The Year 2012 in Review

Since the pause between my posting became longer and longer (somehow it reminded me of the Voice of Distant Stars), I am just going to try to summarize the various things I remember from 2012. Well, I think Gmail and Facebook are making my life more tangible in a way. So I will give my first impression, then actually go through to see if I forgot anything important.

Here it goes

Impression of 2012

Academic/Career Achievements:  passing 2nd year oral examination in the Ph.D. program, finishing the patent, more or less completing Zn/BDC on FTO and the subsequent manuscript

Personal Achievements:  beating PCB on easy without a continue with Reimu B, going to Japan the second time

Memorable Moments:  sending a couple of colleagues off to their lives after MIT, first time to a SC, first time trying a steam smoker, two times in Cape Cod, grandpa's birthday in China, getting wasted for real

Regrets:  Zinc, unsuccessful confessions due to lack of information, people leaving

Music Discovered:  Shikata Akiko (Ta ga tame no sekai & Ar Tonelico), FELT (Flow Flag & Silver Drive), AKB48 (Beginner, etc), Imai Asami (Kisaragi Chihaya, etc)

Games Completed:  MW4 campaign, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, To Heart 2, PCB on easy

Games in Work:  Ar Tonelico, Valkyria Chronicles, Memories Off duet, 3rd, 7th

Large Purchases:  PS3, PSP, Fate/Zero Box Set 1, KnK DVD Box, Japan

Notable Anime:  Hyouka, the IdolM@sters, Fate/Zero Part 2, Space Brothers

Well,
Let's start with the anime part (ordered with favorable impression in some cases)

Jan (Nisenmonogatari, Rinne no Lagrange, Mouretsu Pirates, Amagami SS+)
April (AKB0048, Tsuritama, Jormungand, Sankarea, Eureka Seven AO)
July (Rinne no Lagrange S2, Kyoukaisen S2, Kokoro Connect, Tari Tari, Muv-Luv, Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate, Oda Nobuna no Yabou, SAO)
October (Chu2Koi, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun!, Shin Sekai Yori, Jormungand S2, Robotics;Notes, Little Busters!)
Still need to follow (Psycho-Pass, Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb, K)

Most Enjoyable while Following (Rinne no Lagrange, Hyouka, Nisenmonogatari, Jormungand, Chu2Koi, Robotics;Notes, KoiChoco)
Hit-and-Miss (Sankarea, Kokoro Connect, Kids on the Slope, Ano Natsu de Matteru, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, Eureka Seven AO)
WTH! (SAO, OniAi, NakaImo, 'I am your father')
SURPRISINGLY decent (AKB0048, Oda Nobuna no Yabou, Tsuritama)
Good Stuff from Before (Time of Eve, the IdolM@sters, Princess Jellyfish, Amagami SS, Mirai Nikki)
Movies (Redline)

To justify how the IdolM@sters made this year's list, PS3 and Crunchyroll.

Other Major Events according to Facebook
Carved a pumpkin for the first time
Entered an online art contest for the first time
Went to paintball for the first time

Other Major Events according to Gmail
...Really...Too much of a hassle

Madness Enchantment

Fury blinds my reasons
to whose master I serve
Rage defines my strength
to whose desire I tread

Once perfect
Once noble
Yet neither
defines me full

The blackened chains
bind my crime
The wavering shadows
relate my shame

Curses!
My heart belongs to three:
My king
the inhuman righteousness
My queen
the humane vice
Myself
hew the spirit of chivalry
yet in heart the love of a common man

I long for punishment
yet the saint granted me none
the empty torture
grinds slowly
steadily
and never ending

If the world is truly just
let my king show me compassion of anger
let my queen be vindicated of her sins
and let me be the first one
dying for king's honor

Unrest, unrest, unrest
till madness holds me whole.

To My Valetine (Facebook Repost)

Going round and round, all night long (actually just five minutes).
I can see you shine baby, in the mirror the curvy body (and on screen, CH Instrument).
The wholesome rear, I am in tear (Aww...F***king dimethylamine)
No, you are not an ugly duckling, but a delicate cell demanding careful handling (wait a minute...my solvent isn't dry?)
Though life came in different wave forms, I see you clear from the noise storms (well, the derivative is zero there)
Slow down from scanning the world, finally appears your true potential (stay on target, stay on target)
In my hand, silver, platinum, and gold, but your existence is more than fivefold (OMG! GOOD DATA! GOOD DATA!)
So come to me, reversible or not, I will show you a foxtrot (remember to do figure 8 on the polishing pad)
Worn and I see you sleep, until next time I take you by sweep (how many samples do I have left?)

-To the beloved potentiostat

Another Year 2012

So what did I do on New Year's Eve?
Wrapping things up in Fire Emblem:  Radiant Dawn.

You might think it is a bit stupid and antisocial for me to do that (well, I agree), but the time I first got the game was the summer after freshman year in college five years ago. Andrew Luo was still my buddy at the time and so many of the pre-med have now made into University of Iowa Medical School. Time sure flies.
Anyways, finishing on easy a game that was spanned over a five year period is certainly an accomplishment. And Ike only got the 5th place in record (Titania did not even make to top five). There are Mia (trueblade's critical is scary), Micaiah (many kills with blessed Purge), Soren (double hits with Adept activating), and (drumroll...dadadadada)

Marcia

Yep, Marcia. I am not sure if she got buffed or something, but I am always going to her when I need the job done (before I used bonus exp. on Ike Lv. 16, she was doing more damage to Deghinsea). Of course, in terms of Character Love, I would give more to Mia, or Nephenee (seriously a beast in Path of Radiance), or Sigrun (very dreamy onee-sama archtype). But Canto + Savior combo worked great that made her a great rescue when long range healing was not available. Nice evasion ensures that she would survive after giving a lift to the wounded. Well, that is why she is great.

I thought Shion would no doubt made to the top five because he either crits or activates deadeye every other attack, or well, I guess I was using Rolf a lot.

Second playthrough is highly unlikely at this point in time. Maybe once I get out of grad school and have a stable job with more free time.

Oh well. That is that. The past is put aside.