……ペ・ル・ソ・ナ……！！

I finally got Persona 3 and Persona 3: FES to complete my Persona 3 collection! Woots! Didn't manage to get the Persona 4 game (curse you unknown buyer!) but I manage to download the iso, and hope it works! I tried on my PS2 emulator and it seems to run nicely, so here's to hoping for the best!

Now, back to work D:

Save All Data!

Recently, my external hard disk died. It just did. I'm not sure how, because the previous time I used it, it was fine. Apparently my sister did use it before I discovered that it had a problem, so something must have happened during then. All my music, books, comics, shows, PSP games, PC games, movies, photos were all gone, just like that. Years worth of stuff collected and kept nicely in my hard disk, all gone. I felt like those parent who raised his kid from young, just to see the kid die in some freak accident. It tears your heart and all is lost. What's even better is that sites like Megaupload and Fileserve were disappearing, meaning that obtaining all my stuff would prove difficult.

My biggest worry was my music. My iTunes takes its music from my external HDD directly, as I did not want to store my songs in my computer. The size was too much, and I feared that storing my music in the computer would cause it to lag. Now, with the HDD gone, how was I going to get my songs? All my songs in my iPhone would be gone the next time I synced it with iTunes. Does that mean I should never sync it forever? And then it dawned upon me: my last salvation for my music was my iPhone. Stored inside was another copy of of all my music, and that was my best chance to restore my music library!

So I spent an entire night trying various programs that would export all my stuff from my iPhone to my computer. Took me a lot of tries, but just went I was on the verge of giving up, I found a program that answered my prayers. So I downloaded the program, and wanted to transfer it to my laptop via thumbdrive. But somehow, all external devices were write-protected suddenly and I couldn't! So I slowly transferred from my computer to my laptop via Dropbox, which took really long.

*Apparently, I went to change some setting to make that write-protected nonsense, but I managed to solve that issue today^^*

With that program, I managed to save all my songs, except that some of them needed to be edited in iTunes. That settled the music, next was my shows.

Fortunately for me, my old HDD was still working, and in it was quite a lot of my stash of shows, except for recent ones. This helped to soften the blow of the loss of my HDD.

Then I have another source I could tap on to get back my data: friends. I've been sharing stuff like my shows , books and comics to them, so in a way they have a copy of what I lost. That way, I could get them to send me those stuff and in a way salvage more of my data!

Really, Western Digital just ruined my collection. Plus, they charge $800+ to try to retrieve all my data, which my friend already checked and said that all my data were gone already. No way am I spending so much on all the stuff I got for free!

At least, to some extent, crisis averted.

D-Arts Izanagi Toy Review

Just bought the new Izanagi from Persona 4 by D-Arts! Being a big fan of Persona 3, I slowly got interested in Persona 4(although my love is still for Persona 3)! My initial plan was to only get D-Arts Thanatos from Persona 3, which is scheduled to be released in April. And then I saw a picture of Thanatos and Izanagi battling it out, and I couldn't resist it.

This baby cost me $55, but not that I'm complaining. Purchasing toys of that price range has become rather a norm for me. Anyway, once I opened the box, all the potential regrets for purchasing this toy was gone immediately. Just from looking at the toy, without removing it from the plastic, I was amazed by the details of the figure. Every part of the persona was sculpted and painted very well, and there were several different hands for you to change.

A base is provided, which is good because I've never seen any persona stand on their feet. Just look at Izanagi's feet! The bottom of his feet were blades!

And just to let us fan boys re-enact cool poses of Izanagi, those "energy" props(sorry can't think of a good name!) are given to give more effect! Let's move on to the toy itself!

I'll start with the bad points. Well, first thing I noticed was that the head joint was rather loose. Especially after attaching the head...tails??? thing to the back of his head, Izanagi's head kinda follows where gravity takes it. But never fear! Because the adjustable... "head-tails" can rest on the stand used to prop Izanagi up, which helps solve that problem. The bigger issue is the sword. Don't worry, the sword looks AWESOME, but the toy's lanky arms are not really able to take the weight of the sword! It took me a few tries to get the sword balancing on Izanagi's wrists to take the slashing pose photo!

