Their adventure "Fantastic Space Odessey" has just begun.

*sniff* How do you like my Engrish? *sniff* I'm seriously stuck between crying my eyes out and laughing my butt off right now.

I just beat it.

Star Ocean 2, that is. For the first time, ever, in heck-knows-how-many-months since I first started playing, and since whenever it was that I got obsessively serious. But this one file I had was a Claude Scenario that had no real reason NOT to play it... so I did. And I zoomed through Eluria, through Energy Nede and the Four Fields... and there I was. I beat it. I even pickpocketed some really good stuff while I was at it, and won the Master Chef competition again (this time with Leon, who wasn't even at Level 10!).

It's over. I'm so hysterically sad!

I was crazy taking notes too, trying to sort everything out... and man, the ending theme was so damn beautiful! It should be coming up soon on my playlist. Very few quirks I have about the game, except maybe the ending animation... >_> Once you've seen SOEX, the ending animation is laughable. Almost cheesy, but still. The CG, on the other hand, is downright beautiful and very poignant.

I'm so sad!! ;_;

The endings... Celine and Ashton (that was a surprise!) and Claude/Rena in Arlia, rather than somewhere on Earth or in Space. Everyone else was alone... changed and then not changed in their own ways. Really makes me want to get back to writing all those fanfics, but moreso about the characters you don't ever get to play, you only see or meet once in a while. o_O I had a great fic in mind for a Ketil (remember him? The brat from Clik?) and now... well, maybe a Filia fic, or just one focusing on the "lives" of the TWM prior to becoming biological weapons programmed for mass destruction/annihilation.

Have I mentioned how sad I am? I'm probably overdoing it, but now the music is making me all weepy!!

Okay *breathe, breathe* Doing better now. ~_~ Sorta! ;_; I should probably start about the last few days, eh? Well, yesterday was Brooke's shower... why was it that people had to call me THEN? Dez called for some advice while me, the cousins, and the aunts were in Macy*s, and I tried to help him (I guess) but it was a) kind of hard to hear, b) kind of hard to understand, and c) kind of uncomfortable to sit down; there were only makeover chairs! Anyway, rewind rewind...

Went to Gable's really early that morning (well, 10:30ish) to get Brooke a present, since I didn't want to feel bad for just "sticking my name on the card," for whatever gift Dad and Kathleen had gotten her (turned out to be a very pricey ladle and spatula). So I got her this cute "Honeymoon" scrapbook... Gable's has all this cool stuff, I wanna go shopping there~

Anyway, Dad warned me that Kathleen might be late since, when he'd gone to check up on her (while on his way to SF to pick people up from the hotel and drop them off at Moose's, where the women were to have the wedding shower) she'd gotten all angry. ^^; Apparently he'd woken her up. =P Dad's the paranoid sort, I guess, and they both overreacted, but that's just my opinion on the matter. He told me to call him if she didn't pick me up by 11:30, since the shower was supposed to start at 12. But Kathleen called me shortly before I left for Gable's, and I met up with her on 18th/Geary, after I'd gotten the gift-- which, by the way, depleted me of any and all funds (all of $15).

Well, Kathleen was still sort of on edge about how Dad had been paranoid, she almost seemed to know that he would have called me and told me something along the lines of what he did... >_> Now that I think about it, she got me a Wild Berry Juice Squeeze, but I didn't drink it! AH! Baka! It would have been better tasting than the crappy stuff from Moose's-- ugh, authentic iced tea tasted SOOO nasty! Anyway... so we got to Moose's, but late, because a) Kathleen drives a Ford F-150, which is a MONSTER TRUCK pretty much... and b) we went THROUGH downtown AND CHINATOWN to get to a place in North Beach, because the directions Kathleen got were wrong. =P Well, we were only 20 minutes or so late, and like I'd said, no one was even eating or anything yet, people were just talking. So I got introduced to everyone while Kathleen went to park the car (which I didn't get, since there was valet parking right in front of us, and she'd told me herself that she liked to do it that way...), but that took her a while, and Baba thought she wasn't coming!

