New York City

This was originally posted on my other blog on October 18, 2010. And I'm just now getting around to moving it here.

These are from the first night when we were on Park Avenue...Before we got lost.

We went to Serendipity for dinner and Frrrozen Hot Chocolate...I was so disappointed. Everything was horrible. It did not live up to the hype.

So after we got lost, we saw this little guy on the street. (We saw several of his older brothers and sisters as well...This was the first time I EVER saw rats in the city.)

The Majestic. Phantom of the Opera was incredible. I was overwhelmed by it. And I know they're two completely different musicals, but I actually loved it more than Legally Blonde. (If you don't know about my obsession with Legally Blonde, then that probably doesn't mean much.)

Walking around Times Square.

The Palace Theater, where Legally Blonde used to be. 

The George M. Cohan statue.

Conan billboard.

Ellen's Stardust Diner.

The Palace again, where the Legally Blonde sign used to be.

Toys R Us!

Chinatown and Little Italy

Times Square, before we left.

The Selection

This is a post I meant to write at least a month ago and I kept putting it off at first because after I read the acknowledgments in the book, I couldn't take it seriously. And then I just forgot all about it. I'm not even sure I can write a proper post at this point because it has been so long since I read it.

The Selection (by Kierra Cass) is yet another dystopian novel. There are so many these days, not that I am complaining. Dystopian fiction is my favorite book genre. The story in this novel is...Different. At first, I was sure I would hate it. Here is the premise. There are eight different castes, one being the richest and eight being the poorest. America (the main character, not to be confused with the United States or North/South America) belongs to five (who make their living as artists, musical or otherwise). She reluctantly enters a contest to be invited into Prince Maxon's home as a potential bride, along with thirty-four other women.

Does it sound like The Bachelor? It is. Once these women move into the palace, their time there is broadcast on TV. I have never taken a particular interest in The Bachelor, I haven't even seen one episode. That is one of the main reasons I did not think I would enjoy this book. Part of me is just hopelessly cynical. But I can't deny that I am a fan of love stories. So even though, initially, my reaction to this book was to roll my eyes, I found myself becoming emotionally invested in these characters as the story went on.  The cynical part of me wanted to hate The Selection, but I couldn't.

The events in this novel take place after the fourth World War. Can you believe it? Not only were we stupid enough to have a THIRD World War, we went and had a fourth as well. America became the 'American State of China' before being invaded by Russia. Eventually, America regained its independence, but the country's name was beyond damaged and no one wanted to be associated with it. Therefore, it was renamed Illea, after the man who saved the country.

The citizens of Illea are not given history books. They are expected to just "know" their country's history. Because of this, most people are unsure of what happened in the past and have conflicting information. This is the most interesting aspect of The Selection. Without this detail, it's just another romance novel. I will read the second novel because I am curious as to what there is to hide about Illea's past.

I probably would not recommend The Selection to anyone unless they really enjoy romance novels. I certainly would not recommend it to someone who loves dystopian fiction. As I said, I did become invested in the characters and their relationships, but there are other books out there that do both genres better.

Home (PC)

I played Home last night. Technically, this morning since it was 1:00 a.m.  I figured that is as good a time as any to play a horror-themed game.

Upon startup, the game recommends you play with headphones on and the lights off, so that is exactly what I did.

Home is described as "unique horror adventure set in a beautifully-realized pixel world. It’s a murder mystery with a twist—because you decide what ultimately happens. Awakened by an oncoming storm, you open your eyes to discover yourself in a strange, dark room—tucked away in a house that’s not yours." I think that is a valid description. At first, I thought it would be similar to Lone Survivor. That is not the case. Not that it suffers because of it. Both games are great in their own right.

I almost did not want to play this in the middle of the night, with the lights off. The other day, I was listening to an episode of Pseudopod entitled "Kill Screen." It is about an 8-bit horror PC game that is a bit too...Realistic. Here is a link if you are interested. http://pseudopod.org/2012/06/08/pseudopod-285-kill-screen/

Back to the game, though.

Home is very unsettling, especially since you are not really sure what to expect on your first playthrough. Do not let its appearance fool you, these old-school type horror games (Corpse Party and Lone Survivor included) are even better at being scary than a lot of the big horror titles are. It helps that the soundtrack, especially with headphones on, was done really well. You hear thunder, crickets, rustling in the bushes, water dripping from the ceiling. At one point, I even heard someone whispering in my left ear.

