i've got nothing else i need to do today, but before i go off and do something more enjoyable, i've decided to actually update this before the crap that's happened becomes irrelevant. i haven't updated since december 20th, so this should span from the latter part of advent to the present. we're in for a long ride. particularly me, as i'm writing all this crap for some reason. topics are bold for easy skipping of uninteresting crap.

did a bunch of last-minute christmas shopping on the 23rd, had to buy crap for my dad -- ms pacman tv game, which somebody else bought him (whoops), heide, who's my stepmother if you haven't guessed -- picture frame >:], stepsisters one, two, and three -- purse, magnets, wine. also got FF1+2: Dawn of Souls for my brother, a big scented candle and a choir CD for my mom, and Lo Mejor del Chapulin Colorado and Lo Mejor del Chavo del 8 for my sister (heard about them from Giampi, but of course she'd seen them too, as she'd spent a year in Mexico).

on the 24th i got package from arizona, which turned out to be the prize from that tomato contest. inside was a B'z live concert DVD: "once upon a time in kanji - something something kanji kanji," a CD labeled "Battle Royal" [sic], and a beyblade DVD: "beyblade grevolution, volume 3." (webster's 1913 unabridged dictionary offered no hints on the definition of a "grevolution," so i can only assume that it's japanese for "hyper dragon super top battle go!").

the B'z concert was pretty good. i'd downloaded a few B'z songs a while back (with some difficulty), and some of those old favorites were on there, like "ZERO" and "kanji kanji kanji da". i started watching Battle Royale on christmas eve, but 30 minutes into i realized that it wasn't very christmassy. but i finished watching it a couple days later, and whoa. the story goes like this: japan starts sucking as a country, unemployment skyrockets, and kids drop out of school. to rememdy this, the BR act is passed. it stipulates that every year, a single class will be selected, be transported to an island during a field trip, and forced to kill each other off with a variety of wacky and gruesome weapons. i don't quite understand how forcing the good students who actually go to school to participate in a bloody deathmatch is going to get truants to go back to school, but it makes for a good movie. it's got good fight scenes, followed by remorseful "i just planted a handaxe firmly into the skull of my classmate and chum (and also my best friend's neck exploded)" scenes. but if i was one of those kids, i sure as hell wouldn't be going on any field trips.

i was skeptical about the beyblade dvd at first, but after i started watching it, i was hooked. the characters and plots were so compelling, and the cinematography and animation in the action scenes was amazing. truly an enthralling experience. i've also started watching duel masters and yu-gi-oh, which are almost as good as beyblade. what works of art.

anyway, after going to the christmas eve children's mass at my grandfather's church and eating some good chinese food (both family traditions), i went home, probably did some crap, and then went to sleep. the next day was christmas. christmas is about the giving (seriously), but i already listed the crap that i gave. my mom gave me taiko drum master and metal gear solid 3, my brother gave me metroid prime 2 (in november, actually, but that was fine by me), and my sister gave me a bar of chocolate and a prospective night on the town. then we went to my grandfather's house afterwards for a kickass christmas lunch, exchanging of gifts, and of course, visiting with the family. then on to my dad's house, for a second christmas meal (and one christmas meal = six regular meals) and traditional gift-giving. got a case of jones cream soda, a best buy gift card, and a nintendo ds with super mario 64 ds. hoho.

the DS is pretty awesome. my only real gripe is the lack of analog control (a d-pad just doesn't work for mario 64), and the traditionally tiny nintendo buttons. the touchscreen is a nice addition, but you can only use it in conjuction with either d-pad/L or ABXY/R, and some game overuse it in places where you could just use the d-pad and face buttons rather than move your hand across the screen to touch something.

i started playing metal gear solid 3 shortly after christmas. it is, by far, the greatest game i've ever played. the gameplay is everything people have come to expect from MGS, only ten times better, and the story, in my opinion, is better than MGS1. big boss is just such a badass, but a complex and deep badass, and holy crap, i just can't put into words how much this game owns. the plot is the best i've ever seen in any game, movie, or book, and harry gregson-williams owns my soul. good lord. but i'm gonna try for the stealth and infinity face paint today.

so after christmas, i had about $100 cash, so i blew half of it a couple days later :o. went to gamestop and bought disgaea for forty bucks and descent II (PSX) for $2. disgaea's a good game in the vein of FFT, but it's a bit strange and overcomplicated. but it looks like another fun and long-lasting tactical rpg experience.

so, anyway, new year's was uneventful, then my sixteenth birthday was on the second of january. that was a sunday, so i had to wait till the week to take the road test for my license. i went to the dmv on tuesday morning, waited for four hours, then went out to took the test. long story short, i failed. drove on the wrong side of the road, eheheheh. so i gotta wait till next tuesday to take it again, and by then, i'll probably be good enough with a stick-shift to drive my car to school. as long as i don't fail again :X

remember, folks: support our troops. by putting a sticker on your car urging others to do the same. you don't need to donate money or write them letters or anything, the sticker is all it takes to keep our men overseas alive and well.