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Akano

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Blog Entries posted by Akano

  1. Akano
    I think I just have to say that LEGO Star Wars II for XBox 360 is one of the most amazing games ever made.
     
    Randomness aside, today marks the end of this year's marching band camp (which started last Saturday) for the resident Moo-Obsessed Toa of Electricity. So why am I bringing up marching band? Well, this year my little brother had marching band camp for four weeks, consisting of two weeks of mini band camp, one week of full band camp, and then another week of mini band camp. Full band camp is 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., mini band camp is 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Four weeks. That's a lot of prep compared to my marching band. Of course, my little brother is in high school, and I'm at college. Well, let me take you back to 2003 when I was a freshman. I had one week of full band camp (same as my little bro) and one week of mini band camp, which for the first year was 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., then changed to 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. That was it from my freshman year to my senior year. Why the change? A change in band directors. My marching band director from freshman year to senior year was strict. He made us work, and he had us get done what we needed to get done. He was not lenient unless the suggestion given to him was one that needed to be done, such as a water break on a hot day. Then, my senior year, he stepped down because he got an administrative position in our school, so the marching band was directed by the high school band director, who was much more lenient. She didn't change anything the year after he left, but after that she made things "easier" on the kids, and because she went easier on the band, the productivity went down. Now, you'd think, "They have two more weeks to practice, so their shows must be much better and better prepared than those of years previous." Nope, unfortunately the shows have stayed the same if not declined in quality over the previous years. The energy isn't as intense and the drive to do well seems to be less obvious than it was when I was in the band.
     
    Now, the marching band director I had was not as well liked by the band, but he got stuff done. The director my little brother has is probably more liked/less complained about, but the quality seems to be lacking.
     
    So, which is better? The band that accomplishes two weeks worth of work in two weeks, or the one that accomplishes that same amount of work in four weeks?
     
    Sorry to eat up your time, my rant is over. BITIL RULEZ!!
     

  2. Akano
    So, I bought all the remaining Time Cruisers/Twisters sets (minus 1) that KK and I need to complete the entire theme for under $80 (Mystical Mountain Time Lab, Flying Time Vessel, Rocket Racer, and the Time Tunnelator; all that remains is the Hypno Cruiser).
     
    Also, I think that during the summer I'm going to start reviewing LEGO sets of the 90s (more from the mid to late 90s), since this is the era of my childhood when I was first introduced to and subsequently obsessed with our favorite ABS bricks, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
     
    I'll also make some more comics over the summer. Right now is the home stretch of the semester, which means more work in a shorter amount of time, leading to more stress and less free time.
     

  3. Akano

    My Weekend

    By Akano,

    So this weekend two of my friends and I journeyed to the New England city known as Boston. We didn't actually do anything downtown, but we did get to see some history in Concord, such as the Old North Bridge (site of the fabled "shot heard 'round the world") and walked past Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (we didn't have time to walk through it, unfortunately), and went to a birthday party for a friend of a friend. We also saw one of my grad school professors who left my school due to his wife and him getting a job somewhere that didn't involve one of them taking a nearly three hour commute to work, and there was Indian food.
     
    All in all, a good weekend with good company. Now I'm just relaxing and recovering from the drive, and will soon get to go home and build a pirate ship.
     
    My body is ready.
     

  4. Akano
    My elementary-school self is jumping with joy.
    One of the ways I've occupied myself this summer was by trying to reconstruct one of the old LEGO Pirate ships, the Black Seas Barracuda. However, I wanted to do it with a twist. I've always loved the sails of the Skull's Eye Schooner, but the yellow/black/white motif of the Barracuda was always my preferred color scheme. Therefore I opted for a mixture of the two.
    The sails are, alas, not genuine, but printed sheets of paper cut appropriately. Surprisingly it looks really good in person, but I do want to try printing actual cloth sails in the future.
    A keen eye will notice that the bow is modified to be more like that of the Skull's Eye Schooner, and there are still some minor decorative pieces that need to be obtained, but otherwise it looks quite impressive.

