If you grew up in the 1990s, you might remember this show:
It was a way of life back then.
Dragonball Z - the sequel to Dragonball where our hero Goku continues to save the world as an adult, husband, and father - was certainly more than a simple cartoon. DBZ taught us about true strength, pride, perseverance, and the power of friendship.
Unlike American television shows that can last a lifetime, many anime shows are finite stories. As such, the Dragonball franchise ended after Dragonball GT, leaving today's youth with only Dragonball Z Kai (an edited version which is a post for another day itself).
Not a fan, but it'll do if it's all you've got...
Feeling nostalgic? Cheer up! Episodes of the show are on Hulu, but there's something even better on YouTube...
A group calling themselves Team Four Star has put together a very well done parody of the popular epic called Dragonball Z Abridged. It hilariously brings to light a lot of subtle things we might have missed watching the show as children, and it makes the experience more adult. There are also pop culture references that further the hilarity.
Any fan of the original Dragonball Z mustwatch the Dragonball Z Abridged parodies! They're thoroughly entertaining and make you fall in love with the original series all over again.
If you ever need an escape from reality, video games are always an excellent get-away! They transport you into a virtual world where (a) you can escape whatever problems are going on in your real life & (b) do things you'll probably never do in the aforementioned real life.
I wouldn't quite call myself a gamer, but I've certainly done my fair share of playing. So, I'm familiar with the gratification of achieving a challenging goal and thought-provoking plot twists. But what about everyday game play? Is any of that memorable?
My boyfriend recently brought to mind a hilarious moment that happened while playing a game together, and it compelled me to come up with a list of my Top 5 Favorite Video Game Memories!
#5 Resident Evil 5: She's A Keeper
I sometimes refer to Resident Evil 5 as "Our Trip to Africa". It was one of the first games my boyfriend and I played together, and we spent several days advancing through the story.
Of course, there were plenty of memorable moments in that game. But one stands out...
Toward the beginning, we were shooting sick, zombified Africans - you know, the usual - when we came across a pretty Caucasian woman calling for help. My boyfriend, the gentleman, walked up to help her when BAM! She grabbed him.
He called me for help. I ran over, pressed circle, and did this cool roundhouse kick before pumping her full of lead.
It wasn't the most difficult of actions, but I've never felt so cool.
Of course, it was no big win to him, especially since we were still being surrounded by other zombies. But I felt like Xena, Warrior Princess with a gun, and nothing beats that.
#4 Dead Nation: The Hail Mary
If there is ever a zombie apocalypse, my boyfriend will likely survive. He's incredible with video games in general, but for some reason he's a beast when it comes to zombies! According to him, I'm a decent partner, but I still feel like I'm slowing him down sometimes.
In Dead Nation, if you're partner dies, you can still play on and - if you get far enough in the level - revive them. Sometimes we were an unstoppable force that blew through the hoards of zombies together; sometimes he was suddenly solo because his partner was dead.
At one point, though, I noticed I die a lot with flares, grenades, land mines, etc. still on me unused! So, I decided to try something...
The next time I was swarmed with zombies - and I knew death was imminent - I unloaded all my grenades, flares, mines, and dynamite. It was Chernobyl. If I was going down, all those zombies were coming with me!
(Except I somehow lived, and found myself without any of those valuable weapons...)
My boyfriend laughed at me.
#3 The Ship: Collegiate Darwinism
I had actually bought this game years ago, but couldn't get it working on my family's crappy computer. So, I'd nearly forgotten it, when my Video Games class (yes, I took a Video Games class my senior year of college) took a trip to video game center. There, they had this cool video game cube thing that myself and 7 of my classmates could all play together.
In The Ship, you are a passenger on a large cruise ship where everyone is given the name of another passenger to kill.
Cool: You have the name of the person you need to kill, their last known location, and there are weapons everywhere. Problem: You have no idea who is trying to kill you, and it is incredibly difficult to watch your back.
Side Note: I once beat someone to death with a manikin arm in this game.
While you gain points for killing your target, you lose points for killing random people in cold blood (and you go to the ship's jail for a bit, while you're target moves around freely). You'd think University of Michigan students would think logically about how to kill only your target while avoiding assassination.
But nope. Total chaos.
Everybody killed everybody regardless of consequence. It was a fight to stay alive. No one was safe.
#2 Splashdown : The Tentacle
They say "curiosity killed the cat". I learned that firsthand playing Splashdown, a water craft racing game for PlayStation 2.
In the game, you raced with several other competitors on many different tracks around the world. Some where closed off, while others had openings. And in the Free Play mode, you could leave the track and explore the world a little.
However, game designers aren't going to create an entire world outside the game path. In most games where you can venture into uncharted territory, there's eventually an invisible wall the player cannot pass. Not Splashdown...
