Cerebral Trivia: Answer

"Mee" and "Baa"

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Certainly on the All-Name Squad... lol have fun!

Vana'diel History... well sorta

Come to find out, during the Great War, the Anticans originally set out to conquer the vast continent of Mindartia. However, after their first few attempts in watercraft, pwning the Galka didn't seem like such a bad idea...

Cerebral Trivia Vana'diel Style

Taking a look at some of the seldom noticed aspects of this virtual world we live in...See how much of a Vana'diel dork you are!!!
I'll post a question on occasion here about the little-know people and places of Vana'diel. Feel free to take a stab at the answer. Winners will get a .... a .... ... a virtual one at least... unless you don't live on Bismark or Ifrit... in which case... sux for u!
Post answers in the comments if you dare!
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And no peeking! I saw that!

I'll post the answer a few days later

Question 1:
"You know that Selbina shepherd. Yeah, the one you just traded 5 stacks of moss to. He gave you the wholesale rate on that damn moss when you paid retail. >.< Before you give them three slaps in Z-formation, what were the names of his two sheep? (which incidentally must be gargantuanly overweight or defy the laws of space/time)

Keep outta my wallet!!!

With all of the nonsense the goes on and on about the subject of abortion in America, i think there are a few things that no one seems to mention. Either because they might be massively unpopular, or because people speaking out don't want to be ostracized by the "squeaky wheels" in the pro-death community. Since i'm basically nobody and don't care what those from "People for Assisted Genocide" have to say, here goes...
First of all, i do believe that life begins in conception. Egg + sperm = life yay! It's how we came into being, and it is a miracle of creation....yes, yes, even in Pyro's case.... but i digress.
I am firmly pro-life with lots of compassion for the single, young, and struggling moms out there who have the courage to raise their genetic material into vibrant, virile, and competent members of society both in this world and the next. It's hard. It is. Very, very, very hard.
Y'no what though? So is life... Who is to say pregnancy, childbirth, and child rearing isn't more or less stressful and painful than persecution, imprisonment, war, or one of the myriad other ugly things that happen in this world. At least when a woman gives birth, there is a potential for a life full of excitement, joy, and fulfillment.
Some abortion rights activists take the stand that the "fetus" as they call it, is non-living, or part of the woman's body. If so, the woman has the right to do whatever she wishes. In some ways i agree with that assumption. You CAN do whatever you choose, destroy yourself all you want... if it is your own body.
The problem there is simply this, the child there involves three people. The woman, the man, and itself. It's just one of those things that is inextricably intertwined. It's not just the woman's body, and just as a normal human being, you should be morally obligated to do your best to bring that person into this world without harm. It's easy to determine propriety of care of a child once it has been delivered. You feed, clothe, care for, and nurture the child until he or she is able to fend for themselves. In the United States that means at least an 18 year commitment, barring adoption, if not a lifelong one.

Harsh you say? Well.... DUHHH!

Having sex is a serious thing. It's only extreme irresponsibility to think it not. I know it just takes aim, but it's much more complicated than that. It's why we have to treat our sexuality like a prized possession, with dignity and respect. There are two irrevocable events in life... being conceived, and dying. Once one of those events takes place, there is no turning back. There is no refunds or exchanges... the sale is final!

People want to get all nasty on deadbeat dads, those who refuse to provide for the children that they have fathered, and they should. It is shameful and extremely destructive for the lives of the children and the mother for the father to re neg on his responsibilities as a provider, protector, and leader. Many men in this country rightly get sued and go to jail for that sort of thing.
There is one problem, however. I sure that i won't find the woman's or the child's name on the father's paycheck. If the woman is suing for support, i'm sure her name isn't on the house, the car, the 401k, or the beach house in Maui. If the woman's body is the woman's body, and no one else has a say in what she does or doesn't do with her body, why is it that men can't do what they will with their own? Why does the government have to step in and garnish wages, award monies, and incarcerate? Why can't they just "trust [the men] to have good judgement?"