  5. Akano

    Sleep

    By Akano,

    http://youtu.be/bxjWNJU8rNE

    When I was in college I had the privilege of performing many beautiful pieces in both choir and band. While I got to sing Eric Whitacre's "Hope, Faith, Life, Love" and play trumpet in his instrumental piece "October," I never did get to sing this beautiful piece.
     
    I absolutely love his suspensions and cluster chords. They give it a real ethereal quality, and it's beautiful.
     

  6. Akano

    Moo And Stuff!

    By Akano,

    Yeah, it's been two weeks or so. I told you I wouldn't update this regularly. Anywho, time to fill y'all in on what I've been doing these past couple weeks.
     
    My SAT class thingy is over! I get a break before school starts! Woot!
     
    I have two little kittens, one's black and the other is white. He seems albino, but we don't know for sure. The black one is Cosmo and the white one is Comet. They're so cute.
     
    My brother, KK, and I built The Shadowed One for the first time. Not a very sturdy combiner, but he's very menacing. His staff is kinda odd in that the rip cord is also part of the top of the staff, but it's original, I guess. His Rhotuka kept falling off him. His arms are badly designed, being only Vahki legs and hands. I actually had to switch his hands because it made more sense that way. Also, it's hard to adjust one part of him without his whole body shifting. Really bad. ><;; In short: TSO looks sweet, but is horrible setwise.
     
    Also, I built the Mahi MOC that gifboy99 came up with, and it's really neat. Really original idea, and very accurate to the flash episodes/MNOG.
     
    That's another thing. It's Mata Nui Online Game, not Mata Nui On Line Game. Online is one word, people. One word. It really annoys me seeing MNOLG.
     
    KK used his Brickmaster edition of the May-June Lego Mag to create Protodax (he's not a Brickmaster member, so I'm not quite sure how that works). He's pretty schweet. Quite beastly indeed. But, I wanted my Avak back together, so we demolished it. He's quite menacing, especially when you know his Zamor brings you down to the size of a protodite where millions of those things lurk.
     
    I built stuff with my old Master Builder Kit, too. Ussal, Husi, Takea, you name it, I probably built it.
     
    And now, currently, I'm on vacation at my cousins'. I'll be spending the Fourth of July up here and remain here for another week or so. Fun Fun.
     
    Oh, I have a new comic up, BTW, if anyone's interested.
     
    And now, the signoff.
     

  7. Akano

    Randy Rogel

    By Akano,

    ...is a musical genius. For those who don't know him by name, he wrote almost all the songs featured on Animaniacs, e.g. Yakko's Universe, the Nations of the World, the 50 states and their capitols.
     
    The live show with him on Talkin' Toons is amazing.
     

  9. Akano
    The summer's almost over, and I can't wait.
     
    I know, summer vacation is almost over, so why would I want it to end? Well, for me it's not much of a vacation (since I've been working 40+ hours a week), and I'm really eager to go back to school. Also, autumn is my favorite season of the year, and I'm not too sad about having to say goodbye to the heat we've had.
     

  11. Akano
    As I sit here late at night waiting to see Jay Leno's pick of the weekly Headlines (cruddy Wimbledon ¬_¬) I decided to write a blogthing entry.
     
    I do have a good idea for a new comic, but I'm afraid my attention span must lengthen itself so I may be able to create the blasted comic. You guys should enjoy it, though.
     
    And lastly, crabadonk!
     

  12. Akano

    So, Bzp's Back...!

    By Akano,

    Welcome back, everyone!
     
    As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't yet put life back into my comics topic (and by that, I mean re-posting said topic with new comics). I am, however, currently working on a new comic for the rebirth of Akano's Comics, so stay tuned for that.
     
    Also, super-happy-fun news, I have recently acquired Night Lord's Castle from the classic Fright Knights theme of LEGO System, and I have to say, it is quite the awesome set. Basil's pad is something to envy, I must say.
     
