interactive movie now, with all the CGs that Square Enix is putting in, but it is still a marvelous tale to gaze upon, and judging from the japanese reviews found in the Famitsu magazine, it is worth to be played.

Metroid: Other M
Wii

Announced at last year E3 and demoed at Nintendo 2010 Media Conference, Metroid: Other M takes an all new approach at the series, but keeping it classic at the same time.

When it was revealed that Team Ninja, the creative force behind games such as Ninja Gaiden series, would collaborate with Nintendo to unfold a new adventures for Samus, it definitely took the gaming community be surprise. I must admit I felt a certain discomfort at the idea of Team Ninja at the head of this project, but more fear were put to rest when Nintendo release new information about it at their March Summit. It is a new artistic direction for the series, but I am confident that it would blow our mind.

The Legend of Zelda Wii
Wii

Little is known about the new interation of this series that I cherish, except for an artwork shown at last year E3 and bits facts told in interviews, but many rumors goes saying that a full fledged Motion Plus Zelda would come out around Christmas. I don't know if it is true, but if indeed a new chapter of Link's adventure is published by year's end, it means that Nintendo would unleash their three biggest IPs (Mario, Zelda, Metroid) in the same year, which would be a first.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Wii

I cried over the first game. Everything was so beautiful—from the level design to the orchestral music. This was one of Nintendo masterpiece game, a must have, and I definitely revisit it when the second outing comes out later in May.

Xenoblade
Wii

Originally announced at Nintendo E3 2009 Press Conference as Monado: Beginning of the World, which is brought to us by the studio that created the Xenosaga and Baten Kaitos series. That latest Famitsu shows an ambitious JRPG for the Wii, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. Plus, it was revealed that the music composer is Yoko Shimomura.

The Mighty Atom is back!

2009-11-10T15:25:00.030-05:00

If I was asked who's my childhood hero, I would undoubtedly and instantly say "Astro Boy". Why? Because he made me dreamed! I clearly remember the countless days and nights imagining that I was him... Soaring the sky at high speed, living amazing adventures... Ah! Wonderful memories! I was about 7 or 8 year old back when I felt in love with the little guy. Each weekend, I would wake up early so that I wouldn't miss a single episode. It would be an understatement to say he didn't made an impact on my life. So when I've learned that Imagi Studios would bring my hero to the big screen, I was overjoyed and thrilled by the prospect of seeing him again.

Recognizable by his famous spiked hair, Astro has lived countless ordeals and trials since his first inception in the Japanese manga series first published in 1952. He became such a big influence that he was named Japan's envoy for overseas safety, back in november 2007. A daunting task it must have been for Imagi to adapt this iconic, long-standing figure that has been with us for 57 years now.

Did they succeed? I have to say "indubitably yes". Sure, the settings were changed, actualized for today audience, but the core message of Osamu Tesuka lives on. He used "Tetsuwan Atomu", the Mighty Atom in japanese, in the hope that the advent of atomic energy could be harness in a positive way, rather for its destructive side (a.k.a. the Atom bomb). Conflicts were always a vital part of Astro's universe. Every situations that our hero faced shown the "rights" and "wrongs" of humanity's actions. The moral issues that Tezuka invoked came from the heart. Just like Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, he hoped for a bright and positive future for humanity. Hence, the blue and red cores thematic introduced by Professor Elefun at the start of the movie.

Furthermore, the classic tale of the young robot boy searching for his identity, his meaning of existence, was told in a touching way. I chocked when Tenma rejected him for who he was. I felt the heart of Elefun has he tried to confort Astro on many occasions. I shed tears when our hero sacrifice himself for the good of others, despite their origins. If anything, Imagi truly succeed at showing who's Astro: a lovable boy that represents the good side of humanity and the potential that we carried.

Clearly, Imagi wanted to convey a large spectrum of emotions, from joy to sadness, even nostalgia... Yes, nostalgia! Despite what the critics might say, I can say without doubt that this movie does have a nostalgic feel to it. I remembered the scene where Toby/Astro first discovered that he could fly... It was magical! At first, he was clumsy at it, like in the original manga/anime, but once he got the twist of it, he skyrocketed to the clouds, shaping them has he past through them. He then plugged into the mountain, making his way through it until he burst out at the top, laughing in joy at his discovery. At that very moment, as I held back my tears, joyful memories sparked... I smiled knowing that I was a kid again.

