Keptquisling’s Weblog

Last week I finally got around to fixing a few things I’ve left broken for awhile. Upgraded the Wii to a 4.2 system menu, which of course blocked the twilight hack I’ve been using. It also deleted the homebrew channel. That would have been a disastrous circumstance had I not had bootmii installed as boot2. That and along with bannerbomb and hackmii allowed me to reinstall the homebrew channel. With bootmii installed on boot 2, I have a menu that comes up before the Wii even starts loading its dashboard. It’s a pretty handy little thing, it can create NAND memory dumps and save them onto a flash card. Effectively serving as a kind of “system restore” feature for softmodded Wii’s.

Sounds like a lot of work just to update a system menu right? Want to know why I bothered with it? I was trying to play the Wiiware Monkey Island games. I installed it through my Wad manager in the homebrew channel, and after launching the game it just resets the Wii. Course I did a bit of browsing, turns out I needed to update my cios from 249 to cios60. So I thought if I were to do something that drastic, I might as well update my 3.2 system menu and get the “launch games from the sd card” feature that came along with it. Of course, 4.2 was an infamous Nintendo Ninja, that discretely killed off the homebrew channel and the twilight hack that the whole Wii hack scene was based off of.

Now of course, to update my cios I needed all the wads that came out since I last updated it, so I downloaded Nintendo cios wads with the NUSD. NUSD is a Windows app that connects to the Nintendo database and pretends that it’s a Wii in need of updating, then promptly downloads the updates into easily tamperable packets that can be trucha signed. I then used the Pimpmywii app to trucha sign all of the cios wads installed on my system. After that everything started working properly.

Now I can launch free Wiiware games from my SD card, play the New Monkey island episodes, and play the New super Mario Brothers game without an update blocking launcher. Hmm… I may have geeked out a little bit for this entry…

What’s in a day? A lot can happen in a day. A person can be working the same routine, the same job for decades, and a day can come when it all ends. Children stand in the sidelines watching the traffic enforcers coordinate a crane, lifting the twisted tangled mess of metal over the body of a corpse in pieces. Bystanders looking on by the sidelines watch the spectacle of death with smiling faces immune to the tragedy devoid of empathy. Excited with the prospect of witnessing blood flow from freshly severed limbs.

Yesterday the world was perfect. He took these children to school everyday, on a custom built jeepney, as he has for several years. Stuffing bags onto the sides, lunch boxes, teddy bears and school books. But today came and a drunk decided he couldn’t wait, and drove home intoxicated. Fortunately no children were hurt, unfortunately the same couldn’t be said of him.

Why do you want to become a lawyer?

               When I was younger, I used to watch a lot of courtroom dramas. I found society’s way of protecting itself from delinquents interesting. The whole endeavor of “fairness” in a court of law, and the presumption of innocence before proven guilty, I thought was amusing when an obviously guilty criminal is set free due to a competent lawyer. When I watched these shows, a lot of courtroom processes passed over my head. I didn’t know the rules of court, or why they have juries in the United States and we don’t here. I didn’t understand why illegally obtained evidence can’t be admitted when it conclusively shows who is guilty.

               A more practical reason of why I wanted to study law besides simple interest, is the fact that we have to hire lawyers. Whenever my family has legal matters to attend to, we hire the services of lawyers. I remember some of my grandfather’s brothers being lawyers, but they have all passed away, leaving my family without a free legal consult when we need one. And being repeatedly told that I may be capable of learning this profession, I went ahead and enrolled myself.

               I also want to do something significant with my life. And the only way to effect real change is with ability. And knowing the rules of law is a very competent power to wield. Whatever change I will attempt to make, whether it be successful or not, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I had not at least tried to make things different. So that’s why I’m here. I may not have enough time to study, or enough money to consistently pay for my tuition fees, but I am going to try. And hopefully, I will have something to show for my efforts.

Why do you want to become a lawyer? So why is that the name of this entry, when a previous entry had the exact same title? Well, see it’s because I’m trying to write something for an assignment, but wind up writing a journal entry instead. So I have that title up at the top in the hopes that eventually, in the progress of making up this rant, I wind up with something substantial enough and formal enough to submit to my law professor. So let’s talk about lesbians. Yes lesbians. You know, women who sleep with other women? I just slept with a pair of lesbians. Alright, so I didn’t, when the time came for me to drop by their condo, I just turned off my phone and went home. Yes I chickened out, not very manly, and yes, I know a lot of guys would kill for the opportunity to sleep with two fit beautiful women with smooth skin, delicious lips and firm buns… but I chickened out. I’ve never been with two women at the same time before, not because of a lack of willing partners, but because I’ve never arranged for one. So when an invitation like this came about, I didn’t really know what to do. I’ve had reservations going into bed with more than one woman, now here’s two lesbians… But then again, if I did sleep with them, wouldn’t they be technically bi? Just something that’s been brewing in my head for awhile now…