Instead, a giant squid tentacle comes up from the water, pulls you under, and the squid spits you across the ocean. I had to pause the game because I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
#1 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City : "Hi!"
If you've never played a Grand Theft Auto game, here's a brief synopsis: You are a bad guy in an open world with an objective that you are not required to follow. So, if you'd like, you could just spend a day on the beach running people down in a stolen car.
It was one of those days.
I stole a parked car from the street and headed to the beach - running over anyone in (or out) of my way. For a while, I didn't even have a Wanted Level because there were very few cops on the beach. So, I just ran people over without remorse until...
I was headed full speed toward some fat guy when he turned, smiled, waved, and said: "Hi!"
As you might know, the citizens of these games aren't the most polite people. They'll insult you for bumping into them; I've even had my stolen car stolen in this game! This simple gesture of civility touched my heart.
Right before impact, I slammed on the brakes, but inertia is not so compassionate. I ran him over. I felt so bad, I got out the car and watched his dead body disappear as a way of paying respect.
These are some of my favorite video game memories.
Snow is on the ground. The trees are bare. The wind chills to the bone. There is no laughing and playing in the summer sun; there is only a heated blanket, Netflix, and your many social networks. You feel depressed.
As you may recall from a previous post the business magazine, Forbes, has recently begun focusing on social media. (As well they should now that it is a booming industry.) Well, I came across this startling article on New Year's Day: 3 Reasons to Quit Social Media in 2013
The last two reasons came as no surprise, but the first one struck me. It spoke of a mood condition affecting many social media users these days - Social Media Anxiety Disorder.
Social Media Anxiety Disorder & You!
The Fall term has finally ended, and Jimmy finished his first semester of college with a nice 3.45 G.P.A. Quite the achievement! He decides to leave campus and get some much needed R&R with his parents in Mitchell, South Dakota (his hometown). While he catches up on the past season of The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, he has Facebook up in another tab.
On Facebook, he discovers his dorm roommate is in Guatemala doing charity work. His ex-girlfriend has her big time internship on LinkedIn. Tons of his old friends and classmates are posting pics of their tropical vacation tans on Instagram. Meanwhile, Jimmy tweets: "Dexter is crazy!!!"
He suddenly feels like an unremarkable, lazy, worthless college brat who is wasting his life.
I'm sure everyone has felt like Jimmy at one point or another. You've accomplished some great things, but they've all been overshadowed by the accomplishments of your Facebook friends. Leaving you to feel like your accomplishments are minuscule in comparison and the effort you put in to achieve what you have isn't good enough.
It's a concept in Psychology known as social comparison. In many ways, our self esteem is built from the esteem we have for others. If you're the only kid in class with an 'A', you feel great! Likewise, if you're the only kid in class without an 'A', you feel like an idiot.
Social media plays a huge part because of the number of people you're constantly comparing yourself to on a daily basis. Childhood chums, high school friends, your current co-workers all posting about major happenings in their lives makes you wonder what has been happening in yours. And, unless you've had some major accomplishment recently, (which, let's face it, isn't extremely often for normal people) you feel bad.
Congrats, Patrice! You know what I did today? I made a grilled cheese sandwich. Take that!!!
Yeah, it sucks! But is it a reason to quit social media this year?
What do you think?
Share your thoughts at www.facebook.com/VeryGeekyGirl
I recently came across this rant/article on the Forbes website (of all places), and it got me thinking...
In the article, the author (Tara Tiger Brown) chastises the modern geek culture and reflects on what the word "geek" meant when she was a growing geek. In short, where "geek" was once an insult to kids obsessed with something obscure, "geek" has now become a sub-cultural badge of honor bestowed on anyone who plays video games.
Or wears glasses like these.
Now that being a geek is kinda cool, who deserves the title?
What does it mean to be a geek???
Geeks are often stereotyped as being abnormally adept at math, science, technology, video games, and comic books. However, I agree with Brown's point about obsession. In my eyes, a true geek is someone who has dove head-first into a unique obsession!
For instance, I have learned a lot of Japanese phrases and cultural tidbits from watching anime. So much so, I would consider myself an anime geek! And, believe me, that isn't the only interest that makes me a geek...
In fact, "geek" is often used to describe personality, right? In that case, a geek is a person who often finds something of interest and obsesses over it.
Just a few things I've been obsessed with:
The Powerpuff Girls
WWE
Dragonball Z
Bleach
The Big Bang Theory
British Television
Telenovelas (Spanish soap operas)
The Sims games
While I agree that the change in connotation has created geek wannabes (as any popular subculture creates wannabes), I think the celebration of geek-hood is great! Geeks are like superheros in a way; they often have enough unique knowledge to be able to do some amazing things, like build a hoverboard or a burning laser.