The music too helped at delivering those key moments. A beautiful well written orchestral score made this movie a pure joy to watch. Yes, I would have like to ear the original 80's theme song, but the score that John Ottoman wrote definitely has that Astro feel to it. It sends shivers done my spine each time I listen to it.

Speaking of nostalgic moments, Astro Boy fans will be pleased to see references to Tezuka's work here and there throughout the movie. The scene were Astro's drilling out from the top of the mountain is reminiscence to the 60's intro. The blueprint that Doctor Tenma shows is Tezuka's original drawing. The animators even played with Astro's hair points, which shifts depending where the side of his head is frontal. It's like Imagi's making an homage to Astro. I invite you to find even more of those easter eggs.

What about the animation? They are top notch, brilliantly done. Imagi might not have topped what Pixar have made in the past, but they are getting closer with each new movies. The style really reflect that of Tezuka, with a colorful pallet and exaggerated points, such has the facial anatomy... You know, big ears, enormous noses! But does Astro looks like Astro? Even if he looks older, the likeness of Toby/Astro is amazing. He's still huggable and cute! I give 10 thumbs up just for the animation... They are that great!

Truly, Osamu Tezuka was a god. He had bring to life a character that's charming, cute, heroic, and to this day, his work still moves thousand of persons around the world. As for the movie, despite not being perfect, I had a blast watching my hero again. I strongly recommend it to everyone. Think outside the box, read between the lines, and you will see the magic and the beauty that is Astro Boy. I salute and thank the guys at Imagi for their awesome work. They have rekindled my spirit in all matters "Tetsuwan Atomu". I was moved, I cried, and I remembered the little boy that I was and the dreams he once had.

He's not dead, Jim!

2009-10-30T12:42:00.007-04:00

Ok, it has been months since I have gave any signs of activity on this blog, mainly due to my busy life... or not... I really don't know anymore. Right now, it as if I'm in a roller coaster ride... There's some ups and downs. It is periodic. I can't say that I'm thrilled by that, but I won't abandoned all hopes now.

To make a short story, some months ago, I've been working on creating a portfolio to help me out in finding an awesome job in the field of Front End Web development or to get back to school. It was great at first. I was receiving a lot of help from different people. But suddenly, the founding that I was suppose to received from my government weren't coming in... Weird, huh! I've tried to find out why, but before I knew it, two months has passed. Since I wasn't able to get the thing I needed for my project, like softwares, I've decided to find a job and to let go of this program that I was in.

Soon after, I was able to get a job as a ISP technician for an internet provider in my region, with a great salary, that would help me in my endeavors. Alas, that too didn't worked as I imagined... I was fired about 3 weeks ago :( . Now, I'm back at doing nothing, trying to figure out a way to make things work for me.

I know that my cards didn't worked well for me, but I won't go down that easily. From all of those hardships, I have learned something valuable. I think it's about time that I go back to school and specialize myself in a given field... You guessed it right! Design! Either Game designing or Web designing, but that's the field that I will go in.

I'll be back soon with new stuffs to talk about with you guys. Jaa mata, minna!

The Ubisoft Campus Open House

2009-03-16T00:08:00.010-04:00

Holy crap! I totally forgot to post that :D . That's old news, february the 6th to be precise. So, without any further ado, here's the Ubisoft Campus' open house ;) .

The Ubisoft Campus is a educational institute in the city of Montreal (Quebec, Canada) that specialize in the field of gaming, duh! They have different programs from Level Design to Game Design to 3D Animation, in affiliation with some of the province's colleges and universities. Like I mention in my retrospective, you have to present a portfolio with your candidature, and it needs to be a good one too... a damn good one... if you want to be put on their list of possible candidates. To simply put it, for every 100 candidatures, only half of it will become possible candidates. Furthermore, after interviewing them, only 25 will be taken in. Yep! The openings are pretty small for each programs.

