subs vs dubs

Speaking of anime, I know I have fellow comic fans among my online circle of friends, but do I have any fellow anime fans? And if so, where do you stand on the whole "sub vs dub" debate? For the uninitiated, I’m referring to the subtitled versions of the Japanese programs versus the English-dubbed versions of the same. Personally, I’m a total sub-fan. I can’t stand the English hack-jobs done on some of the best anime. Not only do they have to change the dialogue to have it sync up with moving mouths, but they usually have to try and get their lines out ultra-fast. And where on earth do they find all those annoying, squealing girls to do the voices? Nope, I’ll stick to the original voice-actors, speaking in their native tongue, with subtitles any day.

I have some friends who appreciate the dubs just as much, however. Certainly my earliest experiences with anime were with North American dubbed versions, such as Battle of the Planets, and AstroBoy. Later, it was such hack-job classics as Robotech, Voltron and Transformers. I’m not sure when I became disillusioned by dubs, but I think it might have been Sailor Moon. Those annoying little "Sailor Says" clips at the end, and the absolutely HORRID voice of Chibi-Usagi (Rini in the N.A. version) that was like nails across a blackboard. In Japanese, she sounds cute! Not like a 30 year old throwing a temper-tantrum at all!

Anyway, if you’re an anime fan, I’d love to hear your opinion on this!

taking the edge off

What with all the drama and overwhelming business going on, I decided to try out a new video game. Being a major anime fan, I had obviously heard about Ragnarok, but I’d never actually given it a go. There’s a couple reasons I didn’t. Firstly, I don’t have the kind of time it takes to commit to getting really good at one of those games, and secondly, I’m always a little nervous about getting addicted to those MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). Pay-per-use is generally not kind to me.

However, after trying out the free trial, I’m really impressed. It’s cute, it’s funny, and it’s rules establish a level of good nature and morality. It’s something I’d be okay with the kids playing. There’s lots of quite helpful folks in there too. Today, for example, I met my new best friend, Bahomet (the one sporting the cool armor-visor). He’s a 15 year old from the states, and he’s been helping me learn the ropes, as well as how to earn experience and so forth. All in all, an enjoyable experience. The subscription costs are really reasonable too! Go check it out, but you’re not allowed to be better at it than me.

when the right thing feels wrong

I’m going to be honest – brutally so. Sometimes, I don’t like being a Christian. Sometimes, I don’t like knowing what it is God wants. Sometimes, in anger, I wish He’d leave me alone. Immature? Absolutely. But, sometimes I’m immature. Like a child who wants to do something and is told “No” by a parent, I sometimes stamp my feet and threaten to hold my breath until I turn blue. Oh, as soon as a second passes, I’m able to remind myself of all the wondrous blessings God has bestowed upon me, the unwarranted favour granted me for no reason other than it pleased Him to do so. I’m able to remember that, as much as He challenges me to do the right thing, He also gives me the desire and strength to do it.

A number of years ago, a friend and two little girls entered my life and became a part of me forever. When I lost them, I thought I’d lost that part of me forever. There was a little less of “me.” However, God, in His wondrous grace, brought them back to me, and I could sing his praises forever in that single gift to me. But even then, I knew God was preparing me for something. Something challenging.

My daughter’s biological mother has made contact, and desires to establish a line of communication with Alyssa. I spent a lot of years very angry with her, and it’s only in the past 4 years (oddly enough, directly related with my conversion that I’ve been able to come to some level of peace with water long under the bridge. Our Lord, in teaching us how we should pray, told us to ask God’s forgiveness, as we forgive others. After teaching this prayer, he reiterated, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matt 6:14-15)

I am commanded to forgive, as challenging as it might be. But more than that, I have also been challenged to bestow the same grace that was granted me. I thought I lost something forever, and it was returned to me. So, too, has Alyssa’s mother. Pray for me. Pray for my family. And pray for her. This is going to be a very difficult situation, and as much as I would like to stick my fingers in my ears and sing, “La, la, la, I can’t hear you,” I have to take a deep breath, and try to do the right thing.

home again home again

We safely made it home around suppertime yesterday. I’ve procured Katelynn’s babysitting services, so she’s here with us. Our precious Kate is going away at the end of the week to visit friends south of the 49th, so it was my master plan to both hang out with her before she leaves, and give her a way to earn a little spending cash to take south. Anyway, last night Marsha, Kate and I stayed up and watched Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, a cool action-anime based on the characters from the ground-breaking film. The DVD was worth it for the opening alone – very cool.