The controls are very simple, so if you are not comfortable using a keyboard to play games, don't worry. It consists of hitting the arrow keys and space bar. It is not complicated by any means (and that is a good thing).

As far as I can tell, you have the option to do as much, or as little, as you want. While trying to figure out the mystery, you will come across various clues and evidence. The game leaves it up to you to pick these items up or not. In all likelihood, you will have to pick some of them up, since you are required to use keys to open certain doors, but you can get away with leaving most of them right where they are (though I would not recommend doing so). You will also have to solve some very basic [simple] puzzles along your way. I enjoyed the puzzles, even though they did not involve much thought.

After finding the various keys and backtracking to the rooms they unlock, of course there are a few jump scares. What kind of horror game would this be if there weren't? If jump scares are not really your thing, do not worry. Home is mostly one huge, psychological nightmare. These are my favorite types of games, the ones that really make you question what you have seen and how much of it was real. Games like Silent Hill, Lone Survivor, Eternal Darkness and Corpse Party are all great examples of how to execute psychological horror and Home is no different.

No...You still would have been pretty nervous about
entering the forest. Trust me.

The scariest point in the game, for me, was when you exit the sewer and you are in a forest. My reaction was literally, "Pine trees? Oh f***." I do not like the woods. You are surrounded by trees, anyone can be hiding there and you would not be able to see them until it was too late. Whether it is real life, or just a video game, I do not like it. For good reason, too! Someone (or something) was watching me every time I turned my back on the gap in the fence.

I like to check every detail when I am playing a game, but I was unable to do so at one point because I decided to check a door in the factory before going in another room and jumping down a hole like James Sunderland. The door I examined led outside and I was then locked out of the factory. I would really like to know what I would have found had I jumped. I will probably play the game again so I can see how it changes based on what I do/do not examine. There was also a safe that I could not figure out the code for, so I would like to be able to open that next time and see what is inside.

At the "end" of the game, you are asked if you found what you had been searching for. I do not know what happens if you say yes...I assume it is what I originally thought would happen (and tried to avoid by saying no). Saying no gave me a pleasant surprise, something I should have expected, but did not because all the clues in the game pointed towards something else.

Based on the evidence you found, you are asked a series of yes or no questions to put the puzzle together. It seems like you can probably get many different endings, and I think that is really interesting, I would love to replay the game a few more times and see what happens if I change my answers.

Home is available on Steam for $2.99. It is a decent length, about an hour and a half if you really explore everything, plus it gives you a reason to replay the game, so there really is no excuse not to buy it.

That is all for the spoiler-free part of this "review" (I use that term loosely). After the jump, there will be a few thoughts on what is really happening in Home's story as well as the ending I received.

What makes Darkness Falls so scary?

I had an epiphany last night while I was in bed, unable to fall asleep after listening to one of the stories on Pseudopod. A complete "Aha!" moment that made me feel validated in what I had assumed was an irrational fear for years.

Let me start by saying that plenty of movies scared me as a child. Every time I watched Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, I thought the movie would change and Talbot (in wolf form) would finally catch Wilbur in the woods. The Tingler terrified me. The thought that not being able to scream, being paralyzed with fear, could lead to death...That's frightening. And let's not forget dolls. Anything involving dolls would prevent me from sleeping. I had a recurring nightmare about them after watching an episode of The Twilight Zone. They would walk from the kitchen, through the living room, to my bedroom. Hundreds of them. I can only assume they intended to kill me, based on the fear I felt when I woke up. I think I had that nightmare almost every night when I was seven years old. (I still remember it vividly, along with another recurring nightmare I had.)

But none of that compares to how unsettled I felt after watching Darkness Falls.

If you don't already know, Darkness Falls is about the Tooth Fairy. If you look at her on the night when she comes to take your last baby tooth, she will kill you. And if she doesn't kill you, she will stalk you all your adult life until she gets another opportunity to get the job done. The only thing that can protect you is staying in the light.