I went to the open house to learn more about the Level Design program, which will give you an college attestation diploma. Since I don't have a college diploma, that's pretty much the only educational level opened to me in their list. Some of current students were there to greet the visitors and answer their questions. I've learned quite a bit about the program and the conditions to be accepted... Although I mind was set, I would never had guessed that later in that afternoon I would renew my interest in becoming of full fledged Game Designer. That's I've meet one of the Game Designer program student. After a long talk with her, I have realized that it would be much better for me to go with the program instead of Level Design. Unfortunately, I would have to get a Baccalaureate to try it out :( .

As you might have guessed, I don't know what to do now... Should I try get a Baccalaureate, which takes about 3 years to complete, and then go for the Game Design program, or should I just go for the Level Design program.

Damn, that's a hard decision to take! Oh well, I guess that I will have to give it a serious thought.

For now, I need to find myself a job... Money doesn't come from trees, you know XD .

The Never-ending Beta

2009-02-17T00:44:00.010-05:00

Hiya everybody! I hope that you all had a great start for 2009. I sure did :D ! As part of my ongoing project of finding a job better suited to me, I'm learning new stuff in the world of the Front-end Web Development, known in the past as Web Design. That is why I'm toying around with the layout of my blogger. I hope that you love it ;) .

As the title mention it, it will be an ever-changing layout. I'm sure you all know that Google is famous for the perpetual betas, like seen with iGoogle and Gmail (Two services that I use everyday, BTW). I'm following the path as them, always trying to find a better, more efficient way of doing my layouts and the coding behind them.

So, you still might see a lot of changes around this blogger... Well, until that I have my site, Ethereal Sphere, is ready to go :P !

Ciao for now!

About Me

2009-01-01T12:00:00.001-05:00

I'm working on it :D !

My 2008 Retrospective: The Year of Changes

2008-12-31T23:54:00.019-05:00

2008 is almost at an end... 2009 is almost at foot... I wanted to do a retrospective on the biggest 2008 events in my life, the good and the bad, but it would have been to much to read if I did wrote about everything :P ! I'm proud of my endeavors that I have undertaken this year. Even thought that I have lost 2 jobs along it, I've come to better understand myself and what I really want to accomplish with my life. I have some great projects in the making, including the long awaited return of my website... Nope, not Taiyou Saiden, but Ethereal Sphere... The successor of Taiyou Saiden. You will see. Most of the ideas that I had for Chudah's Corner will be reused in my site. That means that I will be using the web framework Django.

Apart from Ethereal Sphere, I will go back to school to better my knowledge in Web Design, and Multimedia in general. My goal is to find a job more tailored to my skills. I would love to go into Game Design, but it is a competitive ground, as the public school programs devoted to this, like the Ubisoft Campus, are receiving a lot of inscriptions from people. Since my portfolio is empty in regard to Game Design, I have a lot of grounds to cover if I want to have a chance to be taken. That's why I'm planning backup plans to the backup plans. I don't want to be left out on anything, that's because I'm a dreamer, always wishing that my main and only plan would work out. I don't want to make the same mistake as before in my life.

Furthermore, I will move on my own around summer time... A lot of my friends will say to this "It's about time", and they're right. I have been saying that I would leave my parents home since the last 5 to 6 years, but I was never ready to do so. The main reason for that: my dog Café. My parents wanted me to take him along, but since most apartments aren't accepting animals, it wouldn't have been possible. I loved him so much, so I didn't wanted to leave him behind. I'm more ready now, as he left me one year ago.

An other highlight of 2008 is the arrival of Maxence, my 3rd nephew. His birth was expected after the holidays, but the little fellow couldn't wait... He came to us on Christmas day, at night :D ! He's really kawai (cute in Japanese)! Grats to my brother and sister-in-law. He is the 4th member of their ever-growing family.

Oh yeah! I have decided to lose some weight. I have mentioned earlier in my rent of the Video Game Live that I wasn't in shape. Well, I've took upon myself to become healthier. I bought Wii Fit to help in achieving my goal, and has it turns up, it really did helped. I have been using almost each day, since I purchased it back in July. My brother was the first to be left surprised, as he told me that at first he feared that I've just wasted money on an other gadget that I wouldn't be using that much. I recommended it to anyone who has the same goals as me. To date, I have lost more the 27 pounds.