Escalation… it is the art of getting women to talk with you about freaky stuff. Usually I start my conversations getting to know the girl, then gradually get around to asking her if she has a boyfriend. If she does, I try to make her doubt her commitment, make her feel like it’s ok to cheat a little bit, make her feel saintly for being loyal for so long. Then if she doesn’t, I ask her why, and how long has it been since she’s had a relationship. Then ask her if she’s a virgin. Depending on her answer, I can prattle on about her age, and how good she is for keeping it for so long, and if she isn’t a virgin, asking her how long it’s been since she’s been with a guy, and if she misses it. By then, the girl’s usually hot and bothered and is pretty open for the opportunity to have a new partner. So in getting her think of such things, whenever she sees you, all of the possibilities start swimming in her head. Then it’s just a matter of maneuvering close enough at some point to be able to glance at her lips while she’s looking, and set her up for a kiss.

I always told guys that to go after women they’re attracted to. Usually a guy goes after a girl he doesn’t like trying do a “dry run” of sorts. But the thing is, usually if you’re not attracted to a girl, she’s not attracted to you either. It makes “practicing” on girls you don’t like pointless. Even if you do well, you wouldn’t want to sleep with her anyway. So when did “guys” start asking me tips on how to approach girls? I really don’t know, some of my old high school classmates just started doing it.

If it weren’t for the power failure earlier, my girlfriend and her sister would still be playing New Super Mario Bros. It has been ten years since there’s been a legitimate 2d Mario game released for a home console. And anyone who has ever played a Mario game, (everyone) is pretty psyched up for it. Finally, the best 2d plat-forming game ever made gets multiplayer support. This is something people like me have been dreaming up ever since the days of Super Mario Brothers 3.

Now we have idiots all over the world whining about why this game sold more than Modern Warfare 2. It’s pretty simple really… chicks, DIG this game. Seriously, girls will play this game all afternoon, all night, up to the wee hours of the morning just to get the chance to stomp on the next spikey member of the koopa-troop. Why? One girl offered a plausible explanation, and no, it’s not Mario’s mustache. The game’s real strength lies in its simplicity. While most “hardcore” action games require you to sit through an hour or two of basic action tutorials, this game just needs you to pick up the controller then play. The only thing to remember is where the jump button is.

Let’s face it, Modern Warfare is an adolescent boy, or middle aged man’s game. And while it is a good thing that a game with such high production values that spent years in development earn its due, it really isn’t a crime that a game such as a basic 2d plat-former do as well. Who cares if it was probably developed in just 6 months? Weren’t we all complaining about EA at one point? They used to release games with high-production values coupled with substandard game play.

It is a well known fact that guys love violence, and Modern Warfare 2 gives guys the opportunity to live out their “commando” dreams. But given the larger install base of the Wii, a game like Super Mario Bros. would sell just as much or slightly more, as it appeals to gamers of all demographics. And seriously, can’t we al just get along? Can we stop making things bad for other people? Can’t they just leave us with our flying dinosaurs and hallucinogenic mushrooms? And do we really need more First Person Shooters?

And so I’m back in school. Turns out one of my professors was asking around for me, wondering where I disappeared to and why I didn’t enroll for the 2^nd semester. I attended the class, and then was dragged over to the office for enrollment. I got my class card, and was given assignments. It felt really good to be back in school again. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.

And so I have signed all my free time away. Now I have to make a write-up for 100 pages worth of case digests, and a few paragraphs going on about why I want to be a lawyer. I’ve been at a loss as to what to do with all my free time last month, when I wasn’t studying. I guess I’ve been busy for so long, I didn’t know what to do with free time when I have it. Now I have numerous books to read, cases to understand, and phrases to remember. I’m never going to get enough sleep ever again.

And if anybody’s wondering where I got the money, I got a loan. Really… ok I didn’t.

Ruling with constant guilt-trips, fear, and extorting you for money, such is the way of religion. I’ve walked through the hallways of protestant elementary schools, usually filled with streamers proclaiming “god is good,” or “god is watching you,” phrases that wouldn’t be out of place in a society ruled by big brother. The methods for brainwashing little children is so similar, I thought I was passing by the ministry of truth. “God is all powerful, fear God, Obey God,” God will smite your puny punk ass.”

Then there are the figureheads for these organizations. I know one prominent leader of a once growing protestant church, now slowly dwindling into oblivion due to gross mismanagement. Thirty years ago, he was handed the reigns for this church. They were significant. They had branches in other countries. They had shows and programs on TV every Sundays. Now they can’t even pay for their building. Meetings were setup for foreign investors, hoping for some overseas angel to come and save them from financial ruin. Meetings that amounted to nothing. And as for the proceeds from the latest sermons? They were used to buy their bishop a new car. After all, we can’t have the bishop rolling around with wheels that are over 4 years old.