How do I feel about these wannabes?
You can wear the nerd glasses - I admit they are quite stylish - and the geeky t-shirts all you like; it doesn't make you a geek. In fact, you're missing the funnest part! Real geeks aren't geeks because of how they dress or to make themselves attractive to another social group. Real geeks find massive entertainment in something the distinguishes them from the average fan. They are individuals who enjoy what they enjoy despite the opinions of others.
So if you want to impersonate a geek, go ahead. There is only two outcomes: (a) you realize you are not a geek and give up the charade OR (b) ....
As humans, there are many things that remain a mystery to us. Whether it's aspects of a different culture or strange religious beliefs, it is impossible to be familiar with everything our world has to offer. In fact, many of us don't readily accept ideals and practices different from our own.
It has always been my philosophy to be open-minded to new things and (even if I abhor it) try to understand why other people like it and find some value in my having experienced it myself.
This brings me to the early Christmas gifts I bought myself from Amazon!!!
The Original Rider Waite Tarot Pack
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself bored on the Internet and began watching tutorials on Howcast. I found the "How to Develop Psychic Powers" video series particularly interesting, especially the video about tarot cards.
They suggested I buy the Rider Waite Tarot Deck, and - sure enough - it was available on Amazon on sale for about $15.
After learning a little about what the cards mean and the positions the cards are placed in, I have to say that this is the best $15 I've spent in a long time! Do I believe the cards have mystical powers? No. However, I think that the amount of thought you put into a difficult situation with the help of these card is more than valuable.
The entertainment value of finding out how accurate your reading was is priceless.
Feng Shui That Makes Sense by Cathleen McCandless
On the same odd-but-insightful note as the tarot cards, I decided to buy a book about feng shui. Feng Shui is a practice shrouded in misinterpretation. To put it simply, feng shui is "the study of the environment and how it affects people".
No, not that "environment".
Rather,...
...these environments. The environments you occupy the most in your lives: home, work, and wherever you spend your free time. The design and positioning of objects in these places can play a more major role in our lives than we think! Learning the art(?) of feng shui could really be valuable.
Many think of the myths associated with feng shui and deem it to be a waste of time, but I've learned from this book that feng shui really isn't as mystical as it is practical, and it makes a lot of sense in regards to the way people think.
So, those are the odd Christmas gifts I bought myself this year. The take-away from all this is to keep an open-mind regarding things that are unfamiliar to you, and try to explore the unknown instead of hiding from it.
My next exploration: Handwriting analysis!
What odd things peek your interest? What are you getting yourself for the holidays?
A few months ago, one lucky lady landed my dream job! She got hired as a Social Media Director of The University of Michigan; a $100,000/year job to direct the social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) of a major university! With all the stuff going on in Ann Arbor on a daily basis, the material writes itself and you can't beat the salary!
How could anyone do anything to screw this up???
Well, it was over before it began. Ms. Jordan Miller - aka the luckiest girl in the world - lied about her education on her resume. After some investigation, it was pointed out that one must graduate from the Journalism degree program at Colombia College Chicago to have received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Colombia College Chicago.
The selection process for this job was apparently intense. How intense? The runner-up had a Facebook campaign to get this job! And she obviously still didn't get it. It's such a shame Miller lied on her resume. Amid the scandal, she has resigned from the best job ever.
(My theory is that she "jumped before she was pushed".)
Situations like this, reinforce the iron-clad rule: Don't Lie On Your Resume!
They always find out. Sooner or later, you're gonna get called into the bosses office and know exactly why they're firing you. Whether you work for several months or several decades, someone will found out and you will likely be axed for it.
Have you ever listened to a new song and thought: "It feels like I've heard this before..." But you can't quite name the song you know sounds exactly like that?
It's happened to me countless times! It almost feels like there is no such thing as new music; perhaps every "new" song is just a remake of something older.
There is no way this song is really new.
On YouTube, one of my favorite channels - Vsauce - made an interesting case for this theory. Perhaps we sometime long ago reached the maximum number of melody combinations and are going through the loop again!
Unlikely. But you must admit that it is a curious phenomenon.
Most interestingly, the video mentions a cool website called Sounds Just Like, that points out similarities in popular songs. At first, it was interesting to see so many songs that sound alike, but it quickly became sad.
Why are there sooo many songs that sound like other songs? Sure, artists are often inspired by art, but why does California Gurls sound like Tik Tok?
Granted, they are both California Gurls...
There is a fine line between being inspired by an older song & remaking it and shamelessly stealing a melody to make a new song off of it.
However, is it such a bad thing to sample music to make new songs? After all, it takes an artist to rework a song about weed into a song about breaking up, right?
What do you think? Is a number of similarities in songs a sign of the musical apocalypse or is it simply a different expression of creativity?