Well, that's about it! A lot of events transpired in this years, and those were just a few. I have high hopes for 2009. If 2008 was the year of changes for me, 2009 will be the year that my projects will come to be.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

My 2008 Retrospective: Meeting Solis

2008-12-31T23:37:00.020-05:00

If you have been following my blog, you already know about the new Macbook Pro that I've ordered last october at the Apple Store. Well, I have indeed received it on the promised day and since then, I've been playing with it... That's the reason for the long silence :D ! Without further ado, let me present you Solis.

I'm in love with this computer. The screen is gorgeous and clear, even though it is only available with a glossy finish. The performances are great. Nonetheless, I didn't take any chances. I have boosted the RAM to 4 Gigs when I placed the order, since I want to work on Web Design with it and play some games on it. On that note, I have felt to the addiction that is World of Warcraft. Yes... I did :( . Sorry JRPG fans, but my friends forced me... Nwaah, I'm joking! Seriously, they didn't, but they did persuaded me to try it :D !

My 2008 Retrospective: A Mega Retro Comeback!

2008-12-31T23:14:00.016-05:00

Ah! The tender memories of old school games. I remember playing my NES when I was just a little sprout, aged of only 7 years old. That was the system that started it all for me. One of my favorite game among a rather large library was Mega Man 2. It was the first Mega Man game in the series that I've played. Oh, the challenge! If only the games of today could have the same kind of challenge we used to have back in the 8/16 bits era.

Don't dust off your old NES just yet... It seems that the old might become new again, as Capcom released Mega Man 9. A new game, but with an old school feel... And the toughness of back then :D !

If you haven't downloaded this one yet, either for the Wii, PS3, or Xbox 360, don't wait... Go purchased it right away! Don't take my word for it, but you will miss a great game if you don't ;) .

My 2008 Retrospective: The Short Rise and Fall of Chudah's Corner

2008-12-31T22:26:00.018-05:00

All thing didn't went well this year... One of them is Chudah's Corner. Most of the VGM fans out there knows about Chudah's Corner, aka CC. It was one of the first site that covered VGM, even trying to expended it. Yeah, I said "was", because it is pretty much dead right now, and the story of its demise is a long one.

Back in May, after talking to Dragon God (one of the regular staff), I have posted a thread on the staff forums to steer things up, since there was pretty much no activity for the past months. My plan was, if Lucy (aka Chudah, webmaster) would accept, to redo the site from the ground up, with new functionalities that would have revived the interest of the viewers in CC. It was an ambitious project. With the help of Jacen, my best friend, we would have used Django, a web framwork based on Python, has foundation to built the new site, adding to it functions like an universal layout, a dynamic search engine, a community section, an user panel... And the list goes on. It was without to say that she was really interested in this project.

So after a few meetings with the staff, I've started to work, around the end of June, on what would become the most beautiful layout that I've never created before, code-named "Rebirth".

I was really into this project, taking great pride in the creation of this layout. Unfortunately, after three weeks of hard work, my efforts were cut short when Lucy told me that her sister couldn't wait for me to finish it. A week before that, she told me that her sister would be coding for the new site. I was really pissed off, but I understood her. She was under a lot of stress from our competitor, VGMdb. Even though I was not sharing her view, I told her that I was alright with this. Nonetheless, I added that I would still finished my layout, if she would ever like to use it. The new site, coded and designed by her sister and brother-in-law, came online at the end of July.

Since this is my blog, and that I'm entitle to my own opinions, I will share my thoughts and feelings on this matter. This so-called remodeling was utterly ugly. It was far from my initial ideas that Lucy and the staff agreed upon. The layouts were a real mess... Yes, you read right... "Layouts", because there were more than one, one for each sections in fact. You can thanked her sister and brother-in-law for using pre-coded PHP scripts. Although, the worse part is that her sister charged her for this MEDIOCRE CI, in capital letters! Me and my best bud were going to it for free... FREE for god sake! I can understand that she wanted to give some job to her sister, who owns a web hosting company, but if she was my sister... I would have done it for free. Look at it in from any angles, it would have been free with me.

