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.

Match with Kathy, Perspective Part V, Kaen Weiss

Even though Kaen has seen many reversals between closely-matched opponents, the turn of tide in Sharron's match was out of his expectation. In academy's practice combat sessions under his watch, Sharron has never gained an upper hand against Kathy, as the young lad of Miles spent most time running away, often cowardly and inelegant. Kaen can tell that Sharron was not being very serious during practice, but he can also tell that Sharron never got serious because a victory against Kathy would practically be a miracle. The more he tried, the more humiliating a defeat will Kathy make. It was simply a difference in skill.

These are his thoughts just before Sharron went berserk on the counterattack. Kaen has a habit of speaking his part of his thoughts, which sounds like complete nonsense to the people around sometimes. In this case, those words are in double quotations.

Well, no Ahnmes will make things easier for the Miles, not when Sharkra was still the Chancellor...what some troublesome and childish family feuds. If Karel Ahnmes, the Duke of Dherghesis, lived, then the present would be much different.

Clashing of steel brings Kaen back to the present, quarterfinals of the grand tournament for the graduating seniors of the Ednia Academy. Two of his favored pupils are pitted against each other after the double-elimination-group preliminaries. One side, Katherine Ahnmes crushed her competition, literally with the traditional heavy halberd that is a part of Ahnmes’s Coat-of-Arms. The other side, Sharron Miles tricked and trapped and edged his way through. Even though some of his moves are cheap, they do not violate the guidelines in competitions. Well, the founders and enforcers of the competitions would never think actions so different from standard codes of conducts. In fact, Kaen found Sharron's approaches quite amusing because of all the loopholes exploited. As usual, the brat is spending minimal energy required to maximize the outcome, as if he is disinterested in perfection just to protect his work efficiency.

"Truly, what a brat." 

But Sharron’s current behavior was quite a rare sight, being concentrated and cautious. There are no obvious openings in his stances. In his second match, he started the match with a longbow, and his terrible aims drew his opponent in immediately after he panicked for the last arrow, which turned out to be an act. As his opponent closed in, Sharron aimed his quiver. Most of the people would think that he has lost his mind, but his jesting was quite good. A lever-activated net, in the bottom of the quiver, shot out just before melee distance. And match went to Sharron quite easily after disarming his bewildered classmate, who fell to the ground, entangled and flat on the face. Always something surprising, but not this time. Dual short swords are Sharron's favorite and Kaen has hardly ever seen Sharron using both at the same time. From his brother Sharfenn, Kaen heard that Sharron practiced dual-welding only when others were not watching.

"So he is serious for once."

The carefree attitude has so far vanished. It is almost comical to see Sharron being nervous saluting to Kathy before the match, instead of casual indifference and a cheeky face.

"Maybe there are some significant consequences if he does not face Kathy seriously. I wonder what was going on between the two."

Kathy has previously left serious threats to some that had offended her. The other parties, usually just some good-for-nothing descendants of nobles, would often quickly give in before a pact of duel is formed. Sharron often teased Kathy but in a way that she had never threatened him for a duel; a quite polished but useless skill the boy possesses.

"Well, those other brats really have no guts, do they call themselves men?"

I guess in one incidence, that lecherous nephew of Count Murat tried to blackmail and take advantage of a freshman. Kathy found out the bully and threw her gloves. Just with a side of the scabbard, the twerp recuperated in bed for six weeks. Who knows how many times he would have died if she drew real blade. Of course, she was on the school disciplinary committee, an honorary member even when she held the office of student body president. If she is the notorious 'Demon of Silver Stone,' how come her sister actually behaves like a proper lady of age? It is another mystery.

I see Sharfenn and Epillion are watching, maybe I will have a word with them a bit later.

(Sharron got knocked down on the ground with no signs of recovery. Cheers from some of the Ahnmes branch family members)

Ah, too bad, Sharron. I guess you had it coming.

Witches of the Holy Night

Damsels of elegant dreams,
bounded by fate
for one single wish,
there
the embodiment of hopes
and all that are endearing

Damsels of despairing laments,
betrayed by fate
for the sake of the world
there
the embodiment of sorrows
and all that are loathed

If the maker of the universe has still conscience
or if it is ever keen
or if it is ever just
would the Earth still be moving
while sweeping away the happiness of innocent hearts

Again and again, impasse towards a good ending
the worlds forbid divergent paths
To save one means to sacrifice one
endless karma of failures.

Then would the trade-off be justified?
One for the many, and then  how much to be
content with a ratio greater than one
or again and again
to save every one or
just one among the many
the one that was more precious than anything else.

It is a dilemma of balance and humanity,

when there are more holes than pigeons,
there is at least one hole that is empty.
The hunters became the hunted
and the witches grinned.

But she did not let it be
instead of worrying about pigeons, and holes, and undeniable rational numbers
Let's make the world anew
where burdens still remain
but the world runs not on despair

Gathering everything together and sew in one single wish
the Magic of one,
who would forever be known by no one,
through eternal loneliness.
Yet the goddess did not waver.
With all my power, let me bring salvation to all
And it is so.
The goddess that brings the radiance of dawn,
if she is indeed a witch,
then the night must be holy.

The First Day

A new year always means new goals:

So the first one I had is the complete transfer of the content from my Livespace/Wordpress blog, which is now complete (hooray!). So, I guess I am enjoying that most of the sections are up-to-date, with several anime reviews still on the plate and more editing of previous PoE pieces. It will make it eventually, but I do not really have time now. Research is going alright, but there is much work to be done to put myself in a relatively stress-free position. To tell the truth, I don't think that position is available very much for the next five years or so. Oh well, life is like that.

Since it is already the first day of the new year, I have past the time to summarize a year worth of experience, or make a list of what were great or not so great in the year. It will be alright, usually I do not do that anyways.

But for a new year, what do I look forward to?

1) A new calendar. Of course that may not sound very impressive. In fact, it sounds very standard. Yes, but my last purchase of Tora no Ana's Touhou calendar actually made me read the date on a paper format once in a while. So I asked my dear friend Andy Wang to bring one back this year. It seems to be high school themed, and I will be expecting a lot of school uniform Sanae. Although my favorite character is still Yukari, but Sanae fanarts are not bad.

2) A new 320 GB hard drive for my ThinkPad. Actually, that is out of necessity and I am cursing Lenovo to not ship any time faster.

3) Research!! When it works, you will feel all better. Right now it is still a foxhole under artillery zone.

4) Fried Chicken. I decided that sometime this year, I will have a good meal consisted of fried chicken from Coastal Cafe 20 minutes from where I live.

5) Everything else school related. Productivity is good.

6) Oh just a bunch of anime things: Summer Wars in the big screen, Star Drivers OST, the next Type-Moon VN, saving enough money to buy Kara no Kyoukai, Tsukihime manga, Mahou Sensei Negima manga, Kami Yomi manga, and Macross Frontier getting licensed (which is not going to happen in the foreseeable future).  Also, Part II from Secret Santa.

7) Gaming.

Well, Ph.D. will be hard and stressful, but no as impossible as beating Perfect Cherry Blossom without a continue. So I guess I will be alright.