Anyway, once everyone got settled and we got food, people were seated at 3 tables... you immediately got the impression from this place that it was like those "uber-fancy" restaurants you see on TV-- no menus, just "execurive chefs" that serve out priceless (literally) dishes from a very tiny selection. And whatever you get is served to you in something far too large for the dish itself, so it makes it look like you're eating molecules. I didn't like the idea of a Tuna Salad (well, that's the highly shortened name of whatever it was) so I got an English Pea Risotto, and didn't eat the peas. =P

I found out later that my cousins have been swinging all over the scale in terms of eating habits. Apparently living in LA (going to UCLA, etc) has turned Erin into some sort of trucker degenerate, as Joyce couldn't emphasize enough how shocked she was at her daughter's "newfound" crudity. Saying "fuck" in front of guests and all, including some rather uptight relatives or friends. She also likes to wolf down a bunch of food, and honestly thought the first course was just an appetizer. >_> It filled me up, and I'd only had a waffle... many hours before! On the other hand, there's Shaina, who I found out, much to my dismay, has anorexia. She used to be hyper bulimic, and I'm not sure which is worse. She's aware of her condition, it seems, as are most of the other family members (as usual, I'm the last to learn ANYTHING in this family...) but she "wants to get better but still lose some weight..."

This just... doesn't sound like my cousin. Shaina is downright GORGEOUS, she has a perfect figure. And this is coming from ME, the perpetually skinny one. Of course, I was the one who got told by Baba that I "looked a little heavier." That just downright CRUSHED me. She tried to make it sound like a good thing later on, but she might as well have stabbed me in my gut and then stuffed me. -.-; *sigh* I, of all people, do not need to go on some sort of diet. Exercise is one thing. Maybe I'll exercise more. But I can't stand thinking that Shaina, beautiful, intelligent, confident Shaina could have an eating disorder. It's such a gruesome thought, and I'm so worried. This is why I always want to sit with the other girls at the family get-togethers, but help out with Baba and Sally in the kitchen when they cook. We can all TALK, and we can be FAMILY for real, for ONCE! *sigh*

Okay, so let's see... there were these egg-like quiche things that tasted like a cross between spiced scrambled eggs and ravioli (o_O) ... then came the risotto. I saved my Godiva truffles for later (hey, I think I'll eat that Hazelnut one now) and then there was *scratches head* Uhm... cake. I thought we'd have a choice again with cake, but I guess not. It was this berry thing, but it was rather crumbly and strange for the actual CAKE texture. I just ate the berries and the frosting. ^^; As stated earlier, the iced tea SUCKED, so I had to fill it with sugar, and even then... =P blah.

Then came present-opening, which was drawn out and amusing. Mostly everyone got her plates, flatware and the like... Baba made her some GORGEOUS ovenmitts and towels, which everyone spent time oohing, aahing, and passing around. Lots of pretty wrapping paper and ribbons... some of which I saved later on and made into a fake bouquet for Brooke's wedding rehearsal. So yeah, that's in September in Fresno, out in a garden. My uncle Fred (the closest member of the family to being a Rabbi) was originally going to do the officiating (i.e. he would marry Brooke to her fiancee, Michael/Honus) but Brooke changed her mind... and now they might have a woman do it! COOL! >_> Still, I guess the one thing that still kind of stings is how Brooke gave Erin and Shaina (Shaina is Brooke's sister, so I sort of expected it) their "bridesmaid" dresses. Good for them. They're all rich anyway. =P Baba said Kathleen is supposed to take me shopping for a nice dress or something to wear on the wedding, which will be cool... but still, it hurts to think that Brooke doesn't seem to think of me at all. I don't really know why I'm complaining then, since I'm usually NEVER included in anything the family does, no matter what they tell me when I'm actually GONE-- and besides, you know what they say, "Once a bridesmaid, NEVER a bride!" and seeing all the presents Brooke got made me want to be a bride fer sure! Hehe... ~_~...