Moving on to the GREAT points! I love the detailing. The head itself is so cool that if I lost the whole toy except the head, I'd make it into a keychain and still be happy ^^ Just kidding. I'm really impressed with the detailing of the toy, and the toy can pose quite well too!

Well, the legs are somewhat restricted by the cape thing, but those sexy legs can still come out from underneath! With the various hand shapes, you can make your Izanagi do many memorable poses. I've not played the game(I shall, soon...) but I'm watching the anime and I know a few cool poses to do(actually I followed the box)! The "head-tail" thing is also adjustable, since it uses the ball joint to attach to the head! Plus, the stand lets you do even more poses, along with making your Izanagi look like it's hovering.

This toy is really, really good, and if you're a Persona fan you'll love it! I know I do! Sure, those two bad points may sounds turn-off, but once you hold this baby in your hands, you won't give a damn!

Chinese New Year!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! That's probably the only Chinese phrase I know to say during this festive season. And I think CNY is here a bit too early. It's suppose to be in February, as the holiday I look forward to to take a break from studies! But it's so early, that my December holiday mood is still lingering.

Went to watch my friends' Emix concert yesterday, and it was pretty good! Although I couldn't decide who I was suppose to look at during the performance, and ended up missing some good parts. I also kept looking out for my friends, which kind of made me enjoy the show a bit less. But good work guys! Can't wait to see the next one!

I visited the maid cafe at Funan yesterday too! And I felt a bit weird going there, with all the heart-shape pillows and really weird chairs. The maid serving us asked me if I was a cosplayer. And I found the rules at the back of the menu rather amusing. Apparently, you were not allowed to take photos with the maids, nor ask them out, or ask for their personal information and stuff. Makes me think that those pervs go there to ogle at the maids!

Happy New Year!

Well, I'm pretty sure this is my first post of the new year(shall check my blog later to confirm this)! And how did I spend the countdown? Relaxing in Bangkok! But honestly, I feel glad to be back in Singapore. If there's one thing I truly missed, it was the Singaporean girls. Singaporean girls look so much better than any other girls! I think the eyebrows of Thailand girls kinda affect their looks. I've seen some with rather thick eyebrows. Even saw a uni-brow.

Well, every new year that comes, there's a resolution right? Well, I haven't really put any thought into it, but I guess mine would be "to get a girlfriend". I know, it sounds stupid, and pathetic, but c'mon. 21 years old, and I never even had a Valentine's date. I told my friends that this year Valentine's we shall all have a date for Valentine's day, and apparently they already have a target they are making progress with. Me? Nothing.

In fact, I kind of feel tired to bother chasing any girl as of now. I'm tired of being the one who makes the first move, just to be turned down and have my spirits crushed. This time, I feel like being on the receiving end.

Moved the desktop out of my room! That has reduced my time spent on gaming by a lot! Which is good, as the new school term has started and I got to focus. I guess my time table is nice this time, since school is from Monday to Wednesday, with my weekend starting early on Thursday!

Oh, and I got an iPhone! Seriously, Singtel is bullshit. All Singtel outlets have their iPhones all sold out. One shop was even more anal; he said there is only stock, but only if you are buying it without contract. So basically, that douchebag just wanna get more money. So in the end I changed my line to an M1 student plan one, and I got a 64GB iPhone 4S! Don't forget my custom-made iPhone cover! Love how the cover turned out!

Because of the new year, many shows were not following their weekly release. So glad that the new anime episodes are coming out! Plus, new series to follow!

Persona 4 The Animation is as entertaining as ever. Now with the murder cases so-called done, the recent episodes focused on daily lives of the characters, which is a good break.

Been dying to see the next Guilty Crown episode, and I was so glad it came out! Finally we learn the past of Shuu and the Lost Christmas, plus a closure(?) to a story arc.