I’ll post more later – just wanted to let folks know we’re home. Lots of catch-up to do!

quick drive–by update

It’s Sunday evening, and we’re back from Hockstone where we celebrated Marsha’s grandparents’ 60th anniversary. We arrived safely back in Toronto this morning, and went to a Blue Jays game this afternoon. I’m not a big fan of baseball (especially when my Mets are getting slammed by Arizona!) but I really enjoyed the game. Our Jays lost, but it was still an exciting game! Alyssa loved it! And since we had to go back up Spadina Ave to get back to Karen’s condo, we dropped in on the anime stores again! w00t!

Anyway, just wanted to give that quick update since I had a couple minutes at the computer! Folks back home, we’ll see you soon!

on the road again

Marsha, Alyssa & I arrived safely in Toronto on Monday afternoon, and were met at the airport by Marsha’s aunt Karen. We’ve been staying in her condo in the ‘Weston’ area of Toronto, and enjoyed a few excursions out to see what’s what. One of the things that I find rather cool is the distinct multiculturalism in large cities such as this. Not only is there the famous Chinatown, but a Puerto Rican area, and Arabic area, a Korean area, etc, etc. It’s something that we don’t have much of in the Maritimes, since even our ‘large’ cities, such as Halifax, are no more than suburban towns when compared to the other Canadian cities I’ve spent time in, such as Montreal or Vancouver.

Yesterday, we perused the Eaton Center on Yonge Street, home of the CHUM tower, MuchMusic, etc. I wasn’t overly impressed with the mall, myself, but Marsha enjoyed herself. Today, however, was my day to shine. I looked up a couple shops on the net, and then we headed to the Chinatown region of Spadina Avenue and found two exceedinly cool anime shops. The first one, AnimeXtreme, was pretty cool. While it had a LOT of stuff, there really wasn’t as wide an assortment as I would have liked. Gundam here, Gundam there, Gundam Gundam EVERYWHERE! Don’t get me wrong, I love mech-anime as much as the next guy, but sheesh! I did get a couple of cool things thought.

Next we headed to Chinatown Center, a cool little mall with lots of neat shops. Nestled in a small corner on the top floor is KiKiWai, and while they didn’t have as much stuff, they had a wide variety. I picked up a couple items for a certain couple of anime fans I know back home and a couple things for myself. Marsha spoiled me a bit, but I was happy. I could have easily bought the whole store if permitted.

There are some folks in the extended family who require prayer, especially as the welfare of children is involved. The Lord knows who they are, so if you’d lift them up before him, we’d appreciate it.

Outside of that, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. Alyssa (who doesn’t understand her father’s anime obsession) even found a cool thing that she wanted there, so she felt it was worth her while as well. ) Tomorrow, we’re off to Marsha’s grandparents home to join the rest of the family. I probably won’t get another opportunity to log in, so we’ll see you all on Monday. Missing everyone back home terribly!

get back to where you once belonged

Well, this is the last day before my vacation. Marsha, Alyssa and I are traveling to Ontario to spend time with Marsha’s mother’s family. It’s Grammie & Grampie’s 60th wedding anniversary, and the entire family is swooping down on the Toronto area to partake of the festivities.

I’ve got to be honest though, and say that I’m not too excited about the whole thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love my wife’s family! They’re AWSOME! However, when I take a vacation, I’m looking for serious vegetation time. I’m looking forward to turning my brain off for a couple days to allow it to recover from months of problem-solving. Either that, or putting it towards pursuing other interests, such as studying & reading. I’m not looking forward to the whole tourist thing, probably because I grew up in Ontario… so it’s nothing new. Certainly nothing I want to be “touristy” about.

Everyone deals with stress in different ways. My wife and her family help relieve pressure by always having a plan. They plan everything – the whos, whats, whens and hows – so that there’s no pressure when they go to do something. The unfortunate side effect of that is that they, in my opinion, end up over-planning and filling all the available timeslots with activities galore. The other unfortunate side-effect is that if I opt-out of said activities, I run the risk of being considered “anti-social” or hurting someone’s feelings. Therefore, I start considering it a no-win scenario: Can’t relax, and can’t opt-out.

Then I realize that times like this are granted to us for a purpose – there may be some awesome opportunities for discussion and sharing. Marsha and I might say or do something that plants valuable seeds in someone’s heart. Who knows? The only thing I can do and try to appreciate the time God has given me, and use it wisely. Lookit that! I just cheered myself up about the whole thing!