Then we took a crowded and hectic route downtown (Aunt Becky, Shaina and Brooke's mom loves to drive through yellow lights... and neither Brooke, Aunt Joyce, or Aunt Sally like to drive) and went to Macy's and such. -.- Talk about major uncomfortable for me. Even if it's my city and all, and I liked being able to tell them where everything was, they were being awfully patronizing-- that is, when they actually paid a shred of attention to me (again, why should they, it was Brooke's day... still, she wasn't getting fawned over). Saying stuff like I was crazy for staying out late (with my friends) downtown and such. -.- They spent so much time looking at Estee Lauder stuff, and I was just being all awkward, hoping I wouldn't get in trouble for playing with the Testers. But geez, $20 for a tube of lipstick? And Aunt Becky got a makeover, blah blah... Sally wanted to look at shoes, which we did later. I went around with Brooke and saw some CUTE boots, but they were $65. -.-; I mean, okay, so Brooke's not crazy enough to have bought those $125 shoes she saw, but she didn't think $89 sandals were bad at all! -.-; VERY VERY VERY uncomfortable for me.

Let's see... oh yeah, we went to Lush, too, this new European soap store. All the soap is hand made, and it smells yummy and leaves your hands all clean and pleasantly-scented, but a) they're super expensive (I assume from being imported) and b) they look edible! They have all sorts of cool stuff for gifts though, and Joyce was quite excited, even though she didn't buy anything in the end. Pre-Lush, Becky and Shaina went off to FCUK and tried to find Banana Republic. So afterwards, we went back to the hotel my Dad seemed to HATE (the Metropolis, off Market and 3rd) because he said it was smack dab in the Tenderloin. ^^; It wasn't all that bad, really... a nice sort of "Zen" feel to it, despite the "Holistic" (read: BONG!) room. The entire 6th floor smelled like a weed cigar, and Dad kept cracking jokes about it. And even though it's medical, he's not taking it now, because he has drug tests since he's a teacher! HAW~!

After a brief rest period, we went to dinner at China Sea, which is on O'Farrell near Cyril Magnin (or am I spelling that wrong because of too much SO2 playing...?) and they had good food... drew myself a mermaid on the placemat. =} Dad drove me home after that, and while we were trying to get the car from the hotel valet, I realized I missed two calls from Lonnie. This stung, as I'd had some FREAKY ass dreams the night before (I blame it on the weird effect of my lava lamp...).

OH YEAH! Okay, so RTA. Uhm... missed a dinner with the family, which I guess was bad, considering how lonely I was at RTA. I mean, I eventually ran into Richie and God and them, and that was cool, but most everyone else wasn't there. Of course, it was because I was so uberlate, since I'd waited for my stupid mom to come home to give me money like she'd said! HMPH! She finally did, and came home with Mark, that guy from work I think, who sews. ^^; I spent the first 20 minutes or so after I FINALLY got to RTA dealing with tickets-- I had enough to get the lava lamp I'd been saving up for AND some dinky extras... a bracelet, a few sticky earrings, a stupid protractor, and a heart slinky. Ooh, and some tattoos. =D

Now my new goal is ANOTHER Lava Lamp, but this one is 2000 tickets. ^^ I've already got a few... I spent $5 worth of tokens quite fast... saved some $ for In-N-Out, but everyone sat apart... well, the majority of the group, anyhow. Jimbo loved to pick fights that night, it seemed. I sat with Psycho Joe, Jimbo, and Cris-- the latter two engaged in Game Boy playing, or at least they were later on. Aaron STILL owes me Battle Royale, and even got all pissed at me becuase I was bugged. It's been over a month now, and I PAID him! Where other people have offered to burn it to CD or a VHS for FREE! Hmph... so sue me if I thought the kid was responsible enough to be told once without me nagging him... *sigh* If he forgets again, I want my $3 back.

In-N-Out has a lot of strange non-menu items I didn't know about. I think I wanna list them here, just because I can... tell me if I forget something, mmkay?
I call this collective menu gathering "A puzzle wrapped in a mystery cloaked in an enigma hidden inside a maze sealed inside a labyrinth and decorated with a pretty little bow." Enjoy. ^_^

• 3 by 3s (3x3s) and above - Burgers with however many patties/cheese slices listed in the number (the cheese slices are listed second... i.e. a 2x4 = 2 meat patties, 4 cheese slices... you can also get "# by meat" if you don't want cheese)


• Flying Dutchman - 2 medium rare patties with 2 slices of cheese, no buns or other condiments (I've seen it as only one patty before...)