    As for life, I am currently in my first semester of graduate school and recently went through the privilege (read: trauma) of taking a graduate-level quantum mechanics in-class exam. That was four questions long. And was only given 80 minutes. It was great.
     
    Thus, if my schedule for making comics remains the way it was before (i.e. unpredictable) I hope you understand why, because it's not necessarily that I'm forgetting about this place or you. Heart-promise.
     

  13. Akano

    Specter of Torment

    By Akano,

    Seriously, this game is awesome. I can't wait for it to come out on Wii U/3DS so I can play it with a for reals controller rather than a keyboard.
     
    Also I submit my thesis on Monday. That's cool.
     

  14. Akano
    Well, I figure that since January's coming to a close, I should probably update this thing. Earlier this month, I went to our Science Olympiad scrimmage and helped out by running an event, which was fun. I got to see old friends and had fun watching eggs splatter as they hit the floor. I also have just recently been brushing up on some dollar bill origami, some of which you can see here. My parents bought me a book called "Hawaiian-Style Money Folds" which has some pretty sweet money origami designs. I also found others online.
     
    Otherwise, things are pretty normal. I have a fairly relaxed semester this time through, but I have a 7:45 a.m. class, which is killing me, for Akano is most certainly not a morning person.
     
    And with that just said, I got a great inspiration for a new comic. 8D
     

  15. Akano

    Fanboy Moment

    By Akano,

    Rob Paulsen responded to my question I tweeted earlier on whether his voice was in the LEGO City: Undercover trailer.
     

     
    While not a definitive answer, it still has made my day.
     

  16. Akano
    >>
     
    Guess it's been a while. I don't think anyone's surprised.
     
    Here's what has happened since I last posted here:
    I sang at my school's graduation back in May and realized that in one year I'll be walking in front of all those people receiving my diploma. Scary thought. I spent a short two weeks at a mini physics internship. I wish I could have stayed longer, but the college I went to did not have enough funding to take me on for the full summer. My brother, KopakaKurahk, and I have been apart longer than we ever have in our lives. He received an internship and is now across the country studying seismology. I remembered how much I love mowing the lawn. 8D Also, I do have a new idea for a comic, and hope to execute said idea this weekend. Eight hour work days do not give much free time for comic-making.  

  17. Akano

    Loss Of Wisdom…?

    By Akano,

    Yesterday, my brother KK and I got our wisdom teeth removed. I had three taken out (which was all I had) and KK got four removed.
     
    Amazingly, my mouth doesn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would.
     
    It was also the first time I had ever been on anesthesia. The experience was instantaneous, and it was very odd to me how fast that half hour flew to me.
     
    Just my random blurb of today. Also, welcome back online, BZPower!
     

  19. Akano
    Yeah, the current weather is about 45°F and overcast with annoying, non-thunderstorm rain.
     
    But, such is the way my hometown treats its people during spring break. This week is for me to relax, take a mental break from college, and continue to put off an 8-10 page paper for philosophy of science. Kill me now. XP
     
    I really wish the sun were out right now. Not only would it help dry up the muddy ground, but it would bring more light into the house and to the outside. I'd probably enjoy a good walk, too.
     
    This is why I hate the first part of spring. Only when spring transitions into summer do I finally become content. >>
     

  20. Akano

    Khan!

    By Akano,

    So, I saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan for the first time last night and Space Seed, Khan's debut episode in the original series. I love Khan's character. I can't tell if it's because he's written well or if Ricardo Montalbán's mannerisms make him so unique. Or both.
     
    This also makes his role as Gutierrez in Freakazoid much more enjoyable (even though he was quite enjoyable to begin with).
     

  21. Akano

    My Latest Busyings...

    By Akano,

    Yes, busyings may not be a word, but I'm using it, dang it!
     