It sounds pretty ridiculous, right? It is. And yet, I spent years sleeping with the covers over my head so that if I opened my eyes in the middle of the night, I wouldn't see something I wasn't meant to see. Keep in mind, I was not a child when I watched this movie. So why was I so afraid? Last night, I figured out the answer to that question.

Darkness Falls taps into that fear of waking up in the middle of the night to find an intruder in your bedroom. What would you do? If you pretend you are asleep, maybe they won't harm you. ("If I don't move, open my eyes or make any sound, they won't notice me." Like they are a Jurassic Park T-rex.) However, once they realize you are awake, it's all over. And I think, subconsciously, that is what really disturbed me about that film for so long. Not the idea of the Tooth Fairy (I even acknowledged, to myself, that the movie was terrible and being afraid of it was pathetic), but the idea of anyone catching you sneak a glance at them while they are invading your home and what that would mean for your safety.

I am not the only person who was afraid of this movie. Everyone I talked to agreed that it was horrifying and if it was ever brought up during a late night conversation, it was guaranteed to make us lose sleep. Now I understand why. The Tooth Fairy is not going to try to kill you while you are sleeping, it is not possible. Someone breaking into your house and attacking you in the middle of the night is not beyond the realm of possibility though. So well done, Darkness Falls. Even being one of the most ludicrous movies I have ever seen, you still managed to scare everyone I know.

If you have yet to watch this movie, you should. Late at night, with all the lights off. There's nothing to be afraid of, right?

They Bleed Pixels

They Bleed Pixels was released on Steam today for $7.99 (until September 5th).

I have been counting down the days until this game was released, although I will admit, I was a bit wary of it. The original excitement came from knowing that this was based on Lovecraft's work. If you know me at all, you know there are few things I love more than a good scare, and H.P. Lovecraft's stories never fail to set me on edge. I always enjoy seeing how people adapt his ideas into their games.

The only reason I was wary of it is because I read that it was a platformer/fighting game. I'm 100% okay with platformers. The issue is the second part. I am not good at fighting games. I could never get myself coordinated enough to play Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I think I'm fairly okay when it comes to video games in general, but when you start asking me to remember how to do combos, and then EXECUTE them...Well, that's where everything goes downhill. I can't do it.

Then there is this:

I naively thought I would be able to use my Logitech gamepad (the one that resembles a PS2/PS3 controller) to play this game. Hahaha, like I can ever catch a break. My gamepad was not recognized. I have no idea if this is an issue that can be resolved or if I really need a 360 gamepad. My heart broke a little when I realized I would have to use a keyboard to play a game I was already certain I would fail miserably at. (I'm generally not a PC gamer, I grew up on console games so I'm somewhat uncomfortable using a keyboard under pressure.)

Do you want to know what happened? I made it past the tutorial! (Don't congratulate me just yet...Or ever. I even managed to do the combos incorrectly there a few times.)

I was then prompted to choose the next chapter of the game.

Things didn't go very well after the opening cutscene. I did manage to make it to my first two checkpoints, but that is as far as I got.

I am not sure if there will be a review on this game considering how terrible I am at it already, but I am really going to practice and try my best to get through it. It seems interesting and I do not want to give up on it just because I lack the coordination to hold down z to jump and then let go of it to switch over to x so I can attack. Or remembering to hold down z to jump in the first place. I kept hitting x instead.

Under the jump will be screencaps of everything you learn in the tutorial stage. This is mostly for my benefit. If I study them long enough, maybe I will actually remember what I am supposed to do.

Talent-based reality TV shows

I’m still so disgusted with Joe’s behavior on Face Off the other night and I was thinking about it earlier…

I will never understand why people walk off of reality show competitions after working SO hard to earn a spot on them to begin with.

What I do understand is that the time constraints are stressful. It can’t be easy to work under so much pressure. And then to be critiqued and have every negative thing the judges say aired on TV for other people to hear…I’m sure that’s really hard. Maybe even embarrassing, depending on how you felt you did. (If you’re as deluded as Joe was, that last part doesn’t apply to you because you will never recognize that what you did wasn’t deserving of appearing on the show to begin with.)

Face Off is in its third season. Project Runway is in its tenth season.