Bakuman season 2 continues! And each episode seems better than the last, and keeps me wanting for more!

Sket Dance is still going strong, and they started the year with my favourite chapter! The one with the fake Super Mario game! Hope this anime will air for a long time to come!

If you've watched Bakemonogatari, you'd want to catch Nisemonogatari! And the first episode was such a laugh! With the unique artwork and interesting characters, this anime has never fail to impress me and this first new episode looks rather promising! But why does Hitagi have short hair!!! D:

My only disappointment of new series Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou is that it's all short stories in an episode. Means there won't be any main storyline to follow. However, that is a rather minor thing because all the short stories are really humorous and entertaining!

Oh and yesterday I got stuck in the circle line. I wanted to take the train down to Dhoby Ghaut, and looking at the map, I assumed that if you wanted to take the train to Marina Bay, you'd need to change train at Promenade. I found it a bit odd that the map did not put a circle at the Promenade station, because they do that to stations like City Hall and Raffles Place where you can change trains. So I ended up at Marina Bay, and I took a train back to Promenade. And you know how the different line tends to be one level higher or lower? I went up the escalator, took the train, and realized only too late that the train was also going Marina Bay. Apparently that one track had alternating trains: one to Marina Bay and the next to Dhoby Ghaut. What kind of stupid joke is SMRT trying to pull??!! And it seems that I was not the only person who got onto the wrong train. A lot of people were in the same boat as me.

The End Of 2011

Well, we are hours away from 2012, and it's time to look back at what memorable things I have done this year! I need to refer to my Facebook to remember certain stuff!

-ORD!!!
- Start of University life
- Tangled in a triangle
- Met an awesome girl, but somehow things didn't work out
- Dyed my hair blue
- Took my first (and only) puff of cigarette
- Team Fortress 2, Battlefield 3, Blackshot, Dota, so many games...
- Still single for V-day again...
- Chiong-ing anime! Hanasaku Iroha, Sket Dance, Tiger & Bunny, The World God Only Knows 2, Oreimo, AnoHana, X-men, Gosick, etc.
- Learn to DJ!

...and that's all I can think of. And what do I want for 2012? Well, mainly to get a girlfriend, I guess. Oh well...haha

Awesome

Just had awesome BBQ, today gonna play cards whole day, tomorrow is Bangkok. HELL YEAH!

See This?

This is what I want. I want that. 

Persona Music Live

Went to download the video of Persona Music Live ~ Velvet Room in Akasaka Blitz, which was a concert held in 2008, and it's damn cool! All the Persona 3,4 and Trinity Soul songs being played live is just amazing! There are favourites like Burn My Dread and Suicides Love Story! Also, I was impressed with Your Affection, where the singer can suddenly go to high pitch during the chorus. And the guitarist is wicked! Man, I wish I could attend it!

The Best Part

Half the December holiday has passed, and the best part has yet to come! Friday is the BBQ gathering for the usual gang, Sunday is Christmas family gathering, Monday is my accountancy group Christmas gift exchange, Tuesday is dueling, Wednesday is BANGKOK! Woots!

First semester results out? Whatever. Not like seeing it will change anything. Well, except my mood. So why check? Enjoy!

Gonna get iPhone 4S next month, and I'm so going for the black 64GB one! Excited!

The blue of my hair is getting lighter. Noooooooooo!

As for the Weiss Schwarz card game, I'm so loving it! And I realize there are some super rare cards, and ther's one I'm dying to get! Although the chances of finding anyone selling it is rather low...

And what anime am I catching this season? Thought I'd update a bit on that!

1. Persona 4 The Animation
Honestly, the only reason why I decided to watch it was because of the awesome Persona 3 game. And the anime is pretty good. Gonna wait for the PS Vita version of the game to be released!

2. Bakemonogatari
I watched this because my friend uses a Weiss Schwarz deck involving this anime. And I have to admit, it is quite a different anime from the usual, and it's quite interesting! It's pretty old already though.

