"Yukianesa...ACTIVATE!!!" (Late Post #6)

My Mitsubishi Lancer, OZ Rally Edition
Named Yukianesa (Yuki for short)

About a month and a half months ago, my Teggy, whom I've lovingly named Ophelia, had finally given up her last breath (metaphorically speaking). I've been thinking of buying a newer car (thanks to my co-worker letting drive his Mini-Cooper). So I've working hard and saving up extra money for that newer car, and had also decided to sell Ophelia for cheap (since she became barely drivable). 

So, for the past month, with the help of a friend, we had scoured the earth (or 5 cities, but who's counting?) looking for a used car that can be bought for no more than $7,000 cash (I'm a struggling university student, so I don't have the "luxury" of having a lease - not that I would want one, but that's a different story for another day). 

The search zigzagged us from various models of cars. We had begun with MINI Coopers (r50 or r53) but the majority of the vehicles were automatic transmission (this is bad because many MINI's with A/T tend to fail sooner than those with Manual Transmission). So many Coopers were dismissed, with the exception of three we found that were M/T. However, all three had major problems (one had electrical problems, another needed obscure sensors to be replaced, and the best priced Cooper had transmission problems - the transmission keeps slipping out the 5th gear, which would be a major problem on the highway and in my wallet).

After Coopers, we began to search for Scion Tc's and Acura RSX's with M/T, but that search was fruitless. We found a great Tc at a dealership, but in the end, the dealer was such a tool. He was, essentially, more eager to sell the car for what it was, and it just made me uncomfortable to make a sale with him, so I left that dealership and never looked back.

Then, after that, we stumbled across Mazda Miatas. Those little cars looked fun to drive, but I realized that it just wouldn't be practical to buy one. However, when I have the money to buy one, I most definitely will for my weekend trips to wherever. 

And lastly, the Mitsubishi that I now have, was a surprising find. We found this in a hole-in-the-wall used car dealership. We looked at it, we test drove it, and we negotiated the price. It's surprising to realize that I have a Lancer - it just wasn't something I wasn't expecting to own. I'm quite happy with it. As it's my own bizarre custom to name my pieces of technocrap (and a car is technocrap), I've been thinking of what to call my Lancer. Then it dawned on me. 

Jin Kisaragi, as portrayed in
BlazBlue: ChronoPhantasma
Yukianesa is Jin's weapon

Yukianesa. The name dawned on me since my brother and I have been playing BlazBlue: ChronoPhantasma over the summer. The name comes from Jin's Nox Nyctores weapon called Mucro Algesco: Yukianesa, which resembles a Japanese sword. Now here's where it gets pretty cool. Yukianesa's most interesting characteristic is that it can amplify its owner's state of mind, making even the coldest personalities passionate and on the verge of a psychotic breakdown, like Jin Kisaragi himself. Furthermore, unlike a real sword, Yukianesa's blade is made of permafrost from the water particles in the atmosphere fused with seithr. The blade can freeze just about anything in seconds! How cool is that?! I know, I'm a nerd. Hence, why I've decided to call my Mitsubishi Lancer "Yukianesa," since it's such a badass weapon in the BB universe.

Side Note

Going back to the previous post, "Been A While..", I mentioned that one of the topics of discussion was to talk about my stolen Teggy, Ophelia. As it turns out, I already wrote about it! So lucky for you (but mostly for me - this saves me some time :P) , that's one less item on the agenda to write about :-)

As of now, here is the list of topics for upcoming posts (taken from the previous post):

• My first experiences as a drunk
• Ophelia (my Teggy) being kidnapped (read about it here!)
• Why listening to Coldplay doesn't make you gay
• Finally, "Rachel" and how I found her

That is all. Until next time!

Been A While...

...Since I last posted here. School, work and "Rachel" (the other girl I started seeing) have been my focuses in life lately, and at times, I simply want to shut down for the purpose of reflecting my life in recent weeks. So, in reflection (but mostly because there are things I said I would talk about), here are the topics of discussion for the following blog posts: 

• My first experiences as a drunk
• Ophelia (my Teggy) being kidnapped
• Why listening to Coldplay doesn't make you gay
• Finally, "Rachel" and how I found her

So, there you have it. Four tales of my convoluted life story (albeit a good one).

P.S. Does anybody read these? Or am I this digital madman, crying futilely to the perceived skies above me? I know you at least visit (the stats don't lie, so ha!), so say hello and leave a comment (just don't say I'm gay for listening to Coldplay)! Until next time!

"Dude, Where's My Car?"

Six days ago (last Tuesday on Sept. 10, 2013), my car was stolen approximately between 12:55 to 4:15 in the afternoon. I say this because I was at work at that time (luckily for me, it was only a half day, as opposed to working a full shift), and it wasn't until 4:15 in the afternoon that I realized that my car was missing! "Just up and gone," as my coworker had phrased it. 