You cannot tell me that the artists and designers have no knowledge of the way these shows work prior to filming. You WILL be forced to work in a high-stress environment. Your work WILL most likely be torn apart at some point. You know all of this when you sign up for it. If you don’t have thick skin, don’t audition. All you’re doing is taking away a spot from someone who really wants/will appreciate such a great opportunity.

Walking off is so ungrateful and immature. Especially with the way Joe did it. And Andrea (Project Runway). As a teacher, Andrea set a terrible example for her students. With Kooan…I don’t blame him as much because he seemed so sad when he left. It wasn’t a matter of shattered pride or a huge ego, he was broken. (And I’m sure Irena had a lot to do with it, I don’t even blame him for leaving after that. She has scared me since her own season.)

I’m rambling now. The point is…Joe’s attitude was disgraceful and even though I think it’s terrible that he walked out, I’m glad he’s gone.

2NE1 New Evolution - New Jersey

I went to 2NE1's concert in New Jersey last night!

I feel so fortunate to live in an area where so many events take place. I know a lot of fans in the middle of the country weren't able to attend their concert last night. It's definitely not something that I am taking for granted.

The concert was supposed to start at 8:00, with the doors opening at 7:00. That...Didn't happen. They didn't even let us inside until 8:30 and they never gave us a reason or an estimated time that we would be allowed in. It was overcast last night (it was supposed to storm) and it was really hot, so that made the entire situation worse.

None of that mattered once we were inside and 2NE1's videos were being projected onto screens in the arena while we waited for them to begin. It really set the mood for the rest of the night.

Look at all the confetti!

It was like being at a club once they started performing. Definitely the most upbeat, fun concert I've ever been to. And they're all flawless and amazing. Bom is adorable, Dara is sweet, Minzy is an amazing dancer, and CL has SO much energy when she performs. I didn't have a favorite before last night, but seeing how much CL loves what she's doing, she's my favorite now. They are all amazingly talented and I'm so grateful that I was able to attend this concert.

I uploaded a video of CL DJing, but Blogger isn't letting me post it, so here's a link (the video is NOT the best quality because I recorded it with my iPhone.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15EgHY8O-5U

They did NOT sell merchandise at the show, I was really disappointed because I wanted to buy one of their lightsticks. So if anyone going to the concert in California sees this, just keep that in mind.

Again, I felt grateful and honored to be there. They’re only stopping in two cities in America on this tour and I feel like it was (but hope it’s not) a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was so much fun, the atmosphere was amazing. They are so talented and it’s obvious that they put so much work and love into everything that they do. I’m really happy that I was there to experience it with so many other people who love and appreciate their music. 

I already posted this EVERYWHERE

I don't care.

I'm going to see 2NE1 in seventeen days. You have no idea how excited I am.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

If you have ever ordered anything on Amazon before, you know that they will recommend other items based on what you have purchased.  I always look at their book recommendations. I figure they know me well enough not to recommend Twilight or 50 Shades of Grey, so they must be doing something right.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs has been on my recommendations list ever since I bought Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I'm not quite sure why, as both books are vastly different.

The book is about a boy named Jacob, who grew up listening to his grandfather's stories about the time he spent in an orphanage when he was younger. He told Jacob about the children who lived there with him, including an invisible boy and a girl who could levitate. As Jacob grew older, he stopped believing his grandfather's tales. Then one day, right before Abe (his grandfather) dies, he tells Jacob, "Go to the island...Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man's grave. September third, 1940. Emerson--the letter. Tell them what happened." This sends Jacob off on an adventure to find the old orphanage so he can discover who, or what, killed his grandfather.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children is a fantasy/mystery novel, mixed with a bit of horror. Adding to the overall feel of the novel are real vintage photographs that were used to construct the story.

Honestly, I do not think this book is aimed at adults. (That's not to say they cannot enjoy it.) When I was reading it, I instantly felt that it would have been right at home with books such as A Wrinkle in Time and The Giver, which I read in 5th and 6th grade. It is definitely a book that children would enjoy. There is minor profanity, it isn't extreme. The horror elements are never scary enough to really be frightening. If I were a middle school English teacher, I would probably use Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children in my curriculum. And I'm sure there are many who do. It is a great children's novel.

Insurgent

(This post contains slight plot spoilers.)