Anyway, after the new site was up and running, we didn't have any news from Lucy afterward. She completely disappeared from the face of the web. Me and Zane (an other regular staff member) wrote countless emails to her, hoping that she would give us some news... We were really worried, not for the future of the site, but for her well-being. We never received any reply from her... Zip, Zero, Nada. It was decided then that I would send an email to her sister, who also didn't replied at first. Thing really went downhill from there on. After a few tries, in which I wrote that if not replied we would send an email each week until we could know if Lucy is doing well, her sister responded "that threatening to harrass someone once a week to get an answer out of them is the way to go. It does not paint you as being merely being concerned, but as being demanding and pushy". For god sake, we were only concerned about her well-being. Suffice to say, we stopped sending emails, to either of them. If Lucy was going to give us any news, it was going to be on her own accord.

It might not be official, but Chudah's Corner is dead... The forums are empty. Most of the staff has not given any news. It has been months since the last update. It is painful for me, as I was seeing a lot of possibilities with my ideas, but I have to go on. Lucy, if you ever read this, don't be mad at me. I hope that you are doing well. If you ever want to talk, I'm here.

My 2008 Retrospective: A Galaxy of Ethereal Symphony

2008-12-31T22:09:00.008-05:00

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who felt in love with Super Mario Galaxy. It is THE game to own for the Wii. What a beautiful game! And what to say about its music... Pure poesy. I had to get its soundtrack for myself, as many more gamers wanted too I'm sure ;) . It was the very first time that Nintendo employed a real orchestra and choir for one of their game... I hope that it won't be the last! Long have I dreamed of a fully orchestrated Zelda score... Aaaaaaaah... Maybe in the next one.

Talking about that, I need to finished the review that I have started to wrote for it. One of the many unfinished business that I have to attended to in 2009 :D !

My 2008 Retrospective: Video Game Live @ Montréal

2008-12-31T20:54:00.008-05:00

If there were one event that I was so anxiously wanting this year was this one... The VIDEO GAME LIVE CONCERT! I was so trilled when it was announced that Tommy Tallarico, Jack Wall, and their crew were coming to Montréal. My friend Mal bought the tickets a few months before, to make sure that we would have our places reserved... And thank god we did, because both representations were sold out a few days after the tickets went on sale. There was only one thing to do after that... Waiting for February the 9th!

The day finally came! Armed with my digital camera for the occasion, I've joined my friend at the nearest Metro. Oh god! I was not in shape.Glad I was, and my back too, when we sited down. Nonetheless, all of this pain of walking to get there was worth it... The show was a blast! Jack was magnificent at conducting the orchestra and the choir. Tommy wielded the guitar like it was an extension of himself, especially while playing "One Winged Angel" of The Black Mages. Lets not forget The Video Game Pianist aka Martin Leung, who gave a brilliant performance, and blindfolded too!

Every acts of the show was well played out. The mix of music, video, on-stage acting, interactive games was dead on spot. Even the loading screen at the start of the concert and at the intermission was an awesome touch. One particular memory that stayed with me was when Tommy invited some spectators on stage to play the Interactive Frogger, on a really big screen, while having the orchestra playing the theme, adjusting the tempo to the action on screen. All of that in real time! That best part was when Tommy commented on how fun it would be to have a real live orchestra playing in are living while we are playing our games.

Tommy Tallarico and Me

After the show, Tommy and his gang were available to signed autographs and for some photo shoots. A lot of attendees took the time to photograph some of those how cosplayed for the event. There was even a general vote on the best cosplay before the show started. The winner was... Sheik! I have to give a thumb up to all of them. I know it can take quite a while to complete one of those costume. BRAVO!

The Cosplay Contest Winner... Sheik

If you are a VGM fan, give yourself the courtesy of going to this show. You won't regret it. As for me, I'm just wanting for Tommy and crew to come back to Montréal for an encore.

The long... very long hiatus

2008-11-11T00:59:00.002-05:00

I'm back... Well, sort of. I feel like I was stored away, just like the ark in the first Indiana Jones movie, to be forgotten under a pile of problems, the lost of my pal and partner Café, a difficult transition in professional life... and the list goes on.

Although it sounds like I'm been pessimistic about the last year or so, I'm very much happy and optimistic about my future perspectives. I have taken the time to analysed my past experiences, both personal and professional, to correct my situation. Believe me that it took a lot of courage from my part in acknowlegding my errors. I was the type of person to always run away from them, trying to convice myself that it wasn't my fault for all the bad vibe, the bad karma that was flotting around me. That was the first good thing that would help me change my life.