3. Bakuman season 2

4. Sket Dance

Guess Which One I'm Getting? :D

iPhone Covers

I was at a site today which allows you to make your own custom iPhone cover with any image you want, as long as the resolution of the image is acceptable. I made around 20 different covers to decide from, and I feel like getting all! But that would be crazy. So I'll just choose one first. If the quality is good, I'll get more! :D

Funny thing. I don't even have an iPhone, yet I'm looking at covers. Yes, I'm pretty sure I'm getting myself an iPhone 4S next January, but don't count your chicks before they hatch, right?

I realize I've a lot of catching up in my blog to do. Here goes...

Why am I suddenly talking about iPhone? Well, recently the internal screen or whatever of my Nokia phone cracked, and apparently Nokia says that it is stated in the warranty that such damage is not covered. Does exterior kind like chipped off corners are covered, but internal damage and wear and tear of the components are not? Seriously, Nokia is a bloody joke. I am 100% sure I'll never use Nokia phones again. Just go back to Finland.

And it seems my blue hair is starting to get lighter, according to my dad. And I might be noticing it a bit too, specifically the fringe part. Ah well, gonna make it a darker blue once this dye fades away!

So addicted to that Weiss Schwarz card game, even though my deck never won a single time on Friday! I just want to go back for more and make my deck more powerful!

Can't believe I didn't know that The Mentalist season 4 is out! I've got a lot of downloading to do!

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows! Want to watch it!

BBQs are around the corner. Gotta prepare!

Counting down to Bangkok trip!!!

Money's really, really tight. Sian :(

Sayonara Desktop!

I think I shall move my desktop out of my room! Means less gaming for me!

All About Weiss Schwarz

It's funny. I saw this card game around since STGCC this year, and I was wondering what was so fascinating of playing a card game involving all the anime girls. Sounds like some... fetish to me. Because all the cards seemed to be just the little girls from anime, posing and being cute and what-not.

Then I saw some card game involving Persona 3 recently, and I just had to buy it. I didn't know what card game it was, nor how to play it. It's just... PERSONA 3. Buy first, ask questions later. And I did. Turns out it was the same Japansese TCG as the one I have seen many people play.

So I went home, tried to understand the 30-page long manual, and search for translations for all the Japanese cards, but I still understood nothing. So yesterday I dropped by the shop at Dhoby Ghaut card shop and asked two guys there to teach me! And wow suddenly the game seemed much simpler! In fact, I'm enjoying the game more than Yu-Gi-Oh!, mostly because this is a balanced game and you get to form your deck around specific characters you like!

I decided to download the PSP game for it, Weiss Schwarz Portable, and give it a whirl even though it was Japanese. Unfortunately, after 5 minutes of trial and error, I still can't seem to play a single card battle. Just loads of talking that made no sense to me.

I started watching Guilty Crown, and I actually enjoy it! I think the main reason why I got hooked to it is the fact that the main character is actually pretty flawed. He is cowardly, lost, and plain noob. But as the main character, and with a wicked cool sword, I'm sure watching him transform into a real hero will be interesting. Been catching up with a lot of anime too! Like Bakuman season 2!

And somehow the screen of my phone is spoiled. It's like, one moment it was fine, next moment it's screwed. I had the phone in my hand the whole time, and I didn't drop it or anything, yet it became like that. Nokia, you disappoint me.

The Sibling You Never Knew

Yesterday my mom told my sister and I during breakfast that she actually had a miscarriage before conceiving me. Apparently, it was one-month old, and probably due to stress or the roller coaster rides she and my dad took, she had a miscarriage during the 20-hour flight from U.S. to Singapore.

To know that you actually could have an older sibling is just... shocking. I could've been a second child. I could have an older sibling to look after me, who I could look up to. The older brother/sister that I would never know of...

But then, if that child was born, I may not have been born. Which means, in a way, my unknown older sibling died for me to live. I now feel like I'm alive at the cost of another's life.

Or maybe I'm just disturbed by how my mom can tell us about this so casually.

Either way, this news shook me up pretty badly.