After the initial shock of realizing this, I immediately searched the area where my car was at, desperately looking for shattered glass. There wasn't any. Then, because I had parked in a public lot, I had contacted the towing company in charge of that specific, hoping that my car was towed rather than stolen. Unfortunately, they didn't tow my car. Next, I contacted the city police department, again hoping that my car was in their possession rather than stolen. Again, no such luck, so I had to fill out a stolen vehicle report. Filling out the report wasn't that difficult at all (not that it should be, but the stress and shock of losing a car can interfere with the report), since I was very detailed on how my car looked like (describing pre-existing damages, stickers and decals, and such), as well as giving other pertinent information.

For almost a whole day, my car was missing. I was informed by a sheriff in San Dimas (should give you an idea of the area where I live) that my car was found in that city. Which I thought as bizarre, since a car like mine (it's an Acura Integra LS - without the V-Tec) usually ends up in Pomona, El Monte, or even in Los Angeles! But it was found in the whitebread town of San Dimas (again, bizarre). I spoke to the sheriff on the condition of the car (usually cars like mine and Honda Civics are stolen only to be scrapped for parts) and all he could tell me that my car was in "fair condition." Crap. I thanked him for the news and the following day, I picked up my car.

When I reclaimed my car, my heart was pounding. What will be there? What will be missing? were some of the thoughts running in my mind. I was lucky to realize that most of my engine parts and all my tires were all there! However, what was stolen were all of my personal belongings and such, and as far as my engine goes, only my intake valve (and air filter) were stolen! I sound happy, but it's more like surprised. After all, if the jerks who my car paid more attention, they should have seen that my distributor and gas filter were in excellent condition, as well as some small parts such as spark plugs, some tubing/hoses and electrical wiring. All they saw was that flashy intake valve. So that's the reason I was surprised that my car was in excellent shape: It was still drivable! My mechanic later told me that I was lucky to have my car back in this condition. Lucky, indeed.

So, here is a list of what has been stolen (more or less from what I remember):

Car-Related:

• The Intake Valve (as well as its Air Filter)
• Oil, Filter, and even the cardboard for the oil change! (They were some desperate dudes.)
• Jumper Cables
• Hydrolic Jack
• Fluids (Brake, Transmission, Power Steering)
• Surprisingly, not the Radiator Fluid

Personal Stuff (Materialistically Speaking):

• Car Radio and the sound system (such as the amp, though speakers weren't taken)
• My CD collection
• She & Him - Vol. 1,2,3
• Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (Deluxe Edition, too...)
• Sara Bareilles - The Blessed Unrest
• Fuel - Something Like Human
• The Strokes - Comedown Machine 
• Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe
• Julien-K - We're Here With You
• DragonForce - Valley of the Damned
• Ender's Game (the book, though this was for a friend)
• Paperwork (Registration, Insurance, misc.)

Personal Stuff (Sentimentally Speaking):

• My Spirit Ghost (it's a little good-luck charm - I called him Frederick)
• My Rubber Band Ball (and I worked so hard on it, too...)
• My Piggy Bank (no coins yet, so that's good)
• My Las Vegas Keychain (I never went to Vegas, but it came with the car's keys)

Day Off Tomorrow

Finally, after some lengthy weeks (and extensive hours), I finally have a day off. Although, if I could gripe about this, I'd like to have a whole week off, considering all the time I have sort of have lost due to losing one co-worker and training two others. If I had a whole week to myself, what would I do? I haven't thought that far ahead as far as time off. However, I do have somethings tomorrow planned namely:

• Begin the first day of my training regimen (I know where I stand health-wise and I have set up some personal goals - more on that later).
• See my mechanic (my car needs a new engine mount, transmission mount, air filter, and a new spark plug - nothing too demanding, I hope)
• Spend time with my family (watch Pacific Rim, if it's still in theaters, or Elysium, since it was just released this weekend).
• Have dinner with my dad (I miss that man).
• Go on a hike with my best friend (he's been inviting me I feel bad for not going along - tomorrow, I'll make it up to him).

Of course, there some other things to do, like catch up on my YouTube channels, knock off a few items off my Netflix queue, and do some gaming/errands (not in that order), but they are not as important as the other things that I have mentioned earlier. Tomorrow's gonna be a great (but busy) Sunday.

Salad Fingers and Distributors!?!

          As I went into work this past Sunday afternoon, I didn't think that my Acura's distributor would give out on me, but it did. A crummy ending to a crummy week. Not all that week was bad, but the ugliness of the week definitely took away the bright attraction of those good moments this week. So yeah, I must replace that distributor if I want to drive my car again.

          Unfortunately, I had to miss classes today and it sucks - I don't want fall behind, not after I went to so much trouble to get back on track! Hopefully, I'm not too far behind. Regardless, some good, albeit in a weird way, did come out of today - I had the chance to do some bonding with my younger brother. He recommended that we watch Salad Fingers (the first episode down below). Words alone can't describe the insanity that is this show! Is it weird that I want to see more of this show?