Last night, I finished reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth. And all day, I have been trying to figure out the best way to begin this post. I still haven't thought of anything. I should probably stary by admitting I had to find a plot synopsis of Divergent online because I did not remember anything that happened in that book and I was completely lost after three pages of Insurgent. Thankfully, the plot synopsis reminded me of all the details I had forgotten.

After surviving the simulation Jeanine (the Erudite leader) put the Dauntless under, Tris and Tobias begin to search for allies among the remaining factions. Amity wishes to remain neutral. Candor can't stand up against the Erudite. Abnegation was practically decimated during the simulations. Half of Dauntless has allied themselves with Erudite. That only leaves them with one option: the factionless.

I don't mean to compare this series to The Hunger Games, but the first thing that came to mind when Tris and Tobias decided to work with the factionless was District 13. For anyone who has read The Hunger Games, you can imagine all the other things that I was thinking at this point.

The factionless want to destroy Erudite and take over the government themselves, eliminating every faction so that they are no longer separate. Tris has an initial reaction of, "A world in which no one knows who they are or where they fit? I can't even fathom it. I imagine only chaos and isolation." I'm sorry, but isn't that what they had to begin with? The five factions were isolated from the start and chaos ensued because of it.  Someone should have told Tris the real problem is that the factionless want to annihilate one leader and take control over everyone themselves. In fact, I do believe this was said in front of her. "That's what you expect me to help you with. Overthrowing one corrupt government and instating some kind of factionless tyranny."

I wasn't interested in the first half of Insurgent and I was ready to write it off completely. I said a while back that I could not judge the first book because it was part of a trilogy, but after reading half of this one and not being impressed, I almost gave up all hope. Then, it got interesting. Information known only to Jeanine and Marcus (an Abnegation leader) about what is outside the fence that surrounds the factions was mentioned. Here is where I began to think, "So there is something to this trilogy after all. It's not just about the conflicts between factions, there is a bigger picture."

Jeanine and Marcus have very different ideas about what should be done with the information they have gathered. Both leaders have convinced themselves that they have their community's best interest at heart. Jeanine is willing to sacrifice lives to keep the factions within the confines of the gate where it's safe. Marcus thinks it is his obligation to reveal the truth to them about what waits outside the gate. They do not seem to be ruled by emotions, but by what they truly believe is best for everyone involved. Both Jeanine and Marcus were very wrong in their execution, but at least their intentions seemed pure...As pure as anything can be with those two, anyway.

The people who are consumed by emotions are the ones who act selfishly. Tori, with her desire for revenge. She doesn't care that vital information stands to be lost if she carries out her revenge against Jeanine, she only cares about avenging her brother's death. Evelyn also wants revenge on Erudite and Dauntless for not supplying the factionless with food and other necessities. She wants to overthrow the entire government and run it herself. She is ruthless and manipulative, and her intentions were purely selfish throughout the book. She doesn't even attempt to hide it.

One ruler may be overthrown, but another will step into place, with intentions that are just as bad and/or misguided as the ones prior. Like all politics. And really, that's what I got from this book. That decisions are made for the "good of everyone" while sacrificing many. That leaders believe the truth should be hidden from people "for their own good" even if it means taking away their right to choose. And that for every manipulative, selfish person who is in power, there is another person who is even worse waiting to take over for them.


Johnanna (the unofficial leader of Amity) is probably the most intelligent person in this novel, telling Tori, "Do remember, though, that sometimes the people you oppress become mightier than you would like." That is what you are left with at the end of Insurgent.

Again, I don't want to compare this series to The Hunger Games, but it's hard not to. It is not as well written. The story it tells is not as interesting. The characters are lacking a bit. By the end of most movies, shows and books, I am usually emotionally attached to the characters. That is lacking with this series and, for me, it suffers because of it. When you really care about the characters in a book, everything they go through is intensified. You practically feel what they are feeling. I'm so detached from these characters that they could die and it wouldn't phase me in the slightest. That is never a good thing.

However, Insurgent is a vast improvement over the first book. I read it in two days, so it will definitely hold your interest. It is still worth reading if you enjoy dystopian fiction. But if you haven't read The Hunger Games or Delirium, I recommend starting with those series first.

What did I do during my break?

Learned to make gifs in Photoshop.

Totally useless right? And yet, I still do it.