I think it's perfectly logical to equate the two positions. The woman with her body, and the man with his providing. Both the man and the woman have rights AND duties to a conceived child. It's not fair and equitable to punish one for the refusal to comply, and write off the other's responsibilities.
Will we ever back down on the men? Of course not! The repercussions are too great not to. We should not allow the reckless pollination of the flower of mankind without the due compensation and collaboration of childrearing that gives each child the chance to live, to grow, and to succeed. Neither should we allow reckless slaughter of brand new souls for convenience's sake. I have compassion for those who may have been raped, or face life threats due to pregnancy. I believe we as an astute and thoughtful society can wisely judge these cases on an individual basis, and not subject people to the letter of the law, so much as to the intent of the hearts behind the law, and none more important than the tiny hearts beating behind those cervixial gates of freedom, in a sea of amniotic hope.
It's not an issue of one person's body, it's really three, and it although it may be one of the most difficult changes in life, i know it can be one of the most rewarding, fulfilling, and joyful too.

Cerebral thought of the day

Inspired by American Hip Hop icons, the beastmen of Vana'diel start thier new group called "Beastly Skillz"

Starring from north of the border, all the way in Xarcabad.....

GIGA RIMES!!!

...and chillin' from the swamp of Caedarva Mire....

J-NUN!!!

Vanad'iel's famous quotes

"After the latest wave of account banning, times were looking rough...but with my new cyclical ID processing services I'm living LARGE on 45 cents a day. Thanks IGN!"

More Vana'diel's famous quotes

"Must... not........ fall asleep.... must.... get.... to Sky.......zzzzzz"

More Vana'diel's famous quotes

"AAAAHHH!!! I thought i was invis'd!!!"

Vana'diel's Greatest Quotes

Two players... one NM...... "AAARGH!!!"

Cerebral Alchemy Academy 101.6

Take one stick :









add one pin:









...and what do u get?
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I don't get it... do you?

Cerebral thought of the day 3

"Eyy and Silent Buxu Strike Back!"

Cerebral thought of the day

MY NAME IS ZHUU BUXU!!! HEAR ME RO...

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nvm....

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shhhhh! (quiet)

Dun dun DUNNNN!!!

Here we go!

Since i've been too busy/tired to publish all the wonderful things that are spinning around in my brain like an air elemental on speed, i've decided to publish my "Cerebral Thought of the Day." We'll have a lot of fun, and it won't be the same thought all month like some other ffxi site... ^^

The Cerebral Thought of the Day:
"Shouldn't Castle "O" be the happiest place on Vana'diel?"

Am i really doing this again???

There are two things that i absolutely despise in ffxi.
1) Getting the map of Crawler's Nest.

Of all the retarded quests SE could come up with. This is truly in a class of its own. Long, irritating, expensive(in certain situations), dangerous, and ... oh yeah, LONG! It's no wonder most people just memorize the way down to the basement of Crawler's Nest and get out of there to the desert as fast as possible. Either that or get windower and alt-tab your way to ffxi-atlas.com. ^^ (preferred)