• The Animal Style Burger - Patty is cooked and fried with mustard, then pickles; extra sauce (that orangey stuff) and grilled/sauteed onions


• Protein Burger - Burger wrapped in lettuce, instead of a bun!


• Grilled Cheese - I assume a bun with cheese inside. >)


• Animal Style Fries - Fries with grilled onions, burger spread and cheese (Jimbo got these the other night).


• Well-Done Fries - Just what they say-- crunchy fries. And you know, In-N-Out fries are REAL POTATOES, unlike SOME PLACES *coughcough*KFC*coughcough*


• Neapolitan Shakes - A chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry milkshake mixed together


• Double Meat - Think Double-Double (2x2) without the cheese


• Veggie Burger - Er, can you really call it a burger without the patty OR the cheese?


• Fries Light - Hey, some people like it RAW! ^^;


• Wish Burger - I don't know whether this is like the Veggie burger or not, but it's basically a hamburger without the meat. So maybe it has cheese.


• Old Fashioned Style - Ketchup and Mustard, instead of the secret sauce


• Choco-Vanilla Swirl Shake - Just what it sounds like. =P


• On The Sal - "Sal" being short for salad, I presume. Lettuce and that funky dressing/sauce/whatever you call it.

* For the record, the largest #-by-# ever ordered was a 500 by 500, supposedly placed by a fraternity. I bet it was a joke. The next biggest is the 100x100, placed by a group of 4 friends celebrating a birthday. And I thought the 16x16 that one of OURS ordered on New Year's was big! Yeesh, heart attack in a wrapper!

** And apparently when you cruise through an In-N-Out burger without stopping at the Microphone, it's called a "Home Run." >)

*** Okay, all of you In-N-Out connoisseurs, how many of those did you REALLY know? BY NAME?

Oh yeah, and you know that on the packaging (most notably on the bottom rims of the cups) there are Bible verse quotes? Well, the numbers, anyway. What do they mean? ^_^ Well, I'm so nice, I'll explain them, so you won't "ph33r" the cup anymore. =)

REVELATION 3:20 (burger and cheeseburger wrappers): Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Well that makes sense. You know, supping with people. It is In-N-Out.)

JOHN 3:16 (soda cups): For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (First thing-- this is part of La Bouche's song "In Your Life," featuring Melanie Thorton, now that I think about it, and Second, does that mean if we drink Coke, we'll live forever and ever? Ehehe... just kidding.)

PROVERBS 3:15 (milkshake cups): She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. (Are we talking about the milkshakes here? I mean, they're good, but not that good.)

NAHUM 1:7 (Double-Double wrapper): The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. (The Lord is hiding in my Double Double? COOL!)

And there ya go. I yanked those handy explanations from http://www.zenlemur.com/innout.shtml. =D


Mike's town is on fire, he says. ^^;

Uhm... Mom's still not home. I bet she's not even coming home tonight, and all I'll hear from her is something tomorrow before she goes to work, while I'm still out cold. She better check her messages at least then, if she's never going to leave ME one. Yeesh.

"To The Light" has got me thinking of this scene for "Perfect World," which I really want to work on now... but *sniff* OMG, I just remembered, I BEAT IT! *cries* Waaah...

I gotta work on the Usa Day awards and Mamo Day planning really soon. Coordinating with Baine on Tuesday 5pm for "Golden Apple" work, and I might try and get Part 1 of "Quest for Vengeance" out, along with "Twisted Fate," Chapter 6. Oneshots are no longer my thing. =P When have they ever been? All my oneshots are WEIRD!

Final topic of the evening-- HOW THE HECK DO YOU ACCESS MUSIC TEST MODE in STAR OCEAN 2!?!?!?!??! AUGH!!!