Another Pastor, in his bid for candidacy, made deals with murderers, and some of the biggest crooks in recent history. Allies, that even the most crooked of traditional politicians would avoid. He even called some of his contemporaries “noble,” and yet I still remember some of his sermons proclaiming these very same people to be “false prophets.” Has the bible become more lenient with blasphemy as of late?

Yet another now proclaims himself as Jesus Christ. Apparently, he got promoted to “son of god” status one weekend. It’s really getting rather difficult to tell which ones are the liars and which ones are hearing voices in their heads. After all, proclaiming yourself as god is a pretty big claim for a liar. If he were just crazy that actually wouldn’t be as bad.

Christianity defines Sin as an act or a thought that goes against “perfection.” Perfection being standards established by god, as described in the bible. Yes, “thought.” Even the mere inkling of doing evil is punishable with the fiery brimstone heat of hell.

So Christians live in a constant state of guilt, for the mere thought of Sin is already a sin on of itself. So, if I were still a Christian, I would have sinned fifty times from just this morning. And would be so scared, that I would give everything I have to the local church just to off-set my eternal damnation.

By such definitions I sin almost constantly. The world has no shortage for idiots. Leaving 2 hours before work, just to be able to arrive on time, only to be late because a bus driver decided that an intersection was his very own make-shift bus terminal, can really pile on the sins. Wouldn’t be just so gratifying to shove his head through the bus windshield? There, I just sinned again. Count how many times you’ve thought of dishing out physical violence, coupled with the instances of picturing pretty passers-by naked, and add the number of actuated sins, then you have your total for a day. With such numbers you’d have a direct tunnel to satan himself in no time.

Everyone’s going to China tonight, leaving me pretty much alone in the country… again. Well except for my son and girlfriend that is. They’re leaving in approximately 2 hours from now, on a 2 am flight.

There were some interesting toys on sale at a toy store beside our building over the holidays. Unfortunately, it closed before I could get any real amount of money to buy stuff from there. They had a number of now-hard-to-find transformer combiner toys for just 800 each. I should have snatched some up when I had the chance. I noticed some new G.I. Joe toys too, some of them looked remarkably similar to some of the figures I used to have back in the day. They probably made them from the same 1980’s molds and re-painted them to match the look of the latest movie.

There were a number of video games and consoles on sale there too. I should have bought myself a collection of games for my older consoles. I doubt I’ll ever find a better deal. They even had a “new” Megadrive, boxed, sealed and never been opened. Of course, I don’t really need one as I have a collection of emulators, but it would have been nice, after all I still have a working SNES under my TV. Just seems fair to have the Sega equivalent.

But it’s all too late now. I’ll have to chalk it all up to a missed opportunity, like everything else in my life.

I didn’t have any books, was sick for a week, and ran out of money. And so is the list of excuses I have come up with for not finishing my assignments on time. Now I’ll have to try again next school year. But it’s ok, I’m not really in a hurry and I haven’t “officially” enrolled yet. Now to just check on my peers to see if they went to school last Saturday, and see if there’s any hope of catching up.

My previous post has served its purpose, and no sooner than I lose a “girlfriend,” I gain another. Though I really don’t know what to do with her yet, as she is within the areas I usually avoid women at. She seems rather receptive, but it is riskier than the usual encounters that I entertain. I may end up not doing anything after all. I’ve always had trouble starting conversations with women on the bus. Even when a girl sits beside me and glances with an occasional smile, it’s still very difficult for me to find the right words to say. Sometimes I try to smile back, but it usually comes off as a you’re-bothering-me-smile than the we-should-go-out-smile that I was going for, which with my lack of social skills, compounds to ineptly awkward levels.

Then I found these tips for public transport game, might as well try it out later when I go home.

1 Make sure she’s on her own and not with a group of friends or worse, a burly boyfriend. Just because she’s sitting by herself, doesn’t mean her friends aren’t a few seats away.

Step 2 Stand up and offer her a seat if the bus is crowded or let her know there’s an empty seat near you. This gives you the chance to talk to her right away.

Step 3 Be fast and don’t stop to think too much. You never know when the girl of your dreams might be taking a short ride one block over. She might be gone before you even have time to act.

Step 4 Start talking about someone on the bus, something you read in the paper or even one of those signs hanging above your head. If you can make it into a joke, you’ll make her laugh and get her attention.

Step 5 Act approachable! Smiling and maintaining eye contact let her know that she has nothing to be scared of and shows her that you noticed her.

Step 6 Ask about her plans, why she takes the bus or where she’s going. This gives you a good opening and she’ll want to know more about you.

Step 7 Give her your number no matter who gets off first. If you played your cards right, she’ll want to know more about you and give you a call.

I imagine step number 5 will be especially difficult for me.