2) Build up Norg fame to quest Utsusemi: Ichi

Of all of the subjobs there are to choose from, there are none as useful situationally for all jobs as ninja. Face it, if you want to play endgame or solo with certain job combinations, you must level ninja. Having shadows which are a guaranteed way to nullify damage in 90% of the situations is a must, not to mention if you plan to level warrior, thief, ranger, bard, and dancer. Unfortunately, there is a matter of getting the spells that will be your greatest asset of the job. Although they are purchasable, in most cases they are cost prohibitive. For most, you must quest those ninja scrolls. (sounds like something out of a bad movie) =/ ... and it is!
The catch is this: you can't just go up to the quest npc's and get the quest. You must attain that elusive and abstract level of acceptance to those virtual characters we like to call "fame." (Like those pixelated bots even care...wtf gimme the darn quest!!!) {side note: people complain about bots... cept SE created them, they're called npc's >.<}
The absolutely retarded part of this story is this, unless you are a high-level job, which isn't the case when you're just starting out getting to level 30, there aren't any quests that you can complete in Norg. What you're left with is (and how the heck would you figure this out) is to go to one of two totally unrelated zones and do and endless amount of repeatable quests there, which are somehow magically linked to Norg. I mean, when's the last time Nana Mhingo set foot in Norg? *shrug
Not only that, but the quest involves getting 4 individually farmed items. They don't stack(which takes up inventory space), they don't drop with every kill, and the zones to acquire these are kinda out of the way. (by "kinda" i mean: a ridiculously irritating run back and forth until you feel like betting on the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series or throwing your Wii controller at the bowling pins you made out of your younger brother and sister)
The only option for a starting character at level 30, with maybe 30 or 35 inventory slots is to spend the most retarded real-life week running back and forth... and back and forth... and back... and forth... and .....

yeah you guessed it... i've got to do it again....*throws the nunchucks....

Vanadi'el's list of things that shouldn't hurt...but do

There's a lot of things in life that can hurt. A car crash, falling out of a 10th story window, eating grandma's fruitcake ala 1975. There are a bunch of things in the virtual world of Vanadi'el, however that just make you scratch your head. By no means is this a complete list... any reader: feel free to add on.



suspect: Treant
location: the forest... (duhh....)
the 'act': Leafstorm

Anyone who has seen this move knows...this attack (should you call it that) resembles a 'storm' as much as Bob Dole resembles N'Sync. At least when mandy's do 'leaf dagger' they actually look like they're shooting the leaves at you. i mean... that could hurt. Especially if you're using those mythril leaves you can grow in those pimp brass flowerpots. In fact...those leaves aren't even big, or heavy, or even have that many of them. It more resembles what happens when you fall out of the tree after getting caught trying to sneak out after curfew. SE... just leaf us alone!

suspect: Manta or Kraken (*hears pyro running away...oh wait, he's dead already... nvm)
location: around the world and on ships at sea
the 'act': Ink Jet

If this hurts in real life, Hewlett Packard should get the next big DoD contract. Ya that'd be rich... make some guns that fire black and multi-colored ink for those social fascist terrorist groups... Al Qaeda would have to fight themselves, or at least ostracize each other for being 'too poofy for the battlefield.' Heck you could make a big profit if you took over making the practice targets with photopaper. "It lasts twice as long and the colors don't fade!"
... maybe these mobs would be better off keeping the ink and throwing the printer at us...im sure they have one somewhere...maybe the manta king has one in mantaland...

suspect: Mandragora
location: any where higher on the evolution tree than a slug
the 'act': Wild Oats

i mean... c'mon... how does this hurt? Maybe if they got a can of oats and threw it at you... or got the Quaker man to do his best Jet Li impression... and does it matter if its steel-cut or instant?

suspect: Crab
location: following random beastmasters throughout the land
the 'act': Bubble shower

Let's see the SE logic here... take two things that are normally enjoyable, put it together, and WHOOP! you have one of the most irritating moves that can be done to a noob in valkurm. I like bubbles, i like showers, i don't like AoE damage and a strength reduction. Maybe Vanadi'el crabs are decended from the rare North American "Indoor Pool Crab."

...more to come ^^

It's hard to be a fan

As i sit looking up in the wind and rain of a Hawaii winter night sky, trying to shake the pain and disappointment of a University of Hawaii football drubbing at the hands of a very talented, well-coached, and yeah... quick University of Georgia team; i'm reminded of why it's so hard to be a fan. i mean, to be a fan is to basically ride the highs and lows of the accomplishments, or lack thereof of other people.

... think about it...