    As my finals are about to start tomorrow I've been keeping myself busy with other things to make myself forget that I have finals. For instance, I've been working on the following image:
     

    » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « 
    I'm not sure if the proportions of all the islands are correct, but I think this is the general idea of how the universe is laid out in the body of Mata Nui. I'm also unsure of the placement of Artidax, the Energized Protodermis being's island, and Keetongu's island, as to whether or not they're inside those pistons or in his legs...
     
    Yay for Photoshop tinkerings!
     

  22. Akano

    Fall And Winter

    By Akano,

    I was on a walk the other day after lunch and a beautiful aroma hit my nose. It was faint, almost fleeting, until it got slightly more intense, then faded away. It is the best smell in the world
     
    It is the smell of a fire burning in the fireplace of a distant house, which means one glorious thing: Winter is on its way.
     

  23. Akano

    The Stagnant Blog Revived

    By Akano,

    It seemed as though ages passed since anyone set foot in the clearing where the little pond lay. No one had been near it in ages, and those who stumbled by it paid it no heed, for they were travelers with another mission and had no need to visit an average little pond that had long been abandoned. But this pond was not left alone, no, but only given time to age and mature. Its creator had taken a short vacation, and in his vacation the pond had nearly blended into the rest of the scenery around it. The hieroglyphs that towered behind it were no longer a vision by which to be taken back, nor were the banners advertising comics and stories flamboyant or attention-grabbing. That would all change today, though, for the creator set foot in that humble glade once more. The sign sitting at the water's edge was cleaned off, and a spectacular light display that the creator brought to his beloved pond glowed once more. The sign clearly read the same two words it had read since its conception, and was, in its creator's return, renewed.
     
    The sign at the water's edge could now be read – "Akano's Blog".
     
    I'm back!
     
    Yes, it seems that college does some interesting interference with contact to the outside world. This Toa of Electricity is quite fine, and is glad to write in this very dusty blog. Hi, everyone!
     
    I believe I posted a new comic recently, which you can view here. I also decided to be a beta tester on "My LEGO Network." It's actually pretty fun, and it brings out my inner child.
     
    I also have an annoying 5-7 page research paper to work on. I'm not quite sure on its due date yet, but I don't like the topic: Something dealing with King Arthur and his story. I'd much rather have a much more open topic selection. vv;
     
    Um, that's all for now. Enjoy the comic and the revival of this blog.
  24. Akano

    Brickshelf's Down?

    By Akano,

    So, brickshelf and majhost's servers are down. Too bad I can't upload the comic I've totally finished and not at all procrastinated on.
     
    Seriously though, my apologies for the lack of updating of my comics. I have not had as much time this semester to do things I enjoy as I would like (we kinda hit the ground running). I do hope to inspired soon and start working on a comic.
     
    Another thing sort of slowing me down is that I'm getting used to using GIMP, which is quite different from Photoshop, which my new computer does not have. Thus, I have to make do.
     
    In other news, this semester I'm taking quantum mechanics version 2.0 and classical mechanics. In both classes (ironically) we're working with Lagrangian mechanics, as the classical Lagrangian (the difference of kinetic and potential energy of a system) is useful in deriving equations to describe systems in both the classical and quantum mechanical regimes. In fact, when one uses the Lagrangian as a way to formulate wavefunctions of quantum mechanics, Hamilton-Jacobi equation (a classical physics equation) pops out of the Schrödinger equation! It's as though physics is self-consistent or something...
     

  25. Akano

    New Lego Store Opening

    By Akano,

    So, this weekend marked the grand opening of a LEGO store that's actually within driving distance of my home. I stood over two hours in line to get in (it was insane!), but I managed to retrieve a LEGO R2-D2 Duplo block and got my fourth Pharaoh's Quest set - Flying Mummy Attack - while enjoying the LEGO atmosphere. It was a blast.
     
    I also got a green laser pointer. It's much fun to take long exposure photos of writing your own name on a wall in a dark room in green laser.
     
    Also, there's a new-ish comic up in my topic. If you haven't seen it, it has some physics and a good meme joke. 8D
     

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