With the new state of mind that I have acquired, I have setted myself new goals, including the long due revival of my personal website, Taiyou Saiden, which will become Ethereal Sphere. I'm even preparing a back to school to get a diploma to finally get a job that I long for, game designing or even web designing. And since I'm on a personal mission, I need some good tools to help me along the way... Like a new Macbook Pro :D ! Although my old faithful Power Mac G4 served me well in the last 7-8 years, its showing signs of fatigue when I'm working in Photoshop, even when I'm watching Flash movies on the web. So, I'm anxiously waiting its arrival at my door step, which should be later today :3 ! Granted, if the UPS ETA (Estimate Time of Arrival) is correct :P .

That been said, I need to go to sleep.

I should start posting rents more often now, like I did back when my first site, Francias Pictures, in 2002 ;) .

Until then, jaa mata!

The Lost of a Partner, of a Friend

2007-10-05T14:26:00.004-04:00

It has been a very long time since I didn’t post any rent online. It is not that I have lost interest in the Net or even making the new layout for my site… I just don’t know where to start, no matter it is for Web design, my life, my job… Well, pretty much everything. I have lost the will do to anything and I lack the motivation to push myself to do something. This is truer than ever since I lost my friend last Friday. He was always there for me – when I came home from work, when I was in need of comfort, when I felt alone, or when I wanted just to go for a walk – he was pretty much present in my life and an important pillar to for me. “Who is this person”, you might ask. Well, he was not a person, he was my dog, Café.

About 1 month and half ago, he was diagnosed with cancer. I don’t know for most people, but it was a pretty hard blow for me to take, since they [the vet] couldn’t operate for this type of cancer. For me, despite what people might say or think, he was as important as anyone in my family and I find myself having a really hard time getting use to the idea that he’s no longer alive. He was at my side since 11 years now and even if I had the time to prepare myself, the reality is that I was far from being ready for this.

I remember the day that I choose him. My parent told me that we were going to pick up a computer deck for my room for my 16th birthday. It was far from being a desk when I saw all the cute puppies. That’s when I saw him, this little blond furry ball, not older than 3 weeks. It was then that our world came together, as I took him in my arms without any hesitation. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have him in my life. He was always cheerful, full of energy. He gave me joy, hope, hapiness. He was even there to cheer me up when I was sad, licking away my tears.

Furthermore, there wasn’t a time that he didn’t wanted to go for a walk, or to play with either his ball or his cord, or that he didn’t run wild when I came back home. He had some much spunk in him… Most of the time, he wouldn’t let go his cord, even after dragging him around. Once, I was even able to lift him in the midair with only the cord in my hand.

I have the perfect example that I can relate to when I think of the relation between me and my fellow canine. I am a fanatic of RPGs on video game consoles and as my RPG brethren out there will surely say the same thing as I; the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) was home to the best of game in the genre. So, it was only normal that when Square release their new Action RPG, [i]Secret of Evermore[/i], that I would be playing it. The prologue of this game starts when a young boy and his canine acolyte – which I named after my dog – accidentally crossed over to a virtual world when they visited an old abandoned science lab. They are then catapulted in four different worlds and as they try to find a way back to their own world, the must count on each other to work their way throught countless traps, challenges, and bosses. Based upon the gameplay of Secret of Mana, you only control the boy. The dog follows you and helps you in your quest, by "transforming", or more like "evolving" within the different environments in the game. I was proud to have a game that I could have a fantasy quest with my dog… Well, a representation of him ;) !

What a beautiful time it was… A young boy and his dog sharing wonderful adventures together. Café, I will deeply miss you… I will miss your nails on the floor when you moved around the house, announcing your arrival… I will miss you coming in the night to sleep with me, underneath my blankets… I will miss your cute fuzzy face… I had to push myself to write this, as I'm still hoping to see or to even hear you. I will never forget you and I will live my life to its fullest, with you guiding my heart and my soul.

Domo arigatou, for everything. I love you so much... I always have and I always will.

Café
A partner, a friend
1996/03/20 - 2007/09/28

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