I'm not as rabid a fan as some people may be (and there are... millions of them in every state, county, and country), and i can feel the gut-wrenching agony and shame of defeat, especially when the loss comes on one of the biggest stages in American sports. When it comes down to it, however, there is nothing that i can do about it. lol Not that June Jones (head football coach) would want me out there trying to block Marcus Howard... let's just say i have a different skill set than ANY division 1A athlete. But there really is nothing that i could have done about it. The only thing that i can do is support the team in cheering, in well-wishes, in hoping and believing in them...none of which contributes to a win or a loss in a measurable way the same way running a 'Go' route and hauling in that 50 yard touchdown pass, or making that clean iso-block on a linebacker.

Being a fan is easy when things are good. Victory is as close as the TV remote and DVR. You won without doing anything really. It almost diminishes the time and effort it takes to train oneself to win on that level and on that stage. For example, it takes months of preparation, and years of working at it to get to a certain level. In the information age, we come to find out about stories of victory as they are being won, not during the years those wins have been built. No one sees the endless hours of preparation, or the grueling determination players much summon to prepare for the highest levels of play. As a fan, you win on their merit. You win on their heart. You win because someone has sacrificed....and it feels damn good to win. So good, people go their whole lives supporting causes that will hopefully give them that winning feeling.

The flip side is, that with all the cheering and praying, you feel the same sting of loss along with your team, player, or individual you cherish. Losing, especially in America is very bad socially. Losing denotes that you are a 'loser' and that your worth is somehow diminished because of the lack of performance.

This outlook differs greatly from the way God looks at us. Our worth is rather who we are, than what we can do. If we think about it, every good thing that we do is really attributed to His goodness and divine ability. We do great things because we are great, we are accepted, we are His children. We don't qualify to be accepted, loved, and respected because of the things we do. If it was like that, no one qualifies to go to heaven because we've all fallen short. No one would qualify to get blessings or 'breaks' in life. No matter how few of 'those' we've gotten in our lives, there is no one, who can say they have been non-existent. We should respond from a knowledge of goodness with great deeds, because it comes from us, because it is in us, because it IS us.

Part of the reason i love this crazy game that i play, is because the victories are personal. Yes, so are the losses... but there is nothing like the celebration from something that was personally accomplished. You won because you prepared, you believed, you acted, and you responded. You got that Jujitsu Gi because you camped that darned NM for weeks... you finally beat those mammets after 15 tries because you learned from your past mistakes, grew, evolved, found the weaknesses, and got together with a group of killer people who shared your vision, your goal, your desire. You found a way to afford that Hauby because you searched every site, farmed every worthwhile mob, monitored the prices and the market, and found a way to carve a niche for yourself in the economy.

These things make the game... and life full of excitement and wonder... it makes me want to do better... and I have to/want to believe these things carry over to my life

...as well as the one i live in Vanadi'el

Happy New Year!

Well, folks...it's been one helluva year. I don't know about you, but 2007 for me was filled with a ton of ups and downs and arounds. I can really say i went from a super-high to a super-low and back up again, experienced things i thought i never would have, learned things about myself i thought i knew, explored new things, took new chances, dared to believe, and hung my head in shame.
Honestly, i don't think anyone can wrap up 2007 in a nutshell. It was way to complex, with story lines at home and abroad, which were wide-reaching and inextricably intertwined. Just in my own life i experienced breakthroughs in my family i would have never thought possible. At the same time, my personal life seemed to break down at the most inopportune times. I applaud anyone and everyone who has made it through and hung in there!
I can honestly say that i loved more in 2007. On the flipside i think i've never failed more either...or it could be just that i'm more aware of it. I've seen seasons and people flow through my life. I've seen the leaves in people turn and whither. I've seen newness spring forth.
In all that you've been through this past year, don't forget it. Don't forget the highs and the lows. Don't forget the lessons. Don't forget the memories, upon which's foundation you've built your beliefs, feelings, impressions, and trusts. Right or wrong, to know it, to understand it, puts us above the category of 'animal', beyond the realm of living by our cravings alone. Its part of what makes us human...the 'human' part that God made...and fashioned it after himself.

I write this as a reminder to myself most of all...

Have a happy new year!!!